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I hummed as I set out the folding chairs in the rec center where we were having our little meeting before we hit the local bar for the countdown. I was less excited at the thought of crowding into a busy place with lots of folk later, but even I knew that going home and getting into bed before midnight tonight was a little too much.
I had to move forward.
I wasn’t the type who liked to linger in sadness for too long. That being said, I was pretty excited about opposing whatever rich developer thought they could sweep in and destroy Briar Vale’s history. I already had the local historical society on board, and we were looking into getting the building classified as a historical building, and therefore buying time for the Society for the Preservation of Ivy House to flourish.
“Damn, it’s cold out,” Will said, coming in and knocking snow off his boots.
Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “I thought you had a hot date tonight?”
“Later, at the bar, the night is young,” he retorted and winked at her.
She turned away with a disgusted umph sound. Another knock sounded, and Chris poked his head in. Tension slithered through me. Things weren’t back to normal between us since his confession and I knew I needed to give it time. He was here to support me, however, which was sweet, but I hoped he didn’t think that would change how I felt about him.
We were friends, and always would be.
The room gradually filled up and numerous glasses of champagne were passed around as we huddled in the middle of the space for warmth.
“So, what’s the plan to save Ivy House from the new Scrooge to live on the hill?” Someone demanded. I felt a pang at hearing Lars be described that way, but I could hardly argue with them.
“I’m glad you asked, I have lots of ideas and a handout,” I said, putting my glass down and reaching for the copies of my plan I’d made at work.
“Of course, you do,” Lily muttered, waving a hand in the air. “You do know you could do all this on your own, right?”
“But it’s so much more fun together,” I pointed out, and gave the handouts to everyone standing around. We sat, and there were a few moments of silent flipping as they looked over the materials.
“I mean, this is great, but do you really think we can stop Lars Nilsen from selling the land altogether, it’s not like we can force him to like Briar Vale or want to live here,” Chris pointed out.
“Shh, don’t make Charlie cry, she’s not accepted that yet,” Will muttered to him, earning him a black look.
“I don’t have anything against him selling to someone who believes in the place and who is going to preserve it. I hope he does sell it, so he doesn’t have to come back here and make trouble for everyone,” I stated, my voice lifting a little to the end.
“Well,that teaches me for eavesdropping. I’m sorry I’m interrupting the hanging committee… hopefully I can still plead my case, before getting run out of town with pitchforks.” The deep voice, sounding just behind me, froze me to the spot. My eyes collided with Lily’s, and hers widened, staring over my shoulder. I knew that voice. I’d heard it again and again in my head every day since we’d met.
“We’ll hear you out,” Will announced, grinning wickedly at me. Will pointed to the only free chair in the circle, right beside me. “Sit and introduce yourself.”
The sound of Lars’ heavy boots walking across the floor echoed like a ticking timer, a countdown I had been ready for since the morning I’d left him in the foyer at Ivy House, and cried all the way home.
Hadn’t I been waiting for this moment?
Hadn’t I always known he’d come back?
The lack of surprise and feeling of stone-cold certainty confirmed my feelings.
I’d always known I would see this man again, I just hadn’t known when. Less than a week since I’d last seen him was even shorter than I’d imagined.
“Charlie,” Lars said, as he settled into the chair next to me. I could feel his eyes on the side of my face.
“Here, you can look at my handout. Charlie made it,” Will said, handing Lars one of my printed-out action plans. He stared at it.
“The Society for the Preservation of Ivy House?”
“This is the first meeting,” Lily pointed out, recovering before me.
Lars was nodding, and I couldn’t seem to meet his eyes. I could make out him flipping the pages of my little action plan. I risked a glance at him.
His dark eyes were studying the paper, and his usual stubble was shaven. He looked fresh and composed, whereas I felt like hell. He glanced at me, and I turned quickly back to stare ahead.
“This is an ambitious plan, I almost hate to ruin it,” Lars said quietly. “But I wanted to come and let you know that Ivy House is no longer for sale.”
