Forever in Good Hope Page 15

  “Delaying the holiday celebrations until January would be a onetime thing.” Instead of going for the hard sell, Fin kept her voice matter-of-fact.

  “What about the people who already have plans to come here for Christmas?” Jeremy’s tone remained equally conversational. “Those flying in won’t be able to change their reservations. Not even if they were given notice now. Yet when they arrive to celebrate Christmas in Good Hope, they won’t find any signs of Christmas.”

  The agreement stipulated that the entire business district of Good Hope would be available for filming purposes during the month of December. As winter, not Christmas, played a part in the story Xander would be shooting, there could be no evidence of the holiday along Main Street.

  “That’s true.” Fin took a sip of tea and felt herself steady. “But this will be a major Hollywood production with A-list actors in town for the shoot. Not only is Xander willing to pay big bucks to the town’s coffers, residents and visitors alike will have a chance to apply to be extras. Or simply watch the filming.”

  “It won’t be the same.” Jeremy lifted his glass and took a long drink of tea.

  “That isn’t necessarily bad.” Fin kept her tone light despite the sudden ache that had invaded her own heart.

  “I don’t know.” Jeremy wiped the condensation from the side of his glass with one finger, his gaze thoughtful. “What I have to decide is, will accepting this proposition make life better for the community of Good Hope? Not just in December, but during the rest of the year.”

  “Having the increased revenue will help you get to projects that are currently languishing because of lack of funds.”

  “True.” Yet something in those serious blue eyes told Fin he wasn’t convinced. “On the other hand, I believe coming together during the holidays strengthens our sense of community and reminds us once again why we live here. In Good Hope, neighbors helping neighbors isn’t just something we say but something we believe and practice. When we come together to celebrate and rejoice, we become stronger because of it. I’d hate to lose that over extra road construction money.”

  Not knowing how to respond to that argument, Fin gestured to Helen for more iced tea and focused on eating the salad she’d barely touched.

  Jeremy had pulled out his wallet to pay the bill when Fin stopped him with a hand on his arm.

  “Give it up, Finley.” His lips curved and he pulled out a couple of bills. “I don’t care if you invited me, I’m not letting you pay for lunch.”

  “That’s not it, although I wish you’d at least let me toss in half.”

  “Not happening.” When her hand remained on his arm, he cocked his head. “Something else?”

  “There’s one more thing to do with your grandmother that I forgot to mention.”

  “What is it?”

  “She’s throwing an engagement party for us Saturday night.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Too bad I have a prior commitment or I’d come to the party.” Amusement laced Xander’s tone. “It’s not every day a man is invited to celebrate his fiancée’s engagement to her ex-boyfriend.”

  “I’m glad one of us thinks this is funny.” Fin’s fingers relaxed around the phone. She hadn’t been sure how Xander would take the news. But FaceTime allowed her to see that his brown eyes were as warm as his smile. “Ruby is determined to have the party. We argued it was too soon after her surgery, but the plans are now all in place.”

  “Where will this grand soiree be held?” Although Xander lay on top of his bed, relaxing against a pile of propped-up pillows, he was fully dressed. She wondered if he was planning on going out once he got off the phone.

  “At the farm.”

  He lifted a brow. “Farm?”

  Fin gave a little laugh. “Sorry. I forgot you said you didn’t make it outside the town limits when you were here. Rakes Farm is a huge venue in Door County. Around here most people simply refer to it as the farm.”

  “Is it?”

  “Is it what?”

  “A farm?”

  “I suppose it qualifies as one, since last I knew it had five hundred acres of tart cherry as well as some apple and pear trees,” Fin conceded. “But it’s definitely not the kind you’re imaging. The house is this amazing old Victorian and the property has a beautiful old barn that has been renovated and is used for a variety of community and private functions.”

  “A barn.”

  “Since you’re from a rural area, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the structure.”

  His lips twisted in a grimace. “Don’t remind me.”

  Fin was poised to tease, but the edge in his voice stopped her. In the time they’d been together, Fin had learned that Xander preferred to keep his life in rural America firmly in the past.

  She’d always found that odd, considering it had been their shared Midwestern roots that had originally drawn her to him. In a city of pretense, he seemed real.

  Or he had. Over the past year, as success had come calling, as the movers and shakers in the film industry had accepted him into their inner circle, she’d watched him slowly change.

  He was a talented man and Fin had been happy to see his confidence get a much-needed boost, but not all changes had been positive. She liked to think she centered him. That she kept him—and his healthy ego—grounded.

  “Even though you won’t be attending,” Fin kept her tone light, “you’ll be pleased to know the party won’t be held in the barn. It’ll be in the house, and it will indeed be a grand soiree.”

  “It’s being held in Wisconsin. There’s no way it’ll be a soiree, grand or otherwise.” The smug tone pricked her temper. “Good Hope may be the perfect setting for this movie, but it isn’t the most cultured of areas.”

  “You haven’t spent enough time here to make that assessment.” Fin’s tenuous control on her temper now hung on a single thread. “We’re not all Cheeseheads and beer drinkers. Not that there’s anything wrong with either of those.”

  Xander’s smile thinned. “Just don’t change too much while you’re there.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “What is that you’re wearing?”

  Fin glanced down. Her dad had invited her over to play a fast and furious game of badminton with him and her nephews. She’d almost declined, but Jeremy had encouraged her to go, insisting she enjoy her time in Good Hope fully. “It’s a T-shirt.”

  With the University of Wisconsin’s mascot, Bucky, across the front.

  Fin lifted her chin. She would not apologize for wearing a shirt appropriate for hitting a birdie over a net. She only regretted that when she’d decided to call Xander, she hadn’t given a thought to her appearance.

  “Don’t forget who you are, Fin.” A subtle warning ran through Xander’s tone. “The woman I want at my side on the red carpet isn’t a small-town girl from Wisconsin.”

  Don’t forget who you are.

  Even after Fin ended the call and headed downstairs for something to drink, the words circled like a song on repeat.

  She found Jeremy in the kitchen, dressed in cargo shorts, sneakers without laces, and a striped polo shirt. If Xander thought she was too casual, he’d most certainly sneer when he caught sight of Jeremy.

  But Fin liked Jeremy with his tousled blond hair and stubble. In fact, she liked him better this way than in a suit and tie.

  He looked up from where he was rummaging through the refrigerator. “How’d the call go?”

  She’d warned Jeremy she wasn’t sure how Xander would take the news of a big engagement party.

  “He was amused.”

  “I bet that was a relief.” Though Jeremy smiled, his gaze remained watchful.

  “I thought it might bother him.” The words slipped past her lips before she could stop them.

  “It didn’t.”

  “Like I said, he thought it was funny.”

  “I realize all this must be difficult.” Jeremy shut the refrigerator door, giving her h
is entire attention. “Celebrating your engagement to me when you should be celebrating yours to him.”

  “It’ll be fine. Your grandmother is—” Fin glanced in the direction of the stairs.

  “Asleep,” Jeremy answered the unspoken question. “I just checked on her before I came down.”

  “I feel badly she’s going to all this work.”

  “She’s not actually doing the work and she’s enjoying every minute of overseeing the action.”

  “But to do all this only to have it end—”

  “Hey.” His hand closing over hers had the rest of what she was about to say dying in her throat. “Think about it. When you get right down to it, today is all we’re guaranteed. Grandma Ruby has been through a lot in her life. My engagement ending is something she’ll be able to handle. Let’s let her enjoy the moment.”

  “You’re right.” Fin pulled her hand from his and crossed the room, then paced back again. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I feel edgy.”

  It wasn’t stress over the upcoming party that had her in such a state. Not entirely. It was being this close to Jeremy. “I think I’ll go for a run.”

  “It’s dark.”

  She glanced out the window and sighed. “I need to burn off this lu—ah, energy.”

  Dear God, had she really almost said lust?

  “I’m having the same problem settling.” Jeremy’s gaze remained fixed on her face, making breathing difficult.

  “Any thoughts what we could do?”

  The spark in those blue eyes and the answering tingle deep in her belly told her his mind was traveling the same road as hers.

  “Wii bowling.”

  Fin inhaled sharply. “What?”

  “It’s set up in the back parlor.” Jeremy gestured vaguely in that direction. “Gram loves to play.”

  “Great.”

  Fin thought she’d done a good job of hiding her disappointment until his eyes turned dark as the night sky.

  “Unless you have something else in mind?” His words were soft as a caress.

  Fin licked her lips, saw his eyes grow darker still. But she realized there were lines she couldn’t cross, no matter how tempted. She forced a smile. “Wii bowling it is.”

  “You and Jeremy spent the night bowling.” Marigold’s husky voice was incredulous. Then her blue eyes narrowed. “Are you making that up?”

  When Fin stopped by her youngest sister’s salon the next morning, Marigold promptly pulled her into the chair. There weren’t many people she could trust with her hair, but Marigold was one of them.

  “What was I supposed to do?” She gave a laugh that sounded hollow. “Have wild, hot sex with him?”

  “Sounds better than Wii bowling.” Marigold gave a little snip. “You are engaged.”

  “Not to him.” Fin wasn’t sure why Marigold seemed determined to forget that important fact.

  The bells over the front door jingled. Marigold spoke without looking up. “I like Jeremy. He’s cute, in that scruffy, surfer-dude kind of way.”

  “Happy I meet with your approval.” Humor laced Jeremy’s voice.

  Marigold turned, batted her long lashes. “Did you miss the scruffy part?”

  “I didn’t think I’d see you until tonight.” Fin struggled to keep her voice steady, even as her heart skipped a beat. It was as if she was sixteen again. “What a nice surprise.”

  “Ditto.” He crossed to her, pleasure filling his blue eyes. “I was walking by and saw you through the window.”

  “Fin didn’t really need a trim.” Marigold’s gaze turned sharp and assessing. “But you could use one. Why don’t you exchange places with her? I won’t charge you since you’re almost family.”

  Almost family.

  Fin thought about reminding her sister—again—that her engagement to Jeremy was only temporary, but kept her mouth shut. To her way of thinking, the less said about the arrangement the better. Sometimes in Good Hope, it seemed as if the walls had ears.

  “Thanks, but not this time.” Jeremy gave Marigold a wink. “I promise to make an appointment soon.”

  Marigold waggled her shears at him. “I better not see you going into Golden Door.”

  The upscale salon was Marigold’s fiercest competitor on the peninsula.

  Jeremy swiped his fingers across his heart. “Never. We’re family. Almost.”

  His teasing smile made Marigold grin as she swept off the cape and motioned to Fin to get up. “Go. Keep your fiancé company.”

  Fin remained seated. “I didn’t think you were finished.”

  Marigold gave a little shrug. “You only needed some fine-tuning.”

  Rising slowly, Fin gazed at the littlest Bloom. At five foot three, Marigold might be the smallest in stature of the sisters, but she was also the feistiest. “Thanks for the trim.”

  “Stop by again. Or maybe Cade and I will stop out sometime.”

  Fin smiled. “I’d like that.”

  She and Marigold had battled wills many times in the past, most recently when Fin had pushed hard to get Marigold to relocate to LA rather than New York. In the end her youngest sister had fallen in love with Cade Rallis and decided to stay in Good Hope, making the decision moot.

  The door pushed open.

  “Am I invited to this party?” Other than the weapon at his hip, Cade looked very un-sheriff-like in jeans and a henley.

  Marigold beamed and rushed to his side, lifting her face for a kiss. “I believe we can make room for one more.”

  Cade’s mouth closed over hers. The welcome kiss lasted a little longer than Fin anticipated and had her and Jeremy exchanging smiles.

  Newlyweds.

  Although she didn’t know him well, Fin liked Marigold’s husband. Physically, he reminded her of Beck with his dark hair and lean frame. But Cade had a few more muscles and just seemed more . . . physical. Like Beck, he clearly adored his wife.

  Fin swallowed the envy that rose to her throat.

  With his arm slung around Marigold’s shoulders, the sheriff turned to her and Jeremy. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make the dinner at Ami’s house the other night. The stomach flu was making an early appearance in the sheriff’s department and there was no one who could take my shift.”

  “We didn’t even miss you.”

  Jeremy’s comment had Fin widening her eyes. Then she heard Cade chuckle and realized these two men were friends.

  Cade’s gray eyes turned serious. “I’m happy for you both.”

  Jeremy took the hand he extended. “Appreciate the good wishes.”

  Fin stilled. Had she slipped into some kind of Twilight Zone? Surely Marigold had told Cade that her and Jeremy’s engagement was a farce? She glanced at her sister, but Marigold was looking up at her husband with such love that Fin felt as if she was intruding on a private moment.

  “Will you be able to make the engagement party Saturday night?” Jeremy asked Cade.

  “Count on it.” Cade shifted his gaze to Fin. “You’ve got yourself a good man here.”

  What else could Fin do but agree?

  “I’d like to see a little more greenery in that bouquet.” Fin gestured to a vase of flowers the size of Texas. “I believe it’d give the arrangement more depth.”

  Lindsay Lohmeier, floral designer at the Enchanted Florist, took a step back and eyed the centerpiece that she’d just placed on a round table in the home’s main parlor.

  “You’re right.” The pretty blonde’s pursed lips made the scar on her cheek more pronounced. “It definitely could use more cocculus.”

  “Thanks.” Fin exhaled a breath, pleased to find Lindsay so agreeable.

  Ruby had made it clear that while she planned to act as hostess tonight, Fin called the shots on everything else.

  Lindsay glanced up from the flowers now sporting extra green. “It’s nice having you here.”

  “It’s good to be back.” Fin studied the arrangement with a critical eye, and this time gave an approving nod.

  �
�I meant having you around to coordinate.” Lindsay flashed a smile. “Normally we’re on our own.”

  Fin cocked her head.

  “Jeremy throws a lot of parties. He normally tells us what he wants, then trusts us to get it done. He doesn’t like being bogged down in details.” Lindsay turned from the bouquet, her back resting against the glossy burl table. “The freedom is appreciated, but it’s also nice having someone to bounce ideas off and give direction.”

  A whole truckload of flowers had been delivered that morning. Other than this bouquet, no input had been necessary. “You did an amazing job on the floral arrangements. I can see why he trusts you.”

  “I want it nice for you and Jeremy.” Lindsay met Fin’s gaze. “While Eliza and I are close, I consider you a friend, too.”

  “Thanks, Lin.” The last lingering bit of tension fell from Fin’s shoulders. “That means a lot.”

  With all the flowers now in place, Lindsay appeared ready to kick back and chat. “Mom said you’ll be going back to LA before the wedding.”

  Fin lifted her shoulder in a nonchalant gesture. Lindsay likely meant nothing by the inquiry, but she knew Lindsay’s mother was always mining for dirt. Dirt she’d gleefully smear on every member of the Bloom family.

  Ever since Fin’s father had ended his relationship with Anita, the woman’s acerbic tongue seemed especially directed toward his daughters.

  “Fin has to go back to Los Angeles.” Prim, who’d been busy adjusting the angle of tables that would soon hold appetizers and desserts, spoke in an authoritative tone. “You know how it is when you relocate. There are always loose ends to tie up. I shudder when I recall how much effort it took to make the move back home.”

  Back home.

  Not back to Good Hope, Fin noted. But back home.

  Other than Ami, who’d only left to attend college in Madison, that’s how her other two siblings always referred to their return . . . coming home. Fin was beginning to understand the sentiment.

  This visit marked the longest amount of time she’d spent in Good Hope since leaving for college.