Puppy Love at Mistletoe Junction

Chapter Sixteen Action

There were a number of emotions running through Lucy when she woke up on Friday morning. Today was the first day of the musical, and there was a nervous excitement about finally getting to the day. About finally getting to see the thing that she’d spent months working on with her students.

But that excitement was overshadowed as she looked at the other side of the bed.

How was it that she’d gotten so used to waking up next to Theo in such a short amount of time? She missed his warmth. How he’d press his body against hers. She missed the way he’d trail kisses up her neck, his beard scraping across her skin as he settled himself between her thighs.

There was no warmth now. That side of the bed was cold.

Lucy reached out, her fingers touching sheets that still held the lingering, faint scent of his soap. She grabbed the pillow, pressing her face to it and breathing in deep. It made her ache even more.

Throwing the pillow to the side, Lucy sat up, reaching for Bear, who was stretched out at the foot of the bed. The dog had gotten used to sleeping at their feet, and it was still the place where she slept, not disturbing Theo’s empty space.

Empty, that was how Lucy felt.

Estee hadn’t joined Lucy and Bear in bed the evening before, but had instead curled up on her little pillow by the dresser. She actually hadn’t slept with Lucy since everything had happened with Theo, and Lucy wondered if the cat was pissed at her too.

Probably.

But there was no point in lingering on it. Lucy had way too much to do that day, a blessing, as it would keep her brain busy . . . and not obsessing about the fact that she’d probably be seeing Theo that evening.

It would be the first time in four days. She hadn’t gone that long without seeing him since she’d been back in Cruickshank. They were always hanging out at Quigley’s, or she was stopping by Browned Butter, or they were running into each other at Fresh Harvest, or Kathleen’s Corner Bookstore, or Dancing Donkey, or any of the other many places around town.

He was always around, and now he wasn’t, and she felt empty.

That all-too-familiar ache bloomed in Lucy’s chest, but she forced herself to breathe past it and get out of bed. Bear was a little more resistant, not wanting to leave the comfort and warmth, which was why Lucy was running late when she dropped the dog off at Dancing Donkey.

Sasha handed Lucy an already made crème br?lée latte, taking Bear’s leash and giving Lucy a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you tonight,”

Sasha promised.

Most of her friends and family were coming to the musical tonight, and the others would be there on Saturday. Sasha was part of the first group.

“Tonight.”

Lucy nodded. “Thanks for my coffee. I need it.”

“That’s why I made it a double.”

“Bless you.”

Lucy smiled for what felt like the first time in days.

“Hey, Luce.”

Sasha hesitated for just a second. “Are you okay?”

Lucy shrugged. “As okay as I can be. It’s my fault this is happening. I’m the one who ruined it.”

“You didn’t ruin it.”

“I did, though, and I can’t fix it.”

“Do you want to fix it?”

“I’ve spent the last seven months not knowing what I want. And right now, all I can think about is that I miss Theo so much it hurts. The thing is, I’ve missed him for seven years. And the only one standing in the way of us being together is me.”

“Luce.”

Sasha made to step forward but Lucy stepped back, shaking her head.

“If you hug me, I’m going to lose it. Holding it together with Scotch tape and caffeine at this point.”

Lucy held her cup in the air. “I can fall apart again once the musical is over.”

“Well, I’ll be here to help you put all of the pieces back together.”

“You always have been, Sash.”

Lucy’s voice broke at the end.

“Love you.”

“Love you.”

Taking another step back, Lucy headed to her SUV, parked at the curb.

She couldn’t help but glance at the building a block down. The sun was a good forty minutes away from making an appearance, but the lights from Browned Butter’s storefront were illuminating the still-darkened street. He probably wasn’t in there yet, going back to his old schedule of rolling in at nine since he wasn’t getting up with her in the morning anymore.

Lucy had never been much of a morning person, but she’d loved that part of the day with him. He’d been her favorite part of every day.

What the hell was she doing?

Do you want to fix it? Sasha’s question from just moments before repeated in her head. She wanted to fix it more than anything, she just didn’t know how, because she didn’t know how to fix herself.

She was going to have to figure that part out first.

* * *

Lucy’s third period was her planning hour, and she was spending it folding the programs for the musical. She’d hoped that the programs would get delivered earlier in the week, but there’d been some delays at the printer. As long as she got half of them done, she could take care of the other half the following day.

Needing a little distraction, she’d put on some music, and was singing along to the songs when a light knock echoed in the room. Looking up from her stack of programs she spotted Fatima and Mrs. Griffith on the threshold.

Lucy immediately paused the music and stood up. “Principal Patel, Mrs. Griffith, hi.”

She hadn’t seen her old teacher since Thanksgiving. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith had come for dinner at Quigley’s but hadn’t stayed too long after.

“Hello, dearie.”

Mrs. Griffith smiled as she crossed the room, pulling Lucy into a hug. As always, she smelled like patchouli, and it made Lucy nostalgic for something she wasn’t quite sure of. It was a couple of moments before she pulled back, smiling brightly.

“Are you stopping by to make sure everything is okay for tonight?”

“No.”

Fatima shook her head. “We have all the faith in the world about the musical and you.”

“That’s why I wanted you to take my place this year,”

Mrs. Griffith added.

“Are you coming tonight?”

“Brandon and I wouldn’t miss it. He’s anxious to get out of the house. It’s been slow going but he’s finally out of the wheelchair and is using a walker. I think he’ll always need a cane, though. I’m going to have the Savage brothers make him something for Christmas.”

“They are very talented when it comes to woodworking. They made a beautiful whelping box for Bear.”

A not-so-small pang rattled Lucy’s rib cage as she thought about Theo.

“How is that dog of yours doing?”

Fatima asked.

“Growing by the day.”

“That’s what it looks like in those videos of yours,”

Mrs. Griffith said.

“You watch the videos?”

Lucy laughed.

Mrs. Griffith playfully narrowed her eyes. “What? Do you think I don’t know how to do that because I’m ancient?”

“I never said that. I just didn’t know you were on social media.”

“How do you expect me to keep up with what’s on trend these days? Things are always changing.”

At this she looked around the classroom. “Well, things haven’t changed much around here.”

“It’s not mine to change.”

“I guess not.”

Mrs. Griffith nodded slowly, a little twinkle in her eyes. “Would you show me the auditorium? I want to see what you all did.”

“Absolutely,”

Lucy replied. Fatima led the way while Lucy walked with Mrs. Griffith.

When they got to the auditorium, Mrs. Griffith let out a whistle. “Wow,”

she marveled. “It’s beautiful.”

“Just more proof of what the Savage brothers are capable of.”

“Clearly. Those trees are magnificent. Did Caroline paint that moon?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s my favorite. Well, it’s tied. Hold on for one minute.”

Lucy made her way to the stage. She turned off the lights that were overhead, plunging the room into darkness for just a moment before flipping the switch that controlled the Christmas lights. The stage was suddenly illuminated in a twinkling glow.

She came back down the stairs, enough light in the room for her to get back to the two women.

“Oh, Lucy.”

Mrs. Griffith shook her head, the emotion in her voice clear. “It’s better than anything I could’ve imagined . . . or anything I could’ve done myself.”

“Well, I had a lot of help. Actually, Theo Taylor is the one who’s responsible for most of it. He was the one who made the plans and got everyone together. The lights were because of him too. Well, him and Max Abbott.”

“Look at that.”

Fatima grinned. “Caroline’s fella and your fella working together.”

Lucy made an uncomfortable noise in the back of her throat, looking down at the floor. “Um, well, Theo isn’t exactly my fella anymore. Things, um, didn’t work out.”

“Oh, Lucy.”

Fatima’s grin disappeared. “I’m sorry to hear that. I’d thought maybe you’d finally found someone . . . found your place here.”

“I have found a place here.”

Lucy gave a shrug of her shoulders. “But it’s not permanent.”

Mrs. Griffith reached out, her warm and weathered hands grabbing Lucy’s and holding on tight. “What if it was?”

“Excuse me?”

“You know, dearie, besides my family, there aren’t a lot of things in this world that I love more than this program.”

Mrs. Griffith looked to the stage, the lights reflecting in her eyes. “The thought of retiring was something I couldn’t even fathom because there was no one I could trust with it . . . until you.”

She looked back to Lucy, smiling. “What you’ve done with the program this semester, especially the last few weeks, has given me the grace to finally let go. If you want it, it’s yours.”

“You’re serious?”

“Yeah.”

Mrs. Griffith’s hands gently tightened on Lucy’s. “I can’t think of a better person to pass the baton to. Or, in this case, the microphone.”

“Yes.”

Something flared in Lucy’s chest, something that felt a lot like hope. “I’ll take it.”

* * *

Seventh period was drama class, and they were doing one last dry run before that evening’s performance. When the bell rang, everyone cleared out of the auditorium, heading home for a couple of hours. Well, almost everyone.

Gia and Chloe lingered, slowly putting their stuff into their backpacks while Lucy adjusted some of the props onstage. It was only when it was the three of them that Gia said, “If you’re in love with Theo, why aren’t you with him?”

“What?”

Lucy looked over, more than a little taken aback by the question.

“I don’t understand. It’s so clear in that video that you love Theo, and as opposed to being with him, you’re choosing to be sad instead. You can’t tell me that song isn’t about him.”

Lucy froze. “What video are you talking about, Gia? What song?”

“The one of you singing to Bear,”

Chloe said.

“I didn’t send you a video of me singing to Bear.”

Lucy shook her head, moving to the steps on the side of the stage.

“Yes, you did.”

Gia pulled out her phone, hitting a few buttons before holding it in the air. The sound of a guitar came from the little speaker, echoing in the almost empty auditorium.

“This time I’ll give you all of me. You’re what I want, you’re what I need.

“So here I am standing at your door . . .”

Lucy’s feet picked up their pace as the video continued to play and her own voice filled the room. It was a few more moments—though it felt like a lifetime—before she was standing in front of Gia, staring at the video on the screen. It was the one she’d recorded the night before, the one that hadn’t been meant for anyone but her to see.

Lucy reached forward in horror, and Gia passed her the phone. There was a buzzing in Lucy’s ears, but she could still hear her voice singing the song, going through each and every lyric before finally getting to the end.

“I’ve been so scared of falling. What I didn’t understand was the fall would set me free. This time I’ll give you all of me. You’re what I want, you’re what I need.”

“I . . . oh my god.”

Lucy shook her head, looking back up at Gia. “I didn’t know I sent this. You posted it?”

Now it was Gia who looked horrified. “Yeah, you sent it with a bunch of videos last night. I just assumed you meant to.”

She thought back to the night before, how she’d quickly selected her most recent videos of Bear, texting them before going to family dinner night. Her eyes went to the side of the screen, where she saw the like and share buttons. It had more than eighty thousand likes, and thirty thousand shares.

“How . . . how many people have seen this?”

Lucy asked.

“Over two hundred thousand,”

Chloe answered.

“Two hundred thousand?”

Lucy repeated, her voice going a little higher than normal. Or a lot higher than normal. “Oh, god, this can’t get any worse.”

Except it could. “Has Theo seen it?”

“I don’t know. I posted it this morning.”

Anger flickered in Gia’s expression, that same hardness she’d been directing at Lucy all week. “Why don’t you want him to see it?”

Lucy’s head started to get a little light and she sat down on one of the seats in the first row. “Do you have a diary, Gia? Or a journal?”

“Yes.”

“Imagine that you wrote something very personal. Something you didn’t quite understand yourself, and then you accidently shared it with two hundred thousand people.”

“Do you want me to take it down?”

“What’s the point?”

Lucy asked, dropping her head in her hands. “It’s already out there. If he hasn’t seen it yet, he’s going to.”

The reality of the situation was starting to dawn on her.

“Why are you hiding that you’re in love with him? Do you not want to be? Because there is no one greater on this planet than my brother.”

Lucy looked up. “You don’t think I know that?”

“Then why aren’t you with him?”

“Because it’s not that simple.”

More words from Monday night repeated in her head. Lucy was very familiar with them, as she’d heard them over and over and over again the last couple of days.

I know what I want. I want you. I love you. It really can’t get any simpler than that.

“Do you love Theo?”

Gia asked, her voice going a little softer, much like her expression.

“More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”

It was the first time she’d finally admitted it . . . the first time she’d said it out loud.

It terrified her beyond all reason, but not for the reason she’d thought. The fear of loving him wasn’t nearly as bad as the fear of losing him. Lucy had lost a number of people who were very dear to her, the biggest among them being her mother, followed closely by Max’s grandmother Ava. People who hadn’t had a choice in leaving her. But here, she had a choice. She was at a crossroads, and she could choose him. She could choose them.

She could choose to truly give herself to a man who loved her . . . to a man she loved back.

“So, do you want him back?”

Gia asked. “Do you want to be with him? Really be with him?”

“Yes,”

Lucy said without hesitation. She’d never been surer of anything in her life. “I just don’t know if he’ll believe me. I’ve messed this up twice now.”

“Well, isn’t the third time the charm?”

Chloe grinned. “And I have an idea.”

Lucy looked at the two girls, and for the second time that day, she felt a flicker of hope.

* * *

Theo took a deep breath before he walked into the auditorium behind his parents. The curtains were closed, the stage blocked off from view. He let his breath out in a rush as he looked around, but Lucy was nowhere in sight.

He couldn’t help himself, but odds were, he’d know the exact moment she walked in. He always knew.

“You going to be okay?”

Naomi asked as she looped her arm through Theo’s. His sister had driven back for the weekend so she could see Gia in the play.

“No, but I’ll probably get through it.”

“Probably? That sounds so reassuring.”

“Yeah, well, that’s all I can offer you at the moment.”

Naomi’s arm tightened, pulling him closer. “You know I’ve got your back, right?”

“I do.”

Theo looked over at his sister, giving her a little smile. Those things had been few and far between that week. He was so distracted by his sister that he didn’t notice his parents had walked into the fourth row. His grandparents had already grabbed seats in the middle, and as he and Naomi made their way along the aisle, Theo realized he’d be sitting exactly where he had on Sunday . . . exactly where he had when he heard Lucy sing for the first time all those years ago.

Yeah, he definitely wasn’t going to be okay.

He was going to get Naomi to switch seats with him, but as he got closer, he decided against it. Might as well go for full masochist at this point.

The room was full of chatter, people coming in and settling into their own seats. It was filling up, little by little, and as each minute ticked by, Theo found himself feeling increasingly anxious. But there was no distracting himself, especially as a group of people filed into the row in front of them: Max, Caro, Sasha, Gavin, Oscar, Edward, Jeremy, Lilah, Wes, and Lorraine. The last two of whom were holding hands.

“Hey!”

Naomi jumped up and threw her arms around Sasha.

“When did you get in?”

Caro asked as she pressed a kiss to Naomi’s cheek.

“A few hours ago. Just here for the weekend.”

“When are your finals?”

Lilah pulled Naomi in for her own hug.

“Next week. But mine don’t start until Tuesday, so it won’t be too much of a rushed weekend.”

“Well, that’s good. You can keep an eye on this one.”

Gavin nodded to Theo.

“Yeah.”

Naomi looked over at him. “I figured I can be his emotional support human.”

Jeremy gave an apologetic look in Theo’s direction. “It’s good to have one of those.”

Theo had run into almost all of his friends in the last week, and while they hadn’t pushed him on the topic of Lucy, none of them had been short on commiserating looks. Which he was now getting from most of the people in the row in front of him.

“Guys, this is already one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in a while, so if you could not look at me like that, it would be great.”

His mother didn’t say anything from the seat next to him, just patted his leg as she and Isaac continued to talk to Wes and Lorraine. Theo was lucky he had the support system of his friends and family, otherwise he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have gotten through the week. Getting up and out of bed in the morning had been hard enough.

Maybe at some point the pain would lessen, but he wasn’t there yet. It was getting worse, actually. The more he missed Lucy, the more he ached. It didn’t help that he smelled her everywhere in his house, the lingering scent of vanilla, cloves, and cinnamon in his bed. And it really didn’t help that he was still having to make those vanilla chai cupcakes every day.

Then there were the videos that Gia kept posting about Bear. She used to always send them to him after she posted, but she hadn’t been doing that this week. And he hadn’t been able to help himself and had looked them up. He’d resisted doing it today, mainly because he’d been so busy working on a wedding cake that he’d had a good distraction.

Hearing Lucy’s voice always killed him, but he watched them anyway. It was the masochist in him when it came to her. He couldn’t resist. He still didn’t understand how he’d been able to walk out the door last Monday. Self-preservation had finally won out.

But that self-preservation was lost as he heard Lucy’s voice. His head came up, looking around but not finding her. It was then that he realized it was coming from Caro’s phone.

“What is that?”

He leaned forward, looking over her shoulder to see what she was showing Sasha and Lilah.

“It’s Lucy,”

Caro said softly, moving to the side a little bit so Theo could see as she restarted it. “It’s the video Gia posted this morning.”

Theo watched the screen, watched as Lucy played her guitar, singing the song he’d heard her working on in her classroom after the fire. There’d been sadness in her voice then, but it was nothing compared to the sadness he heard in the new lyrics that she sang. Her words hit him in a way he wasn’t prepared for.

“This pain is more than I can bear, I won’t walk away again, I swear. This time I’ll give you all of me. You’re all I want, you’re all I need.”

The video ended with Lucy crying, sinking to the floor as she wrapped her arms around Bear. All three women turned to look at him—shocked expressions on their faces—but it was Caro who spoke first. “Theo, I—”

That was as far as she got before her words were cut off, the lights flickering and a voice coming on over the speaker.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if everyone could please take their seats,”

Principal Patel announced. “The show is about to begin.”

Theo sat back in his seat, his mind reeling. What had that song meant? Was it about him?

I know I broke us once before . . .

Her voice singing those words echoed in his head. She’d been the one to walk away the first time, and while technically he’d walked away this time, she’d broken them this time too. He believed what he’d told her, though, that he couldn’t walk away from something she wasn’t truly in. And if she hadn’t figured it out in seven years, he doubted she’d figured it out in four days.

He’d made the right decision . . . he’d had to remind himself of that hundreds of times. Or maybe it was closer to a thousand by now. If this had taught him anything, it was that sometimes love wasn’t enough. Sometimes two people just weren’t meant to be together and there was nothing to do to fix it.

He was just going to need time to get over it—lots of time—and distance. Well, time was going to be his only option at the moment; distance wouldn’t be a factor for at least five more months.

Theo tried to focus as Mrs. Griffith climbed the steps to the stage. Everyone in the room was applauding as she made her way over to the microphone. It was sitting right in the middle, the only thing that was in front of the thick purple velvet curtains.

“Hello, everyone. I wanted to thank you all for coming out tonight.”

She smiled as she looked out at the crowd. “As you all know, this program is my baby, the only things more important being my own children and my husband. I was the one who created it thirty-five years ago, always having been a fan of theater and music myself. I have loved each and every moment of being at this school, and it was more than a little hard for me to step away this semester.”

She paused, taking a moment to collect herself. “All of you here know about the accident that happened over the summer, the one that almost claimed the life of my husband. Everyone that we know rallied behind us on Brandon’s journey to get better. And it’s because of your help that he was able to walk in here tonight.”

Mrs. Griffith gestured to her husband, who was sitting in the front row, as everyone in the room made another loud round of applause. “Brandon may have needed a little support from his walker, but sometimes we all need a little support, and there is no short supply of that in this town. That’s what we do here in Cruickshank; when something or someone in our community needs us, we step up to the plate. That was what happened less than two weeks ago when a fire took out our set.

“So many of you volunteered to get everything cleaned and repaired. It took six days to get this all back in order, and somehow it’s even better than it was before. There were a number of people responsible—and you can find each and every one of their names listed on the back of your program—but there are two people who we need to thank above everyone else. And the first one is Theo Taylor.”

Mrs. Griffith gestured to him in his seat, her smile one of admiration and thanks.

“I was told that Theo organized everything, and that tonight’s production wouldn’t be happening without him, or at least not as spectacularly.”

The room again broke out into a round of applause; someone sitting behind Theo clapped him on the back while all of his friends and family turned to him. His mother grabbed his arm as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

It took everything in him not to sink down in his seat. Being the center of attention was not something he enjoyed, and the very last thing he wanted at the moment was a room full of people watching him. But he didn’t shrink down, he kept eye contact with Mrs. Griffith, nodding his head in acceptance of her praise.

Once the room started to quiet down, Mrs. Griffith continued. “The second person that I want to mention is Lucy Buchanan.”

And there was that feeling of a fist squeezing Theo’s heart; just hearing her name did it to him.

“Ms. Buchanan stepped in for me this semester when I couldn’t be here. She was one of the few people who I trusted with the program. With my program. Lucy was the one who came up with the idea for this year’s winter musical. Tonight’s production isn’t going to be like anything that’s been done on this stage before. Over the semester, these students—your children—have been working very hard, coming up with their own story to tell. With the help of Ms. Buchanan, they created their characters; they wrote the dialogue; they picked the music.

“I’ve stopped in and out of rehearsals over the last few months, watching as the program has been transformed into something I have never seen before. Something new and fresh, something that I wouldn’t have had the ability to do at the same level.”

She paused, the emotion in her voice clear. “I used to think that when I announced my retirement, I would do so with a heavy heart. And while it is bittersweet, I couldn’t be prouder to pass the baton on to Lucy Buchanan, Mount MacCallion’s new drama and music teacher.”

Everything in Theo stilled, the shock rocking through him. He couldn’t hear a thing that was going on around him, just a light buzzing in his ears. Lucy was staying in Cruickshank? Permanently? When . . . what . . . how? His brain hadn’t even fully wrapped around that piece of information when Mrs. Griffith looked at him again.

“There was a last-minute change to the first part of tonight’s performance. A dedication from your new teacher to the man who helped make tonight possible. And just so you know, Mr. Taylor, it means exactly what you think it does.”

And with that Mrs. Griffith moved away from the mic, exiting stage left.