Page 41 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls (Ivy Falls #3)

PIPER

What Comes Next

After we made sure all the kids had returned their costumes, Maisey and I walked out to the square. A cool breeze swept over the sidewalks. Soon, they’d be covered in hay bales and pumpkins. Ivy Falls coming alive for yet another holiday.

For weeks, Tessa’s girls had been discussing their Halloween costumes.

They were coordinating with Manny and Lou.

The last time I heard them talk, they were all going as characters from Alice in Wonderland with Lou insisting she wanted to be the Queen of Hearts so she could yell, ‘Off with their heads!’

Maisey stayed quiet beside me, which was unusual. I gripped her hand, pulling her to a stop. ‘You okay?’

She let her tiny shoulders sink. ‘I think I’m finally ready to admit that I miss designing. That I want to figure out a way to go back to it.’

‘I’ll help you in any way I can. If you want a few hours to work every week, I can watch Ada and Jordan. Take them to the park or for ice cream. You were there for me at a time when I needed a friend. I want to be that same support for you now.’

She yanked me into a hug. ‘Thank you. I’m scared but I’m ready to move on to what’s next. Watching you this last year, how you’ve fought to change your life, has inspired me.’

I pulled back and looked her in the eye. ‘None of that would have been possible without you.’ A small sob escaped her lips as she pulled me in for another tight hug. We stayed like that, the chaos of the square milling around us until her son’s voice called out to her.

‘Mommy! Daddy bought us cotton candy!’

Maisey’s husband, Joe, pushed a stroller toward us. It was hard not to laugh at the sticky pink fluff staining most of Ada and Jordan’s cheeks and mouth.

‘Oh lord, my kids are never going to sleep tonight,’ Maisey sighed.

‘Let them have a little fun. You should do the same!’ I said, urging her toward them.

She squeezed my shoulder, whispered that she loved me and raced off in the direction of her sweet family.

I took a moment to observe the square, enjoying the way the town turned out in droves to celebrate the last gasps of summer.

I wandered past colorful booths and food vendors, spotting a familiar face in the distance.

When Dex saw me he gave an enthusiastic wave, jumped on his skateboard and glided toward me.

‘Hey, Miss Piper.’

‘Dex, you and I need to have a word.’

His face crumpled. ‘That last spin in “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” was too fast and I lost my spot. I’m sorry.’

‘No,’ I laughed to let him off the hook. ‘That’s not what we need to discuss.’

His brows bunched together.

‘They have a good drama department at Ivy Falls Junior High. In fact, I heard they’re doing Grease for their winter musical. I think you should try out.’

He kicked at the ground. ‘This was fun and all but from what Autumn says those kids are really good.’

‘So are you.’

He shook his head, not convinced.

‘Dex, your dad not coming to the show tonight has nothing to do with you. Adults can forget their priorities. Let important moments slip away from them. It’s no reflection on who you are as a son. The kind of attention you deserve.’

‘Yeah, Doc Foster said the same thing.’

‘He’s right.’

‘Are you two…?’ His cheeks went pink. ‘You’re together, right?’

‘Yes,’ I said, caught off guard by the turn in the conversation.

‘Good.’ He grinned. ‘Because you deserve some attention too.’

God, this kid knows how to get to the heart of things.

‘Dexy!’ His mom waved to him from the corner. ‘You’ve got more fans over here who want to talk to you.’

He gave a dramatic roll of his eyes. ‘My mom is taking all of this a little too seriously.’

‘If you keep performing, I’m sure the adoration will continue, especially from the girls.’

‘Really?’ His brows perked up. ‘Maybe I will give that show at school a shot.’

I waved him off with another laugh as he skated away.

I continued to scan the square for Ford.

As I walked, people stopped and congratulated me on the success of the show.

Asking if I was going to take over the director role permanently.

That wasn’t a question I was ready to answer at the moment, but the experience had taught me that theater was in my blood.

That in some shape or form it would continue to be a part of my life.

Not far from the fountain, I found Ford sitting on a wrought-iron bench. I let my gaze wander over his riot of dark curls. Those full lips. How his glasses sat perfectly perched on the bridge of his nose. An ache crowded my chest, making it hard to pull in any air.

How was I going to say goodbye to him? Agree that once he was gone we’d only be friends? I’d done a lot of stupid things in my life but making him promise that we’d be nothing more than a summer fling might have been one of the dumbest.

He must have felt my stare because he turned and locked eyes with me. Gave me that sweet little wave.

I strode toward him and sank down onto the bench. ‘Where’s your mom?’

‘She left a few minutes ago.’

‘It was nice what she said about the show, but I have a feeling she did not drive all the way from Harpeth Manor to watch a bunch of kids dance and sing.’

He stretched his arm out behind me and tugged my body toward him. I’d never get over the way my bones went to jelly when he touched me.

‘You’re not going to believe this, but she came to apologize.’

‘For what?’

‘Years of not standing up to my dad. In her words, for not letting Gray and me run wild. Not allowing us to figure out who we wanted to be.’

I couldn’t hide my shock. ‘That’s a one-eighty turn.’

He pressed a kiss to my hair. ‘She also confessed that she kicked my dad out.’

I reached for his hand and squeezed. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘It’s been a long time coming.’

‘Do you think it’ll be permanent?’

‘I don’t know. She says he has to prove he’s changed first.’

‘Can he?’

‘That’s like wondering if a bear can stop hunting fish in a stream. My dad has no other frame of reference than Harpeth Manor society. He’d have to change his whole way of thinking, and, sadly,’ he scrubbed at his chin, ‘I don’t see him being able to view his world in anything but black and white.’

He pulled me closer and we stayed quiet, letting the joy of the evening wash over us.

‘I wanted to uh, talk about something.’ He pulled away, took my hands in his. ‘My mother asked me a question tonight, and it’s made me consider a few things.’

‘What was the question?’

He pushed back a loose hair from my cheek. ‘I wanted to tell you…’

‘Well, this is an unexpected surprise!’ A deep voice boomed from behind us.

I froze in place. That voice had been a part of my life since the first day he handed me a lollipop after a checkup.

We both turned to find Dr Sheridan smirking at us. His white beard hung far below his chin. A chic purple-and-yellow silk scarf covered his wife Sylvie’s gray hair. A pair of battered black suitcases sat beside them on the brick-paved sidewalk.

Ford jumped to his feet. ‘What are you doing back so early?’

‘That’s a fine welcome,’ Dr Sheridan chuckled.

‘We were homesick for Ivy Falls. There are only so many Gothic churches and green rolling hills one person can see in a lifetime,’ Sylvie said.

As happens in Ivy Falls, word spread quickly in the square and the couple were surrounded two heartbeats later. There were hugs and rounds of questions that would most likely go on for hours.

Ford’s demeanor deflated like an old balloon, and I recognized exactly what he was feeling. We were supposed to have more time, but now with Doc Sheridan back neither of us knew what would come next.