Page 40 of Witching You Weren't Snowed In
Stuffing the gingerbread cookie in my mouth, I whipped open my closet door and yanked the extra blankets off the trophy. The blanket knocked over a box stacked next to the pile, spilling the contents onto the carpet. Folders and files labeled with the tea shop emblem were scattered at my feet. My parents must have used my bedroom closet for extra storage.
I kneeled and collected the papers, trying to organize them as best as I could before placing them back in the box. One document made me pause for a second look, and I flipped through the sheets of paper, unease coiling in my stomach.
They were the loan papers my parents had signed to repair the tea shop a few months before I left town. I scanned the signature lines; the unease tightening into full-blown disgust. Leo’s father had issued them the loan. He’d nearly bankrupted them, and destroyed the tea shop just like he’d destroyed other areas of town.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears, hands shaking as I sifted through the other papers on the floor. I found a canceled check, my mind reeling as I read the signature line. It was from Leo. He’d written a check to my dad for almost twenty thousand dollars. I checked the date and realized he’d issued it eight months ago.
What was going on? Why would Leo write a check to my parents after he returned to Cold Spell? It couldn’t be an advance for their events at the lodge. It was too much money.
I felt sick. Gathering the forms and the canceled check, I ran downstairs, stuffed my feet into a pair of boots, and rushed over to the tea shop.
My dad looked up as I burst through the swinging kitchen door. His brow furrowed in concern.
“What’s the matter? You look like the cat who knocked over the Christmas tree.”
“Very funny. We don’t have a cat.” I dropped the files onto the counter and jabbedLeo’s check. “What is this? Why did Leo give you money, and how come you never told me his father was the one who held the tea shop loan?”
My dad’s features went as white as the flour dusting his palms. He reached for a rag to clean off, his jaw working as he tried to answer.
“Sage, is that you, honey?” My mom poked her head out of the office door.
“Come here, Suzanne. We need to talk with Sage,” Dad said, leaning heavily on the counter. He flipped through the documents and sighed. “I’m sorry. Leo never wanted you to find out, and your mom and I agreed with him. But it’s too late for that now.”
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. “Find out, what, Dad?”
“The truth about what happened before you left. Leo’s father discovered the two of you were getting close, and he wasn’t happy about it. He expected more from his son than dating the daughter of a family with a history like ours—a lineage filled with witchcraft.” Dad shook his head and exhaled a disgruntled sound through his nose. “So Mr. Grayson used his wealth and power to stop it.
“Your mother and I weren’t aware at the time of the shady loan conditions when we signed the papers. We were excited to get the repairs done and get back on our feet and assumed everything was legitimate. That was our mistake. We should have paid better attention. But after we signed the papers, Leo’s father told his son he would call in the loan early and foreclose on the tea shop unless he stopped seeing you.”
“Dad…” Tears burned the corners of my eyes.That’s why Leo never showed up for our date.I wiped the tears away only to find more fill their place. “When did you find out?”
My dad placed a hand on my shoulder. “After Leo purchased the lodge and returned to Cold Spell. He came to see us at the tea shop. That’s when he told us the truth and wrote us a check to replace the money we took from our retirement savings to pay off the dirty loan. Leo felt terrible and blamed himself. He also made us promise you wouldn’t find out. He thought knowing the truth was more painful than what happened, and we agreed. Those kids tormented you growing up and we couldn’t have you believing you were to blame for a cruel man’s prejudice.”
I ran both hands over my face, pressing my fingers into my eyelids. I had misunderstood everything and assumed Leo had callously stood me up for our date, and then moved on with someone else the same week. He had refused to see me afterward, and even got himself reassigned to another ski class. But it wasn’t because he didn’t care, but because he’d made a painful choice.
My mother pulled me into a hug, smoothing her hand down the back of my hair. “Shh. It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong. We love you exactly as you are.”
I blinked over her shoulder, spotting the wall of embellished photos. So many secrets and hidden truths. Look where they had gotten me.
“Mom,” I sniffed. “I never won Agent of the Year. I only said I did because I didn’t want to let either of you down.”
Mom drew back and brushed the hair out of my eyes. “There’s always next year, sweetie.”
A strangled laugh burst from my throat, and Dad coughed to hide his amusement.Some things will never change.
“Yeah, maybe. Right now I’m happy with the way things are. I’m glad I helped with the rink project. An award wouldn't have changed that. And hardly anyone even talks about it anymore. It was stupid to be so obsessed with it. But I wanted you guys to know the truth.”
“We are proud of you either way, and we are so happy you’re home to celebrate Christmas with us this year.” My mother looked over at my dad and frowned. “We should tell her the rest, David.”
“There’s more?”
My dad picked up Leo’s check and stared at it, then smiled. “We never blamed Leo for what happened. That boy cares about you a lot. So I only used half of his money to pay back our savings. We’ll catch up thanks to the tea events we’re hosting at the lodge. The rest of his money, I gave back to him—or at least, I did anonymously to help fund the rink project.”
“You’re the donor?” I asked.
“We felt it was the right thing to do,” Mom added. “Well, now that everything is out in the open, we should close up and head back to the house before this storm gets any worse.”
The storm.Marcy’s words replayed in my mind. I knew what I had to do. No more running away. Not when I could run toward the person, I wanted most. If Leo pushed me away again, it might make for an awkward Christmas Eve, butholiday miracles didn’t come without risk. I’d waited years for mine, and I wasn’t leaving until I got it.