Chapter Twenty-Nine

Pixie insisted she join them for an early dinner. It didn’t take much twisting of her arm. Her parents had left late morning. Nash, too.

And Cam.

She needed some time with her godmother and second family, even if the normally happy atmosphere felt off.

“Please pass the beef and broccoli,” Gael said. The man ate like he had a hollow stomach. He also liked to fork food off her plate if she didn’t eat fast enough. She elbowed him in the side every time he did it. Not that she was hungry. She’d lost her appetite when her best friend walked out the door of the guesthouse.

Henry handed over the dish. He’d also been invited for dinner, and being seated across from his warm, smiling face helped fill the void left by Cam.

Reese moved around the fried rice on her plate with her fork, lost in thought. So much so, that when an alarm sounded on Gael’s phone, she startled. He quickly turned it off with a swipe of his thumb. “Sorry, I’m meeting a potential client at the garage. Thanks for dinner.” He stood and cleared his plate.

“Reese, it was great having you here.” He motioned for her to stand then gave her a big hug. “Hang in there with Cam,” he whispered in her ear.

“Thanks,” she whispered back, fighting tears. She didn’t know what Cam had said to his family before leaving, but at Gael’s kind words her heart broke further. She’d never give up on Cam or their friendship, even if he did. Even if it seemed hopeless.

Gael gave his goodbyes to everyone else, Paul walking out with him.

“Did you two have enough?” Pixie asked, noting Henry’s empty plate and Reese still forking the remains of her rice.

“Yes, thanks,” she said. Henry agreed. “You sit. I’ll clean up.” She had to do something to get her mind off Cam.

“Nonsense, you and Henry chat.” Pixie jumped to her feet, leaving no room for argument. Since Reese had arrived, she’d been reluctant to make eye contact or be alone together. What had Cam told her?

“On your drive home tomorrow,” Henry said, “think you could stop in Paso Robles for me? I was going to ask Cam but he left in a hurry.”

“I’d be happy to.”

“Great.” He reached across the table to squeeze her forearm. “I’ve got a stack of old television screenplays I promised a friend there.”

“Your screenplays?”

“Mostly, yes, and a few from my colleagues.”

“You don’t want to keep them anymore?” She handed Pixie her plate.

“I’m keeping a few, but it’s time I started giving things away. I’m not getting any younger. I’ve got one I want to give to Cam. I’ll trust you to hand it off to him.”

“Of course,” she half-lied. She wasn’t sure when she’d see Cam, but if too much time passed, she’d leave the screenplay on his doorstep. A stab of nausea hit her at the thought of weeks going by without her best friend.

Henry looked at her oddly. Could everyone see her misery? “Have you read his new screenplay yet?”

She shook her head. “No. You?”

“Not yet, but I noticed an email from him just before I came here. I used to be the first one to read all his scripts.”

Pixie took her seat. “Hey, I think I held that honor, when he was younger at least. His first full-length feature film was called Plague Cops if I remember correctly.”

“You remember right,” Paul said, returning to the room. “He wrote it his sophomore year of high school.”

Love and pride were written all over Pixie’s and Paul’s faces.

“I remember that one, too,” Henry said. “I knew with practice and education, he’d make it in Hollywood.”

Reese’s stomach clenched.

“He’s always been a hard worker, and once he decides something he sticks to it.” Pixie and Paul shared a look of affection for their son that filled Reese’s chest with warmth. And dread. This was Cam’s family. They loved him so much and suddenly she worried this might be the last time she sat at this table.

An unimaginable ache pierced her chest. She couldn’t swallow. The backs of her eyes stung. She took a minute to catalog everything she could about Pixie, Paul, the kitchen, the smell, the feeling of being loved under this roof. She’d never take family and affection for granted again.

Another phone alarm went off, this time Henry’s. He quieted it and grinned. “Gael set that for me. It’s a reminder I’ve got a dessert date.”

Pixie smiled. “You do?” she asked lightheartedly.

“Gotta keep the ladies happy. Speaking of happy, my wife, may she rest in peace, used to say to me, ‘happiness isn’t an outside job, it’s an inside job.’ I think that’s something we should all remember.” He pushed away from the table. “Pixie, Paul, thank you for including me tonight.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Paul said.

“Reese, it was a pleasure as always. Will you stop by in the morning to pick up those screenplays?”

She got to her feet. “I’ll be there. Is nine okay?”

“Yes. See you then.”

Pixie turned to her with an unreadable expression. “You up for a walk? It’s so nice outside.”

Reese’s heart sank at the thought of Pixie addressing the weirdness between them tonight and asking for a break, too. “Sure.” She and Pixie parted ways with Henry and Paul and walked out the kitchen door. Reese followed Pixie’s lead, heading toward the creek at the back of the property.

“You spoiled me with this long visit,” Pixie said, breaking the tension. “I’m going to miss you.”

Reassurance eased Reese’s unhappiness, she breathed a sigh of gratitude. “I’ll miss you, too.” The sky glowed red and orange as the sun set and Reese immediately wondered if Cam was home yet and looking at the same stunning sky.

“I don’t know exactly what happened between you and Cam, but I hope you know that even if things between you are strained, I will always love you.”

Relief washed over Reese just when she needed it most. She hadn’t lost everyone, and Pixie’s acceptance tore open the floodgates. Reese had held it together when saying goodbye to her own mom, but she couldn’t stop the tears from falling with her godmother.

“Oh, sweetie.” Pixie wrapped an arm around Reese. “Let’s sit down.” They walked back to the tennis court and sat on the bench there. Pixie kept her arm where it was and waited patiently for Reese to get it all out. Pixie never minded tears. She once told Reese they were essential to finding peace.

“What happened?”

“We had a fight.” And sex. And they probably shouldn’t have because now things were a hundred times more complicated and painful.

“You’ve had disagreements before.”

Reese took a shaky breath. “Not like this. I thought I was helping him. And then he said a terrible thing about me and basically we left it—or rather he left it—with us needing space from each other.

“We’ve always talked things through and that he doesn’t want to now scares me. I’m afraid I broke us and he’ll decide he’s better off without me in his life.”

“Impossible.”

“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen him so hurt.”

“Because the two of you are more than friends now?”

Reese nodded, too choked up to elaborate. Too hurt, herself.

Pixie’s kind, understanding eyes were really all Reese needed, but she knew her godmother would offer more. “You love him.”

“Of course I do.”

“I don’t mean only as a best friend.”

It took her a second, not because she had to think about her answer, but because this meant things could never go back to the way they were. “Yes.”

“Well, in all honesty, I am a little upset with you two.” She pulled her arm back and put her hands in her lap.

“I know. We’ve screwed up the whole family.”

“But I also have a confession to make. Seeing you two dance together at the cocktail party on Saturday night had your mom and me crying.”

“It did?”

“You two have always had a connection and we both thought it might lead to romantic love. We’ve had many conversations about it. I mean, come on, this is like our dream come true, our children getting married one day.”

Reese held up her hand. “Whoa. He hates me at the moment.”

“Hate’s a strong word. He can be mad at you because he knows he won’t ever lose you.”

“But what if we get over this and then we still break each other’s hearts? Then what? I’d lose him and you. My mom would take my side, you would take Cam’s, and then you might not be best friends anymore and that would be all our fault.”

“Whoa,” Pixie echoed back to her with care. “You’re right, there are no guarantees, but you and Cam? I think it might be worth the risk. Do you remember the Christmas you were eight and you and your mom and dad came to visit?”

“Was that the time Santa Claus”—Reese made air quotes—“forgot to eat the cookies I left out for him and you guys told me it was because he wanted me to have them?”

“That’s the one.” She stood. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

Reese watched Pixie jog away, then took in the trees and the sky and the beautiful grounds. She loved being here. Loved watching the guys play tennis. Loved working out in the morning with Cam and Nash. Loved baking with Pixie. Loved the creek and the frogs. She even loved the mischievous racoons that had eaten her apple pie.

Pixie returned with a folded piece of blue paper in her hand.

“That Christmas when you were here, you put a wish on the Wishing Tree,” Pixie said.

“I did?” She didn’t remember that.

“This wish.” Pixie handed the paper to her. “I picked it off the tree, purely by luck, and I’ve saved it all these years just in case I could one day grant it.”

Reese glanced up from the wish to find Pixie blinking back tears. She waved her hand in front of her face. “Don’t mind me, these are hopeful tears. I honestly don’t know if this is the right time to give it to you, but it feels like maybe it is, so open it.”

Reese opened the slip of paper.

Dear Wishing Tree, my name is Reese Resnick and I have one very important wish. I want to marry Cameron Radcliffe. The only problem is I’m only eight, so I hope this wish can come true in twenty years. And only if I still love him, which I feel for certain I will. Thank you and Merry Christmas.

“I’ve kept that note in a special place for almost—”

“Twenty years,” they said at the same time. Reese stared at Pixie, her own eyes filling with emotion. “I do kind of remember writing this. But how can you grant…” Reese pressed her lips together.

“You two have a lot to figure out, but I think it’s meant to be,” Pixie whispered as she wrapped Reese in a hug.

Reese did, too. The problem was, Cam didn’t.