I spend the day after Christmas calling in favors and making deals. While I agree with Louisa’s assessment that the date on her list is arbitrary and she doesn’t need to complete it, I think she could use the boost. Unexpected side bonus: it’s the perfect excuse to spend as much time with her as possible over the next week.
If there’s a chance I can get her to see herself as I see her—smart, funny, competent, beautiful, and desirable—I’ll take it. And if she finally realizes I see her that way, well, that’s yet another bonus.
We arrive at Bellevue Village shortly after it opens. The Village, which is owned by Hugh and Ivy, stretches over several acres on the outskirts of the city and boasts a variety of shops, eateries, businesses, and a small amusement park with games and rides. This is a strange in-between week; the Village is no longer the Christmas attraction it was between mid-November and December twenty-fourth, but there are still plenty of people around since school is out for winter break and many people are on holidays.
“Are we going to Cravings?” Louisa asks, referring to the popular café inside the Village.
“Aye, that’s one of our stops,” I say. “But we’re going somewhere else first.”
Once the last of the arrangements was in place yesterday, I called Louisa and asked if she’d like to spend the day with me today. I didn’t give her any details beyond a suggestion to dress comfortably in an outfit she didn’t mind possibly getting a bit dirty. As we stroll through the Village, I sneak glances at her, pleased to see she’s wearing the blue cashmere scarf and matching toque I got her for Christmas. Her puffy black coat hides most of what she’s wearing underneath except for her form-fitting jeans and black boots. She looks adorable and fresh-faced, and it takes all my willpower not to reach for her hand and link my fingers with hers.
I settle for resting my hand on the small of her back and guiding her toward the entrance to the amusement park section of the Village.
“Where are we going?” she asks, a hint of wariness creeping into her voice.
“You’ll see.” I catch sight of one of the Village’s managers, Meredith Cormier, who’s waiting for us at the gates to the amusement park. The rides and games don’t open to the public until noon, but it pays to have friends and relatives in high places.
“Wait, are we going in there?” Louisa asks, slowing her pace.
“Only if you want to.” I grip the sleeve of her coat and pull her to a stop, signaling to Meredith with my other hand that we’ll be a minute. “One of the items on your list was to go on a ride in an amusement park. I have a feeling you meant something more along the lines of a roller coaster or one of those terror-inducing drop contraptions, but you’d need to head to Canada’s Wonderland for something like that. What I have in mind is much tamer.”
“Tamer is good,” Louisa says. “But now I’m kind of worried about why you said to wear clothes I wouldn’t mind getting dirty.”
“Ahh, that’s for something we’re doing later.” Amusement and affection mingle inside me at the sight of her curious expression. I give her a gentle nudge toward the gate, which Meredith has opened. Louisa doesn’t respond, although she follows Meredith into the park.
A row of booths with carnival-type games gives way to an area with the rides. Louisa looks around with wide eyes, likely wondering which one we’re headed for. Meredith stops near the elaborate, colorful carousel and waves her arms like an assistant on a gameshow.
“Are you up for a private ride on the steed of your choice?” I ask Louisa.
Delighted laughter spills out of her. She watches with bright eyes as Meredith steps into the small booth to the side of the machine. She inserts a key and flicks a few switches, which activates the lights all around the carousel, along with calliope music.
“How did you manage this?” Louisa asks.
“I asked my cousin Hugh for a favor or two.” More than two, actually, but she doesn’t need to know that right now.
“Have you ever met Hugh?” Meredith asks Louisa as we approach the carousel. When Louisa says no, Meredith says, “Let’s just say he’s one of the kindest people on the planet and loves to help make people’s dreams a reality, big or small.”
“It’s true, he’d do anything for anyone.” I wink at Meredith, who’s one of my cousin’s closest friends as well as his employee. She jumped at the chance to help me today and with one of my other plans for Louisa. I turn my attention to Lulu and gesture toward the carousel. “Now…which of these beasties strikes your fancy?”
Louisa immediately heads for a white horse with a sparkly silver mane, blue and purple saddle, and delicate flowers painted in a garland pattern around its neck and shoulders. She hoists herself up and gets settled in the saddle, then glances around for me. A flash of surprise crosses her features when I mount the horse beside her.
She lets out a little squeak followed by a giggle as the carousel starts and our horses glide forward, rising and falling gently. Even though I can only see her profile, I can’t take my eyes off Louisa’s face. Her smile is a thing of beauty, and it warms me like sunshine on a spring day. I checked the weight limit with Meredith when I arranged for us to be let in; I would have watched Louisa from the side or even ridden in one of the bench seats, but I’m glad I get to experience this moment by her side.
She doesn’t speak for the first few turns. When she does, her voice is wistful. “I loved carousels when I was little. My parents used to have to pry me away from the merry-go-round in the McDonald’s playroom. They also took me to the Bellevue fair at the end of every summer, and my mom and I would ride the carousel over and over.”
“Is that why a ride at an amusement park was on your list?” I ask.
She shoots me a sidelong glance and scrunches her nose. “No. I don’t remember which of my friends added it to the list, but I do remember the reason.”
“You don’t have to tell me.”
She makes the little tsking sound I’ve come to expect when she’s about to tell me something she finds embarrassing. “It all comes back to conquering fears. Right after high school, the four of us went to Canada’s Wonderland for a day. They all knew I had no interest in the rides, but they didn’t want to go without me, which I appreciated. I figured I might be able to suck it up and go on some of the smaller rides, but at the very least, I’d be there to hold their stuff while they went. The only ‘ride’ I did that day was the bumper cars. I couldn’t work up the courage to try anything else. I did, however, eat my weight in junk throughout the day, and was sick on the way home.”
I make a choking sound as I attempt to hold back a chuckle. Louisa shakes her head and laughs. “It’s okay, you can laugh. I didn’t find it remotely amusing then, but I can admit it’s kinda funny now. Some part of me was more embarrassed about the fact we spent ten hours at Canada’s largest amusement park and I only managed to go on the bumper cars.”
“Did you have fun, though?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says without hesitation. “At least until the ride home,” she adds with another laugh. “Being with the girls is always fun, and they never made me feel bad about the rides. We walked around a lot, played games, and saw some of the other attractions.”
“As long as you enjoyed yourself, I’d say that’s all that matters.”
We fall silent again as the carousel continues. The smile returns to Louisa’s face and she’s positively beaming by the time the carousel slows and comes to a stop. I dismount my horse first and watch as Louisa slowly climbs off and runs her fingers over the finer details in the horse’s mane. She drops her hand when she notices me looking. On impulse, I catch her hand and hold it loosely as we make our way down toward Meredith.
Louisa doesn’t pull her hand away as we thank Meredith and say goodbye. There’s a hint of pink in her cheeks, which could easily be from the pleasure of riding the carousel or even the nip in the late-December air. As we pass through the gates into the rest of the Village and she nestles her hand further into mine, I’d like to think that’s the real reason behind her blush.
Our next stop is Cravings. As we approach, I see my cousin and his wife through the front window. As planned, they’re having coffee and breakfast at a table big enough to seat four. Ivy’s face lights up when we step inside and she spots us. That isn’t part of the act; Ivy is a sweetheart—my cousin’s perfect match—and she welcomed me with open arms when I moved to Bellevue to work for the MacKinnon Group. She knows about my new friends and about my feelings for Louisa, and she was all too pleased to be included in today’s plan.
“If it isn’t my second favorite Scot,” Ivy calls, waving us over. Louisa and I join them at their table, where I embrace Ivy and Hugh and introduce them to Louisa.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Ivy says. “We’ve heard a lot about you from Fergus.”
“Oh.” Louisa’s cheeks turn a deeper shade of pink as her gaze ping pongs from Ivy to Hugh to me and back to Ivy. I’m sure she’s wondering what I’ve said about her. “It’s nice to meet you too. Both of you.”
Hugh motions to the two empty seats at the table. “Care to join us?”
I look to Louisa for confirmation; part of my plan hinges on her accepting this invitation, so I’m relieved when she nods. I offer to place our order at the counter, and Hugh comes with me.
“Did Louisa like your first surprise?” he asks quietly as we step into the short line.
“She loved it.” I glance over my shoulder to where Louisa and Ivy are deep in conversation. When I turn back, Hugh slips me a key, which I tuck into the inner pocket of my jacket. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“Happy to help. In fact, you’ve challenged me to step up my game in the romance department. It’s been awhile since I surprised Ivy, and now you have me cooking up ideas.”
“Happy to help,” I echo, shooting him a grin as I step up to the counter to place our order. When we return to the table, Ivy is telling Louisa about the Village’s new family support center. I place Louisa’s tea and croissant in front of her and she smiles up at me before returning her attention to Ivy.
Hugh and I sit in silence, shooting each other the occasional glance as we observe what’s clearly a budding friendship between Louisa and Ivy. After talking about the family support center and the Village in general, they move onto how they spent Christmas, and then Ivy tells Louisa about the book club she hosts at her bookstore. I love how animated and responsive Louisa is, especially considering I suspect she’s dealing with some nerves while talking to Ivy. Nobody else would likely notice, but I see the way she’s clasping her hands in her lap, and how some of her sentences come out overly fast.
I tune back into the conversation when Ivy says, “Fergus has mentioned you work from home?”
“Yeah, as a virtual assistant,” Louisa says. “I work for different companies in town and a few online-based businesses.”
“Do you enjoy it?” Hugh asks.
“For the most part,” she says, seeming surprised that Hugh has chimed in after remaining silent all this time. “I like getting to work from home and setting my own hours. Lately I’ve been wondering what it’d be like to work in an office. Sometimes I feel like I’m missing out, even though I know I’m lucky to be able to work from home.”
“With the MacKinnon Group and the Village growing all the time, we’ll be hiring more people in the new year,” Hugh says. “Sounds like you’d have the perfect skill set for some of the jobs we’re looking to fill. If you’d be interested, I’m sure we could find something that fits with your other work. You can do it online or in one of our offices.”
“That…that would be amazing,” Louisa says, her voice high with suppressed excitement.
“We could even skip the formal interview process,” Ivy says, glancing at Hugh, who nods. “We could have a casual meeting like this in a couple of weeks and figure something out that works for all of us. If you’re interested, of course.”
“I’m definitely interested,” Louisa says quickly. “Thank you.”
The pair exchange numbers, and then Ivy and Hugh tell us they need to get going. As they don their coats, I study the shifting emotions on Louisa’s face. If I’m not mistaken, she’s working up the courage to say something else. Finally, she sucks in a sharp breath and sits up straighter.
“You probably already have plans, but I’m hosting a small New Year’s Eve party on Saturday. You’re more than welcome to join us, either to drop in or spend the whole evening.”
“We haven’t finalized our plans yet, but I’m sure we could at least swing by,” Ivy says. “Text me the details later today, okay?”
After a round of hugs, goodbyes, and promises to speak soon, Louisa and I are on our own again. Lulu faces me, her eyes bright, but her expression otherwise unreadable.
“That wasn’t a coincidence, was it?” she asks.
I attempt to look contrite, but I can’t fight the smile pulling at my lips. “Busted. Are you upset?”
She huffs and slumps back in her seat. “Are you kidding? If I’d had a formal interview with someone like Hugh MacKinnon, I would have worked myself into such a tizzy beforehand, I’d probably have had to cancel. Now not only am I leaving here with a new job prospect, I also feel like Hugh and Ivy could be friends.”
“That was my hope,” I tell her. “I didn’t want to ambush you, so I thought a casual, not-so-accidental meeting over coffee and pastries would be the way to go. Hugh has created a number of bespoke jobs for people recently, and I knew he’d be happy to do the same for you.”
She hesitates for a moment and then reaches out to lay her hand on mine. “Thank you, Fergus. For the impromptu meeting and for the carousel ride earlier. I even feel better about checking ‘host a party’ off the list since I invited people myself.”
“How do you feel about crossing one more item off your list today?” My gaze shifts beyond Louisa to where Willow, the co-owner of Cravings, is waving to me from behind the counter.
“What did you have in mind?”
“The one about the cookies,” I say.
“Ahh, perfect, soft chocolate chip cookies,” she says wistfully. “My mom and grandma made them all the time when I was little. I have their recipe and I’ve tried it over and over, but they never come out right. Wait, are you secretly a baker and you know how to make them?”
I chuckle and incline my chin toward Willow as I say, “No, but Willow Stewart is a not-so-secret baker who knows how to make them and would be happy to teach you.”
Louisa whips around in her seat. Willow gives her a little finger wave with one hand while holding up a spare apron in the other.
“Right now?” Louisa asks me. “Here? In the café kitchen? I’m sure Willow has better things to do. Maybe I could—”
Willow appears beside our table. “I have absolutely nothing else to do today,” she says. “All the baking for the café is done for the day and no one else needs the kitchen. I have everything we need and I promise by the time you leave here you’ll know how to make cookies just like your mom and grandmother did.”
I can practically see the wheels turning in Louisa’s brain. She hates putting anyone out in any way, even after they’ve assured her something isn’t an imposition. I sense she’s made up her mind a split second before her expression and body language change. A smile breaks over her face as she gets to her feet and takes the apron from Willow.
“I can’t believe I get to learn how to make cookies from my favorite baker,” she says. “Thank you so much for doing this. And you,” she adds, turning that bright smile on me. “Thank you for arranging this. Will you come back to the kitchen with us?”
“Of course,” I say, glancing at Willow, who nods and tells me she’ll find an extra apron. I trail along after them, listening to their back-and-forth chatter and thinking how I’d follow Louisa Henshaw anywhere, especially when she smiles at me like that.