CARRIE WALKED INTO Sunnyside Bakery on the morning of Christmas Eve, humming “All I Want For Christmas” under her breath. She was hosting her sisters along with Dylan and Sam, the Wainrights—Phil, Lily and her fiancé, Garrett, as well as Shae Delich and her parents for dinner later that night after the Christmas Eve service. It would be cozy in her small rental, but she loved the idea of filling her home with friends and family.
The five days since the festival had been the happiest she could remember. The event had, by all accounts, been a huge success. According to the mayor, local businesses brought in more revenue in one weekend than in the previous holiday season in its entirety. Everyone Carrie’d spoken to had enjoyed the events she’d worked so hard to plan, and the renewed energy she felt within the town made all the hours of effort worth it.
Meredith had adopted out every animal she’d brought to the festival, which was amazing although Carrie’s house felt a bit too quiet without any fosters in residence at the moment.
Maybe it was time for her to think of adopting a pet of her own, one that got along with Daisy and Barnaby, of course. Her relationship with Dylan had shifted and deepened once again.
She’d been afraid that her proclamation of love would push him away. Although they hadn’t discussed those three little words and he hadn’t said them back to her, the way he held her close at night, like he never wanted to let her go, made her heart sing.
“I’ve got your pies ready,” Mary Ellen said when she caught sight of Carrie. The pastry counter was crowded with a long line of customers picking up last-minute treats for the holiday. Sunnyside had remained popular even when the town’s future seemed bleak, but there was a new energy within the cozy walls.
“Are you sure I can’t convince you to join us?” she asked as she took the brown paper sack from the woman. “It’s casual and I made an extra lasagna. There’s plenty to go around.”
Mary Ellen smiled. “Thank you, but I’m heading to Charlotte after the bakery closes to spend the night with my daughter and her family. My grand babies are two and four now. I want to be there for Christmas morning.”
“It must be hard not seeing them all the time.”
“Yes, but I was telling Danielle about all the new potential in Magnolia. And if it works out with one of the companies looking at the town for its headquarters, things will really change around here. She said they might even consider moving when the kids start school. She wants a real community feel for raising the girls.”
Carrie gave Mary Ellen a quick hug, joy rushing through her. This was exactly what she wanted for Magnolia, rebuilding the town in a thoughtful way that attracted young families and economic momentum.
She turned to leave then spotted Sam sitting at a table on his own, slouched over his phone with a scowl on his face.
“Hey, buddy,” she said as she approached.
He glanced up from the screen, and then his gaze darted away from hers, almost guiltily. “Dylan’s not here.”
“I see that. Merry Christmas Eve.” She took the seat across from him without waiting to be invited, doubting he would ask her to join him.
“Yeah,” he mumbled. “You, too.”
“I’m just picking up dessert for tonight. We’re going to have quite a feast.”
“Cool.”
He sounded about as enthused as he would be to a forced march through a hurricane. Carrie tried not to take offense.
“Shae will be there with her parents.”
“I heard. She messaged me.”
Carrie reached out and placed two fingers on the edge of his phone, moving it down to the top of the table. “Is everything okay, Sam?”
“Yeah, why?” He chewed on his bottom lip.
“Does Dylan know you’re here? He mentioned that you two were going to the beach today.”
“Yeah, but later.” His shoulders hunched up toward his ears. “If he has time after his stupid meeting.”
Curiosity pricked along Carrie’s spine. “What meeting?”
“He probably doesn’t want me to talk about his plans because he knows they make him look like a butt head.”
“Harsh,” she whispered, an unsettled feeling overtaking her curiosity. “It seems like whatever the meeting’s about is upsetting you. Does it have something to do with your parents?”
Sam shook his head emphatically, then pushed back a lock of too-long hair that flopped across his forehead. “It doesn’t matter what Dylan says. My dad would have never let this happen. He could be a jerk, but he cared about things other than the company.”
“Dylan cares about more than business,” she assured the boy. “He loves you and...” She stopped short of claiming he loved her. He cared about her and she thought he might actually be falling for her again, but it felt like bad luck to give voice to that delicate hope.
“Everyone is going to hate him and probably me when he tears down the old factory along with half of downtown.”
Carrie’s breath caught in her throat, but she forced her expression to remain neutral. “That’s not going to happen. The festival was a success and we all see that the town is on the right track. I’m sure you’ve heard about the company that wants to buy the old factory. I think we’re going to have more businesses moving to downtown, as well. We have a meeting scheduled after the holidays. Dylan will see that he has options besides his plans for a luxury renovation.”
“It will be too late,” Sam said. “He’s out at the factory now and he’s going to sign a partnership agreement with some other creepy developer. I saw the contract on the kitchen table this morning.”
“You must have been mistaken,” she told the teenager even as panic snaked across her skin.
“I hated it here at the start and did some stupid stuff, but I’ve found better friends. Two of them have families who have lived here since the town was founded. They don’t have a ton of money and if everything gets all jacked up expensive, I don’t know what’s going to happen to them. Other than people are going to turn on me.”
“No one will turn on you.” She reached out to pat the boy’s hand, but he yanked it away.
“Dylan told me about your dad. How he was a big shot in town because of his art, and then when he didn’t have money, he only pretended to be a big shot.”
“Yes,” she said slowly.
“Were your friends still your friends when everything changed for you?”
Carrie pressed two fingers to her chest as memories from her childhood assailed her. “I didn’t have many friends to begin with,” she admitted.
“Why not?” Sam asked, inclining his head.
“I didn’t fit in.”
“Because...” he prompted, and she realized she hadn’t given the boy enough credit. He understood way too much about her past and the potential parallels to his own life.
“Because my family had money. It set us apart from most people in Magnolia. And when my dad lost it all, things got even worse.”
“That’s what’s going to happen to me.” Sam didn’t sound angry, just resigned. She hated that acceptance because it reminded her of herself at his age. “In my other schools in Boston, almost all of the kids had rich parents or at least they pretended to have these fabulous lives. When my parents died and my life wasn’t perfect, I was like a leper or something. Like if they hung out with me some of my crappy life might rub off on them. Here no one cares.”
“People care,” Carrie insisted.
“Not in a bad way,” he clarified. “But they’ll care if the guy who’s my stupid guardian changes everything.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He made a promise to my dad about the company and how it’s my legacy. Now he thinks he needs to make it huge, so I have all kinds of money or security or whatever. I don’t even want the dumb company. I’m going to study art, like you.”
“I wish I’d had the courage to do that in college,” she told him even as her mind raced with what he’d revealed about Dylan’s plans. “I was a business major and took a few art classes without my dad knowing about it.”
“That’s what Dylan said when he was lecturing me this morning. Art is fine for a hobby but I’m going to need to get serious about my future.”
Another dagger to Carrie’s heart. Not only had Dylan broken his promise to give her vision for Magnolia a chance, apparently, all his talk about her making a career of her art was just lies, as well. He might think it was good enough for her living in Magnolia, but he wanted more for Sam.
More than the town. More than she could offer.
Just as she’d always known.
“I THOUGHT WE were done with changes to the contract,” Steven Ross told Dylan as they stood in the factory parking lot. To Dylan’s shock, his potential partner had driven down to Magnolia after receiving Dylan’s response that Scott Development had a few additional line items to revise in their agreement. “But whatever it takes at this point. I’ll have my lawyers review your updates, and then we can both sign and move on from negotiations to making money in this godforsaken town. It’s going to be huge.”
“Call me after the New Year,” Dylan said automatically. “Give your people the holidays without bending over backward.”
Steven let out a disbelieving laugh. “Who are you and what have you done with Dylan Scott?”
Dylan didn’t bother to answer, only rolled his eyes.
“I’m serious,” the other man insisted, adjusting his mirrored Ray-Ban sunglasses. “I know this is our first deal together, but I expected more from what Wiley had said about you. You’ll barely return one of my calls let alone push through his contract.”
“You’re getting in on the bottom floor of a redevelopment that’s going to be a model for introducing premier housing and retail space to a small-town demographic. This could lead to opportunities around the country. How can you want more?”
“I want the guy your cousin told me about, the baller who worked with single-minded determination. Why should either of us give a rat’s ass about our people working over the holidays? That’s why we pay them, and money is the bottom line.”
Aggravation burned in Dylan like the brand from a hot poker. Steven’s development company was one of the most successful in the Boston area. The fact that he wanted to partner with Dylan in Magnolia was a huge achievement. Wiley had been the one to work this end of the company, and Dylan knew he had big shoes to fill.
He didn’t like being compared to his cousin, not that he had any doubt that he’d come up short. But he’d lost his passion for this potential partnership. Just as Carrie’d predicted, this town and its damn holiday spirt had gotten to him.
Corrupted him. Ruined his focus.
Ruined him for anything but the satisfaction he got from making her smile.
She definitely wouldn’t be happy when she found out about this deal and what it meant for the factory and his downtown plans.
That was part of the reason he wanted to wait until the New Year to finalize everything. It would give him more time to explain it to her in a way she’d understand.
He had no choice but to go forward with his original plan, despite how things had gone with the festival. Despite their agreement.
He’d made a promise to his cousin to take care of Sam, and that meant growing the business that would eventually belong to him.
Wiley would have loved this deal in the same way Dylan had when he’d first conceived it. Surely his enthusiasm would return once he could put Christmas and all of the cloying small-town spirit behind him.
The New Year would bring a fresh start and a clean slate.
This was his, no matter what anyone thought of it.
“Nothing’s going to happen down here until January,” he said, ignoring the other man’s frown. “Go home and enjoy the holiday.”
“My ex-wife has the kids for Christmas,” Steven said. “Elizabeth flew to Chicago to see her family. I’m going to be swiping right on a couple of my fave dating apps. You wouldn’t believe how many lonely chicks are out there on a major holiday.”
Dylan’s stomach rolled. “Probably not. Sounds, um...interesting. You do realize you’re engaged?”
“No ring on my finger yet,” Steven said with a deep chuckle. “I know having a teenager in the house might be cramping your style. Wiley had mentioned sending Sam to boarding school at one point. My son went to a prep academy in upstate New York. Best thing we ever did for him.”
“Wiley never said anything to me about boarding school.”
“I think he wanted more freedom for him and Kay. Kids are a time suck.”
The guy was truly a jackass. “Speaking of time,” Dylan said, backing away. “I need to get back to town.”
“We’ll talk soon.” Steven headed for his sleek Mercedes.
Dylan opened the door of his SUV then paused as a car came barreling down the gravel driveway that led to the factory, and Carrie’s silver Volvo station wagon came into view.
He took a few steps forward then stopped when she didn’t slow down as she approached. What the hell was going on?
“You okay?” Steven asked as he pulled up beside Dylan.
“Fine. It’s my girlfriend. Probably needs me to pick up something for dinner tonight before the grocery store closes.”
“She takes dinner seriously,” the other man said with a laugh then drove out of the parking lot.
The Volvo lurched to a stop. “Who was that?” Carrie demanded as she got out and stalked toward him.
“Just a business associate,” he said, ignoring the guilt that roared through his gut. “I needed some advice and he was in the area. Is everything okay?”
“I saw Sam in town just now.”
“Oh, hell. What did he get into now?” Dylan pulled his phone from his back pocket, ready to punch in the boy’s number. “If he’s causing trouble on—”
“Sam isn’t the problem.” Carrie stepped forward, jabbed a finger into Dylan’s chest. “You are.”
“I told you I’d take care of wine for tonight.” Dylan checked the time on his phone. He remembered the holidays being stressful for Kay when she hosted big gatherings. Wiley would joke about needing to stay clear of her path, so Dylan wanted to believe this was part of the territory and it was a coincidence that she’d sought him out at the textile mill. Once everyone showed up and she saw how happy they were, things would get better. “I still have an hour before the liquor store closes. Plenty of time. I won’t let you down.”
“You already have,” she said, her hand dropping to her side. “Why did you have a business meeting at the factory on Christmas Eve, Dylan?”
“I told you he was driving through town. I know I should be with Sam today, but—”
“I know about the partnership deal.”
He closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to process her words. This wasn’t how he’d wanted her to find out. The timing couldn’t have been worse. He shook his head. “Sam wasn’t supposed to say anything yet.”
“Did you expect him to lie for you?” she asked, her tone ice-cold as if they were in the Arctic tundra and not the temperate Carolina coast.
“Don’t make this a bigger deal than it is,” he insisted. “You know my plan.”
“I thought you’d stay true to your word.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “The festival was a success. We proved to you that Magnolia can be revitalized without changing the fabric of the town. There are options, Dylan. Companies have taken notice. Young families are excited about living here.”
“I’m not denying things went well. You did a great job, Carrie.”
“Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not trying to,” he assured her, an uncomfortable sensation he didn’t quite understand fluttering through his belly. This was no different than any other economically stagnated community that Scott Development had redeveloped. He hadn’t helped build his uncle’s company into a multimillion-dollar venture by allowing emotions to rule the day. “But my plan will take this town so much further than you can even imagine. I made a promise to Sam’s father.”
“You made promises to me, too.”
He hated the hitch in her voice, the accusation that told him he’d screwed things up simply by being himself and doing what he needed to. He didn’t want to hurt her. It was why he’d tried to put off signing the contract until after the New Year. Get through the holidays and then he could make her understand.
Now he had less than twenty-four hours until Christmas and the whole thing was blowing up in his face.
“It will be fine,” he said, reaching for her. “Probably better for you in the long run.”
She shrugged away his touch as her green eyes widened, a storm swirling in their depths. “Excuse me?”
The ground shifted underneath him. Not literally of course, but some seismic movement he couldn’t describe. It rocked him to his core. He knew this moment was important, but all he could think to do was bluster through and hope Carrie would prove herself to be the generous soul he knew and let him off the hook. Even if he didn’t deserve it.
“Yes,” he continued, swallowing back the idea that he was feeding her a complete line of bull. “This will benefit you, as well.” He’d learned in negotiations that conviction was half the battle. Maybe more.
If he could convince her, he could win the day. Win everything. He could keep his promise to both his cousin and Carrie without changing the man he’d become. He didn’t even know how to begin the thought of transforming.
“I just spent the better part of the past several months working on a specific vision for this town. You’re going to undo most of that with one signature. How is that good for me?”
“You need customers for your art. People who have money and are willing to spend it. You need to cultivate a devoted following the way your dad did in his heyday. I’m going to be bringing that to Magnolia. Money. Exclusivity.”
“At the expense of the community,” she reminded him. “We want people who will make Magnolia their home and visitors who can appreciate the charm and serenity a small town has to offer.”
Guilt spiked again but he clamped an invisible muzzle over it. Emotions had no place in business. His way of doing business had worked for so long now. It was the model his uncle and cousin had created within the company that gave Dylan his first taste of belonging. What good did all that small-town charm do if it didn’t pay the bills? Allowing emotions means vulnerability and that meant pain. He’d learned to live without emotions since he left Magnolia.
He could finally prove he wasn’t the troubled, worthless kid he’d been by changing this town into something better.
“The community will adapt on its own or be forced to change.”
“This place is special. I don’t care about rich patrons. That’s not why I paint.”
“Or maybe you want to take over your dad’s position in the town?” he suggested, grasping at anything to make her stop this gentle assault that stung like the bite of a whip. “You have talent, Carrie. Everyone knows that now. If things are managed right, you’re going to be a huge success, bigger than Niall ever was.”
“That’s not why I paint,” she repeated, her tone steely.
“It’s a good perk and will get you and your sisters out of the financial mess he put you in. This change in the town will only help with that. You and I can work together. You’ll see. This will be even better than your vision. I know I’m right.”
“It’s funny that you bring up my father, because you sound like him.”
“I do not,” he protested.
“Oh, yes.” She held her arms wide. “Niall Reed was the original ‘Father Knows Best.’ For his career. For Magnolia. For me.” She shook her head. “Even when his vision sent his life and everything around it spiraling down the toilet, he never wavered. He never let other people’s needs get in the way of his own desires.” She sniffed. “I shouldn’t be surprised things went this way. I was bound to have daddy issues. I guess since we didn’t get to play them out ten years ago, it had to end like this.”
“Nothing is ending. It’s a beginning. For both of us. You said yourself that you don’t want the responsibility that people around here have put on you. Yes, your dad made big mistakes. But they’re his. I’m doing this for both of us.”
“Lying to me and this community?”
“It isn’t that.”
“Sam had a different opinion when I talked to him.”
“This is for Sam most of all. He can have the best of both worlds. The benefit of small-town life and making sure the company will be as strong as I can make it.”
“He wants to pursue art,” she said like they were discussing what to have for dinner.
Except it felt like this might be his last supper. “Fine,” he agreed. “I don’t care if he takes art classes. But his future is the business. His family’s company.”
“And if that isn’t what he wants?”
“He’s a kid. He doesn’t know what he wants. His father had a plan, and it’s my job to execute it.”
“Nothing about these weeks in Magnolia changed anything for you.”
“Are you joking? I’ve shown more holiday spirit in the past month than I have in years. I’m fully invested in all this Christmas crap. I stayed up last night wrapping Sam’s gifts until almost midnight. I even found the new video game he wanted on a bootleg website and paid more money than I care to admit on shipping. I’m like the second coming of Kris Kringle.”
“Christmas isn’t about spending money. You’ve missed the whole point.”
“Spoken like someone who was never poor,” he spat, then hated himself when her eyes flashed with pain. “The best thing I can do for Sam is to make sure his future’s secure. This isn’t personal, Carrie. It’s business.”
“Bad business,” she murmured.
“What do you want me to do?”
She smiled, and he had a sudden flash of memory. She’d given him that same sad smile when she’d walked away from him ten years ago. He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe this was ending. Not when he was trying to do the right thing. If only she’d open her eyes and see it.
“If you have to ask, there’s nothing to be done.”
“Carrie.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“Is it better if I don’t come to dinner?”
“You’re not getting off the hook that easily, Dylan.” Her smile suddenly vanished, replaced by the fierceness he’d seen in her when he’d seen her walking that first night. When he couldn’t have imagined all that had transpired over the past several weeks. “You and Sam will have your time at the beach. Join us for Christmas Eve service and then dinner at my house. You won’t say a word to him or to anyone about this deal for the factory.”
“Is that really—”
“It’s necessary,” she interrupted. “I haven’t worked this hard to make Christmas in Magnolia perfect only to have it wrecked now.”
“I’m not trying to wreck anything.”
“Then I hope you’re a better actor than you are a friend,” she said.
The words felt like a knife to his gut. “What about after tonight?”
Her chin trembled and she looked away. “Nope. Not going there. If I think about that, I’ll lose it. We get through Christmas Eve like everything is right as rain. Channel your inner Chevy Chase. We’re going to be the ‘jolliest bunch of—well, you know—this side of the nuthouse.’”
She walked away on those parting words and Dylan watched her car disappear out of the parking lot, wondering how his life had gone to hell so quickly.
It was like ten years ago all over again. Maybe he’d done it on purpose. Or on purpose without realizing that was what was happening. He’d never believed he deserved the kind of happiness he’d found with Carrie, and now he’d proven it to both of them.