by Rachel Hanna
“Hello? Earth to Laura…” Dahlia said, waving her hand in front of Laura’s face.
“I’m sorry. It’s just been a very exhausting few days. So how was your trip out here?”
“Don’t change the subject on me, missy. I know you better than that. You’re a different person out here. More confident. Maybe even happier, except for the whole man trouble situation. Tell me about him.”
“I don’t want to talk about him, Aunt Dahlia.” She stood and walked to the corner of the room, noticing her mother’s vision board propped against the dresser. “He made me do things.”
“What? What kind of things?” Dahlia asked, standing up with her hands on her rotund hips. Her long black skirt, that looked like it was made from paper and wheat mixed together, made rustling sounds from the force of her popping up off the bed.
“No. I don’t mean it like that,” Laura said. She turned to face her aunt. “I rode a rollercoaster. And a motorcycle.”
“You? You’ve always been scared of your own shadow.” Dahlia’s mouth was hanging open. “I didn’t realize you ever wanted to do those things.”
Laura smiled and picked up the board. “I didn’t. I found my mother’s vision board under her bed when I was cleaning out her house. Carrie convinced me to complete some of the items as a way of honoring my mother and starting over at the same time.”
Dahlia reached out and took the board from Laura’s hands. Her face had a look of shock, but also of recognition. “This was under her bed?”
“Yeah. Looked like it had been there for many years with the amount of dust piled on it. I was so surprised that my mother wanted to do any of those things. One of the places on the board was January Cove, so that’s how I ended up here.”
Dahlia took a deep breath. “So you did these things because your mother never got to?” She rubbed her fingers across the old paper and smiled.
“Yes. It made me feel closer to her. It made me feel alive again… Well, Sawyer made me feel alive again.” She slumped down into an arm chair next to the bed.
“Laura, you know sometimes people just want to be accepted for who they really are. Maybe Sawyer handled it the wrong way, but for the right reasons.”
“You’re taking his side?”
Dahlia crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, her hand on Laura’s knee. “Of course not. What I’m saying is that you’re still raw from what Ted did to you. You thought your husband was loyal, and he wasn’t. He had a secret life you knew nothing about. But that’s not what Sawyer did. Not really. He liked you so much that he wanted you to know the real him. The person inside. If you think about it, it really is sweet. He laid himself out there, raw.”
Laura thought for a minute and realized her aunt was right. He had been kind and giving to her. He’d spent hours working for no pay. He’d taken her on adventures just to see her smile. He’d forgiven her when she hit him with her car.
“I really messed up. Ugh…” she said, putting her head in her hands. “And now I don’t know where he is or what to do.”
“Well, I’d start by asking around because I bet somebody knows where he is.”
“You’re right,” Laura said, standing up.
“One more thing.”
“Yes?” Laura said, turning to her aunt.
“Sometimes things aren’t what they seem.”
“True. But what does that have to do with this situation?”
“You shouldn’t try to live someone else’s dreams, honey.”
“I know. Sawyer told me that too. I’m working on my own vision board. See?” She held up a piece of poster board that was propped behind the vanity.
“Good. Because this one… well, it’s mine.”
“What?”
“I created it many years ago, but I forgot to take it with me after a visit. I had gone to Baltimore for some self-help conference, you know, trying to better myself. They told us to create a vision board, so I did. These were my dreams, Laura, not your mother’s. In fact, she laughed at most of them. Told me I was too adventurous for my own good.”
“Oh my gosh… So I moved here for no reason?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. Looks like you’ve changed your whole life in a matter of weeks. You’ve got a thriving business. You met a wonderful man. You’ve met great friends. I think you just needed a little push.”
“Can I ask you something? Why did you put a picture of January Cove on your board?” Laura asked before walking out of the room.
Dahlia laughed. “I cut it out of a travel magazine as a placeholder for wanting a beach house. I didn’t know a darn thing about this place. Never been here in my life.”
Laura rolled her eyes at the irony of it all and laughed. “I need to go do some damage control. Can you stay here until I get back?”
Dahlia nodded and Laura ran out the door, hopeful that someone could tell her where Sawyer had gone.
Chapter 13
The Lamont Theater was a happening place at night, and Laura struggled to find Brad. Addy had said her brother was sometimes there helping his girlfriend, Ronni, oversee the place.
She walked inside and looked around, but she mostly saw families and teenagers there for a good movie or maybe to ride the go-carts out back.
“Can I help you?” a teenage girl asked from behind the counter.
“Yes. I’m looking for… Brad!” Laura spotted him standing in the arcade, fiddling with something behind one of the machines.
“Laura! Welcome to the Lamont. What’s up?”
“Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked. Brad nodded and waved her into the small office.
“Everything okay?” he asked, leaning against the desk.
“Do you happen to know where Sawyer went? I haven’t seen him for days and…” She could tell by the look on his face that he knew something.
“Sawyer went back to Nashville, Laura.”
“Oh no…” she said, sinking down into a cheap office chair.
“He was pretty upset when he left, but he gave me something for you.”
“For me?”
“He told me that if you came looking for him, I should give it to you. Not sure what it is, but I have it here in my bag.” He pulled a backpack from behind the desk and handed her a small gift bag that was sealed up with a ribbon. “Kind of girly, but here it is…”
“Well, I am a girl, Brad,” she said with a forced smile. “Thanks.”
“Hey, Laura?” Brad called to her as she walked toward the door.
“Yes?”
“He’s a good guy. He didn’t mean any harm. I’ve never seen him this tied up about a woman before, and sometimes we men do stupid stuff when we’re afraid we’re going to lose the woman of our dreams.”
“Would Ronni agree with that?” she asked.
“Most definitely.”
With that, Laura left the Lamont, eager to get back to the inn and find out what Sawyer had left her.
“Well, what is it?” Dahlia asked, as she sat beside Laura on the bed and waited for her to open the package.
“Can I get a little privacy?” Laura asked, smiling at her aunt.
Dahlia nodded and stood. “I’ll be rocking in one of those beautiful chairs on the porch if you need me.”
Laura took a deep breath and untied the ribbon. She looked down inside and saw two items - a piece of paper and a CD.
Dear Laura,
If you’re reading this, then it means that I’m back in Nashville signing a contract for a new album and a tour. While that might sound great to anyone else, I’d rather be in January Cove smelling cupcake batter and teaching kids how to play guitar and ending every night holding you in my arms.
So why did I leave?
Because you deserve a fresh start without me passing you everyday on the streets. If I had stayed in January Cove, I couldn’t have stayed away from you. Every ocean breeze reminded me of how your hair would tickle my face while we snuggled in the sand. Every person walking by with
one of your cupcakes reminded me of early morning kissing sessions behind the counter of Sweetcakes.
When you love someone, you do what’s best for them. If that means going back to the life I left so that you can start your life over, then I’d do it over and over again for you.
God, Laura, I wanted things to be different with us. I promise I was going to tell you the real story about me the same day you found out, but Carrie beat me to it. I was a chicken. I should’ve trusted you.
The CD included is a song I wrote for you. I wrote it after our adventure together at the amusement park. That’s when knew how I felt about you. I hope you like it, and I hope that when you hear one of my songs on the radio, you’ll think back to our time fondly.
I love you, Laura. Keep chasing your own dreams. You deserve it.
Sawyer
Laura choked back her tears as she pulled the CD from the bag. Hoping that her laptop actually had a CD slot, she ran across the room to dig it out of its bag. Thankfully, it did have a slot, so she slipped the CD in and waited to hear his voice.
The song started with the soft sounds of his guitar. It wasn’t professionally produced, obviously, but hearing him sing again made her soul stir. She could listen to him all day and night and never hear another piece of classical music again.
As she listened to his words, her heart clenched at the thought of what she’d lost. He was singing about her - her strength, her beauty, her smile. As soon as the song ended, Laura bolted from the house again and went straight back to the Lamont.
“Brad!” she yelled as she ran through the doors. People were staring at her like she was an idiot or possibly a danger to society.
“Laura, hold it down, honey,” Brad said with a painted-on smile as he ushered her into the office again. “What’s wrong?”
“I need to find Sawyer. I need to stop him from signing that contract.”
“Laura, he’s been gone for days now. He’s probably already signed it…”
“I have to find out. Please. Help me get to him.”
“Why don’t you just call him?”
“No. I need to see him. Do you know his address in Nashville?”
“You’re going to drive to Nashville tonight?”
She thought for a moment. “Yes. I am.”
A few minutes later, she had Sawyer’s address in her hand. She rushed back to see her aunt and explain that she was going to be gone for a couple of days.
“I’m sorry, aunt Dahlia. I know you just got here…”
“Honey, it’s fine. Love is love,” she said with a wink. “I’ll watch the store while your gone. It reminds me of my sandwich shop I used to run back in the old days.”
She knew Dahlia would have no trouble running the bakery. She was an exceptional baker herself and probably taught Sarah everything she knew.
“I love you,” Laura said, hugging her aunt tightly. “I’ll be back as soon as I can!”
Laura shoved a few things into a bag, and ran straight out the door for an almost eight hour drive to find the man of her dreams.
The drive to Nashville in the middle of the night had been tough. She was already tired from a long day at work, so keeping her eyes open while driving such a long distance had been difficult.
After stopping for coffee twice along the way, caffeine was her new best friend as she rolled into the heart of Nashville on fumes, both literally and figuratively. Her car needed gas, but she had to find Sawyer first. The sun had risen over the beautiful city, and her aim was to find the man she loved and tell him.
She pulled into the quaint neighborhood where Sawyer lived and started looking for his house. Her eyes were glazing over, and although she normally had great vision, the address in her hand was blurry from hours of driving.
“Forty-two thirteen… Wait. Is that right?” she said to herself as she looked at the street numbers and then back down at the paper. “Dang it. Is that a three…”
And then the sound she never wanted to hear again. A loud thump hit the front of her car as she came to an immediate stop, yet she saw nothing in front of her.
“Oh my God! Not again!” she said to herself as she flung open her door. As if in a scene from the movie Groundhog Day, she looked on the ground and saw Sawyer laying there. “Sawyer! Oh no! Are you hurt?”
“Jeez, woman, is your car just attracted to me or something?” he said. Thank goodness he was laughing. Apparently, she had only knocked him over this time.
“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”
He smiled. “It depends.”
“On what?” She continued checking him over, looking for any sign that she had hurt him again.
“On why you’re here,” he said softly, touching a strand of her hair with his fingers. “Let’s get out of the road. This isn’t January Cove.”
She stood and held out a hand to him. He stood with her, brushing off his shorts.
“You have a scrape on your leg, Sawyer…”
He looked down and smiled back at her. “I’ll live. Now, what on Earth are you doing here in Nashville? You look exhausted, Laura.”
She stood there like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment and took a breath. “I haven’t slept in over twenty-four hours.”
“Let’s sit down,” he said, pointing to a park bench near the road. As they sat down, a man with a camera snapped a shot of them from the bushes. “Get out of here!” Sawyer yelled. The man laughed and then walked down the street. “Damn, paparazzi. They usually don’t bug me too much around my house.”
“He’s probably wondering why I just mowed you down with my car,” she said with a slight smile. “I can’t imagine what pictures will be on the front of the tabloids this week.”
“Let me park your car. We’ll go inside and talk.” He took her keys and moved her car to a more suitable spot. “It’s this way.”
She followed him into a sizable older home with white columns and a black wrought iron front gate. As they walked, she noticed he was wearing running clothes. She must have hit him during his morning exercise regimen.
“Coffee?” he asked as they walked into the kitchen.
“Please.”
“So, tell me why you’re here. Why did you drive all night?” he asked as he poured them both a cup.
“Because Brad gave me your gift,” she said softly. Sawyer stopped moving for a moment and then lifted both cups and carried them to the breakfast bar.
“I see. You didn’t have to come, Laura. I know you don’t want to be around me, and I’ve accepted that. I don’t like it, but I want you to have your dream life.”
“You are my dream life.”
He looked at her, his eyes wide. “What?”
“It hurt me when you didn’t tell me who you were, but I was wrong in the way I reacted. Seeing that guy out there snap a picture of you just proves your point. You didn’t know if I would like you for your money or fame, and you just wanted to see if I would like you for you. I get it now.”
“You get it now? Why didn’t you get it back in January Cove, Laura?” he asked, clearly frustrated.
“Because it turns out everything isn’t always as it seems.”
“You’re talking in riddles,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
“That dream board wasn’t my mother’s. It was my wild and crazy aunt’s.”
Sawyer almost spit his coffee out, stifling a laugh that was battling to come out. “Seriously? Oh my gosh, that’s funny.”
She stood and walked around the counter, taking Sawyer’s coffee from his hands and setting it on the countertop. She took his hands in hers and stared up into his eyes.
“I’m tired of living everyone else’s dreams, Sawyer. I want to live my dreams. And the only person I want to do that with is you. Being with you changed me. You make me want to take chances.”
“What are you saying, Laura?”
“I’m saying that I love you, and I will stay here in Nashville with you if I have to. I know you signed that new
contract, and I’m sorry that you felt you had to do it because of me. But as soon as it’s up, I want you to come back to January Cove with me. Because you deserve to live your dreams, no matter how big or small.”
“You love me?” he asked with a smile, as if that was the only part he heard.
“I do.”
“Well, I love you too, Laura Bennett. Even if you do keep hitting me with your car. Seriously, stop doing that.” His dimpled smile gave her chills up and down her spine. He pulled her into his chest and kissed the top of her head. “But you can’t stay in Nashville.”
“What? Why?”
“Because Sweetcakes is in January Cove. That’s your baby.”
“You’re my baby,” she whispered as she rose up on her tip toes and lightly kissed him.
“And I love to hear that…” he said before deepening their kiss. “But I won’t be here.”
Laura pulled back. “Your tour is already starting? I don’t know much about the music business, but don’t you have to record the album first?”
Sawyer smiled. “I didn’t sign the contract, Laura. I just couldn’t do it.”
“So what have you been doing here all this time?” she asked.
“Waiting for you. And praying that you would show up on my doorstep.”
She grinned and jumped up into his arms, her legs coiled tightly around his waist. “Thank God! So we can go home? Back to January Cove?”
“Yes, we can go home,” he said, pulling her to him tightly before setting her up on the kitchen counter in front of him. “Of course, you’ll need a night to rest before we leave, and I just happen to have a bedroom right here in this house…”
Laura smiled brightly. “Who needs a bedroom when I can rest right here on this kitchen island?”
“I do like the way you think, Laura Bennett.”
“We sold over one-hundred cupcakes today!” Katie said with her big, brace-covered smile. The teenager had been working with Laura for just a few weeks, but she was a hard worker and good with the customers.
