Beautiful Dreamer

by Melissa Brayden

“Yes?”

  “Thank you for pushing me the other night. I’m not sure I would have let her come by otherwise, but somehow you knew it’s what I needed.”

  “You’re welcome. I just want to see you happy. That, and I miss my own mom and thought, if there was a way for you to have yours back, maybe it was worth exploring.” Devyn’s voice got quieter on that last part.

  “I hadn’t thought of it that way. You must miss her a lot.”

  “Yeah. Being back was really hard at first because of it. One of the reasons I’d stayed away. But now? It’s like I can feel her all around me. I stumble onto a new memory of her almost daily, prompted by a location or a person I hadn’t thought about in years. It’s been surprisingly nice.”

  “I feel like I’ve watched the world fall off you since you’ve been here. One layer at a time until it’s just you standing in front of me. I can see you so clearly now, Devyn. Who you are.”

  “That’s exactly what it feels like, too.” Silence hit. “Liz, can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “How do you feel about company tonight?”

  Elizabeth laughed. “Well, that depends. How fast does that little car drive?”

  “I’m betting money on NASCAR status if that answer is yes.”

  “Get over here and kiss me,” Elizabeth said, and hung up the phone. She laughed and looked at Scout, who sat up at attention, already aware that her favorite playmate was on her way.

  “Today has been a really good day,” she said to Scout, embracing the happiness full on. “Let’s memorize it, okay?” With her eyes closed and a hand on her heart, she took a moment to do just that. She’d had a lot of good days in her lifetime, and she cherished each one, but today was different. Today she felt special, and that was a feeling worthy of commemoration. “I matter to some people,” she said to Scout, through tear-filled eyes. “Me.”

  * * *

  “I feel like a guy would never actually say those things, you know, outside of a Hallmark Christmas movie.”

  “What are you talking about?” Elizabeth asked in exasperation, as they meandered from the darkened movie theater back into the lobby after their rom-com let out. She took a deep inhale of the freshly popped popcorn, prepped for the late show. Even after devouring their own giant tub, she still loved the aroma. “A sensitive guy absolutely would say all of that. What?” Elizabeth asked. “Don’t look at me like that. I know things.”

  “About men?”

  “Well, not a ton of firsthand experience in the romance department, but I’m a citizen of Earth. I observe. I feel like Dexter would profess his undying servitude.”

  Devyn considered this with a laugh. “Gotta love that guy. You might be right. I ran into him at Festive Foods when I was grabbing a yogurt for Jill, and he was all starry-eyed about some woman he was seeing later that night.”

  “Misty. She’s his forever person, I’m thinking. I’ve never see him focus so fully on just one woman. It makes me happy.”

  “I think when you meet someone that you just click with, it’s hard to look away.” She stared at Elizabeth for several seconds before looking ahead again. Elizabeth grinned and bit the inside of her cheek, because the insinuation was clear. They clicked. They really, really did, in spite of their many differences. And maybe it was the differences themselves that created this very palpable chemistry she’d never experienced with another human. Devyn met her gaze. “But the movie was good outside of the sentimentality.”

  “Do you know what I think?”

  “Tell me.”

  “I think you’re more of a softie in there than you let on.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I think you liked that film deep down, even the overly sentimental part. You might have been weeping inside.”

  Devyn raised her shoulders. “Steel yourself because I’m about to make a confession.”

  “Give me a minute,” Elizabeth said, and bounced a couple times in the darkened parking lot.

  Devyn laughed. “I want to make fun of you for that, but it was too endearing. How do you do that? Make the most ridiculous stuff seem awesome all of a sudden? Stop it already.”

  Elizabeth wrapped both arms around Devyn’s waist as they approached the car. “It’s one of my two gifts in life: being a dork and organizing things and people.”

  “Really?” Devyn said, glancing down, her eyes dark. “Because I can think of a couple of other notable talents that have stuck with me.”

  Elizabeth’s mouth fell open as she pretended to be scandalized. “And now I’m blushing and you’re diverting. Get back to the confession.”

  Devyn leaned back against Shug. “I do feel all soft inside lately.” She shrugged. “For a while I was convinced it was my taking the town back. You know? Coming back in and making new memories that would replace the harder ones?”

  She shook her head and glanced over at Elizabeth, who felt her heart squeeze. She didn’t know where this confession was going, but Devyn was letting her guard down, which didn’t always happen. She wanted to be present for this moment.

  “The more I’m around you, the more I feel myself opening up. Changing. It’s exhilarating on one hand, but unnerving on another.” She turned to face Elizabeth more fully. “What if I’m a big ole softie when I try to sell? I’m known as a ballbuster. What if you broke me?”

  Elizabeth grinned. “Trust me when I say that the ballbuster side of you is very much intact. I heard you on the phone just two days ago.”

  “Yet I didn’t close that deal.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Devyn shrugged. “It doesn’t bother me the way it once would have. That might be a problem.”

  She didn’t dare hope. Except that was a lie. Elizabeth was hoping with all of her heart that this change in Devyn might have greater implications for the two of them. They were closer than they’d ever been, spending pretty much all of their free time together. Devyn slept at her place several times a week. She missed her desperately on the nights she didn’t. Yes, Devyn had a life back in Philly, but maybe the life she was finding here, just maybe, would be enough to sway her to stay. Elizabeth didn’t utter those words, though. They were too delicate. Instead, she held on to them tightly. Hoping…

  “Do you think this new you is a good thing?” she asked, tentatively.

  Devyn didn’t answer her with words and instead kissed her. She felt the customary grin through the kiss. “I think it’s safe to say that I’m starting to like her a lot,” Devyn said, quietly, and went back for more.

  Elizabeth’s eyes fluttered closed and she slid her hands into Devyn’s hair, sinking into the kiss. Her heart soared, and the night felt vibrant and awake. She shimmied her shoulders as her skin prickled pleasantly. She’d never felt so happy. In her head, she saw glimpses of dinners at home, date nights at the beach, or lazy Saturdays walking through town. Maybe a game night with Jill and Charlie. She exhaled slowly as Devyn pulled back from the kiss and smiled.

  “Let’s go home.”

  Devyn might have meant the word in the generic sense. She probably had. But it resonated with Elizabeth all the same.

  Home.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “This is the problem I’m having.” Devyn closed her eyes and walked across the spare bedroom she used to work. It was sunny outside, and that in no way matched what she was going through with her client. She’d been on the phone with Wyatt Lowe two other times this week, and each time he was less happy than the last. “You wanted a showroom?” he said. “I invested the money and now you have one. You pushed for a lower price point. I worked with you on that.”

  “I know you did, and it was the right move. Everyone is talking about the building.” That part was true. It was the talk of downtown, but sales had been slower than she’d hoped. And yes, she had a good idea why.

  “All I asked for was a four-month sellout. We’re at just over three months now, Winters, and I’m still sitting on nearly sixty percent of my inventory.
That’s unacceptable.”

  “I get that. I just need a little more time is all. It’s a big building, which is what’s fantastic about it.”

  “No more time. I signed on with you. Not your team. And who’s this Ricky guy who called me last week? Wasn’t he some random guy trying to learn the business when we met? The redheaded guy? Now he’s selling my building? Fuck no.” Wyatt was more worked up than she’d ever heard him. She wasn’t sure what to do about that. She’d pulled Ricky onto the project when she’d had to step away, hoping his eagerness would transfer into a few extra sales. He was not supposed to have contacted her client directly. She’d have to speak with him about that. Damn it, Ricky.

  “He did a couple of showings for us.”

  “Anything under contract?”

  She sighed. “No.”

  “I want him off the project.”

  “Done.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling backed into a corner. She’d send Ricky a giant thank-you basket. He’d understand. “Listen, Wyatt, it’s been a rough time for my family, and I was unexpectedly pulled away. I explained that. This is in no way reflective of my work ethic or my ability to sell. I’m just asking for your patience.”

  He didn’t hesitate, still talking a mile a minute. “We all have personal stuff, and I’m really sorry about whatever you have going on with your sister, but I’ve invested millions in this project. You understand that, right?”

  “I do.”

  “So get your ass back here and sell these units.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Not good enough. I have a senator and two celebrities who want to see the place this week. Either you’re back in the morning to handle them personally or I’m pulling the listing. Just business.”

  She closed her eyes. “Understood.”

  She clicked off the call to see Jill standing in the doorway, staring at her with wide eyes and a worried brow. She held her cane and wore a brace on her injured leg, a reminder that Devyn was still needed right where she was. But maybe that was an exaggeration, one that had made Devyn feel more comfortable with her decision to remain in Dreamer’s Bay. The reality of the situation was that Jill was now quite capable of living entirely on her own, and with the tricks her PT guy had shown her, she could accomplish most anything if she took her time.

  “That was my guy in Philly. He’s going to pull the listing if I’m not back and ready to go to sales war by tomorrow.”

  Jill exhaled slowly. “I see. We knew this was coming, I guess.”

  Devyn tapped the phone against her opposite hand in a metronomic rhythm. What was she supposed to do here? Two months ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about racing back; now she felt…reluctant. What was that about? Who exactly was she becoming? She shook her head, hating how weak she felt. Indecisiveness had never been part of who she was. She’d let herself be vulnerable. She’d let herself get attached, and now look where she’d landed. Her career was on the brink of destruction and she didn’t recognize herself in the mirror. She inhaled. One way or another, she had to get it together and fix this thing.

  “I’ll be okay, Dev. I can move around fine on my own, if a little slow. I can drive, so that’s not a problem. Plus, Elizabeth can still help me out, and there’s, well, Charlie now.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She rolled her bottom lip in and out again. “I was just expecting more time, you know, with you…and…”

  “Elizabeth.”

  Devyn met her sister’s gaze and smiled sadly. “Yeah.” She scrunched her shoulders and did what she could to harness the version of herself who took no prisoners when it came to getting her job done. She was known as cutthroat for a fucking reason, and it was time to reclaim her identity. She hadn’t been that woman for a while now, but that was likely the point Wyatt was trying to make. She was still in there, though, that firecracker, and Devyn could get this building sold if she reined in her focus, shelved her emotions, and packed her damn bag. Still, it didn’t feel good. But that would be the trick to getting through this, turning off the feelings and not letting herself fall into this trap ever again.

  “When will you fly out?”

  “Tonight, I guess.”

  Jill shifted and her gaze dropped to the floor, like she’d just been dealt a blow. “It’s been so nice having you here. For a little while, I thought you might…” She didn’t finish, but Devyn knew what she was about to say. She’d secretly hoped Devyn would stay. It wasn’t that she hadn’t envisioned it briefly herself, but the Bay, as happy and relaxed as it made her lately, had created some kind of “vacation version” of herself that she hated now that she faced the consequences. Her real life was back home, and it was time to pull up her bootstraps and face the reality of that. Living with her head in the clouds had been ill advised.

  “I’ll be back soon. Give me a few days to get things back on track. A week or two tops, and I’ll visit. Check on you.”

  Jill nodded, but the look on her face said she was unconvinced. “I hope that’s true.”

  “And you need to come to the city and hang out with me. We can have a girls’ night, and I can show you this amazing building I’m selling. Don’t get me started on the martinis they make in the bar next to my place.” She tried to brighten and make it all sound like tons of fun when, in reality, she was struggling.

  “It’s a deal.”

  Her arms were around Jill a few moments later, delicately, as she still dealt with some pain. They stood like that in the doorway for several emotion-packed moments, as the realization hit that this time together, this very unexpected and important time for both of them, was coming to an end.

  “You need to find her and talk to her,” Jill whispered.

  Devyn nodded. “I know.” The phone call with Wyatt had been rough, but saying goodbye to Elizabeth was something she wasn’t sure she could go through with. Yet her feelings for Elizabeth had landed her in this spot in the first place, and she bristled against them now. This crazy emotion she felt had thrown her life into a tailspin in just a few short months. What further damage might it inflict? She swallowed against the fear. Her instinct was to run as far away from it as she possibly could. To hop on a plane, avoid the painful goodbye altogether, and rejoin her life. Six months ago, she would have done exactly that.

  But no. At the very least, Elizabeth deserved a face-to-face.

  Devyn would do what she had to, to get through it and move forward. There was no other option.

  * * *

  “Are we seriously doing this?” KC asked. “This might be the best On the Spot gig yet! I’m stoked.”

  “Couldn’t agree more.” Elizabeth placed another glazed donut on the far side of the donut pyramid they’d been building for the last half hour. “Lulu was quite serious when she handed over a hundred of these bad boys. They’re apparently going to also give away a free hot donut to every guest tomorrow as part of their twenty-fifth anniversary. So, show up.”

  “I’ll take mine now.” KC took a bite of one. “Nice of her to let us eat while we work.”

  “Isn’t it?” She stole a bite from the donut in KC’s hand. They built the anniversary pyramid in the corner of the Amazin’ Glazin’ dining area as one table of customers looked on with interest. Given that it was just Mr. Henry and Mr. Learner from the gas station, Elizabeth didn’t let the audience bother her. “Don’t get any ideas, Mr. Learner. These donuts are for looking at. No eating once we’re through with this masterpiece.”

  He heartily dunked the last of his own donut into his coffee. “No promises, Lizzie.” He popped the soggy thing in his mouth and grinned.

  “Speaking of someone’s favorite dessert, incoming.”

  Elizabeth followed KC’s gaze to the glass door where she spotted Devyn making her way up the walk, blond hair swaying gently, aviator sunglasses in place. Elizabeth passed KC a look.

  “What? Just because I called her dessert does not mean I’m not a fan. I’ve never seen you smile the way you have lately.”<
br />
  “Really?” she asked, quietly, knowing it was true.

  KC nodded. “It’s the best.”

  The door swung open and Devyn walked in, removing her sunglasses and allowing her eyes to adjust from the sunlight. Her gaze landed on Elizabeth, and she moved toward her with purpose.

  Right on cue, Elizabeth’s chest flooded with warmth and she grinned. “This is a nice surprise. Are you here for a donut?”

  Devyn glanced at the half-built pyramid and raised her eyebrows. “Oh. Um, no.” Her focus returned to Elizabeth. “You. You didn’t answer my texts, so I drove around a bit until I saw your truck.”

  “Has anyone ever called you resourceful?” She glanced at KC. “Then again, we do live in a small town.”

  KC pointed at her in agreement. “It’s pretty hard to hide.”

  Devyn didn’t look amused and seemed to ignore their exchange altogether. “Do you have a minute?”

  She was put-together Devyn again. The one Elizabeth had met when she’d first returned to town. Huh. Interesting.

  “Of course,” She stood and pulled off the plastic baggies she’d been wearing as gloves. “Donut pyramids, man. You know how it is.” She smiled. “Hard to operate a phone.” The lighthearted comment fell flat. Devyn smiled briefly, but it seemed like she didn’t have the emotional energy to sustain it, and that pulled Elizabeth’s focus. Her spidey sense fired, and her stomach muscles flexed. “What’s going on?”

  Devyn eased a hand into the back pocket of her slim-fitting black pants. She was dressed nice. Too nice. Another clue. “I talked to my client this afternoon. Either I head back to Philly for good or he’s pulling the listing on the entire building.”

  “Oh.” She took a moment to process. “So you’d lose it all.”

  “Everything. Which would be catastrophic in the scheme of my career. It’s not my call, but it is what it is.”

  Elizabeth nodded while at the same time felt like the world was crashing to the ground all around her. “Okay. So how much time do you have?”