It's Only Love

by Marie Force

  Ella let him go just as reluctantly. They had a long day ahead before they could be together again later. Thinking about that would give her something to look forward to today. “That sounds good.” She got out the ingredients and left him to start their breakfast while she went into her bedroom. In the closet, she found the sweater she had knitted for him during the long months she’d spent wishing for what she had now.

  She held up the gray fisherman’s sweater that she’d poured her heart and soul into making for the man she’d loved from afar. It had seemed like such a silly thing to do at the time, but throwing herself into the project had given her an outlet for the yearning that had taken her over.

  What would he think when she told him she’d made it for him? She’d planned to save it for Christmas, but that was too far away. She wanted him to have it now. She wanted it to keep him warm today. So she summoned her courage and returned to the kitchen, sweater in hand.

  He looked up from the griddle he was watching over. “What’s that?”

  “It’s for you.”

  Gavin turned down the heat on the burner so the pancakes wouldn’t burn. He took it from her and held it up. “Wow, that’s nice.”

  “I made it for you.”

  “You made this? Seriously?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “When?”

  “Um, well, over the last couple of months when I was busy being frustrated with you and our, um, situation. I could either knit you a sweater or stab you with the needles. I chose the former.”

  His low chuckle made her smile. “It’s beautiful. Truly. A work of art. I had no idea you could knit, let alone make something like this.”

  “My grandmother taught me to knit when I was eight. I’ve been doing it ever since. It’s my stress reliever.”

  “I’m very impressed.”

  “Try it on.”

  He flipped the pancakes and then pulled the sweater over his head. It was a perfect fit, as Ella had known it would be. She’d spent years studying his sexy body and had felt like an expert on all things Gavin Guthrie long before this week’s master class.

  She adjusted the collar of his denim shirt and patted his chest. “Looks great. Very sexy.”

  Hooking an arm around her neck, he drew her in for a kiss. “I’ll never take it off.”

  “Yes, you will,” she said meaningfully.

  “Well, I suppose I could be convinced for the right incentives.” He kissed her again and then released her to deal with the pancakes.

  They sat together at the table to eat, sharing the butter knife and the syrup. It was all so domesticated and comfortable, and Ella would be perfectly content to start every day this way for the rest of their lives.

  “Hey, El,” he said, putting down his fork.

  “Yeah?”

  “I want to you know . . . It means so much to me that you thought of me this way.” He rested his hand flat against the sweater. “When we weren’t together and I’d given you every reason to believe we never would be. That you had faith in me and us . . .”

  “I didn’t always have faith, not after our last go-round. I’d started to accept that it wasn’t going to happen.” She offered a wry smile over the top of her coffee mug. “But I finished the sweater anyway. I told myself I was done with you after that.”

  He reached for her hand and linked their fingers. “And yet you still came when they called you that night.”

  “Old habits die hard.”

  “Thank God for that. I’m so glad you came when they called, that we decided to give this a try.”

  “Me, too.”

  “I hate to say I have to go, but I have to go.”

  Ella stuck out her bottom lip.

  “We’re staying in bed this entire weekend, you got me? Don’t make any other plans.”

  “Christmas tree farm Saturday afternoon, and family dinner on Sunday.”

  “I might let you out for those things, but otherwise, you’re all mine after your deal tonight.”

  “Okay then. Will you do me a favor and not make any plans for next weekend?”

  “Why? What’s up next weekend?”

  “If I tell you, then it won’t be a surprise.”

  “I suppose I can be persuaded to go along with a surprise from you. So about tonight . . . Is it okay if I come by after work or is it only for employees?”

  “Oh, you can definitely come. We do the meeting part between five and six and then we have dinner and dancing with a DJ at the Grange. I’d love for you to come by. I should’ve asked you before now, but I didn’t think you’d want to.”

  Holding both their plates, he stood and bent to kiss her. “I want to.”

  Suddenly, Ella couldn’t wait for tonight.

  * * *

  Though her day was frantically busy seeing to the final details for that night, she took the time to call Gavin’s mother. She couldn’t delay this call any longer if she was going to pull off the big surprise next weekend.

  “Ella,” Amelia said, “this is a nice surprise, and I’m so glad you called. I was worried about Gavin last night.”

  “He had a couple of rough moments, but we got through it. I think.”

  Amelia’s deep sigh came through the line. “I didn’t know Cindy was going to talk about the day she found out. I feel like I owe Gav an apology for that.”

  “You don’t. Not at all. He understands that’s what the inn is for and he wants to be supportive of what you all are doing there.”

  “I keep hoping that one of these days it’ll get easier for him. They were so close. So, so close. As their mother, I was always proud of their tight bond. But after Caleb died . . . Gavin was never the same.”

  “I know. It’s been hard to watch for everyone who cares about him.”

  “I’m glad he has you now, Ella. I said to Bob last night . . . What a lovely couple you make and how happy he seems when you’re around. It’s so nice to see that spark of life in his eyes again. It’s been gone so long I wondered if we’d ever see it again.”

  “You’re going to make me cry, Amelia.”

  She laughed. “I’m sorry. You didn’t call me to cry, did you?”

  “No,” Ella said, laughing. “I was hoping you might be able to help me pull off the wedding surprise. I talked to Dylan and we’re all set to stay at the resort. I’m going to get plane tickets today, but my one worry is about Gavin’s work. He said the reason he wasn’t going to the wedding was because of work—”

  “That’s bull,” Amelia said forcefully. “He’s hiding behind work to get out of doing things and being around people that remind him of his brother. Don’t let him pull that crap.”

  Ella laughed. “All righty then!”

  “I don’t mean to be cranky about it, but I’m tired of him hiding out and avoiding the life he used to enjoy. I think it’s great that you’re surprising him with this trip and forcing him out of his bubble. So what can I do to help?”

  Fortified by Amelia’s support, Ella said, “He’s mentioned his number two man at work is Clinton, but I don’t know him so I wondered if you or Bob might be willing to get in touch to put him on notice that Gavin is going to be gone for a week.”

  “Bob would be happy to do that. They know each other from a poker game they’re both in.”

  “That would be great. His work was the only thing about this plan of mine I was worried about.”

  “We’ll take care of that. Don’t you worry.”

  “Okay, then I guess I’ll buy the plane tickets. Fingers crossed he’s happy about this.”

  “Oh, he will be. It’ll be great. Thank you again, Ella. It’s really such a sweet thing for you to do.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” They said their good-byes, and Ella fired up her computer to buy the plane tickets. Since she hadn’t been anywhere fun in a coup
le of years, she splurged on first-class seats. As she was punching in her credit card number, she hoped she was doing the right thing. Despite Amelia’s assurances, Ella still wasn’t entirely confident that Gavin would love her surprise.

  But the thought of a week in paradise with him had her pressing the purchase button.

  * * *

  Ella was onstage with Charley, going through the PowerPoint presentation they’d put together to brief the sales team on the new holiday merchandise when she saw Gavin sneak in the main door to the Grange. She faltered briefly before picking up her train of thought and carrying it to the finish line.

  They took questions for a few minutes before turning over the stage to their father.

  Lincoln’s job was to thank the employees for their dedication over the next few busy weeks. He always did a great job of talking about the store his father-in-law’s parents had founded and the historical significance of the Stillman and Abbott family business within the town of Butler.

  “I call your attention to my father-in-law, Elmer Stillman, second-generation proprietor of the Green Mountain Country Store.”

  Elmer stood and waved to the gathering while the employees clapped and hooted and hollered for Elmer. He loved every second of the attention they gave him every time the company came together this way.

  “My children,” Lincoln continued when the applause died down, “are the fourth-generation proprietors of the store, and I know I speak for Elmer when I say we are thrilled to have them actively involved in the running of the family business. Where are my kids?”

  The ten Abbott siblings stood and waved to the group, as they had for years now, since they first began to wander into the family business one by one, until they were all playing a role in some way or another. It had never been expected or demanded of them, but each of them had come home to Butler after college, eager to continue their family’s legacy.

  Ella had been no different. She’d studied business and marketing at the University of Vermont, always with the idea of coming home to the family business at the end of school. Now nearly ten years later, she couldn’t imagine any other life or career than the one she had working side by side with her father and siblings every day. The family business suited her, and she’d never had any desire to be anywhere else.

  “Not only has the Green Mountain Country Store been a four-generation business for our family,” Lincoln said, “it has been for many of your families, too. Please stand if you are one of our fourth-generation employees.”

  A group of young adults stood to applause from the others.

  “How about our third-generation employees?” Lincoln said. “Including my lovely wife, Molly, who sits on our board of directors. And now our second-generation folks?”

  This group, led by Elmer, was older, many of them with white or gray hair and big smiles filled with pride for their long careers with the Stillman-Abbott family business.

  “And now, a round of applause for our last remaining first-generation employee, Mildred Olsen, who at the age of ninety-one continues to work as an accounts payable clerk.”

  As the whole room burst into applause, Hunter helped Mrs. Olsen to her feet and stood with his arm around the woman who reported to him as the company’s chief financial officer. According to Hunter, Mildred was still sharp as a tack and had no plans to retire.

  She waved to the other employees as they stood as one to cheer for her.

  Ella approached Mildred with a bouquet of the older woman’s favorite pink tea roses and bent to kiss her lined cheek.

  “Thank you, sweetheart,” Mildred said.

  Ella reached for the microphone her father handed to her and walked it over to Mildred.

  “I just want to say thank you to the Abbott family, and Hunter in particular, for continuing to allow me to do the job I love,” Mildred said softly into the microphone. “I started working for Elmer’s parents when I was eight, old enough to sweep the floors and take out the trash for a dollar a week. That dollar made a huge difference for my family during some difficult years, and I’ve been here ever since. Thank you again for making me a part of your family. I love you all.”

  Ella blinked back tears at the sweet old lady’s heartfelt words. She hugged Mildred and returned the microphone to her dad while Hunter guided Mildred back to her seat.

  Lincoln cleared his throat. “Thank you, Mildred, for your service and dedication. It’s employees like you—all of you—who have allowed us to serve the community of Butler for all these years, and we look forward to many more years to come. As your chief executive officer, I embrace my role in preserving the legacy instilled by Elmer, his parents and faithful employees like Mildred and all of you. I believe any business that stands still runs the risk of being left behind. With that in mind, I’m always seeking new ideas and products that will keep customers returning to us time and again to see what’s new and exciting in our store. I’m very pleased to announce tonight that we will soon add a new line of intimate accessories to our health and beauty department. These items are designed to keep the spark alive for customers of all ages. As we get closer to the launch of this new product line, we’ll bring in special consultants to train our sales team to assist customers and answer questions. We hope we can count on your support of this new endeavor as well as others that will be coming as we grow and expand. It is my goal, always, to keep one foot in the past where our company traditions are celebrated and honored while also keeping an eye on the future and adapting to the times.

  “I’m going to leave you with a short video that debuts the store’s wonderful new website designed by my daughter-in-law, Cameron Abbott. The website is set to go live on January first, and we expect a new influx of customers coming to Butler to check out our store. I want to thank Cameron and my future daughter-in-law Lucy Mulvaney for putting together the video. We hope you enjoy it. Thank you again for being here tonight, for your hard work throughout the year and for your contributions to the success of the store.”

  The lights went dim and the big screen at the front of the room lit up with the video Cameron and Lucy had been working on for weeks to show off the new website to the employees. They’d done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit and essence of the Stillman-Abbott family businesses, from the store to the sugaring facility to the Christmas tree farm Landon ran to Lucas’s woodworking barn to Hannah’s jewelry studio. Interwoven were screenshots from the new website that so perfectly captured the store and life in Vermont.

  Though Ella had seen the video several times already, she was sucked in once again, which was how she missed Gavin’s approach until his arm slid around her waist and he brought her in close to him. The scent of Gucci Black filled her senses with the essence of her man, her love.

  CHAPTER 17

  Only people who are capable of loving

  strongly can also suffer great sorrow, but

  this same necessity of loving serves to

  counteract their grief and heals them.

  —Leo Tolstoy

  “You looked so hot up there,” Gavin whispered, his lips brushing against her ear and setting off a reaction she felt in all her most important places. “I loved seeing you in your professional mode.”

  It was all Ella could do to remain standing, to remember she had a room full of employees to consider, that it would be hours yet before she could be alone with him. She covered the hand he had flattened over her abdomen and realized he was still wearing the sweater she’d given him.

  Any second now the video would end, the lights would come back on and their employees would see her standing in Gavin’s arms as if she belonged there. Did she belong there? She sure hoped so. Did she care if people saw them? Not really. As the video came to an end and the audience burst into applause for Cameron and Lucy, Ella took a deep breath and tried to relax before the lights came back on.

  Just as they did, Gavin’s arm dro
pped from around her, and he took a step back, making the decision for her. She appreciated his respect of her professional space, but part of her wanted him to make a big public declaration. She wanted there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that they were together, that he was hers and she was his.

  But were they ready for that after only a week together? Hell, she’d been ready for years now, but it was probably too soon for public declarations. They’d get there when the time was right, and the thought of that, of the whole town knowing she and Gavin were a couple, was just another thing to look forward to.

  With the formal part of the program over, everyone lined up for the buffet dinner of barbecued ribs and chicken, potatoes, salad, coleslaw and corn bread. The menu was as much a part of the tradition as the meeting itself. When Ella first started working in the office, she’d suggested changing up the menu, an idea that had been greeted with shocked silence from her family members.

  At dinner, Ella asked Gavin to join her at a table full of employees and their spouses. The family always spread out among the employees at these events, but tonight they wanted to take the pulse on the new line. The ladies at her table were all abuzz over the new products, a thought that made Ella chuckle.

  “What’s so funny?” Gavin asked, leaning in close to her.

  “They’re ‘abuzz’ over the product news my dad shared with them. I crack myself up.”

  He smiled. “That’s funny. So when do we get to try out this new product line? Don’t you need focus groups? How do I volunteer?”

  She drove her elbow gently into his ribs. “Knock it off. We’re in public.”

  “I’m not doing anything.”

  She gave him a meaningful look. “Yes, you are.”

  “Oh, do tell.”

  “Not now. Not here.”

  “How much longer do we have to stay?”

  “Until it’s over.”

  Groaning, he took a drink from his beer bottle. “I’m never going to make it until then.”

  After dinner, a DJ got everyone up and dancing. Ella stood off to the side with her sisters, Wade, Colton, Lucy and Cameron. “So what’s the buzz on the new product line?” Ella asked with a smile. It would be a while before that joke got old.