Second Chance on the Corner of Main (A Nestled Hollow Romance Book 1) Page 2

  Ben motioned like he was pushing them all away. “Now get on over to the snack table and hydrate, everyone!”

  Eli glanced at Ben and then shook his head, smiling, as he turned off his mic and removed his headset, handing it to Ben.

  Ben took off his, too. “You know I’ve got your back. Or, I guess I’m good at instructing other people to have your back. Now stop worrying about heading home. It can’t be that bad. And hey— maybe you’ll even meet a girl while you’re there.”

  Eli thought of the one girl he’d ever fallen in love with and the look on her face when he’d driven away from Nestled Hollow twelve years ago. “Ha. Not likely.”

  “Oh, come on,” Ben said, laughing. “You’ll be there a month and a half. Maybe you can up your longest relationship record from two weeks to, I don’t know, maybe even three.” He paused a moment, then in a more serious voice, said, “Going home is always hard. Especially when you haven’t been there in twelve years.”

  Eli glanced west— the direction of home— and took a deep breath. “Yes it is. Especially when you and your business partner were ready to implement a plan to grow the business.”

  “Don’t worry,” Ben said, clapping him on the back. “I’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone. Once you’re back, we’ll put the plan into play as if you’d never left.”

  In an effort to drown out any thoughts about where he was headed and what might happen when he got there, Eli blasted music from the moment he got on the freeway in Sacramento until late that night when he stopped at a hotel in downtown Salt Lake City. He was on the road again before eight in the morning, and the music did a good job of drowning his thoughts for the first six hours. But the closer he got to his childhood home, and the more he got texts from his mom saying that his dad’s ankle surgery had gone well and that he was recovering in the hospital, the more his mind went to the town that didn’t love him, the dad he could never please, and the girl he’d left behind all those years ago.

  The road wound between two mountains, and as soon as he came around the last bend, Nestled Hollow came into view, in a small valley with the freeway on one side and mountains forming the other three sides, the lake sparkling in the sunlight at one end, and his childhood came rushing back at him. This view had been forever burned into his memory, but seeing it again in person— as a thirty-year-old now— was different. He exited the freeway and made his way through town, memories hitting him one after another at a rapid pace, flooding his mind with every turn.

  He turned on to Main Street, with its creek running right down the middle of the street, separating one side of the road from the other, and drove past Treanor Outdoor Rentals, the family business that was his to run for the next four to six weeks. The place brought back surprisingly happy memories— as a kid he had dreamed of one day growing up and running the family business. He’d loved Treanor’s. There was no way he’d choose to run it now, unless his dad wasn’t in the picture.

  He drove to the end of the second block, just past the clock tower that straddled Snowdrift Springs, did a U-turn at the bridge covering the creek, then found a parking spot right near the library. As soon as he opened his door, he took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air that carried with it the faint scent of pine trees and fresh lakes and good, fertile dirt. As much as he didn’t want to be here, he had sure missed that scent.

  Eli glanced down at his watch as he walked toward the back of the building— 4:09. Perfect. He figured if he stepped in after the meeting started, it would minimize having to talk to everyone before he was ready. He walked into the downstairs meeting hall. About twenty-five people filled the space, and although there were a few empty seats still, every seat in the back row had been taken. Instead of interrupting the meeting by squeezing in somewhere in the middle, he leaned against the wall at the back.

  Eli’s dad had brought him to these meetings every week from about age ten until age seventeen, when Eli’s parents separated and he started rebelling against everything his dad wanted him to do. He smiled to see that, even after all these years, Ed and Linda Keetch were still running the Main Street Business Alliance. She was talking about the plans for Fall Market, and which Main Street businesses were helping out with what.

  And that’s when he saw Whitney sitting in the front row and his breath caught in his throat. Every time he’d thought of her over the past twelve years— and he was embarrassed to admit how frequently that was— he had always pictured her still here in town. But he hadn’t dared to hope that she was actually still here.

  Her hair was shorter— it brushed her shoulders now, but still had big curls and was the same rich auburn color he’d recognize anywhere. He hadn’t seen her in twelve years, yet being in the same room with her still caused a fire to burn in his chest and made him no longer able to think straight. Maybe, hopefully, she would turn enough that he could get a glimpse of her face.

  Linda glanced down at her clipboard. “I’ve already made a few assignments— the plans that Joey’s Pizza and Subs and Paws and Relax have to bring in tourists really seem to be coming together so nicely. Let’s move on to the decorations for Main Street,” she said. “The snow pack for this winter is predicted to be the lowest we’ve seen in a couple of decades, so things are going to get tight for all of us when it comes to the bottom line. We need this Fall Market to be better attended than ever before to make up the difference in revenue we can expect at each of our businesses this winter. So things are going to need to be truly spectacular this year. Next in line for their turn at decorations are the Nestled Hollow Gazette and Treanor’s Outdoor Rentals.”

  Eli stood up straight, feeling like he’d just been hit by an explosion. He hadn’t even been in town five minutes, and already he was getting assigned to be on a committee. And heaven help him if Whitney was here with the Gazette. That’s where she’d worked back in high school, but hopefully she’d changed professions. He couldn’t be teamed up with her, not after being gone for so long. He wondered if she was still angry about the way he’d left all those years ago.

  Whitney’s hand shot into the air. “Maybe we should switch that assignment to someone other than Treanor’s. Robert will be out of commission until well after Fall Market.”

  “It’ll be just fine, dear.” Linda met Eli’s eyes and gave a nod. “Robert’s son is here to run the store in his absence. He can partner with you for the decorations.”

  Whitney whipped around in her seat, confusion on her face, until her eyes met Eli’s. Then her expression changed.

  Yep. She was still angry.

  Chapter Three

  No. Eli could not be here. Not after all this time.

  “Who’s the hottie?” Brooke asked as Ed Keetch talked about something Whitney couldn’t focus on.

  She turned back to face the front, crossing her arms. She couldn’t believe that Linda Keetch paired Eli with her. Surely she knew better. She could’ve fudged the schedule a bit so that Treanor’s would help out with Thanksgiving instead. Eli would’ve never known.

  Brooke let out a little gasp. “You know the hottie.”

  Whitney snuck one more glance back at him and met Eli’s eyes. Apparently he hadn’t stopped looking at her, either. She huffed as she turned her attention back to Ed Keetch.

  “And not only do you know him,” Brooke said, her eyes searching Whitney, “but you dated him.”

  “Stop using your acute powers of observation on me.”

  The moment Linda Keetch ended the meeting, Whitney bolted up to her. “Linda, I don’t know if you knew how things ended with Eli and me—”

  Linda Keetch smiled and interrupted, saying, “Sweetie, everyone knew.”

  “Then why pair us together for the decorations? This is the fortieth anniversary of the Fall Market. Surely you want people who can actually work together to decorate.” From the corner of her eye, Whitney saw Eli approaching, coming within hearing distance. She glanced his direction without letting her eyes fall directly on him, then tur
ned back to Linda Keetch. “I’m sure he just got into town, and probably isn’t staying long.”

  “Just pulled into town moments ago,” Eli said, obviously having overheard. “And I’ll be staying four to six weeks to run Treanor’s. Nice to see you, Whitney. You look amazing.”

  His voice came out low and deeper than she remembered. The last part had been quieter, like he only meant for her to hear it, and her cheeks flushed despite her express wishes that they wouldn’t.

  “See?” Whitney said, holding both hands out to Eli, presenting the evidence of exactly why this wouldn’t work. “He just got into town. And he’ll be running a business he’s never run before. He’ll need to spend his time getting his feet under him, not planning Main Street Fall Market decorations.”

  “All true. Plus, I haven’t even seen what Main Street Fall Market decorations look like for the past dozen years.”

  Good. He was trying to get out of this, too.

  Linda Keetch smiled as she placed one wrinkled hand lightly on each of their forearms. “We need you both. It’ll all work out, I promise. You two will do great work together.” Then she turned, looped her arm in Ed Keetch’s, and they exited the room.

  Whitney forced a smile on her face and turned to Eli. “Well, I guess we’ll be working together.” She had thought of him so many times over the past twelve years. She hadn’t realized that, all along, she’d been picturing him as the eighteen-year-old version of himself. This thirty-year-old man caught her off guard. Things would be so much easier if that extra twelve years hadn’t looked so good on him.

  “Maybe we can get out of it somehow.”

  Whitney looked at Ed’s and Linda’s retreating figures. “I’m sure you remember Ed and Linda. It’s not going to happen.”

  Eli grimaced. “Yeah. I’m not even sure that a death certificate from the coroner would be enough to get out of this.”

  “Do you remember old man Roberts? He promised the Keetch’s that he’d provide bales of hay for the hay ride one year, but he died before he actually provided them. They still mysteriously showed up, though, so I think you may be on to something.”

  “I don’t know about you, but when I die, I want to be in heaven thinking about nothing but rest and recreation, not planning the Fall Market decorations.” Eli held up a hand, pinky finger outstretched, and said, “I promise not to die before finishing these decorations.”

  Whitney looked at his pinky, poised for her to reach out with her pinky and intertwine it with his, waiting for her to promise the same to him. She kept her arms at her sides. The banter had definitely eased a very awkward moment, but underneath, things were still awkward. And so much had changed over the years; she couldn’t just go back to acting like none of it had happened.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t have anything to say to him. There had been so many things she’d wanted to say to him over the years. Things she wanted him to say to her. But not here. Not with an audience.

  In fact, maybe not ever. She had been doing just fine without Eli Treanor in her life. Hearing his explanations now would only cause her pain. So would continuing to talk like they were just random acquaintances. There was much too big of a damaged part of her heart with his name on it to just pretend.

  “It’s good to see you again, Eli,” she said, working to keep her voice even amidst the swirl of emotions working inside her. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”

  “Wait,” Eli said as she walked out the door. She didn’t wait, though; she just kept walking. As she rounded the side of the building, he jogged around her and stopped right in front of her, causing her to stop, too. “It’s been a long time. Can we talk?”

  “No.”

  Whitney moved to walk around him, but he held up a hand. “Please?”

  She let out a deep breath and crossed her arms. What she most needed was some time to adjust to the news that he was back after all this time, not be thrown into talking to him. She opened her mouth to talk, and years’ worth of frustration came spilling out. “You’re right. It has been a long time. You were my best friend, Eli, all through high school. My boyfriend for four months. We talked multiple times a day and told each other everything. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to talk since you left. But twelve years is a long time. I think we’re past that point.”

  Eli dropped his arm. “I shouldn’t have come back.”

  “No,” Whitney said, unsure of what she even wanted from him. “Of course you should’ve come back. I just...” She stopped, not knowing how she wanted to end the sentence. She just wished he’d never come back? That she would’ve known he was coming? That things had been different?

  “I should’ve called first.”

  “So many times.”

  He flinched, like her words stung him. But then he pulled out his phone, apparently more interested in it than the conversation that he had instigated. His brow crinkled, and then he slid his phone back into his pocket and said, “You’re right. I’m sorry—I’ve got to go.”

  He didn’t wait around for her response, so she called out to him, “When are we going to meet about the decorations?”

  “I’ll text you,” he called back as he jogged to his car, not even turning fully to meet her eyes.

  Whitney hadn’t even noticed that Brooke had made her way outside until she stepped next to her and said, “If he looks this good in slacks and a button down, can you even imagine him in a suit?”

  They both stared at his car as he drove away. So many emotions battled for dominance in Whitney right now that she couldn’t have named a single one. Except maybe confusion. Or bewilderment. Once upon a time, she used to look for him everywhere, and sadness had hit her hard whenever she’d hoped to see him and didn’t. It had been so long, though, since she’d last looked for him that seeing him in town caught her completely off guard.

  “Please tell me that you’re going to suspend your ‘no dating’ rule while he’s here. Please.”

  “Did you not see how that just went? The angry words and him blowing me off?”

  Brooke shrugged. “Angry words, sure. But from where I stood, all I could see was sparks flying.”

  Whitney rolled her eyes.

  “He said he’d text you,” Brooke said, like it was evidence of sparks.

  “He doesn’t even have my number,” Whitney said as she took the last few steps to the front sidewalk.

  “Are you heading back to the paper?”

  Whitney shook her head. “Kara is still out working on her story, and won’t be back until seven. Scott emailed me his articles during the meeting and then headed out, so no one’s there. I think I’m just going to go work on some interviews I need for a couple of stories.”

  “So what I’m hearing is that you’re free tonight, and there’s someone new in town who could use someone showing him the changes around town.”

  “Brooke. I’m not interested in dating Eli, or taking him around town, or doing anything with him outside of the decorations that we have to do. The last time I had a relationship with Eli, he left, throwing all our plans to the wind, and it took two years to get over him. Just because his parents made him come back, and he came back looking good doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been mad at him for the past twelve years. And it doesn’t change the fact that I don’t date.” She emphasized each word, hoping that Brooke would know she was serious.

  After a small pause, she added, “Aren’t you flying away somewhere soon? You’ve spent a record three weeks in Nestled Hollow. I had it on good authority that staying so long in one location could make you shrivel up into a little lump of Brooke on the road.”

  “I made some new dress designs, and I had to make sure my team was set and ready to go into production before I could leave. There’s a great party in L.A. in two days, though, where I might get a one-on-one with fashion mogul Izic Vega himself. And I have never met anyone who is as expert as you are at surrounding herself with people while simultaneously pushing them away.
”

  “That’s why you’re the perfect best friend. You never stay in one place long enough to be pushed away.”

  “Unless I stay for three weeks, apparently.” Brooke laughed and bumped her shoulder into Whitney’s, knocking her off the edge of the sidewalk and onto the road. Whitney laughed and gave Brooke a playful two-armed push. Brooke laughed along with her, and wound her arm with Whitney’s. “Well, I’m going back to the store. You go ahead and get to surrounding yourself with all the people who aren’t that hot man who’s interested in you.”

  “Based on the past twelve years, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say he’s not interested. But don’t you ever let someone tell you that you’re not an optimist.”

  “I wear that badge with honor,” Brooke said as she twisted away from Whitney’s arm, did an exaggerated bow, and then danced off into her shop.

  Whitney pulled out her notebook and flipped through the pages until she got to her list of articles that weren’t time sensitive that she wanted to do for either the Business Spotlight feature, or the Our Town, Our People feature. She ran her finger down the list and stopped at Paws and Relax, one of the Main Street businesses that had only been around for a couple of years but was a big hit. If she hadn’t been so distracted after the meeting, she’d have grabbed Macie, the owner, and asked for an interview then. She caught Macie at her store, though, and interviewed her as she managed a mom and tot play group with a bunch of puppies in the mix, and got some great candid shots for the article. When they were finished, Whitney went outside to get some shots of the building itself. But now that she’d had time to calm down from their surprise meeting and let his being back in town sink in a bit, she found herself spending more time sneaking peeks toward the business at the other end of Main Street— Treanor’s Outdoor Rentals.

  She wondered for the billionth time what Eli had been up to since he left. In college, she’d taken an investigative journalism class, and had used everything she’d learned to search for him. But it was like he’d fallen off the planet. Years later, she’d found the website for his company, TeamUp, and found his Instagram account, but it only contained pictures from TeamUp. That was it. Too much of his story wasn’t online.