Page 23 of Havoc for the Holidays

I waited for what felt like forever before I finally got a response. It was only five minutes, but worry made time do funny things.

Ollie: I did. <3

Ez: Good. Can I still call later? I want to hear your voice.

Ollie: ok. I'm sorry again. Leave it to me to ruin everything.

Ez: Olls, nothing is ruined. I'll call in a little bit, okay? Please believe me, nothing is ruined. <3

He read the message, but no reply came. Instead of feeling better, I felt worse. The fact that he blamed himself for so much didn't sit right with me, but there was very little I could do about it from here. I reluctantly pocketed my phone and took a deep, restorative breath before braving the crowd again.

Before I could get swept away by the townspeople again, Linc pulled me aside. Of all the faces, his was the friendliest in my experience. He clearly cared for my Ollie, so that made him a green flag in my book.

“Hey, good show tonight. I manned the bake sale table for you,” he murmured, discreetly tucking an envelope into my hand. “There were quite a few extra donations.”

“Thank you, Linc. I really appreciate this.” I secured the envelope in the waistband of my tights and readjusted the shirt to cover it. “Question… you don't have to answer but… this gossip situation—was it this bad when the news about Becs came out?”

He searched my face for a moment before responding to my question with one of his own. “Are you serious about this thing between you?”

I tilted my head, uncertain at first, before replying so emphatically it surprised us both. “Absolutely. One hundred percent. Without a doubt.”

“Good. He deserves that. Hell, he needs that.” Linc glanced around us and lowered his voice. “As to your question… it was worse.”

He jerked his chin and I followed his movement as we casually stepped further from the people still lingering around the studio. Once we had a decent buffer of space around us, he turned to me and continued in a whisper.

“You should hear this from him, but he won't say it, so I will. He can be displeased with me later. Let me preface this story with the fact that things have gotten a lot better here in Windhaven in the last couple of years, but it wasn't always this accepting.”

My brow furrowed slightly as I nodded for him to continue.

“When the news broke about Marissa and Oliver, it was a huge scandal. Everyone immediately vilified Ollie and his family. Marissa's parents were the worst of all. She tried to share the weight of it but the town had made up its mind. The gossip was bad. The snide comments and insults were worse.

“Honestly, I was impressed as a bystander by how strong they both were. Even more so when they agreed Ollie would raise her himself. Not an easy decision for a kid to make. Marissa ended up graduating with honors and went off to college on the West Coast. Ollie had to take summer classes and barely graduated with his class. We actually became friends after he graduated high school. Despite the whispers and scathing glances, he worked hard to give Becs an active social life and since I was a recently divorced single father with a daughter the same age, it just happened that we were at every event we could find.”

“But why is everyone still talking about it? Hasn't he proven himself? Didn't it work out for everyone?” I glanced toward the dwindling crowds and scowled to myself before schooling my expression. “And why the obsession over him and I?”

“Not everyone gossiped negatively, mind you. Most of these people here really are genuinely happy to see him succeed and find happiness. There's just a lot of locals who don't know when to keep their opinions to themselves. They blame him for Marissa’s family moving out of town. They likely also blame him for his parents’ early retirement to Florida.” Lincoln shrugged and exhaled a sigh. “People talk. It's what they do. It'll blow overagain, resurface again. It's the nature of small towns. Hell, it's the nature of people in general.”

“Will he be all right? I didn't realize earlier that he was speaking with the grandmother of his daughter or I would have intervened.” I turned my gaze back to Lincoln’s face in time to catch his sour expression.

“She's got a grudge, for sure, but she won't be a problem. They've got themselves a great life alongside their daughter in California now. I think it's just being back here that has her stirring the pot again. Like I said, it'll die down again. It always does. Just be there for him if and when he wants to talk.” Linc settled a hand on my shoulder. “He's a good guy. If you really are as serious as you say you are about him, you've hit the jackpot. If not, well… you now have firsthand experience with the Windhaven rumor mill.”

He tried to look stern and threatening for a moment, but both of us dissolved into laughter over his attempt to warn me off messing up. His care for Ollie was endearing. On impulse, I pulled him into a hug and clapped his back with my palms.

“Thank you, Linc.”

“No problem. Good luck getting the rest of this crew out of here. You’ll be fortunate if you can make it happen before midnight.” He backpedaled partway across the room. “Give us a call if you need anything!”

I waved to him, extending a smile to his partner and two children as they materialized alongside him with their coats in hand. My anger was far less intense than it had been after our talk. Hopefully he was right in his predictions, for everyone’s sake but Ollie’s most of all. The gossip had to die down sooner or later.

By the time I was pulling into the long driveway lined with cheerfully decorated guest cottages, I was drained and morose. My head was a mess of worries and what-ifs, so when I neared my house and saw the lights still on in my mother’s, I impulsively veered off course and parked beside her vehicle instead of in my own spot. The headlights sliced across the front of the festively adorned farmhouse before I shut the engine off. The warm white glow of Christmas lights should have been comforting, but all I could think about was how much little Becs loved them.

With her maternal instinct in full swing, Mom met me at the door before I could even reach for the knob.

“Come inside, Ez. I was just putting the kettle on for hot cocoa.” She stepped aside with a small smile. “You look like you need a hot cocoa.”

“Y’know… I really do.” I toed my boots off and shed my coat as she shut the door and returned to the kitchen. I followed right behind her with a contented sigh. This might not have been my childhood home, but my mom lived here—that alone instantly imbued it with a sense of security and safety I hadn't realized I was craving.

“What's bugging you?” She glanced over her shoulder as the kettle filled. “You've been out of sorts for days now.”

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