Page 94 of Beautiful Dreamer

“Ah, yep. I felt something there, too,” Charlie said. “Wasn’t surewhat, but if that’s called a spark, then yeah, okay. Works for me.” He lookedat her. “There were sparks, Devyn.”

She nodded, playing it cool. “So, it wasn’t just me hoping?”

“She loves you,” Jill said earnestly, and shrugged her shouldersto her ears and held them there.

“Then we’re a matching pair, because I love her so much, Jilly.”She squeezed her cup to ground herself and live in the warm truth of thosewords, because they were everything.

A voice interrupted the moment and they turned to see BobbyDelacore, the young, debonair mayor of the town, on the microphone. Devynremembered him as Jill’s class president and found it fitting that hetransitioned into politics. “It’s the time in the evening, folks, where we turnto the Turkey Tell-All, which has become a town tradition. Those of youfamiliar with the Tell-All know it’s about the celebration of the short story,the tall tale, or a heartfelt confession. We already have a line forming to myleft, so if you’ve got a tale to tell, we’d all love to hear it.”

It would be a bold move, the grandest and most public of gestures,but his words landed square on her heart. Feeling encouraged by her earlierexchange with Elizabeth, Devyn found the confidence to take the leap. BecauseBobby was right. She did have a heartfelt tale to tell.

“Hold my mug?” she asked Jill, who stared at her in mystification.

After a story from a ten-year-old about a lost pet that was found,and the tale of Mrs. Eckhart winning two thousand dollars in the state lottery,she was up. She took the microphone in her hand and found her poise. She’dalways been a confident speaker, a skill required for her job.

“My story isn’t full of twists and turns, but it’s a story of oneperson changing the life of another. I hope you’ll indulge me.” A room full ofinterested faces perked up. Many nodded their encouragement. She saw her oldhigh school friends in a clump eying her with intense curiosity. Elizabeth, atthe back of the pavilion next to KC and her family, blinked in apparentdisbelief. “There was once a jaded out-of-towner, used to the hustle and bustleof a fast-paced world, where people didn’t take a lot of time for one another.Transactions mattered, and convenience was everything. She didn’t know, thatparticular out-of-towner, just how much of life she was missing until she metsomeone who was much wiser than she was. The wiser woman also came with thebiggest heart the out-of-towner had ever seen. She put other people first. Shelooked after her neighbors and made friends everywhere she went. Slowly but surely,the out-of-towner fell in love, but it terrified her, and she didn’t give intoit, which is a horrible thing to do.” There was some nodding in the crowd. Shetook a moment to gather herself.

To cover the silence, someone yelled out, “You got this, Devyn.”

She smiled nervously with gratitude and continued. She hadn’tlooked in Elizabeth’s direction since she’d started her story, but she did sonow. She was attentive, and listening, but her expression was unreadable. Shepressed on. “No one should ever run away from love, it’s the reason we’re allhere. So that out-of-towner plans to do everything she can to be a betterperson, to enjoy each and every moment life has to offer. The wise woman taughther to. It was the best decision she ever made. She didn’t want to be on theoutside looking in any longer.” She smiled at the people in the crowd. “Youprobably get that the person I’m describing is me. I’m happy to be a residentof Dreamer’s Bay again, and all I hope to do in the world is to make her happyfrom today until forever.” As she set the microphone back onto its stand, shewas met with applause as people turned immediately to Elizabeth, who blinkedback at them with a reserved smile. Cricket looked like she’d been hit with atwo-by-four of shock and awe, which Devyn derived a good bit of satisfactionfrom.

She descended from the small stage, and Thalia Perkins caught herby the arm as she passed. “So, I guess what you’re saying is that I blew it?”

Devyn met her gaze. “You have no idea how much. But I’m eternallygrateful for your oversight and loss.” She smiled and headed off in search ofElizabeth, needing to see her face, look her in the eye, and say the words directlyto her. It was time. But when she found KC at the back of the pavilion, she andher family stood alone.

“She left, Devyn,” KC said, looking uncomfortable. “I don’t thinkshe’s capable of putting herself out there again. I’m sorry. She’s been througha lot, you know.”

Devyn nodded, feeling like she’d been hit in the chest with a tonof bricks. The speech had been a bad idea. Elizabeth wasn’t where she was, andmaybe wouldn’t be again. “Ah. Well…” Her gaze found the ground. “A swing and amiss.”

“It was a good speech,” Dr. Dan said, with an apologetic smile.

She nodded her thanks. “You all have a nice night.”

As she worked her way through the crowd to the exit, she felt alleyes on her. She wasn’t embarrassed or ashamed that she’d spoken her truth in frontof hundreds of friends and neighbors. No. She was only concerned with thereaction of one person, and now it was feeling like maybe she’d been wrong allalong. Elizabeth had been friendly and polite in response to all of her effortsto win her back, because that was what Elizabeth did. It was who she was as aperson. It was time for Devyn to step back and understand that maybe there wasno coming back from her behavior.

“You all right?” Jill asked as she passed.

There was a lump in her throat but she found her way around. “Youknow me. I’m always okay.” She squeezed her sister’s hand, offered Charlie apat on his shoulder, and took her leave.

She’d be better on her own tonight.

She sat alone in her darkened living room, taking stock of who shewas, who she wanted to be in this world, and where she was headed. Whatevercame her way, she would face it. She would take life by the horns and make sureshe lived it to the fullest. Maybe she couldn’t have everything she everwanted. She’d find a way to settle for less and savor the simple things.

She was half asleep when a foreign sound jolted her back. Sheblinked and stared into her darkened bedroom, wondering what in hell. But thereit was again. A loud kerplunk from across the room. Her fuzzy brain attemptedto process and identify the sound. Again. Only this time it carried more of abang. The window. She got out of bed and made her way there, just in time for adecent-sized rock to smash against it, sending a jagged crack zigzagging downthe glass. Realizing her house was being vandalized, she threw open the windowin indignation, ready to stop the attack in progress. She pulled up short whenshe saw Elizabeth and Scout standing beneath her second-story window, lookingup. Elizabeth’s hand covered her mouth.

“Oh, no. Did I break it?”

Devyn glanced up at the marred glass now above her head. “I wouldsay definitely. Are you throwing giant rocks at my house?”

“I am so sorry. I was looking for pebbles to toss at the window,but there weren’t any down here. You always imagine the pebbles will justbethere, you know, butthey weren’t.” She tossed up her hands. “I was just trying to…I love you.” Shestared up at Devyn in earnest.

Silence.

Devyn was afraid to move a muscle. She didn’t want to do anythingto disrupt this moment and the exact feeling that landed smack in the middle ofher chest at hearing those words. She savored them, turned them over in herheart, and basked. “You do?” she asked hesitantly.

Elizabeth nodded. “I’m terrified, and nervous, but that part Iknow is true. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Devyn said. “It’s the whole reason I movedback. For you. For the slightest chance that we could work our way through thiscrazy world together.”

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