Hinovel
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Summary
First, he loved her words... Then, he loved the woman... Lola Cassidy, aka Cassidy Hunter, 49 years old, has almost everything she could ever want in life. She loves her work as a writer and blogger, she’s moving to a nicer house, and she has friends who are her rock. But after a disastrous marriage, she’s decided that she is more than fabulous alone, that it’s not the worst thing in the world to be single. She doesn’t see Dr. Scott McCallum coming and she’s definitely not prepared for how he makes her feel. But if she doesn’t get involved with the delectable doctor, she won’t regret losing him when he inevitably finds someone younger and prettier, and she’s all about living without regret at this point. Scott McCallum, 38 years old, is living his best life, fulfilling a dream he’s had since he was a Navy corpsman. If he works a lot of overtime in his day job, and his part-time gig keeps him busy the rest of the time, he’s not complaining too much. It’s not like he has a life outside of work, anyway. Only one other thing makes him smile as hard as his job does. His favorite writer by far is Cassidy Hunter, so when he has the chance to meet her, he grabs it with both hands. And as he’s secretly been crushing on her since her first book went to press, he’s not surprised that he’s bowled over by her in person. So he’s determined to overcome every roadblock to her heart that she throws in his way. Scott must convince Lola that she’ll never regret trusting him with her heart.
Prologue: Present Day I
The fairy lights twinkled all around the gazebo in front of which the podium had been set up for the mayor’s speech and the lighting of the enormous, beautifully decorated Christmas tree that stood next to it. It wasn’t snowing as yet, but Lola Cassidy knew they’d have to hurry if they were to miss the storm that was headed their way. It was Christmas Eve, and no one wanted to be out in a snowstorm up here where such storms could sometimes be epic or practically apocalyptic. Well, maybe that last was an exaggeration, but in all the years she had lived in Silver Lake, all the snowstorms had been impressive, to say the least. Very few had happened on Christmas, though, so she was excited for another truly white Christmas.
The scene reminded her of all the Hallmark movies she and Scott loved to watch. Between the people milling about, talking and laughing, the ones skating on the convenient pond yards away from the gazebo, the children snowball fighting, and the lovers strolling hand in hand along the main drag a hundred yards in the opposite direction, she could have been on the set of Hallmark’s latest Christmas romance. All that was left now was for the hero and heroine to speak their love into the air, to acknowledge their feelings openly and unashamedly, and then to kiss chastely while the camera panned out and credits rolled.
If only Scott were here, they could play that Hallmark couple, although they had already gone well past chaste kisses.
She turned as someone bumped into her and smiled at the teenager who apologized as he moved away. It had been quite a year for her. From the moment she’d been invited to speak at the annual Arts Awards Ceremony, her life had been turned upside down in the best of all possible ways. She smiled as she thought about the man who had been the single most influential person in her life. Scott McCallum had brought tempests and turmoil into her world, and in the process had gifted her with such love that she would forever be humbled by it.
“What’s got you smiling all goofy like that?”
Speak of the devil! Lola whirled to face the love of her life, her smile morphing into joy.
“Hey! I thought you weren’t gonna make it.”
“Turns out I had my dates mixed up. I’ll be working on New Year’s Eve this year.”
Scott leaned in to kiss her lips lightly, and she chuckled. Hadn’t she just thought that this was all that was left for the Hallmark feeling to be complete? He looked at her quizzically, so she shared her thoughts with him. He laughed and hugged her, turning her in his arms but keeping them wrapped around her middle as the microphone screeched.
“Testing! Testing!” Rachel Chapin, the mayor of Silver Lake, smiled at the crowd that had grown in the last few minutes. “Good evening, everyone! I’m so happy to see you all here this evening.” She clapped and the crowd clapped with her. “This has been a wonderful year for our town, despite the many losses we have suffered. I’d like to thank you all, on behalf of the families who lost their homes in the devastating fire in early Spring. Your generosity has helped them regain some level of normalcy and is a testament to the kindness and community spirit that has made Silver Lake one of the fastest growing towns in our region.”
More applause followed those words. She was right about the town growing, too. In the fifteen years since Lola had lived there, it had gone from a cozy, sleepy little country town to one that was attracting a new set of residents wanting to raise their families and open their businesses within its borders. They brought with them a new vitality and energy, as well as more money, which meant the town could expand and provide more and better services to its citizens.
“We’ve accomplished a great deal this year, and as you know from the report my office has just sent out to you, not only have we improved our infrastructure and enlarged our capital projects, but we’ve established relationships with neighboring towns which will help us do even more in the new year. We have been given many gifts this year, and it is only fitting that we pay it forward, so to speak.”
She turned to look at her assistant who handed her an envelope. She opened it with a flourish, held the single sheet of paper between her hands as though it were a scroll, and read aloud:
Madam Mayor,
On behalf of Morgan Enterprises, I am pleased to present you with a check for $500,000 to continue the rehabilitation work that you have started at Sunnydale Farm. In addition, we pledge to pay the salaries of two craftsmen for the refurbishing of the main house, which you have earmarked for an orphanage. The board of directors and I look forward to working with you on this most exemplary venture.
Sincerely,
Joseph M. Morgan, CEO
A roar went up from the crowd. Everyone had heard the story by now. Joseph Morgan and his family had been forced to spend a couple of nights in town while their vehicle waited for a part to be replaced. He had so enjoyed the time he spent at Main Street B & B and had been so impressed with the friendliness of the townspeople, that he had vowed to help the mayor with one of her capital projects. The refurbishing of the orphanage and farm that she had wanted to finish for so long had caught his attention. He himself was an orphan and had grown up on his uncle’s farm. The rest, as they say, was history.
“In celebration of this most generous gift, the town council and I have agreed to donate $50,000 towards employee salaries at A Brighter Way.”
More cheers and whistles followed. A Brighter Way was the local organization that funded after-school programs and which had been in danger of losing workers because federal funding had not increased though the population of students in need of its help had. This infusion of cash where it was most needed would go a long way toward relieving the minds of the workers who had feared that they’d be let go.
“And now, the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Our heartfelt thanks go to Jack Merriam for this gorgeous tree from his farm.” She clapped enthusiastically and the crowd cheered. “Hermine, please.”
Her assistant unveiled the contraption which housed the lever that the mayor pulled to turn on the lights on the Christmas tree that towered majestically above them. The crowd’s oohs and aahs rivaled anything Hallmark could produce in one of its shows. Wild applause and wolf whistles greeted the beautifully decorated tree and behind her, Scott sighed.
“It’s fabulous,” he said. “We should take some shots.” He pulled away from her to get his phone out of his pocket. “Come on. Let’s get some selfies and then I want a couple of you alone.”
Lola laughed. One of the things she loved so much about the man pulling her along behind him was his buoyant spirit, his childlike enjoyment of simple things. It was such a contrast with his more serious nature, the one that saw him working himself to the bone, the one that had him driving her insane with his lovemaking. She loved the many sides of Scott McCallum.