Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Devin
Flynn is right.
And I hate that he’s right.
If I uprooted my entire life for a man I’ve known for two days and then regretted my decision, where would that leave me? I’d be stranded in a small town where the only people I know are the ones connected to Flynn. Though I have a little savings, I’d wipe it out with the move to Montana.
If things didn’t work out with Flynn, I’d be stuck here.
Alone.
So maybe the best thing I can do is get on the plane today and see how I feel in a few days. See how he feels in a few days. Maybe he’d realize I wasn’t so special after all. Maybe he’d tell me not to come back.
“Everything okay?” Erin asks, catching me in the hallway to my room.
“Hey, you look…better?”
“I am better,” Erin says, her smile reminiscent of the Erin I know and love. Maybe Alanna knew what she was doing, rerouting us to Cinnamon Creek. Erin looks ready to take on the world again.
“You all packed?”
“About that,” Erin says, biting her bottom lip.
I slip my key into the lock, wondering how much trouble I’d be in if I kept the moose keychain as a souvenir. “Come in. I need to get packed.”
“I love this room,” Erin says, admiring the moose décor. “I got stuck with fish.”
“Fish can’t punt your phone into the stream, so there’s that.”
“What’s that?”
“Nothing. Now what did you have to tell me?”
“I’m staying,” Erin says, taking a seat on the edge of the bed as I hurl unfolded clothes into my suitcase.
Including the emerald green leggings that are freshly laundered, thanks to Flynn.
Damn the rugged mountain man for being a truly good human.
This would be so much easier if he was a little bit of a jerk.
“You’re staying a few more days?” I ask, immediately wondering if it would make a difference if I simply extended my stay. What if I gave it another week before I made a life altering decision? Would Flynn be open to that, or would it simply prolong the inevitable?
“I’m not going back to Omaha at all,” she says. “Except to eventually pack up my things. Stormi and I are going to make a road trip out of it.”
“Stormi’s staying too?”
“Yes, but that’s her story to tell.”
“What’s your story?” I ask her. “Wait, does this have anything to do with the axe I saw you carrying yesterday?” Flynn and I briefly popped into town to grab carry-out after I was unable to locate Erin at the lodge.
We didn’t want any reason to leave his cabin once we arrived.
I swore I saw Erin walking down the block with an axe in her hand, but it was too far away to know for sure.
“I promise I’ll tell you everything. After you explain why your ankle is wrapped. Did you get hurt?”
“I tumbled down a hill into a stream,” I answer with a shrug. “That part’s not really important.”
“You’re in love.”
“What’s that now?”
“I knew it,” Erin says, her smile both smug and excited. “It’s written all over your face.”
“Perhaps you’re confusing that look with the freshly fucked glow.” Even heartbroken, I can’t deny the sex was incredible. I had more orgasms in the past two days than I’ve had in the past two years.
“You’re not ready to admit it,” Erin says, unaffected. “That’s okay.”
“I did think about moving here,” I admit, taking a break and dropping into a chair.
“What’s holding you back?”
“Not my job,” I mutter. “I didn’t tell you earlier because I didn’t want to dampen the trip, but I got fired for dating a patient.”
“Good,” she says.
“What?”
“That hospital treated you like shit, Devin. Don’t think I didn’t notice how your reading tracker doubled overnight.
You’ve been escaping into books like it’s your life’s mission.
That awful Director of Nursing had it out for you.
If it wasn’t this, she’d have found something else to fire you for.
Something worse that might’ve ruined your future. ”
“Well, I doubt I’ll be able to get another job in Omaha.”
“So get one here,” she says.
“This is crazy, though, right? Because the whole reason I’m considering moving to Cinnamon Creek is for a guy I just met two days ago. One who has the cutest daughter on the planet, and what if it doesn’t work out? Then there are three broken hearts, and I’ll be stuck in this town all alone.”
“I think you missed the part where I’m moving here too,” Erin says.
“I had finally just given up on finding my future husband. I’ve been trying so hard, dating all these duds. But the one time I try to have a meaningless vacation fling, the lovable grump goes and makes me fall in love with him.”
My eyes go wide.
Erin just smirks.
“Okay, so maybe you have a point.”
“Where is he now?” she asks.
“I don’t know.”
“So call him.”
“I lost my phone in a battle with a moose,” I say.
“Let’s go talk to Winnie. She’ll know how to get a hold of him.” Erin tugs me by the wrist, giving me no choice in the matter as she drags me downstairs. Her grip is surprisingly tight. I guess she’s afraid if she lets go that I’ll run.
But I don’t consider running, because Tabby is in the lobby.
“Miss Devin!” Tabby says, rushing over and wrapping her arms around me.
“Tabby, what are you doing here?” I scan the lobby, but there’s no sign of Flynn. There’s no sign of Winnie either, for that matter.”
“Mom and Scott are talking to Winnie about wedding stuff,” she says. “Are you looking for my dad?”
“Is he here?”
Tabby shakes her head, those pigtails swishing from side to side. She’s wearing lime green ribbons decorated with little hearts in them today. “I’m meeting him for cinnamon rolls after my mom’s done. At the bakery.”
Erin looks down at my wrapped ankle. “Can you make it to the bakery?”
“Fred can take you,” Tabby insists, tugging me by the wrist. Apparently no one thinks I can make it anywhere without being guided. “He’s out front.”
“What am I supposed to say?” I ask Erin.
“Tell him you love him,” Tabby says. “Duh!”