Chapter 16 #2
Her family’s close friends who live across the street had plumbing problems, so they’re crashing at her parents’ place.
She’s been forced to bunk with their adult son—their rich and handsome son, might I add.
They’ve been rivals since childhood, and with their next-level holiday prank war that’s gone on for years, he’s far from boyfriend material in her eyes.
Although I secretly think they could make a good pair if they ever managed to stop tormenting each other long enough to actually talk.
“That man should be counting his days,” she mumbles under her breath.
I pace through the crunchy snow as we chat, an old habit I’ve never managed to shake.
“What did he do now?”
“Yesterday he covered all my clothes in wrapping paper and spent breakfast grinning at me from across the table.” She glances across her room like she’s making sure he’s not around before leaning in and whispering, “But he won’t be so smug when he logs into his laptop and sees a warning about a catastrophic North Pole Virus.
Extremely serious stuff that can take days if not weeks to repair. ”
I give an exaggerated shiver. “Note to self: Never cross you if I want my computer intact.”
“Don’t worry, if you did, my revenge options would be limited since you’re my boss. Someone’s gotta pay for my Hermès addiction.” Gemma winks before her expression shifts into one of shock. “Is that a Highland cow behind you?” she squeals.
I frown, glancing down to see Maple rooting at my coat pocket, the rope dragging behind her. I take a few steps back, and sure enough, she trots after me. It seems walking away is what gets her moving.
“This is Maple,” I tell Gemma, crouching to angle the camera so she can see her better. “I’ve been trying to leash train this one so I can take her back to the cabin, but apparently the trick is to ignore her.”
“She totally has to join a podcast episode,” Gemma exclaims as she blows on the nails on her right hand.
I bite back a laugh. “Sure. She can dish on all the barnyard drama. I’ve heard it puts reality TV to shame.”
Honestly, it’s not even close to Gemma’s wildest ideas. There was the time she suggested I interview a professional clown to share confidence tips, or when she pitched having an influencer to come on the show who matched women with prisoners.
“Haven’t you seen the guy on social media who films videos at home with his pet cow? Chaos always ensues, and he goes viral every time. That’s just a dairy cow—Maple’s even more adorable with that fluffy little head. No one watching your live stream would survive the cuteness overload.”
I playfully cover Maple’s ears. “Don’t listen to her, girl. I’d never use you for fame and fortune.”
“You’ve gone full Snow White, except the woodland creatures have been replaced with farm animals.
” Gemma caps the nail polish bottle and puts it on her nightstand.
“Did that silver fox cowboy finally have his way with you?” She waggles her brows.
“It would explain why you’re strolling through the woods wearing his clothes and that goofy grin. ”
I duck my head, pretending to adjust my sleeve.
Gemma lets out a delighted gasp. “Oh my god. You totally got laid, didn’t you? You’re practically glowing.”
“I might have,” I say, laughing softly.
She bounces on the bed, waving her hands in the air. “This is the greatest news ever. My best friend was finally fucked by a real man. Hallelujah.”
My cheeks flush, and I quickly look around to make sure Shep isn’t nearby to overhear.
I shake my head, giving an amused snort. “I’ll never get over how proud you are of my sexcapades.”
“Only when it means you’re probably going to move to the middle of nowhere, exclusively wear Carhartt, and have adorable cowboy babies,” she explains cheerfully, reclining on the pillows propped up against her headboard.
My brows draw together. “Whoa, slow your roll. In case you forgot, I’m heading back to New York after Christmas. Shep and I both knew this was temporary.”
The same uneasy feeling churns in my gut whenever I think about leaving.
Gemma waves me off. “Plans can change. The odds of finding another grumpy mountain man who’s a sex god and has a miniature Highland who’s just as obsessed with you? Slim. In New York? Zip.”
I look over at Maple, who nudges her nose against my coat to beg for more apples. I pull a few slices from my pocket and let her eat them straight from my hand.
“What would you ever do without me if I left New York?” I tease Gemma.
“Easy. Find a new best friend who will never leave me,” she replies, her serious act undermined by the playful pout tugging at her lips.
“Honestly, I’d probably entertain my mom’s endless pleas and move back to Vermont.
I don’t hate the idea as much as I’ve led her to believe.
Our team’s remote, so why can’t we be too?
As long as you’ve got a spot to record the podcast, we’re golden.
Plus, we’d save a fortune ditching that overpriced studio. ”
“Why didn’t you mention thinking about moving back before now?”
We tell each other almost everything, and I don’t like the idea that she might have withheld this from me because she’s worried about how I’d react.
She shrugs. “I hadn’t genuinely considered it until this trip, and nothing’s been decided.
I’m just saying if you ever consider moving yourself, even temporarily, I’ll fully support you.
” She fluffs her pillows and lies back on the bed.
“But if it comes to that, we’ll have to get all the episodes scheduled beforehand, or we could end up with disgruntled sponsors and subscribers for taking another hiatus to change studios. ”
I furrow my brow. “What makes you say that?”
“I skimmed your emails this morning and saw a reply from CoreFuel Labs. They’re still upset about the extra time you took off for the holidays.”
I blink at Gemma, stunned. I’ve gone above and beyond for them, including tossing in free additional ad reads on the rare occasion they didn’t hit their sales goals for a specific episode. And that’s not a part of our contract.
“Guess they weren’t impressed with my last reply.” I sigh.
“Girl, don’t sweat it. We’ll figure it out.
Advertisers come and go, and with how popular the podcast is, there’s no shortage of companies that want to work with you,” she assures me.
“Everyone will survive waiting for a new episode until after Christmas. I’m just glad you finally took some much-needed time off. ”
“Thanks, Gem.”
“Always, babe.”
I know she’s right, but this business with the sponsor has me worried—I can’t help it.
I hate upsetting people, and normally I’d stew about it for days.
But I can’t let it ruin the limited time I have left with Shep.
Work will wait until after Christmas, and I’ll dive back in once I return to the city.
The unease that creeps in whenever I think about leaving comes back, giving me no choice but to stay in denial and focus on making the holidays with Shep the best I possibly can.
Reality can wait a little longer.