18. Chapter Seventeen #2
"What was that, dear?" Betty follows my gaze and chuckles.
"Oh, you're cataloging the single ones, aren't you?
Let's see..." She points discreetly. "That's Chase over there with the drill—mountain rescue, broody as they come.
Knox is the one with the dark hair arguing about foundation depth—he's ex-military too and runs the lumber mill now.
And those twins by the grill are Tucker and Travis.
They're new in town and word has it that they're not exactly friendly yet. Not like our Jamie over there, anyway."
"Jamie?"
"Jamie Striker." Betty says, pointing to the gate where the man himself has arrived. "Did you get a chance to talk to you yet? He's been asking about you ever since you and Beau rescued that family."
Before I can process what that means, a commotion from the construction zone draws my attention.
The man I met at the Mountain Rescue Station the other night is currently wrapping Maisie in what appears to be a bright orange construction vest that's about four sizes too big for her.
"There," he announces, stepping back to admire his work. "Now you're officially in charge."
"Like she wasn't already," David jokes, before a chorus of deep, grunted laughter breaks out amongst the men.
Maisie examines herself seriously, then nods with the gravity of someone accepting a position on the Supreme Court.
"If I'm in charge, I need a hard hat too."
"You know what…" Jamie grins, producing a tiny yellow hard hat from his truck. "I just knew you'd say that. Can't have the site supervisor without proper safety equipment."
The sight of Maisie in full construction gear, bossing around a group of grown men who are taking her every suggestion seriously, is so adorable I might actually die.
But then Jamie catches my eye over the crowd and starts walking in my direction, and my heart rate spikes for entirely different reasons.
What does he want? Is this about Beau? About the mountain rescue work? Oh God, is this about Riley?
Why would it be about Riley? Stop being so damn ridiculous.
"Molly," he greets me with that easy smile that probably makes half the women in town swoon. "Mind if I steal you for a minute?"
"Um, sure. I guess," I manage, following him toward a quieter corner of the yard where we can talk without shouting over the construction commentary.
"Listen, I'm glad Beau finally let go of your hand," he begins, and my stomach drops. "I've been talking to your sister. About you."
Oh no. This is it. He's figured out who Riley is. He's going to tell me I'm not welcome here, that I bring too much drama, that—
"And after seeing you with Beau the other night, I got to thinking…" he continues, completely oblivious to my internal panic spiral. "We could really use someone with your organizational skills and people person energy over at the base."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"A job," he clarifies with a grin. "I'm offering you a job, Molly. Office coordination, community outreach, recruitment. I've been doing it all myself, and I've about given up on recruiting your boy over there after years of trying."
Jamie follows my gaze to where Beau is carefully securing wooden slats to the tree, his muscles flexing with each movement.
Around him, a small army of bearded mountain men hover like eager assistants, all taking direction from tiny Maisie in her oversized vest and hard hat.
I can't help but smile at the absurdity of it all, but then Jamie clears his throat and draws my attention back to him.
"So anyway," Jamie says, laughing along with me at the sight of the construction zone. "The mountain rescue operation is growing, and we need someone who can handle the administrative side while the rest of us run around playing hero in the mountains."
I stare at him for a full ten seconds, certain I've misheard.
"You're offering me a job?"
"If you're interested. Sienna mentioned you might be thinking about staying in Stone River, and honestly, we've been needing help for months."
"I..."
Words fail me completely.
This man wants to hire me.
Not because I'm someone's girlfriend or because he feels sorry for me, but because he thinks I'd be good at something.
When's the last time someone wanted me for my skills instead of what I could do for them?
"I… I think I'd love to," I say with a laugh. "Yes! Absolutely yes!"
"Excellent. We can work out the details later, but I have a feeling you're going to fit right in here." Jamie's grin widens. "Why don't you drop by tomorrow and we'll go through some things?"
Before I can respond, strong arms slide around my waist from behind, and I melt back against Beau's solid chest.
"Everything okay over here?" he asks, and there's just a hint of possessiveness in his voice that makes my insides turn to goo.
"More than okay," I breathe, turning in his arms to look up at him. "I got offered a job!"
The expression that crosses Beau's face is so complex I'm having trouble working out if he's happy or not. It's an off mix of relief, joy, and overprotectiveness.
"Molly, that's um… That's good," he says quietly, his hands tightening on my waist as he stares at Jamie and not me.
Jamie raises his hands. "I need a beer. I'll let you two talk. We can hash out details tomorrow, Molly."
As he walks away, I turn to face Beau fully.
"Hey. Are you okay with this? You went all quiet."
Beau's jaw works for a moment. "It's just... Jamie's the one who offered you a job."
"And that's a problem because...?"
"It's not," he sighs, running a hand through his hair, a low grunt moving through his throat. "I'm being stupid. Sorry."
I wait, giving him space to find the words.
"I want you to stay," he finally admits. "Of course I do. And I'm happy for you. I just didn't want to pressure you, that's all. I wasn't ready to let you go."
The words are spoken quietly, but apparently not quietly enough, because I hear Sienna's delighted gasp from somewhere behind us, followed by what sounds like collective " awww "s from half the party.
"Are we interrupting something?" a familiar voice asks, and I turn to see Etta and Mabel approaching with perfectly timed entrance skills that would make Broadway directors weep with envy.
"Don't tell me we missed something important?" Etta says, looking at Beau as he throws an arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close.
"Just Molly joining the family," Sienna announces, appearing beside us with tears in her eyes. "She's staying. She got a job with Mountain Rescue!"
The cheer that goes up from the gathered crowd is so enthusiastic and genuine that I feel my own eyes start to water.
These people—these wonderful, crazy, meddling people—are actually happy that I'm staying.
I have a community. I have a place. I have a future.
"This calls for celebration!" Betty declares, producing champagne from thin air. "And cake!"
"It's not a wedding, Betty," Mabel points out gently.
"Yet," Etta mutters under her breath, which makes everyone laugh and sends heat flooding to my cheeks.
But Beau doesn't laugh. Instead, he looks down at me with an expression so tender it makes my knees weak.
"You're staying," he says, like he still can't quite believe it.
"I'm staying," I confirm, going up on my toes to press a soft kiss to his jaw. Then, because I can't help myself, I lean closer and whisper in his ear, "We should celebrate properly tonight."
The way his breath hitches and his grip on me tightens tells me he got the message loud and clear.
"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" Maisie's voice cuts through the celebration from her position atop what appears to be the completed treehouse foundation. "We need to have a ceremony!"
"A ceremony?" David calls back.
"Yes, Dad. To christen the treehouse!" she announces, producing a small container from her pocket. "With a glitter party!"
The groan that goes up from the construction crew is immediately drowned out by laughter, and I realize this is it.
This is what I've been searching for my entire life without knowing it.
Not just a place, but a people. Not just a home, but a family.
And at the center of it all, the man whose arms are still wrapped around me.
I think about the scared woman who threw her phone out a car window just over a week ago. Who drove aimlessly until her car died at the town line. Who thought she was running away from something instead of running toward it.
But I wasn't running away at all. I was running home.
To him.
To this.
To the life I never knew I wanted, but somehow always needed.
"I love you," I whisper, watching Beau's eyes light up like never before.
His entire body goes still, and for a moment I panic. Then, he leans down and presses a kiss to my lips, pulling back to look me in the eyes.
"About damn time," he murmurs, grinning. "I love you too."
And as Maisie ceremoniously throws biodegradable glitter over the treehouse foundation while a crowd of mountain men pretend to be horrified by the sparkly assault, I realize I've never been happier in my entire life.