38. Sydney
“It looks good to me,” I give my approval to the crew inside cabin eleven. “Nice work, guys. You should be done with this one today, right?”
“That’s the plan.” One of the workers who passes me on his way inside the cabin nods at me.
“Awesome. I’ll get out of your way.” I skirt around them to head back toward the lodge.
As I walk the path, I blow out a steadying breath, feeling exhausted and positively exuberant at the same time. I spent the entire morning furnishing and stocking the rest of the finished cabins. All Neal’s crew has left to do is cabin twelve, which I need to move the rest of my stuff out of. That shouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience since I’ve basically moved most of my things into Cole’s cabin anyway. Then they’ll round out the renovation with completing the glamping tents just in time for the grand opening, if everything stays on track.
The finish line is rapidly approaching, and aside from the uncertainty of Cole’s and my future—and knowing I’ll need to leave Mom, which stings more after each time I see her—there’s also been a sense of pride that’s been brewing steadily in my chest. I’ve been making a point to give myself permission to feel good about what we’ve accomplished on this project. Not only the physical upgrades but the way we were able to honor the legacy of Ruby Lodge.
When I get closer to the lodge, I spot Blair sitting in an Adirondack chair on the beach.
“Hey, Blair,” I say.
She looks over at me with a grin. “Hey, Syd.”
“What are you up to?” I come to a stop on the sand next to her.
“Oh, I needed some peace and quiet to go over some things. I’m filling in the calendar for my youth mental health wellness camps. Did I tell you we’re completely booked for the next two months straight?” She lights up in the very specific way she does when she’s talking about the camp.
“No, you didn’t. That’s amazing, Blair.” I can’t help but grin back at her. “I’m really proud of you.”
She pushes her lips together and lifts her brows, a heartwarming smile growing wide. “Right back at you.”
“I’m heading inside. Are you coming?” I ask.
“I’ll be there in a bit. Just need a few more minutes out here.” She waves before turning back to her calendar.
I head up to the lodge, letting a peaceful happiness wash over me. A happiness that is the result of so many different factors. Through the windows, I peer into the bar and catch sight of one very big one.
Cole.
My stomach does a flip, and the skin on my cheeks heats at the mere sight of him. It’s as if my body involuntarily reacts to the sheer memories of the past few days with him.
If I think about it, it’s somewhat unsettling how quickly my feelings for him have progressed. The foundation for a meaningful connection with him has always been there—even despite my best efforts to refute it for a time. Once we saw the truth for what it was—and gave ourselves permission to actually feel it—there was nothing holding us back from falling fast and hard.
What we have together is intense. It’s rooted in an emotional connection that unnerves me at times. It often catches me off guard and steals my breath, just as it did all those years ago. But it’s also genuine, and it’s compassionate, and it’s soaked in a chemistry that’s somehow both soothing and scorching at the same time. I don’t know what our future holds, but I’m in a place right now where I’m more sure of this connection between us than anything else in my life.
Inside, I spot Graham and Cole chatting over paperwork at the bar. As I walk toward them, I catch sight of Paul on the other side of the bar and Shirley emerging from the kitchen to serve him some food.
It might just be the hopeless romantic in me, and perhaps it’s just a glow she’s sporting from cooking in the newly renovated kitchen, but it’s not hard to see that Shirley lights up on the inside when she’s around Paul.
With a subtle smirk, I avert my gaze and slide into the chair next to Cole.
“What’s that?” I point to the paper he’s signing.
Cole finishes his signature and turns slowly in his chair, pinning me with an intense look—one laced with a sly smirk. I brace myself to remain steady under his stare and raise my brows, curious as to what he’s about to tell me.
Graham quietly moves down the bar to give us some privacy, and my curiosity is officially piqued—so are my nerves.
“It’s, uh…” Cole clears his throat. “Official paperwork to sell my land and cabin.”
“Wait, what?” I murmur, not quite understanding the words I’m hearing. “To whom?”
He huffs a small laugh. “To you.”
“I…I don’t understand.” I shake my head, trying to extract his reasoning through my stare alone. “That’s your land. You have so much history there with Paul. You have to keep it.”
“I’ve come to realize that what I was most attached to were the memories I had there with my uncle. My only connection to any sort of family I had was through that cabin. It was my connection to him.” He flicks his eyes over to Paul. “Well, he’s here now. I don’t need the cabin anymore just to remember our history.”
“I still don’t understand.” The logical part of my brain is refusing to hear his reasoning.
He runs his hand down his jaw. “The memories are what matter, Sydney. I’ll always have those. Paul is okay with it too. I asked him first. Besides, when I come to Baudette to visit him, I’ll likely visit his new house anyway.”
“But what if…” My voice trails off, not wanting to say what I’m thinking out loud.
“What if he leaves again?” he finishes for me, again looking over at Paul. He shrugs. “Then I’ll miss him. Not the cabin.”
I stare at him, my mind daring to whirl with the new possibilities this opens up.
“You’re really sure?” I need to know that he’s absolutely positive about this before I let myself get excited.
“One hundred percent,” he confirms.
A twinge of excitement flares as I slowly allow myself to accept what’s happening. I can’t help the squeal that comes out of my mouth as I jump into his arms. After nearly falling off the stool, he steadies himself with a chuckle and hugs me back, squeezing tightly.
“Thank you,” I whisper against his ear, then plant a firm kiss on his mouth. My arm slides down his shoulder, and I hold his stare, getting lost in appreciation for his selflessness yet again.
Then I pick up the paperwork to glance over it, my mind still reeling.
“Graham!” I say his name excitedly as I motion him over.
“Pretty awesome, huh?” Graham grins, throwing an appreciative look Cole’s way. Then he grows serious. “I sure hope it’s not too late to do your glamping plan out there.”
“It’s not,” I answer immediately. A rush of adrenaline runs through me as I work through how things can pan out from here. “Some of Neal’s crew is supposed to start on the glamping portion tomorrow while the rest works on the final cabin. They haven’t even touched the glamping area yet, except to make the ground level, so this is impeccable timing.”
“Well, that’s convenient,” he says.
“I mean, I’ll have to come up with another use for the spot behind the lodge, of course,” I ramble, mostly to myself. “Electricity is already run out there, so I’m sure I can come up with something cool.”
“Perfect,” Graham says. Cole slides a hand on top of my knee under the counter. He gives it a squeeze as a show of support, and I place my hand on top of it, gripping it excitedly, my way of conveying my gratitude yet again.
“Oh, by the way, Syd,” Graham says. “Since they’re doing your cabin next, I have cabin one available if you want to move in there?”
I glance over at Cole and smile. “Sure, but…we won’t need it until tomorrow night.”
I automatically group Cole in my ‘we,’ not bothering to seek his input. I already know he’ll be on board.
“We need one more night at his cabin,” I say.
Cole’s face softens, and my stomach swoops under the weight of his stare.
“Alright.” Graham shrugs, once again backing away to give us space.
Cole immediately leans in for a kiss, one that feels more like a mutual understanding or, even better, a promise. Then he rests his forehead against mine as I soak in everything that’s happening.
“I should probably start packing up the cabin, huh?” Cole smirks.
“I’ll come with you,” I say. “Just give me a couple minutes.”
“I’ll meet you by the ATV,” he says, planting a kiss on my temple before walking over to Paul.
Then I slide my phone out of my pocket to shoot Neal a message to tell him about our last-minute change of plans.