Chapter Two
Nora
Present Day
“Welcome to Firebrook Valley,” the impressive granite sign read.
It boldly announced that this was more than just another small mountain town.
If anything good could be said about a place trying to absorb the egos of two billionaire business titans, it was that the roads never had potholes, the municipal services were always generously funded, and all signs were impressive.
Lately my father’s focus had narrowed to himself.
He had come to my graduation in Boston, but afterward he retreated again to what used to be our family’s summer home in New Hampshire.
Drew assured me the family business wasn’t suffering, despite neither of them being at the helm.
And they accused me of being overly optimistic.
I gripped the wheel of my SUV tighter. My graduation tassel swung from the rearview mirror like a tiny metronome counting down to disaster.
Although I had not been back to Firebrook Valley since my mother’s funeral, I knew everyone in this town and adored them.
Many had driven down for my graduation. Some felt more like family than my actual relatives.
My brother Drew would have been here with me if I had asked. He also could have called Dad and told him the news himself, but we both knew why that wasn’t a good idea. Since losing Mom, Dad had become unpredictably reactive. No one wanted to retrieve him from the police station again.
I had a brand-new degree in Communications, but none of my classes had prepared me to deliver the news I was about to.
Dad, remember how Drew fell in love with Bella, the daughter of the only person you hate? The same person who has been trying to financially ruin you for decades? Yeah. Well, they got married. Without us.
Don’t worry. They didn’t give me a heads-up either.
I passed the road that led up to our family’s estate. My father was up there, still sulking over the announcement of Drew’s engagement. He would not take this well. The long-standing animosity between Cody Burke and Gabe Holliston was soap-opera-level drama if anyone chose to keep up with it.
I tried not to. Life was confusing and full of unexpected, often unwelcomed surprises that could steal your ability to be happy if you let them. I didn’t let them. Despite the storms, I chose joy even if that meant making my own sunshine.
Surround yourself with good people and good things happen. Be strong and kind, and even when you make mistakes, you won’t regret them.
Strong and kind. That’s what I always aspired to be, and I could hopefully be that right after I got some caffeine and a hug from Mabel. Right then I was still fighting the urge to stomp my feet and declare life unfair.
Striving for calm, I pulled into Cookies and Coffee’s gravel lot. The second my foot hit the ground, fresh mountain air filled my lungs and a warm sense of belonging washed over me. Coming back had felt like it would be too much for me, but staying away hadn’t made things better.
Even when life didn’t make sense, there was one constant I could depend on: Mabel.
She and the small restaurant she ran were the heart of this town.
Her family—both those she’d birthed and those she’d gathered around her—had always welcomed me as I was and taught me how easy love could be.
As soon as I stepped inside the restaurant, the scent of roasting coffee and cinnamon sugar wrapped around me, familiar in a way that brought grateful tears to my eyes.
Out of the bustle of conversation, one voice called out, “Nora!”
I barely had two steps inside before someone I had loved since childhood collided with me, hugging me so tightly I could barely breathe. “Palila!”
“Tell me you’re back for the summer,” she exclaimed.
Against her shoulder I murmured, “I don’t know yet.”
“Excuse me,” Emma cut in, straight-faced as always even as she playfully elbowed her way closer. “Some of us also drove to Boston. Some of us also cried in a public venue. Some of us also deserve first access.”
Palila rolled her eyes at Emma but didn’t look bothered. “You were the one who told me to stay back because I had the flu.”
Emma hugged me. “True. The minivan was packed enough as it was without all those germs.”
Suddenly more serious, Palila met my gaze. “I hated missing your big day, Nora.”
I hugged Palila again. “I know.” With a full-body shake meant to clear my head, I added, “I’ve missed plenty of events here I shouldn’t have. I meant to come back after Mom died, but I wasn’t ready.”
“We all understood,” Emma said softly. “But it sure is good to have you back now.”
Both Emma and Palila looked at me with the kind of understanding only good friends can give. Every summer I had spent in Firebrook Valley flooded me with memories of the three of us exploring the woods, having sleepovers, and dreaming about who we would become.
Palila had chosen to attend college online so she could stay home.
Emma had gone to college in Miami for two years before deciding she missed Firebrook Valley more than she wanted to see men in Speedos.
Although switching schools had put her a little behind, she was now studying veterinary medicine nearby.
No matter how long it took her to graduate, she was guaranteed work in the area.
Remote towns like Firebrook Valley traded freedom and fresh air for the luxury of accessible healthcare, whether for humans or animals.
Zion leaned over from the booth by the window and lifted his hand in greeting. “Nora, welcome back. Hope you are working here. I could use the help.”
I opened my mouth to say I had no idea how long I was back for but of course I’d do what I could, but Palila spoke first. “What happened to Dorry helping out?”
He shrugged. “She found an internship in New York and decided to stay in the city for the summer.” Then he nodded at me. “Last I heard you were starting a job in Boston.”
“I was, but . . .”
“She decided work can wait because she couldn’t miss another summer with us,” Emma interjected.
“Who’s here?” Mabel’s voice boomed from the kitchen.
“Nora,” a chorus called out.
I looked around with a smile. Mrs. Higgins waved from her usual window seat. Several pre-teens at the corner table stared like I was a celebrity returning to her rightful kingdom.
Mabel came out from behind the counter and pulled me into a warm hug. I clung to her, telling myself to be strong when what I really wanted was to burst into tears in the safety of her arms.
“My little Nora. You should have told us you were coming back. We would have gathered everyone to greet you.”
I sniffed and pulled back enough to compose myself. “No need for that. I’ll be here long enough to see everyone.”
“Good.” Mabel wiped a hand down her apron. “You just get here?”
I nodded.
“Then let us get you off your feet and get some food in you. Girls, get her to a table. I’m sure she’s tired.”
A moment later I was seated at a round table with Emma and Palila.
Emma said, “I had no idea you were coming back.”
Palila nodded. “Me neither.”
“At your graduation you said your job was starting right away, so you wouldn’t be able to come this summer,” Emma added gently.
Palila wagged a finger at Emma. “We shouldn’t push. We don’t know what happened. Maybe she got fired because she stole someone’s lunch from the breakroom refrigerator.”
That had me laughing. “I’d never admit it if that were true.”
“See,” Palila stressed.
Emma waved Palila’s concern away. “It’s not pushing if you love the person. It’s called being concerned. Nora, what happened? Why are you back?”
The restaurant fell silent, as if everyone held their breath.
Mabel set a latte in front of me, then a cookie the size of my face, still warm enough that the chocolate chips glistened.
“You don’t have to tell us,” Mabel ordered. “But you do have to eat.”
I took a bite. Chocolate, warmth, and familiarity spread through me, and my shoulders relaxed.
Mabel settled into the open seat across from me. She studied my face for a long moment. “Whatever it is, Nora, we’re here for you.”
“I know,” I said quickly. “That’s why I’m here.”
Mabel leaned in slightly. “Nora.”
It wasn’t a reprimand. It was an invitation.
“I’m fine. Everything is fine. I have everything under control.” I hated that my eyes stung instantly.
Mabel laid a hand over mine.
I sniffed, blinked quickly, and admitted, “I’m not okay, but I need to be. I said I could do this and I can. As soon as I figure out how to get out of my own way.”
Emma and Palila exchanged a look without speaking.
Mabel’s hand tightened on mine. “What does that mean, Nora?”
I closed my eyes briefly, before meeting her gaze again. “It means I came home to tell my father something, but for him to remain calm when he hears the news, I need to be calm when I share it.”
“Is this about Brady?” she asked gently.
I frowned in confusion. “No, did something happen to him?”
Another shared look was exchanged around me. This time, Emma spoke. “Brady’s fine as far as we know, but you see more of him than we do.”
I shrugged. Considering he also hadn’t spent much time in Firebrook Valley since my mother died, that was probably true.
Things had gotten tense between our families, and it was easier to connect away from them.
“I haven’t seen him since we all went to his graduation.
Shit, I should have called him. I didn’t think about how any of this might affect him. ”
Palila leaned in. “Now you’re making me nervous. Maybe everyone else can dance around this, but I need to know. What are you back to tell your father?”
I stared at my latte like it might give me courage. Then I said it. “Drew and Bella got married.”
For a second, no one moved.
Then someone at the counter spun and asked, very loudly, “WHAT?”