Chapter 36
Jillian
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The bell over the grocery store door jingled as Kallie stepped inside, brushing wind-tangled hair out of her face. Jillian was behind the counter, sorting inventory lists while Moe stacked cans on the shelves, his attention half on the work and half on the men who drifted in and out.
Kallie smiled as she approached. "Hey, you. Finn walked me over so I could bug you while he wanders around town."
Jillian relaxed. The store had become her third home. Rows of food, familiar tasks, and Moe always nearby made Everstill feel less like a cage and more like a place she could exist in. She and Kallie had become best friends in a short amount of time.
But it wasn't hard to bond with someone who'd traveled through a tear in reality, fallen in love with a man old enough to be someone's grandpa, and had no support back home. They had a lot in common, and a need to support another woman.
"I'm glad you did," Jillian said.
Moe glanced over, gave Kallie a nod, then went back to stocking.
Jillian knew that look. He was glad Kallie was here, but he was also on alert.
Vaughn had come in once and stared too long.
Rex had tried to linger near the counter without buying anything.
Lately, she spent more time avoiding the other men than she did marking the book when someone took groceries home.
Kallie leaned on the counter. "How's your headspace lately? I know the last several weeks have been hard for you."
It was crushing to accept that she might never get back to her mom. The only thing that kept her from losing her mind was the fact that time stood still on the other side. Her mom wasn't getting worse, and she didn't know her daughter was gone. She held onto the belief that her mom was still alive.
"Better." Jillian hesitated. "Some days."
Kallie didn't push. That was one of the things Jillian liked about her. Their understanding of each other made empathy effortless, no explanations required. Kallie knew Jillian's mom was in a nursing home, knew she had been trying to get back to her, knew the storm had failed them.
"I never thought I'd be thankful for being alone," Kallie said softly. "No family to go back to. So... wherever Finn is, I'm okay." She paused, then added, "But you've got more to lose. That hits different."
Jillian swallowed, eyes stinging. "I keep thinking about her. Sitting in that chair at the nursing home. Waiting."
Kallie reached across the counter and squeezed her hand. "Moe's right. No time is passing for her while you're here. She's still exactly how she was the last time you saw her. For her, it's like you haven't been missing."
Jillian nodded, but the grief still pressed against her ribs. "It feels selfish. Being here. Loving him. When Mom's alone."
"Or," Kallie said gently, "you being here is the only way your mom doesn't get worse. There are benefits to being in Everstill."
Jillian looked up.
"There's no cure for what she has, right?" Kallie continued. "If time's frozen for her... then she's not slipping away from you. She's still your mom. Still there. Still waiting. And you're here, building something that might actually matter."
Jillian let out a shaky breath. "You really believe that?"
"I believe Finn loves me." Kallie smiled. "I believe Moe loves you. And I believe Everstill is changing because we love them. That's enough for me."
Boone walked into the store, gave a quick nod toward the girls at the counter, and headed straight for the back shelves.
Moe approached, placing himself between Jillian and the aisle, his body language making it clear Boone wasn't welcome near her.
He spent a lot of time in jail for fighting lately.
Kallie watched Moe, then smirked. "Your guy's intense."
Jillian couldn't help but smile. "He's... protective."
"Yeah," Kallie said. "That's one word for it."
Moe turned and patted Jillian's ass. "You doing okay?"
Jillian glanced at Kallie, then back at him. "Yeah. I think I am."
He searched her face for a moment, then nodded, satisfied. "Good. We'll keep it that way."
Kallie straightened. "You two are disgustingly cute, you know that?"
Moe snorted, overhearing the conversation. Jillian laughed. The sound surprised her with how easy it was to be happy.
For the next couple of hours, the store gave her comfort.
Kallie perched on a stool, talking about Finn and the way he'd started fixing up one of the old houses.
Moe moved through the aisles, always within sight.
Jillian rang up a few customers, wrote down inventory notes, and let herself imagine this as a life instead of a sentence.
Missing her mom would never change. She still wished she could see her, hold her hand, tell her she loved her. But the crushing panic about being away had eased into a quieter grief that coexisted with hope that one day she'd return and it would be like no time had passed.
When Kallie finally stood to leave, she gave Jillian a quick hug. "I'd better go stand by the door and see if Finn has wandered this way again."
"Don't go out alone." Jillian leaned closer. "Do you want Moe to get Finn for you?"
Both men had a rule that the girls couldn't be alone outside. The other men weren't to be trusted.
"No, let him continue working. I'll stay inside where you can see me, but I can see out." Kallie waved and walked away.
Moe appeared at the front of the store, taking in the situation. "Finn's headed this way."
"How do you know?"
He shrugged. "He always swings by the store at this time."
While the men in Everstill were regaining their personalities, they continued to work at the same jobs and keep the same schedule. Even Vaughn, who wanted to stop all chores, lost when the men took a vote to continue running the town.
She leaned in and kissed him. "I think we're going to be okay."
"I know we are." He kissed her back. "You're my woman."
She smiled against his lips. "I like the sound of that, babe."
"Everything is going to be good," he said.
She was starting to believe him.
Moe and her grew closer each day. Kallie lived down the street, close if she needed another woman's company. Copper was watching the town with wary eyes, but for now, the veil stayed closed, and the weather was comfortable.
For now, Everstill felt almost livable.
Jillian slipped her hand into Moe's and allowed herself to believe that maybe this was their happily ever after.
All they wanted was to spend the rest of their lives together, loving one another.
"I'm going to finish up in back before we leave for the evening. Ring the bell if anyone comes in." He slapped her ass.
She hugged herself and smiled, watching him walk away. It was almost time to go home. Her favorite time of the day.
Picking up the spray bottle under the counter, she washed off the counter, humming under her breath.
When she finished both counters and straightened the sacks on the shelf, the back door slammed shut. She looked up just as Moe stepped out of the storage room, moving slowly, both hands cupped together like he carried something fragile.
She stepped away from the counter. "What do you have?"
He walked toward her without answering, his expression unreadable. When he reached the counter, he opened his hands just enough for her to see.
A tiny baby bird sat in his palms, trembling, its feathers only half-fluffed.
Jillian gasped. "Oh, he's adorable."
She reached out, gently brushing a fingertip along the edge of its wing. The little thing chirped weakly, and her heart melted.
But Moe didn't smile.
Jillian's hand froze. "What's wrong? Why are you looking like that?"
He held her gaze, and what she found there was a shaken sense of awe that made her chest tighten.
"There's never been birds in Everstill," he said quietly. "No animals."
Jillian's breath caught, trying to remember if she'd seen any. "Are you sure?"
"I've lived here for a long time," he said. "I've never seen anything alive that wasn't human." He met her gaze. "Maybe Everstill is changing."
Hope bloomed in her chest. Moe leaned in and kissed her, slow and soft, like the bird had cracked open something inside him too.
She pressed her forehead to his. "Let's take him outside and set him free."
Moe led her out the back door. The evening air was cool, the sky washed in soft gray. Moe held the bird close to his chest, and Jillian wrapped her arm around his waist, leaning into him.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yeah," she whispered.
He lifted his hands and opened them. The baby bird hesitated for a heartbeat, then fluttered its wings and launched itself into the air, wobbly, determined, and alive.
Jillian laughed softly as it landed on the ground about ten feet in front of them, then flew into a nearby tree, chirping once before settling into the branches.
Moe pulled her closer, his arm warm around her shoulders. She rested her head against him, watching the tiny bird disappear into the leaves.
"It's a sign," she said. "It has to be."
Moe kissed the top of her head. "I hope so."
She turned toward him, cupping his jaw with her hand. "I love you."
"I love you too, sweetheart."
They stood in the fading light, arms around each other, watching the bird flutter from branch to branch. ... and for the first time, Jillian believed they might actually have a future here.
A real one.
A hopeful one.