Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
JOANIE
By the time Greg and I arrive at Mia and Nate’s Christmas evening, Bev’s insatiable appetite has been quelled many times over, but my stomach is rumbling and ready for the feast I know Mia’s likely whipped up, even with having traveled hours to and from Portland.
As Mia opens the door, the wall of heavenly aromas that hits me confirms my assumption.
“Hey guys,” Mia greets us, her eyes falling on our linked hands. She quirks an eyebrow and smirks at me.
“Merry Christmas,” I respond, holding up my other hand with the bottle of wine Greg thoughtfully suggested we bring.
“Merry Christmas, indeed.” She grins and takes the bottle, stepping back to allow us over the threshold, and I’m stunned by the complete lack of decoration inside. Especially considering how much Mia loves Christmas.
Mia rolls her eyes, interpreting my shock as Greg shrugs out of his jacket. “It’s been busy. We didn’t have time to decorate,” she explains with a shrug.
“Well, as long as you had time to cook, you know I’m a happy camper,” I respond.
Greg helps me out of my coat, his fingers skating over my collarbone, sending pleasant shivers down my arm. I give him a suggestive grin, which he returns. Mia narrows her eyes at the exchange but says nothing.
I’m distracted by a brush against my legs, and I look down to see Simba, Mia’s cat, once her Gran’s, begging for pets. I reach down and scratch him between the ears as he purrs against my palm.
“Aw, did you miss me, buddy?” I croon.
Apparently, not that much because he quickly abandons my affections to explore Greg’s legs. Much to my surprise, Greg picks him up, and Simba nuzzles Greg’s chin.
“Okay, he’ll tolerate me petting him, but he never lets me do that ,” I grouse.
Greg smiles at me beatifically. “Stick around a while, and he will, city girl.” He leans in and gently kisses my lips, then winks and heads down the hall.
Mia’s eyebrows rise so high that they’re threatening to merge with her hairline. I purse my lips and push her down the hall toward the dining room.
We enter the room to find Nate pouring drinks — red wine for us ladies and whisky for the guys, apparently. Nate looks at Mia expectantly.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Mia assures him. “Joanie, want to help me in the kitchen for a minute?”
I raise an eyebrow since we both know I’m not the help in the kitchen type, but I nod, following her out of the dining room. As soon as we’re out of earshot, Mia turns on me.
“Okay, spill. What is going on with you two? You’ve obviously had sex already. But why do I get the feeling there’s more going on here?” she demands.
I shrug nonchalantly. “You’re right. We’re together.”
Mia’s brows jump to her hairline. “Together? Like together together?” I shrug again but can’t contain my grin. “Jo! This is huge! I assumed you’d have fucked him out of your system by now, given your history. But together … like for real? I never would’ve predicted that.”
I can’t help my goofy grin. “It’s new, so we haven’t exactly labeled anything. But it’s good, Mia. Really good. Like … not just the sex,” I admit. Then I close my eyes briefly and shudder, remembering exactly how good the sex is. And how much it means to admit that it’s more.
She takes me by the shoulders and looks me dead in the eye. “This is a big deal for you, I know.”
I inhale, slow and deep. “It is. But I’m happy. So fucking happy, Mia. It’s crazy, right?”
She shakes her head slowly. “Like I can’t even process it, crazy. Yes.”
I laugh. “Well, process it, sister. Because I may be sticking around for a while to see where things go.”
Mia’s eyes fill with tears, and she puts a hand to her mouth. “My little girl’s all grown up,” she teases. I scoff and shove her shoulder playfully. “Well, he better treat you right. Ooh, do I need to give him the best friend talk?” she adds sternly.
I laugh. “Stand down, tiger mama. I’m a big girl. I can handle myself. And him. All of him.” I wink salaciously.
Mia grimaces playfully. “Ugh. Forget I asked.”
“Forget you asked what?” Nate asks, popping his head into the kitchen.
“Nothing,” we reply in unison.
Nate looks between us skeptically and shakes his head. “Oookay then. Well, the table is set if dinner is ready ...”
“Five more minutes,” Mia tells him.
He nods and disappears.
“I mean it, Jo,” Mia says quietly, leaning in close. “I know how much you’ve avoided relationships. I just want to make sure you’re ready for this and that Greg is on the same page. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
I clasp Mia’s hands in mine. “I promise. We’re both grownups, and we both want this. The rest … well, it will be what it will be. You don’t need to worry. But thank you. I’m glad I have you in my corner.”
Mia smiles gently. “Always, bitch.”
We laugh and turn to finish getting dinner on the table.
As we all sit down to eat Mia’s famous prime rib feast, Greg rests his hand on my thigh under the table, his thumb rubbing possessive circles close to my core. I shoot him a heated look as the warmth of his touch seeps through my leggings and my resolve to act like I wouldn’t have rather stayed in bed with him all night. Thankfully, with all that sex, Bev needs a break anyway, so I manage to overcome the urge to tear his clothes off right here.
“Well, Merry Christmas, everyone. And since it’s Christmas, Alpine Ridge’s first winter festival in years is over. And it seems like it was a huge success,” Nate says, raising his glass. “Here’s to doing it all again next year.”
We clink glasses and drink deeply. Mia makes an insanely good prime rib, and the wine Nate picked pairs with it perfectly. However, I wouldn’t say no to a glass of whisky later.
“I’ll say,” Mia agrees. “The bakery has never been busier. I’ll need to hire more staff next year to keep up if it’s like that again. My property manager said the B Mia just told me you ran the place. Though I guess I know now. Except, aren’t community centers usually public property?”
“Alpine Ridge is unincorporated,” Greg reminds me. “The only public property is owned by the county, which doesn’t include any actual buildings. Just land, some utility access points, main roads, that sort of thing.”
“Huh,” I reply, wheels turning.
“Anyway, I definitely saw a lot more activity during the festival. Some of our residents live pretty far out, so it was good visibility for the center. I’m hoping we got enough traffic to make an impression so more folks will use the facilities regularly now that they know what’s there.”
I nod and turn to Nate, now curious about how this tiny town works. “And the wellness center? I bet you all are regular business moguls by now with all the festival traffic.”
Nate huffs a laugh. “I wish. I mean, it definitely drives more people looking to get fit after gorging themselves on sweets —” he cuts a playful glance at Mia, who feigns indignation in response, “— but I’m getting more and more folks with actual medical problems that I’m not equipped to deal with.”
I frown. “What do you mean?”
He sighs. “I have people coming in with undiagnosed conditions looking for help since the nearest medical facility is anywhere from half an hour to an hour away, depending on where in town they live, and as you know, there’s no urgent care here. Or medical care of any kind, as it were. It kills me to turn them away, knowing I probably could help with my medical background, but I can’t risk the liability, and I sure don’t have everything I’d need to treat patients.”
I’m confused. “But you helped me when I fell during the race. What was different about that?”
Nate shakes his head. “I didn’t do anything any other bystander with first aid training wouldn’t do. I checked you out, then got you to a hospital for scans since you’d lost consciousness. I wasn’t diagnosing or treating you in any formal capacity.”
“Okay, I guess that makes sense,” I allow. “But surely, with the older population base, the town council would prioritize having emergency medical services available? There have to be hundreds of people who live here.”
Mia sighs heavily. “You’d think. And it’s actually a few thousand. But we’re unincorporated, so there’s no established tax base for that kind of thing. No local ambulances, police, fire department, or any other municipal services. It’s crazy. And not helping the town any.”
“Didn’t you say you tried to get the town incorporated?” I ask, recalling an earlier conversation.
Mia nods. “Yep. I went to the town council and everything. They shot me down immediately. They said it would drive up costs, that people choose to live here precisely to avoid those things.”
“Same thing happened to me when I tried,” Greg commiserates.
“Sounds like the town council needs some new blood,” I muse.
Greg shakes his head. “They’ll never go for it, Joanie. We’ve tried everything.”
“If you say so,” I murmur, ideas already taking root.
The conversation moves on as Nate asks Greg about equipment sharing between the wellness practice and the community center, but I don’t miss Mia giving me an assessing look. Like she knows what I’m thinking about doing.
I give her an innocent smile even though I know it won’t fool her. It doesn’t matter. Either way, the town council won’t see me coming. Because if I’m going to stick around and see where things go with my mountain man, I might as well make myself useful. And what better way than to help my friends out? With that thought, I decide that making Alpine Ridge an official town, with all the bells and whistles, just became my new mission.
Thankfully, the conversation soon turns to other topics I can engage in so nobody else catches on to my scheming. For example, Nate and Mia’s wedding plans, when Greg jokingly asks if they wouldn’t rather elope than deal with the hot mess that is the situation with Mia’s parents.
“How do you even know about that?” Mia asks sharply, casting a suspicious gaze at Nate.
“Oh, don’t blame him; this town talks ,” Greg responds. “You probably didn’t notice, but there were a good number of townies at Dorothy’s funeral.”
Mia’s face falls. “Ah.”
Ugh. I wasn’t able to go to Gran’s funeral due to work commitments, but Mia told me about the epic bout of awfulness that was her parents that day. I reach over the table and cover her hand with mine.
“Still nothing on that front?” I ask gently.
Mia shakes her head but sniffs briefly and collects herself. “Nope. But Carrie and I are talking a lot more these days. She graduates this summer. She’s making noise about trying to break away from them. I’m trying to be as supportive as I can without saying anything bad about our parents.”
I snort. “Because they’re giving you the same courtesy, I’m sure,” I reply sarcastically, shaking my head. “You’re a better person than I would be in your shoes.”
Mia gives me a shaky smile. “Honestly, I could probably use your take-no-shit attitude when it comes to them. I may yet have to. Weddings bring out the worst, it seems.”
“Hey,” I protest. “Not yours. Yours will be the fucking best . Even if I have to fight some bitches.”
Mia laughs heartily and wipes away her tears. Greg chimes in that he’s ready to throw down for her and Nate, too. Soon, Mia’s happy again, and we’re back to joking and laughing.
As we all tease and chatter over the remnants of a fantastic meal, I realize how seamlessly we fit together. And for a moment, I can see life as part of a couple. Life in this town, with close friends, good food, and beautiful vistas. And even though I’d never admit it? Well, it makes my heart swell a little.
Under the table, I lace my fingers with Greg’s where they still rest on my leg. He looks at me with such open affection that I lose my breath for a moment. Whatever is happening between us, I know Mia is right — it’s a big deal for me. I hope I’m ready for it. But as Greg squeezes my hand, I know one thing: I’m willing to try.