Chapter 9 April
APRIL
Tonight was one of those rare nights when April, Crystal, and Nathan had the evening off together.
So, of course, they had planned a night out.
The three friends had a favorite bar they went to whenever they had a free night.
It was one of only a few in town. It wasn’t too clubby or too pubby for anyone’s tastes.
It sat somewhere between with a nice, celebratory atmosphere and good lighting.
Nights like these were among April’s favorites.
Her friends were her foundation, that was for sure.
She’d met Crystal first; it had taken too long to find an apartment, and she’d had to move the day before she was supposed to start work.
She’d been exhausted by midnight, which wound up being the time of day she’d had to go grocery shopping so she could pack a lunch and have breakfast the following morning.
But of course, she had forgotten her wallet.
And of course, Crystal was there and kind enough to cover the cost for her.
April had thanked Crystal profusely and explained that she was new in town.
“So, what are you doing here in boring old Summit Falls?” Crystal had asked.
“I’m a nurse,” April had explained. “I transferred to the local urgent care clinic.”
“No way!” Crystal shouted, and the store clerk gave her a scathing look until she grabbed April by the arm and led her out of the store. “I work there, too,” she said. “What a mad coincidence.”
Later, Crystal introduced her to Nathan, telling him the story of how they met.
He just shook his head. “That’s fate. Destiny even.
There’s no such thing as coincidences. We’re either bound to be an all-star team, or we’re doomed to destroy each other.
Either way, it’ll be way less boring around here. ”
And that was how they became best friends.
April couldn’t imagine her life in town any other way.
If she hadn’t met them, she probably would have given up on Summit Falls and moved back to the big city just to stave off the loneliness.
But she had met them, and they had become the all-star team Nathan predicted.
Whether or not they were still doomed to destroy each other remained to be seen.
If she couldn’t even stand the thought of living in Summit Falls without her friends, how did Cal live in even more solitude without any friends at all?
The thought made her so sad for him. But what if she was projecting her own feelings onto him?
Not everyone was the same. Maybe he and Owen thrived in solitude.
Then again, when she thought of Owen’s excited face from that day at the library, she doubted that could be completely true.
Everyone needed a little friendship in their lives, especially children.
Crystal returned to the table after leaving to get them all a second round. In addition to the drinks, she had a whole sampler platter of appetizers. “It’s been that kind of day,” she said when Nathan arched an eyebrow at her.
Nathan shook his head. “A cheat-on-your-diet kind of a day.”
“What diet?” April said with a laugh as Crystal set the drinks and tray on the table.
“Yeah,” Crystal echoed, sliding into the booth, “what diet? We don’t need no stinking diets.
” She pounded a fist on the table in dramatic fashion and grabbed a cheese stick.
“Anyway, you’re welcome to share it, but if you don’t want to, I’m happy to inhale the whole platter.
” That was far from true, they knew, but no one called her out on it.
April snagged a fried zucchini and dipped it in the sauce. “Oh, I’m sharing. Nathan can diet all by himself.”
“Attagirl,” Crystal said. “Show that man how we maintain our squishiness.”
April nodded. “It’s hard work keeping this figure so soft.”
“You’re both hilarious.” Nathan grabbed his own cheese stick and stuffed it into his mouth without any sauce at all. “Fine, but I doubt I’ll be able to put on any softness, being the born-cactus man that I am.”
“Ah, no, you’re not.” April leaned over and squeezed her friend. “You’re an absolute cupcake of a man, and you won’t convince me otherwise.”
Everyone at the table laughed, and Crystal added the question that April didn’t see coming. But honestly, she should have. “Speaking of cupcake boys,” she said with a wink, “how’s our sexy lumberjack and his adorable kid doing?”
April completely failed to fight her blush when she answered. “They’re doing really well. Owen, the kid, is feeling much better. I told them I didn’t need to come back again, and they invited me to lunch anyway. It was really sweet.” She smiled at the memory.
“Did you go?” Nathan asked.
“Well, obviously she went,” Crystal answered on April’s behalf. “If a handsome woodsman offers to give you free food, you say yes. Everyone knows that.”
Nathan conceded. “Can’t argue with that.”
“So, we agree,” Crystal said. “You went to lunch, and how did it go?”
April sipped her beer and thought back. “It was fun,” she said. “They’re both really sweet. Their house is this cabin in the woods. It’s like… some kind of paradise. I wished I never had to leave while I was there. It was so relaxing.”
“Snag him and you can stick around,” Crystal suggested.
Nathan elbowed her. “Don’t be weird, Crys.”
“Who’s being weird? I’m just saying. A man and his property are a package deal. Grab one and get the other as a bonus.” Crystal had always been the edgy one in the group. April admired her candor, but she wasn’t entirely with her on this one.
“That place was great as a getaway,” she said, “but I don’t think I could live there.
It was just so lonely, honestly. Beautiful but lonely.
I mean, I don’t think that kid ever sees anyone.
He’s happy enough and super thoughtful and smart.
Can’t fault his father where parenting is concerned, but don’t kids need social practice?
I always thought that was an important part of growing up. ”
“It is,” Crystal agreed. “Is the kid going to be homeschooled?”
April shrugged. “I’d guess so, but I think it would be a mistake. He’s clearly an extrovert, unlike his father.” She paused to eat a little and couldn’t keep from smiling to herself. “I did convince them to go to story time at the library last week.”
“And how did that go?” Nathan asked.
“You know, it went surprisingly well,” she said, remembering how pleasant that afternoon had been.
“Owen got to have fun with other kids while Cal and I browsed the library, and then we went out for coffee after. Well, it was really a hot-chocolate trip, but I ordered coffee. That poor kid had never tasted a hot chocolate before, so I decided to treat him.”
April hadn’t noticed how both her friends stopped eating after a bit and leaned in to listen attentively. They were both wrapped up in her story.
After it became apparent that April wasn’t going to offer more information, Crystal prompted her. “So… are you dating him, or what?”
“Oh, no,” April protested, waving her hands out in front of her.
It was probably too much, truth be told, but she had this instinctive need to deny it because it wasn’t true.
Even though she almost wished it was. “Like I said, you know, I don’t see myself ever living like that, so I doubt it would work out in the end.
The last thing I need to do is waste more time in relationships that are doomed from day one. ”
“Who says it’s doomed?” Crystal said.
“You can fix him,” Nathan added, the quirk of a smile playing on his face.
If Crystal was the voice of reason, Nathan was always the voice of mischief in their little group.
If they were in some kind of trouble, and neither April’s optimism nor Crystal’s pragmatism could get them out of it, Nathan would always step out of the shadows and provide an idea so completely absurd that everyone had to admit it might just work.
“Why don’t you take him to town more?” Nate suggested.
“Just a little at a time. Act like you need him for something. Ask for a favor or two. Get him addicted to Summit Falls until he can’t stand the thought of not living here.
Then you can seduce him without worrying about where you’ll live. ”
April reached over to slug him playfully. “That’s awful, Nate.”
“Is it, though?” Crystal asked, clearly considering Nathan’s plan as though it was meant for her and not April.
“It could work. It’s not mean at all either.
It’s like… the sweetest manipulation you could do.
Perfect for you.” She nudged April. “And he could always decide he hates it and go back to his cave on the mountain.”
April laughed. “It’s not a cave. I swear, you’d pay to stay there on vacation.”
“So keep it for vacation,” Crystal said. “Who says you can’t have more than one house?”
“You’re both terrible.” April laughed again.
“We’re also right,” Nathan added, nodding. “Anyway, who wouldn’t fall in love with Summit Falls? It’s only the best town in the whole country.”
Crystal finished her drink and finally asked, “Do you even know why he doesn’t like coming into town? It can’t just be an introverted personality. It seems kind of extreme, the way he lives. Is that how he grew up?”
April shrugged. “We haven’t really gotten into discussing our entire life stories yet.”
Nate snagged a fried zucchini and once again dipped it in nothing before stuffing it into his mouth. “Well, get to it, girl,” he said before swallowing. “We’re not getting any younger.”
They spent the rest of the evening talking about Nathan’s new hobby of restoring antique vehicles and Crystal’s new boyfriend. April talked about her desire to do a photography show in the near future, and both her friends promised they’d go if she did.
“I don’t know if I could afford the venue,” she said.
“Why don’t you have a booth at the art festival?” Nathan suggested. “It’s way cheaper than a whole venue, and you can sell your work to people.”
“We can help you pay for it,” Crystal offered, and April was so touched at her generosity that she almost cried.
“You would?” April said.
Nathan nodded in enthusiastic agreement. “It’d be a great investment,” he said. “Everyone knows investing in photographers this year is the best chance for an increase in wealth. Gotta jump on that bandwagon while I can.” April knew it was a joke, but it warmed her heart all the same.
“Thank you!” It was too much, but at the same time, she knew she would easily do the same for either of them. “I’ll think about it. Seriously. That sounds like it could be a lot of fun.”
Since she was young, April had loved taking photos, and that hadn’t changed, even after she became a nurse.
Any time she wasn’t on the job, she had her camera with her and was always on the lookout for well-framed portraits and beautiful landscapes.
All while she’d been at the cabin on her most recent visit, in fact, she’d thought about how nice it would have been to have had her camera on her.
She felt foolish for not bringing it. The area around the cabin was one of the most beautiful places she’d seen in the vicinity.
Getting some photos would be a good excuse to go back, anyway.
It was Nathan’s turn to foot the bill. While he went to the bar to pay their tab, Crystal leaned in to speak candidly. “You really like him, don’t you?” she asked.
April decided not to answer. The truth was she hadn’t decided.
Cal was attractive, no doubt about that, but was he boyfriend material?
Was he husband material? Was there any chance he might choose to leave his paradise home and make a new one in Summit Falls…
for April? She sincerely doubted it. Then again, if there was a chance his isolation wasn’t by choice—if there was some other reason he avoided the town, some misunderstanding or misinformation—maybe she could smooth it over.
Crystal went on despite April not answering her question. “You blush every time you talk about him,” she said. “Thought I’d let you know. If you like him as much as I think you do, you should fight for him. Don’t let him become the one that got away.”
Nathan returned, and the friends said goodnight to each other before heading home.
April got a cab. Her home wasn’t too far from the bar, but there was a chill in the air on this particular night, and she had the means.
On the way home, she stared out the window of her cab at the town passing by, her own face dimly reflected over the passing antique shops, restaurants, and cafés.
Summit Falls really was a beautiful little town.
She could not see how anyone wouldn’t fall in love with it if they saw it the way she did.
Maybe she could act as a kind of tour guide, show Cal everything she loved about the little town.
Maybe he would start to think of the place as home rather than somewhere he wanted to avoid.
Surely, after enough time in town, Cal would come to love the place.
April certainly had, especially after she found her friends.
She probably should have questioned the fact that she was planning to sell a life in Summit Falls to someone she supposedly only liked.
Who would put that much work in for a potential date or two?
If she had thought seriously, she might have admitted that she was hoping for more, much more.
Some deeply buried part of her was dreaming of a family.
Cal and Owen would fill a hole in her life that no one else could fill.
She stuffed all the questions she was asking herself even deeper as she arrived home.
As she got ready for bed, she thought about ways to convince Cal to spend a little more time in town, events she could take him to, places he might enjoy.
And she convinced herself she was doing this for Owen, not for herself.
At some point, she was going to have to face the truth of the matter, but not tonight.
Tonight, she was going to brush her teeth and put on her pajamas and dream of what it would be like to live with two people as charming as Cal and Owen Nolen.