Chapter 21 Eva
Eva
I wake up feeling settled… and that’s unsettling.
I spent my whole life bouncing around apartments, never sure if there would be food outside of free school lunch. It’s only been a few years since I was able to move into Esther’s house and buy stuff like framed art and nice bedding.
All of which I’ll be moving out here to my bed-and-breakfast. Which is chaos at the moment. There is no reason for me to feel calm, and yet …
I have the support of my family, and I have a man coming back here to make things work with me. I have a secret fantasy of moving in with him, so there’s one more room available over here for me to rent out.
I’m making mental moves with this guy.
I’m still smiling about it when I walk Baabara home after her latest jailbreak. She trots beside me like a woolly dog, occasionally head-butting my thigh to remind me she exists. As if I could forget.
Gran is on the porch with Latonya when we arrive, the two of them deep in conversation over tea.
“There’s our escape artist,” Gran calls out. “And her accomplice.”
I deposit Baabara back in her palace and join the women on the porch.
“You look different today,” Gran observes, studying me over her teacup. “I told you that boy would figure it out, eventually.”
“He’s not a boy, Gran. He’s thirty-five.”
“Everyone under sixty is a boy to me, dear.” She pats the chair beside her. “Sit. Have some tea. Tell us everything.”
So I do. I tell them about Tiddy’s prank, about Asher’s decision, about the flutters and fizz in my body at the thought of all the potential here romantically and professionally and socially.
I look out at Pierce Acres in the distance—the house, the maple grove, the sugar shack that still needs work but is slowly coming together. My place. My project. My life.
“Can I ask you something?” I say.
“Always.”
“How did you know that Fork Lick was where you belonged? That this was your life?”
Gran is quiet for a moment, considering. “I didn’t at first. I came here as a young bride, following a man I loved to a place I’d never been. For a while, I resented it.”
“What changed?”
“I did.” She smiles. “I stopped waiting for life to happen somewhere else and started building it here. I put down roots, made connections, created something that was mine. One day I woke up and realized this wasn’t just where I lived—it was who I was.”
Latonya nods. “Same for me. Came here from Climax because the rent was cheap. Stayed because the people became family.”
“You don’t think it’s irresponsible?” I ask. “Giving up my life in Pittsburgh for a maple grove I didn’t know existed?”
“Irresponsible is learning you have roots and then running away because you’re afraid to tap into them,” Latonya says firmly. “You’re staying, and that’s brave.”
The word settles into my chest. I’ve never thought of myself as brave. I’ve always just been the baby Storm.
“You’re not just gaining property and a business,” Gran says softly. “I see something special with you and Asher. I’ve known that boy his whole life, and he was cautious even before Lia took ill. You’ve got what he needs, Eva.”
“I don’t know if I did anything special. I just… broke his bones a little.”
“That’s exactly what he needed. I think you needed a good rattle, too.” She pats my hand again. “Don’t underestimate the power of a good tempest, Eva Storm. Sometimes that’s all anyone needs.”
Later that afternoon, I’m in the sugar shack going through Walter and June’s equipment notes when my phone buzzes.
Yeti
I’m coming home tomorrow at 4. Should I get a cab?
I grin at the screen.
Me
I’ll pick you up. Obviously.
Asher
You sure?
Me
I want to. Obviously.
Asher
You keep saying obviously.
Me
Because it’s obvious.
A pause. Then:
Asher
I miss you.
My heart speeds up until I can feel it pulsing in my ears. Is this what my sisters felt when things were going well with their guys?
Me
Miss you too. Now finish your work stuff so you can come home.
Asher/Yeti
Yes ma’am.
Me
Ew Don’t call me ma’am.
Asher/Yeti
Yes dear.
Me
Worse.
Asher/Yeti
Yes my darling light of my life, sun of my universe, reason for my existence?
I laugh out loud, the sound echoing in the building.
Me
You’re ridiculous.
Asher/Yeti
You like it.
Me
Obviously.
Asher/Yeti
See you tomorrow, Eva.
Me
See you tomorrow, Asher.
I put down my phone and look around at the equipment I’m slowly learning to understand. At the notes in my great-uncle’s handwriting. At the legacy I’m trying to honor.
There’s still so much to learn, so much to build, so much to figure out, but I’m not scared of it. I’m excited. And tomorrow, my yeti comes back to me, and I get to figure out if we are building something lasting, too.
The train platform in Climax is crowded with people waiting for arrivals—families, couples, solo travelers scrolling on their phones. I find a spot near the exit and try not to bounce on my heels.
The train pulls in right on time. I watch the doors, scanning the faces as people stream out. Then I see him.
He looks exhausted. Rumpled. His beard has grown out a bit more than usual, and he’s carrying a lumpy duffel bag that looks like it was packed by a child with ADHD. His booted gait is awkward.
He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
Our eyes meet across the platform, and I watch his face transform. The tension seems to drain from his shoulders, and his weary expression softens.
I’m moving without conscious control, weaving through the crowd until he drops the bag and opens his arms. I crash into my yeti, holding on, breathing him in.
“Hi,” I say into his chest.
“Hi.” His arms tighten around me. “Man, I missed you.”
“You said that already. On the phone.”
“It’s more true in person.”
I pull back enough to look at his face, cataloging the dark circles under his eyes. “You look terrible,” I tell him.
“Thanks.”
“Did you sleep at all?”
“Not much. Hotel beds are wrong.”
“Wrong how? I can’t have wrong beds in my B&B!”
“Wrong in every way. Too soft. Too many pillows. Too not-my-bed.”
“That’s very specific.” I laugh, realizing this is an Asher problem and not an inventory issue I need to worry about.
“I’m a specific person.” He cups my face in his hands, and the touch sends warmth spreading through me. “Can I kiss you now? I’ve been craving it for a week.”
“Only a week?”
“Fine. Longer. Much longer. Since the first time I saw you, probably, even though I was too stupid to admit it.”
“That’s better.”
He kisses me, and it’s soft and slow and tastes like homecoming. Like relief. Like everything I’ve been waiting for.
When we break apart, he rests his forehead against mine. “Take me home?”
“Yeah.” I smile. “Let’s go home.”
“So,” he says as we reach my car. “What did I miss?”
“Gran started TikTok beef with some influencer in Hudson. Diego thinks I’m ready to tap some trees and boil sap. Oh, and Latonya is convinced we’re getting married.”
“Latonya doesn’t waste time.”
“She’s naming a breakfast special after me: Sunny and Sappy.”
“I would happily break my other ankle for eggs and pancakes right now,” Asher says, tossing his bag in the backseat. He turns to look at me. “And you? How are you?”
“Better now.” I reach up and touch his face, the scruff of his beard rough under my fingers. “I’m really glad you’re back.”
“Me too.” He catches my hand and presses a kiss to my palm. “I might be unemployed, but at least I’m home.”
We both wince, the specter of Asher’s financial situation thick between us. He looks at me with an intensity that makes my breath catch. “You’re home to me, Eva. You and Fork Lick and this unpredictable life we’re building. You’re the only variable I want.”
I don’t have words for what I’m feeling, so I kiss him instead.