Chapter 38
KELSEY
“Should I pack this one?” I hold up the black dress for Monica to see—now suddenly craving gelato.
I peek around it to judge her reaction but she just rolls her eyes and leans against the closet door in the studio apartment.
The last week was hectic, but between Dad and Sutton helping—and even Monica—I got everything out of my old apartment and I’m now mostly moved into the studio.
“OK, then. What about this one?” I grab my other favorite dress, the sundress that I wore to my first real date with Sutton.
I hold them both up and realize that I don’t actually own many dresses.
“Are these fine? There’s a rehearsal dinner and then the actual wedding.
They just said the attire is casual chic.
What does that even mean? What is casual chic? ”
She looks at both of the dresses and then laughs. “Calm down, Kels.”
I drop my head and groan in exasperation. “What do you mean calm down? I’m flying tomorrow morning to spend a weekend with my boyfriend’s whole family and I haven’t even packed yet.” I flop back onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling. “Help me, Mon. Please.”
“Girl, you seriously need to chill.”
I keep looking at the ceiling but feel the mattress sink and when I roll over, she’s laying next to me with her head propped up on a pillow. She eyes me for a second before reaching over and pinching my arm.
“Ow!” I pull my elbow back and rub it with my other hand. “What was that for?”
“See. You’re alive. Everything is going to be fine.”
I furrow my brows and glare back at her, but my bangs fall into my eyes, ruining my goal of looking irritated. I blow a puff of air but laying like this, they just fall right back into my eyes and I groan. “You think I’m overreacting, don’t you?”
She quirks a brow at me. “Think? No, I know that you’re totally overreacting. That man is completely head over heels for you, maybe even more than I originally thought.”
“Yeah, he’s kind of like a giant puppy. It’s cute.
I lov—” I cut myself off, but her eyes widen.
I know my feelings for him are strong and I’ve tried not to overthink what that could mean.
Right now, my propensity for mindlessly spewing out my inner monologue is just about to let it slip—I do love Sutton.
She grins at me, mouth open. “You don’t have to say it. To everyone else, you might seem all dark and gloomy, but you’re my best friend… I can read you.”
I turn on my side and mimic her pose. “Am I crazy? Like this is too fast, right?”
She laughs through her nose. “You’re talking to the girl that met Jason and moved him into my apartment in less than a year.” She points a finger at me and waggles it. “You two though? You’ve been locked in this sparring match for two years. So if you’re asking me, no—I don’t think it’s too fast.”
“Thanks.” I smile back, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath.
Normally sappy sentiments aren’t my thing, but hearing my best friend’s vote of confidence—that somehow means the world to me.
We’ve only been dating for a little while, but we were caught up in that mini one-sided feud that somehow maybe even made us closer.
So her telling me that I’m not falling too fast is something I wanted—no—needed to hear.
Things have been good with Sutton, and actually everything has been better lately, but I can still sense his lingering apprehension from Slade dropping by.
I know he said he wasn’t planning on moving to Seattle, but his brother rented him a freaking apartment.
There’s clearly something going on there, but this all still feels so new, I don’t think it’s my place to be poking and prodding into that.
My inward spiral is interrupted by a tapping sensation on my forehead. I open my eyes to find Monica flicking me with one of her perfectly manicured yellow nails. “Come on. As much as I’m enjoying best friend duties today, we should probably finish getting you packed.”
I bury my face in the comforter and groan, rolling off the bed. “Fine.”
I look around the studio—couch, small kitchenette, bed, dresser, and my own bathroom—it’s small, yet comfortable.
But it’s the view from the window that makes it feel like I made the right choice.
The mountain view I woke up to on weekends I spent here growing up—that same view that disoriented me the first few nights I spent here—now makes it feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be.
I grab a few things from my dresser and put them into my bag and enjoy that view when Monica walks up to my side.
“You know, I’m not going to lie. I’m glad you’ll be back in town. We should celebrate soon.”
“I’m game.”
She grins back. “Why not tonight? We’re both off work. We could go bug Jason and have him make us drinks all night and pretend like we’re VIPs.”
I take a look out the window and it dawns on me that I’m officially living—not just crashing—back in Jackson. I can go out with my best friend and not have to worry about getting back to Rodgers or sleeping on her pull-out couch.
“Yeah. Let’s do it.” I nod excitedly. “Just don’t make me unpack either of my dresses, OK?”
She claps her hands, letting out a squeal that makes Sutton peak his head in through the adjoining door to his apartment.
It might as well not even be there because it hasn’t been shut in weeks.
He arches a brow and looks at the two of us before Felix appears at his side, looking equally confused with his trademark German Shepherd head tilt.
“Everything OK in here? Sounded like someone’s high school crush just invited them to prom. ”
We both look over at Sutton and glare. Monica tosses a throw pillow at him, which of course he dodges effortlessly.
I grab the first thing from my dresser drawer and fling it at him, which I realize happens to be a lacy red bra.
He chooses not to dodge that and snatches it clean out of the air, holding it up before smirking back at me.
“Running out of space in your bags? I’m pretty sure I have room for this. ”
Monica points at the open door and twirls her finger at him. “Out, Pretty Boy! Just because you’re cute and live fifteen feet away doesn’t mean you can barge in on our girl talk. You’re already taking her away from me for the rest of the week.”
He bows his head to her. “You’re right. Fair enough.”
He turns to me. “See you later.” He winks and heads out the door. Felix stands there, looking between Sutton and me and my heart melts because that dog doesn’t know who to follow right now. He loves Sutton, just like me.
“Seriously, Kels. I missed you. Shoot, I missed this.” Monica cocks a hip out, bumping my side.
“Me too.” I nod, watching Felix turn and wag his tail when he follows Sutton back into his apartment.
“There’s something else I wanted to ask you though and I figured let’s do it before drinks because we might have something else to celebrate.”
I note her excited grin, the one she normally has when she’s dying to tell me a secret.
“So… since you seem to be more open to accepting help—which, to be clear, isn’t what this is—and you’re going to be living near the shop again, would you want to be the new manager?”
My brows furrow in confusion. That’s the last thing I expected her to ask. “Why? Where are you going? Please don’t tell me you’re moving.”
“Of course not.” She laughs. “You know I’m a sucker for this town, just as much as you are.
I’ll still be at Cowgirl Coffee, but Grandma wants to open another location in Grand Targhee.
She also wants me to learn more of the business behind the scenes.
I’ll still be around and based here, but I’ll be visiting the drive-up spot and new location more. ”
I stand there looking at her in stunned disbelief. I had no idea this was coming. I mean I always knew she’d probably run the shops one day, I just didn’t think it would impact me like this. She must sense my confused state because she grabs my shoulder.
“Oh, and the best part? You’d get a raise and bonuses.” She waggles her brows. “You don’t have to make your decision today, but you were obviously our first choice and the job is yours if you want it.”
OK. The raise part is welcome news and knowing I was their first choice means a lot.
“No.” I blurt out and now she’s the confused one, squinting back at me with a puzzled grimace. I palm my face and groan. “I mean—no, I don’t have to wait. I want to do it. You can go ahead and give Sandy the good news.”
“Oh my god, yes!”
My mind goes back to what Sutton and I talked about on one of our first hikes.
Maybe this could be my chance to get ahead.
“I do have one request I’d love to talk to Sandy about though.
Would it be too much to ask for a piece of the actual company?
Like instead of bonuses, maybe some kind of equity over time or something?
I don’t know, it’s just something I was—”
Monica smiles. “I think she would love to talk to you about that. Also, since I’m part owner already, I’m pretty sure I can convince her.”
I grin so wide because I don’t know the last time it felt like things were falling into place for me like this.
She shakes her head and snorts a laugh. “OK. Enough of the mushy stuff because your smile is starting to freak me out. I don’t think I can remember the last time you’ve gone this long without scowling at me.
” She tilts her head toward the bed and my luggage.
“Come on, let’s get you packed so we can get out to the bar and bug my favorite bartender because no offense to you, he’s way better at—”
She turns and walks over to the closet but stops when something on the wall catches her eye. “Wait, is that a framed picture of the Housewives of Honeycomb Ranch?”
She leans in for a closer look and then her head jerks back. “Wait, is it signed by all of them?”