Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
B uzz. Buzz. It’s probably a spam call—because really, who calls me besides my mom and dad? And I literally just spoke to them an hour ago. I ignore the buzzing for a minute, knee-deep in my closet, rifling through clothes for my upcoming trip out West. A chiffon blouse? Too frilly. A long black skirt with a pashmina sweater? Way too girly. A cropped denim jacket and beige Carhartt pants? Now that says Alberta workwear.
The phone buzzes again, and I let out a huff as I stand up to grab it off the bed. “Hello?”
“Finally,” a familiar voice drawls on the other end. “Thought I was gonna have to drive out East to come and find you.”
“Gabe?” I ask, surprised. But also, so thankful to hear his voice again. It’s that comforting tone that brings me back to summer. I hear the telltale chime of a gas station door, followed by some twangy Christmas song echoing in the background.
“Hey,” he says softly, like he’s equally as happy to hear my voice. “You busy? Is this a bad time?”
“No… no. Where are you? I can hear country music in the background.”
“I’m at the general store grabbing a few things for the cabin, and I wanted to hear your voice before I go off the grid again.” There’s a short pause, maybe nerves. “I have something important I wanna ask you.”
A jingle of a doorbell, then the muffled thud of an SUV door closing. He exhales hard, and I can hear the tension in his breath.
“Gabe? What’s going on?”
There’s a beat of silence.
“Do you think of me?” he blurts, then rushes on before I can answer. “Do you miss me like I miss you every day? Am I alone in this? I need to know. I need closure because I can’t stop thinking about you, and it’s driving me insane. I feel like I should be fighting harder for this. So tell me—do we still have a chance?”
I open my mouth, momentarily speechless, because he’s basically voiced every feeling I’ve been bottling up. “Yes,” I finally say. “I think of you all the time. And yeah, I miss you too… You’re not crazy—I feel it, Gabe.”
He exhales into the phone. “That’s all I needed to hear. I know what I’ve gotta do.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m going to shut down the cabin and head to the city. I’m trying to find my way back to you.”
“You—wait, what?”
“I’ve been talking to my dad,” he says, his voice firm. “Working with him means I’ll be closer to the airport, so I can fly out whenever to see you.”
My eyes sting with tears. “You’re giving up your plan to buy Silvertip for me?”
He’s quiet for a second. “I’m not giving up on my plans. I’m just… reworking them. I want to be near you. I can save money anywhere, and Silvertip will still be there if it’s meant to be. But right now, you’re more important.”
My voice wobbles. “Gabe, I… I?—”
He gently interrupts. “Just promise me I’m not making this leap for nothing.”
“I promise. I meant it—I miss you every day.”
He chuckles softly, the kind of laugh that warms my entire chest. “That’s all I need. Next time I see you, I’ll be on my way out East.”
“Wait, Gabe,” I blurt. “I have something to tell you too. There have been some developments at work—our company made some acquisitions and it turns out I’m transferring West for work… so you might want to hold off on packing up the cabin just yet. I’m flying up in a week to meet our new team.”
Silence, then a long, careful exhale. “You’re serious? You’re coming here?”
“Yeah,” I say, with a small giggle. “It’s sudden, but this new position opened up with the acquisition, and I thought… It’s time I came back to Alberta. To you.”
He huffs a low, delighted laugh, and I can practically feel his grin. “That’s… that’s huge. I was just about to uproot everything, and all this time, you’ve been doing the same.” His voice dips, turning quieter. “You have no idea how good it feels to hear that.”
I laugh, relieved at how much weight has been lifted off my chest.
Gabe’s voice comes through the phone, low and amused. “Alright, you know what I gotta do now?”
I smirk, shifting the phone to my other ear. “What’s that?”
“Get this damn cabin on the grid so I don’t have to drive twenty minutes to a general store just to talk to you.”
I laugh. “Please. Who are you kidding? I know you’ll still drive out there to top up your stash of Cheezies.”
There’s a beat of silence before I hear the telltale crinkle of a chip bag. “Guilty as charged.”