Chapter 6 #2
“This is my definition of heaven.” The three of us giggle at that. “Wow, thank you. I’m so happy I found this store. I’ll just browse a bit, leave with a stack the size of Texas, and get out of your hair.”
“You are absolutely not in my hair,” Billie assures me. “Take your time, friend.”
I break off and start to browse, pulling books off shelves to read the back covers.
It seems I’m physically incapable of putting anything back.
“You have good taste,” Billie says when I walk to the counter, and she sees my paperback haul.
“I have to stop before I buy out the whole store.” I laugh. “How do you not have every single book in your house?”
“She does,” Skyla informs me. “She’s married to my brother, and he built her a Beauty and the Beast library in their house. It’s alarmingly beautiful.”
“Holy shit.” I can feel my eyes bugging out of my head. “Good for you, girl. Hang on to that man.”
“Oh, I plan to.” With a laugh, Billie tosses in some stickers and a bookmark.
I leave with eleven books, not counting the extra book club copy I bought for Ava, and with my finds in a cute little Billie’s Books tote bag on my shoulder, I wave at the two women and walk outside.
When I pulled in, I spotted a restaurant just across the street that I want to try, so I cross over without stowing my books in the car first.
I might want to read one while I eat.
Pushing inside, I feel the smile spread over my lips again. Sage & Salt is airy and beautiful. It looks like Joanna Gaines designed it with a farmhouse feel.
When I get to the back of the restaurant where you place your order, I see that the entire menu is gluten-free.
In fact, the signage states this is a clean kitchen, meaning it’s safe for those with celiac disease and wheat sensitivities.
Holy shit, I’m in love. Can I move in here?
“Hey there,” a pretty blonde says with a smile, showing me deep dimples in her cheeks. “Welcome in.”
“Thank you. How long has this place been here?”
“Only a couple of months.” She wipes the back of her hand over her brow as she leans against the counter. “I’m Juliet, the owner. It’s been a labor of love, but we’re finally open.”
“Well, I’m Harper, and I’m thrilled because I try to stay as gluten-free as possible. I might be in here every day to get my fix and harass you.”
“Excellent,” Juliet replies with a wide grin. “I can’t wait to be harassed. What are you hungry for today?”
I skim the menu and bounce on the balls of my feet in excitement. This massive menu has pasta dishes, sandwiches, and even Mexican food. Not to mention, I see that they have a big cooler full of grab-and-go options, which will be great when I’m working.
What? I love food. Sue me.
“I need those fajitas, please.”
“Chips and salsa on the side? Guac?”
“You’re speaking my love language,” I inform her, and Juliet laughs.
“You got it. Anything to drink?”
“Just water is great.”
“Have a seat anywhere, and I’ll bring it out to you.”
I pay the tab, drop some money in the tip jar, then settle at a table by the windows. I pull out the book club paperback to dig into and am fully immersed, several chapters in, when Juliet delivers my dinner.
“Is that good so far?” She gestures to my book.
“I’m loving it,” I reply and pop a chip in my mouth. “I think I’m going to join the book club across the street. Are you a reader?”
“A voracious one,” she confirms. “Less now that I’m here all the time, but yes. That bookstore is a gem, and the owner is just the best.”
“You should join the book club.”
Her smile turns kind of sad, and she lifts a shoulder. “It’s complicated. But I’ll scoop that one up for sure. Enjoy your dinner, Harper.”
And I do. I’ve never been one of those people who doesn’t like to go out to eat alone. It doesn’t bother me at all .
Besides, I’m not alone. I have a whole motorcycle club with me.
I’ve been questioning why I didn’t move home much sooner.
My job is excellent. I found a reliable car, the cutest bookstore ever, and a fucking fabulous restaurant. Yesterday was a great day of exploring Bitterroot Valley.
I spent this morning catching up on laundry and a little housework. I went to the grocery store to stock up for the coming week, and I even got a little more reading in. I dropped Ava’s book off to her last night from the safety of her doorway, and she’s excited about it, too.
And now that all of my chores are done, I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon in the woods.
There’s a hike I remember as a teenager that I want to do today. The trail isn’t too far from Xander’s house, just outside of Bitterroot Valley. I looked it up online last night to make sure it’s still there, and that it’s what I remember it being.
It’s better.
New trails have been added, and according to the photos posted on social media, it looks incredible.
I’m so excited to get outside and sweat a little on the trail.
I pull up to the trailhead and park. Although the parking lot isn’t completely packed, it’s also not empty, which makes me feel better.
I don’t want to hike in the woods alone.
There are animals out here. Mountain lions and bears. There are also men.
And yes, if I had to choose, I’d go with the bear.
I clip my bear spray to my backpack, change into my hiking shoes, tug my hat on my head and thread my ponytail through the back, then lock the car.
I dressed in layers because it’s still a bit cool, especially in the shade. But it’s spring in Montana, so it’ll warm up as the day progresses, and I’ll start to sweat.
I’ll stow my shell in my backpack when the time comes.
I pause to read the trail map sign, double-check where I want to go, then head off in that direction. I’ll gain about eight hundred feet in elevation today, but the reward of seeing the view of the lake and mountains will be so worth it.
It’s been dry enough that the trail doesn’t have much mud on it, and before long, I’m in the zone , enjoying the trees and the fresh pine-scented air. I love the way my lungs start to stretch and my muscles engage.
A family of deer crosses the path about a quarter of a mile from the trailhead, making me grin. The baby is so tiny , covered in white spots, and she watches me curiously. I stop and wait for them to go on by, not wanting to startle them.
I pass several couples and then a single man, who doesn’t even give me a second look as he passes by, clearly zeroed in on his workout.
It feels good to be home. Better than I even thought it would when I made the decision to come back and take care of Greg.
I think I avoided moving back for so long because I was ashamed that I got into that relationship with Nathan and ended up leaving with practically nothing to my name.
And he was so unpredictable, I didn’t know if he’d follow me.
And if that was the case, I wasn’t going to lead him here.
The traveling nurse position gave me the opportunity I needed to leave a bad relationship and work on myself before I was ready to come home to be with the people I love the most.
And the fact that I needed to heal from someone who was supposed to love me really pisses me off.
When I think back to the way he treated me. The way he would sneer at me or tell me that I was horrible at being a nurse or a friend.
That I was a miserable fuck in the bedroom.
It just makes me rage.
Because I didn’t deserve any of that. Not one second of it. And it took me way too long to get up the gumption to leave.
Between the exercise and the anger from thinking about the jerkwad, I’m starting to get hot, so I pause at the side of the trail, take my backpack off, then unzip and remove my jacket. After I roll it up, I stuff it into the backpack and then take a drink of water.
I can hear a stream or a river. I forgot about that. Its soothing babbling smooths out my rough edges from thinking about Nathan.
With a deep breath, I turn to stow my water bottle and put the backpack back on, and then freeze.
Well, shit.