Chapter 18
K elly walked up to the front door of Miles’s house and knocked. It was late, the house was dark, and she worried she would wake Emma. After a few minutes of no movement, she tried knocking again. Nothing.
She dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. She frowned. Jackson and Mia lived close by, so she tried them. If that didn’t work, she would head to the resort to get a room for the night. She didn’t want to wait until the morning, but would if it came down to it.
She drove over to Jackson’s house and parked at the curb. The light in the living room was on, and she sighed in relief. She walked up to the door and knocked lightly. Within minutes, Jackson had pulled the door open. An orange cat was seated on his shoulder.
A laugh burst from her lips. “Uh, hey. What a cute kitty.”
Jackson’s eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”
Kelly threw a thumb over her shoulder. “I was trying to see Miles, but he isn’t answering. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
“Of course he isn’t answering. He’s in Colorado!”
Kelly staggered back as if she had been pushed. “Wait, what? Why is he in Colorado?”
“To see you , of course.” He said it as if it were the most obvious answer.
“But… what? I’m here .”
Jackson stared at her. The cat on his shoulder did the same thing but tilted its head as if it were studying her.
“Obviously.” Jackson took hold of Kelly’s shoulders and turned her around. “Off you go. Go back to Colorado.”
Mia appeared in the doorway with a white cat perched on her shoulder. Kelly raised an eyebrow. It was the weirdest thing to see. She knew cats did it occasionally, but she had never seen it in person. And not with a cat content to stay there and not attempt to escape the house.
“What’s going on?” Mia asked. Then her eyes widened when she saw Kelly. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be in Colorado!”
“So I’ve heard.”
Two more kittens appeared in the doorway, weaving around Jackson and Mia’s legs. Kelly’s eyebrows raised. “Wow. You have a whole herd of cats.”
“A clowder,” Jackson said.
“What?”
“A group of cats is called a clowder. But back to the point. Shoo. Go to Colorado. Be gone with you!” He moved his hands in a shooing motion again.
Mia put a hand on Jackson’s arm. “I think it would make more sense for Miles to come back here instead.” Then, her eyes turned to Kelly. “That’s assuming you’re staying.”
Kelly nodded. “I am. Karen offered me a job, actually.”
Jackson’s eyebrows raised. “She did? Then why did she let Miles fly to Colorado?” He shook his head vigorously before taking the cat off his shoulder and setting it on Mia’s other shoulder. “You stay here with Emma. I’m taking Kelly to Mom and Dad’s place.”
“Okay. Welcome back to Wintervale, Kelly.”
Kelly waved and followed Jackson to his parents’ house. After they both parked, they walked up to the front door and knocked. The porch light flipped on, and his dad opened the door.
“Jackson? Kelly?”
“No time for chitchat, Dad. We need to talk to Mom,” Jackson said. He pushed inside the house, and Kelly smiled at James apologetically before stepping inside.
“It’s nice to see you, James.”
“You as well, Kelly. Did you decide to take us up on the job offer?” he asked.
She nodded. “I have. I was hoping to come tell Miles in person, but I understand he’s in Colorado.”
“He is.”
They walked toward the living room, where they could hear Jackson talking to his mom.
“Why did you offer her a job and then send Miles down to Colorado?” Jackson asked.
Karen looked up at him. “I didn’t send Miles to Colorado.” Karen looked at Kelly as she entered the room. “Hi, honey. It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you as well,” Kelly said. “I hear I may have mucked things up by showing up unannounced.”
Karen stood and stepped over to Kelly, pulling her into a hug. “Not at all. It’s kind of beautiful, actually, you both going to see each other at the same time.” She pulled back. “Assuming you came up to see Miles and not just for the job.”
Kelly laughed. “I came to see Miles. I wanted to talk to him about the job in person and let you know I am accepting it.”
Karen clapped her hands together. “Wonderful.”
Jackson threw his hands in the air. “What about Miles?”
Karen sighed and looked at Kelly apologetically. “Forgive Jackson. He’s our dramatic one.”
“I’m not dramatic!” He tossed his hands in the air again and began pacing across the room in long strides.
James put his arm around Karen. “Seeing as it’s late and you won’t be able to get to Colorado tonight, nor will Miles be able to fly home, you’re welcome to stay here.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll make up the guest bed for you,” Karen said.
“If it’s no trouble,” Kelly said, suddenly feeling guilty for showing up without warning.
In her head, it had been much more romantic.
She hadn’t expected not to find Miles. All the scenarios that played out in her head were now gone, and she would have to look forward to seeing him tomorrow instead.
But if there had been any question of whether Miles wanted her to be there, that was now answered. He wouldn’t have flown all the way to Colorado if he didn’t feel the same about her as she did about him.
“No trouble at all,” Karen said. She then excused herself from the room, with James following behind.
Kelly’s phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out. Miles’s name flashed across the screen.
“Hello?” Kelly said.
“Hey, uh, so I’m at your place,” Miles said. “And I found out you’re in Montana.”
She held the phone closer to her ear and giggled. “Yeah. I’m currently at your parents’ place.”
He sighed into the phone. “I came to get you. To bring you back to Wintervale.”
“I heard. And I drove all the way up here to be near you… if you’ll have me.” Saying it now felt silly considering he had flown to Colorado to see her, but she still wanted to make sure.
“Of course, I will. I’m just a little bummed I have to wait another day to see you.”
“I know,” she said softly. “Me too.”
“Can I talk to him?” Jackson asked, walking up to Kelly and plucking the phone out of her hand. She looked up at him incredulously. Jackson put the phone to his ear. “Dude, Mom offered her a job and then sent you to Colorado. Can you believe it?”
Kelly couldn’t hear Miles’s response, but Jackson immediately became defensive. “She did send you!” Then he paused as Miles replied. “Okay, whatever, dude. I’m just trying to sympathize. I’m going back home.”
Jackson handed the phone back to Kelly and went to the door, leaving without another word.
“Um, hello?” Kelly said into the phone.
Miles chuckled. “Jackson is so dramatic sometimes. Don’t mind him.”
“Do I really have to wait another day to see you?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I’ll book the first flight out of here tomorrow.”
Kelly clutched the phone tighter. “I miss you.”
“I miss you.” He sighed. “Your pillow smells like you.”
“I wanted to surprise you and talk to you in person, but I’m moving up here.”
“Ava and Cole told me. I can’t tell you how excited I am.”
“Your mom offered me the event coordinator job, and I accepted.”
He lightly chuckled. “I only wish she had told me that. Then I wouldn’t have come down here, and I’d be with you right now.”
Kelly giggled. “To be fair, I never actually accepted the position until a few minutes ago. I was so excited it just slipped my mind.”
Miles laughed. “Well, I’m happy you accepted.”
“Me too.”