Chapter 31
“W e still have Lucy,” Tori announced, glancing between them like the idea was brilliant and not borderline absurd.
The back deck of Whispering Pines buzzed with the kind of quiet chaos that only came with a Tori-led crisis. Alex, Will, and Tori huddled together while Fetch and Lady sprawled contentedly nearby, noses tucked and tails twitching in sleep.
Will blinked. “Lucy?”
Alex groaned. “Oh my gosh, don’t ask,” she warned, dragging a hand down her face.
“Lucy the llama,” Tori said, as if that clarified everything.
Will’s eyes widened with dawning recognition. “Wait, Lucy the Drama Llama? As in, social media sensation, went viral for holding a live nativity cast hostage and spitting on everyone?”
“That’s the one,” Tori confirmed with a proud nod.
“I had no idea that happened here,” Will said, clearly impressed and mildly horrified.
“It’s a bad idea,” Alex said, pointing a warning finger. “Can you imagine if she has one of her fits on the parade route?”
“She hasn’t had episodes since she took in that orphan fawn and became a mama,” Tori said with confidence, like she was talking about a reformed diva and not a barnyard menace.
“Hey, I remember hearing about that,” Will said, a soft grin tugging at his mouth. “What a heartwarming story.”
“You should put that in a book,” Tori said, nudging him.
Will’s grin grew. “You might be onto something.”
They all laughed, the kind of easy, unexpected laughter that felt more like friendship than anything else. But then Alex dropped her face into her hands with a groan.
“Great idea,” she mumbled, “but... what do I do about a Grand Marshal?”
Will straightened a little, a teasing spark in his eyes. “What about me? I don’t like to toot my own horn, but... toot, toot.”
Alex’s head snapped up, stunned. “I would never ask you to?—”
“You didn’t,” Will interrupted gently. “I offered.”
For a long moment, they just looked at each other, something unspoken fluttering between them, quiet and new.
Tori raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, well, love is in the air.”
Will and Alex both startled and turned their attention to her at once.
“What?” Tori said innocently. “I meant the dogs.”
As if on cue, Will and Alex glanced down at Fetch and Lady, now curled up side by side like they'd always belonged there. The sight was too sweet to ignore, and they spoke in unison, dry with amusement.
“Right, dogs. Darling,” Alex murmured, her eyes narrowing in mock suspicion.
“Oh yeah, cute,” Will added with a smirk, nudging Alex playfully as they both tried not to laugh.
* * *
Alex stretched out on the back deck of Whispering Pines, a gentle breeze fluttering the pages of Hearts Entwined as she turned them.
Her legs were tucked beneath her, and a cozy throw was draped over the arm of the chair.
Birds chirped in the trees overhead, and the scent of pine mingled with the faint aroma of fresh coffee wafting from inside.
Her phone rang, buzzing beside her mug. When she saw the name on the screen, a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She answered without hesitation.
“Hey. Did you get lost?” Alex asked playfully, lifting the phone to her ear.
High above on a trail overlooking the inn, Will sat perched on a large boulder, the dogs panting contentedly beside him. Binoculars hung around his neck, and he held his phone with a grin.
“Whatcha reading?” Will asked, unable to hide the teasing edge in his voice.
Alex’s eyes widened. She immediately snapped her book shut and tucked it behind a pillow.
“Where are you?” she demanded, scanning the treetops with suspicion.
“Watching you. Wait, that sounds…” Will paused, realizing too late how that had come out.
“Creepy?” Alex finished, arching a brow as she stood and started to pace the deck.
“I come by it innocently,” Will replied, sounding both amused and sheepish.
Alex turned in a slow circle, eyes combing the landscape for any sign of him. “If you jump out and scare me…”
“Though tempting,” Will said with a chuckle, “I’m too far away.”
Just then, she spotted him—high above the B&B on the trailhead, framed by the trees, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. She laughed.
“I’m pretty sure I just found you, but you have an unfair advantage,” Alex said, shading her eyes with one hand.
“Look under your chair,” Will instructed, a smile in his voice.
Alex blinked and crouched beside the wicker chair. Her fingers curled around something unexpected—binoculars. She pulled them out, plopped back into the chair, and aimed them toward the ridge. Will lifted a hand in greeting.
“There we go. Now I can see you,” Alex said, grinning through the lenses. “What are you doing up there?”
“Just taking a little break, giving the dogs a rest,” Will replied as he leaned back casually.
“And thought you’d call me…” she said, adjusting the focus.
“You never told me your story,” Will said, watching her closely from a distance.
“My story?” she asked, lowering the binoculars slightly.
“I told you about mine, and then…” he trailed off, as if reminding her of something important.
“Ah. The Grand Marshal debacle,” Alex said with a laugh.
“Yes. That. I’d like to learn more about you. What brought you here?” Will asked, his tone softening.
Alex rested the binoculars in her lap and looked toward the horizon as if the answer were written in the hills.
“Well, like you, I spent a lot of time here when I was young with my family,” she said thoughtfully. “This used to be my Great-Aunt’s home, so we would stay the summer here every year.”
“It means a lot to you, then,” Will said, his voice gentle.
“It always felt more like home than Portland ever did. So, when my fiancé broke my heart a week before our wedding…” She paused, a wry smile playing on her lips. “I left the city.”
“I’m sorry you went through that,” Will said sincerely.
“I’m not. Wasn’t meant to be, and it led me here. My Aunt needed help anyway, and the rest is history,” Alex replied, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
“And your aunt?” Will asked quietly.
“She passed a few years back and left the B&B to me,” Alex said, her voice soft but steady.
“So, this really was home all along,” Will said with a sense of admiration.
“I suppose so. I can’t imagine living anywhere else now,” she said, smiling to herself.
“I can understand why,” Will said. “Thank you for sharing that story with me. Any chance you want to accompany me on the big scavenger hunt this afternoon?”
“I think I can pencil you in,” Alex replied, her tone light again.
“Looking forward to it. And Alex?” Will added, just before hanging up.
“Yes?” she asked curiously.
“Let me know if you want me to sign that book for you,” Will teased.
The line disconnected before she could respond, and Alex burst into laughter. She held the book up, smirked at the cover, then shrugged.
“You’re impossible,” she muttered to herself as she opened the book again, still smiling.