Chapter 5
Chapter Five
JOSIE
“You have a daughter?” I sputtered. “How do I not know this?”
Tate’s lips twitched when my eyes went wide.
“Probably because you haven’t visited much.
It’s not even a long story. I met her mom when I attended the wedding of a college buddy.
She lives in Alaska. We sort of dated for a few months before she dropped off the radar.
It wasn’t like we were serious, so I didn’t think much of it.
Until I got a court order about her wanting to relinquish her parental rights four years ago.
They tracked me down because she told one of her friends I had to be the father.
Turns out, I am. Kara is six, and I’m juggling the single-dad life.
Without my friends and family, I have no idea how I’d do it. ”
“Wow,” I said slowly, trying to absorb this startling news. After a beat, I grinned. “Good for you, Tate. It’s just like you to step up like that.”
He smiled crookedly. “Once I knew, there was no doubt. It’s been an adjustment, and I’m sure I’m messing up half the time, but I’m doing my best. If you’re wondering where she is, my mom’s picking her up from daycare for me.”
“Well, I can’t wait to meet her,” I said, still trying to grasp what felt like monumental news. I was still pondering how I hadn’t heard about this, but then my parents had visited me more frequently than I’d come here in the past decade.
“Oh, you will,” he said with a low laugh.
“Anyway, let me show you around. Before I forget to mention, if you ever want to use those old ski trails before they get the resort up and running, just ask. We can go out together. The trails weren’t too overgrown when I bought the land.
I did some cleaning up, and they’re usable now. ”
“I appreciate it, and I might take you up on that.”
“Now, for the tour,” he began.
A mere five minutes later, I’d toured the small house. It had an open living room with a small efficiency kitchen to one side and a bathroom and laundry to the other. Upstairs was a loft bedroom with its own bathroom. “It’s even furnished,” he added.
“Wow, Tate,” I teased, “I didn’t expect furniture. This is amazing.”
He chuckled. “I’m glad it looks good. Do you want it?”
“I’m in! I was in before I even came out to see it, to be honest,” I said sheepishly. “Just tell me how much rent is, so I know what to expect.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Tate!” I protested.
He shrugged. “Josie, I wasn’t planning to rent this yet. You’re one of my oldest friends, so consider it a favor. What comes around goes around.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek as I studied him. “Once you get things rolling with the ski place, I can help with the website or something for free. I love doing that kind of stuff.”
“We’ll figure it out. So when do you want to move in?”
“Tonight?” I cast a hesitant smile.
“Anytime,” he replied with a grin.
“Awesome! I just have a few bags. I travel light,” I teased. “I think I’ll unload, then run to the grocery store.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
A few minutes later, Tate had hefted both of my overstuffed bags out of my car. When I tried to protest, all I’d gotten was a dismissive glance and “Josie, let me help.”
While I carried the one remaining bag, I managed to slip on the packed snow. Tate reached out to steady me, his big palm curling around my hip. It was a passing moment and a brief touch, but the heat went molten in my belly, and my pulse raced madly.
He insisted I come to his place for pizza and to meet his daughter when his mom drove up. After I hugged his mom, he introduced me to Kara, an adorable little girl with Tate’s straight dark hair. She looked up at me. “I love your curls!” she enthused.
“Why, thank you! I love your blue eyes,” I complimented.
“They’re like my daddy’s,” she announced, pointing at Tate.
A little while later, after we’d eaten and Kara had been tucked into bed, he lifted his glass of water for a toast. “To coming home, Josie-girl.” When his deep blue eyes crinkled at the corners and that smile stretched across his face again, I thought I might swoon right there at the table. Thank God for chairs.
A betrayal like what I’d experienced in high school lingered.
I hadn’t been serious with anyone since then.
When I was feeling morose about my lack of dating and relationship prospects, I told myself it was because I was busy and focused on my skiing career.
But my career-ending injury had happened three years ago.
I still hadn’t gone on more than a few casual dates.
It stung my pride that I couldn’t even recall how long it had been since my last date.
Whenever I contemplated my dismal dating life, I tried to remember that thing in elementary school about bucket-filling, that you tried to fill your bucket with good things.
I told myself I had lots of good things in my life.
Until the money started drying up from my sponsorships.
I really needed to land on my feet with this move home.
“That pizza was really good,” I commented.
He finished a swallow of water before replying, “Damn good.”
“Alpenglow Pizza.” I read the name on the box aloud.
“I see you still read labels all the time,” he teased lightly.
My cheeks got hot as I rolled my eyes. “Old habits die hard and all that.”
Lyle used to tease me relentlessly about that habit, which was probably why Tate knew of it.
“Kara’s adorable, by the way. She seems like a great kid,” I offered.
He smiled at first, but his gaze sobered. “She’s better than great, and I hope I’m doing this dad thing okay. I’ve discovered that constantly questioning my parenting is a daily thing.”
“I’m sure you’re doing great. Really.”
Tate took a slow breath. “Let’s hope so. Anyway, catch me up to speed on your life.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard everything from my parents,” I replied.
“I know the outlines. You won a gold medal. That’s badass, by the way,” he said with an exaggerated brow waggle. “I know you had that injury, and I’m sorry.”
“Thanks,” I said quietly. “I had to kiss my professional skiing career goodbye. My sponsorships have mostly dried up, and it’s expensive to live in a Colorado ski town. I decided to move home because nothing was keeping me there.”
He nodded. “What’s going on personally? How do you feel about coming home?”
Maybe it should’ve felt harder to have these conversations, but Tate was easy to be with.
He always had been. Although I had never been there there with him before.
He was never one to hold a grudge or overreact to things.
When I dated Lyle, the dark cloud would linger for days whenever we argued.
With Tate, it was more like a cloud passing across the sun, and it was sunny again.
Not that he and I had ever actually had an argument, but he and Kayla had, so I’d seen how it went.
Now that Lyle and Kayla were divorcing and it was messy, I couldn’t help but wonder if she regretted things.
It wasn’t like I was under any illusions that Lyle and I would’ve stayed together.
Statistically speaking, that would’ve been rare.
In hindsight, we weren’t the best fit as a couple, and definitely not for the long haul.
There was a twist to being home that I hadn’t expected.
On the one hand, it did bring up my issues around trust. Those insecurities rose like a big wave, but it crashed swiftly.
I had already moved past them, and I knew I was really over Lyle and Kayla.
I would never want to be her best friend again, and I was relieved there was no nostalgia coming up around Lyle. I was okay.
It was good to spend time with Tate and realize the memories of our little quad in high school were just one part of our story. From a distance, the memories at the end of high school had crowded out the foundation of our friendship.
Unsettled though I was by the startling flare of chemistry with him, it was a relief to feel like the rest of the mess had washed away with time.
“Josie?” Tate prompted after a moment of silence stretched between us.
Rather than filling him in on the entirety of my thoughts, I shrugged.
“Honestly, I feel pretty good about coming home. Oh, I won’t lie and pretend it was fun to injure myself badly enough that I don’t have a professional career in skiing anymore.
I won an Olympic gold medal, which was more than I ever hoped for.
It’s funny, though, how it seems like I’m always moving the goalposts in my life.
Hurting myself forced me to stop doing that, at least with skiing. ”
Tate was watching me quietly. “Good thing to figure out,” he said after another moment.
“It’s hard not to miss Alaska. Colorado’s beautiful, but Alaska’s home for me. Always will be. Starting back at Firehouse Café will buy me some time to get settled again.”
“I’m not asking this to be nosy. I’m legitimately curious—”
“Tate, I think that’s a nice way of being nosy,” I teased.
He chuckled. “I’m just trying to figure out your situation. You had some sponsorships before you got injured. I know things don’t last forever, and skiing isn’t a huge sport, but are you stressed financially?”
I took a swallow of water. “Sponsorship money only lasts so long. I’ve been living in a really expensive area.
All the things that go along with skiing at that level are expensive.
At first, after I got hurt, I didn’t want to rule out making a comeback, so I busted my butt with physical therapy and training.
My knee is as good as it’s going to get, but I couldn’t beat the stiffness that developed, and I never got my speed back.
It wasn’t cheap to keep training at that level, so what little cushion I had is gone.
I’m not flat broke, but I need some time to come up with a plan that makes sense in the long term.
I had started to do some online work, website building, and so on, but I need some time to get situated here.
It’ll be great to be at Firehouse Café. I love Janet. ”
Tate tipped his head to the side. “You don’t need to pay rent, Josie.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Tate, I’m not broke. I just told you that.”
“Josie, I’m not even actually renting the place yet.”
“I’m paying rent,” I ground out.
He leaned back in his chair, lifting both hands in surrender. “Okay, fine,” he said with an eye roll.
When our eyes met, the air felt lit with a charge, the force of chemistry building between us.