Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
TATE
I knew Josie was avoiding me. Okay, maybe I didn’t know it, but it sure felt like it.
Since she worked at Firehouse Café, she left well before sunrise in the mornings.
The only time I saw her was when she was at work.
She would blush while she waited on me and kept our conversation as superficial as possible.
I was downright restless for her. That kiss had been like pouring jet fuel on the chemistry that had burst to life between us.
Fortunately, I was busy with work and the usual day-to-day insanity of having a six-year-old daughter.
I’d thought I was done with homework after school, but every night, I sat with Kara at the kitchen table and helped her with homework.
One night, I met the guys at Wildlands Lodge for drinks and food, something we usually did once a week.
My mom was always happy to babysit Kara for me.
I sat with Graham, Beck, Levi, Wes, Griffin, and Hudson at a table. My old friend Lyle walked by, looking downright frustrated on a phone call.
Graham caught my eye. He had been a few years ahead of me in high school but was still familiar with the blowup around that whole mess.
Just then, Lyle happened to glance toward our table.
While already looking frustrated, he abruptly ended the call and stuffed his phone in his pocket, narrowing his eyes at Graham and me before stalking away through the crowd.
“What the hell did you do to him?” I teased.
Graham shrugged. “Dunno. Way back when, I told him he was a fucking asshole for what happened in high school, but that’s old news. Although maybe it doesn’t feel too old these days now that they’re breaking up.”
I rolled my eyes. “That shit isn’t something I dwell on.”
Graham nodded. “Of course not. You got the better deal. You saw Kayla’s true colors before you invested much more in that relationship.
I understand it more than most that we don’t make the best decisions with who we date in high school.
I got an awesome kid out of it, but her mom’s long gone,” he said dryly.
I chuckled as my mind spun back to high school. Graham got his homecoming queen girlfriend pregnant. She left town within weeks of having the baby, and he’d raised Allie on his own. Graham’s parents were friends with mine. They’d babysat for Allie when she was younger a few times.
“Dude, I remember how stressed out you were.” I let out a low whistle.
Hudson, who was newer to town, glanced back and forth between us. “When did you have Allie?” he asked.
Graham chuckled. “My girlfriend got pregnant when I was a senior in high school. It was right at the end of the year. She didn’t want anything to do with having a baby. It was really stressful for a while, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Talk about trial by fire.”
“Wow.” Hudson leaned back in his chair. “Obviously, I knew you had a daughter, but I didn’t do the math about when you had her.”
“I hated math in high school,” I quipped.
After I spoke, I felt the hairs rise on the back of my neck.
I knew that Josie was somewhere nearby. I tried to resist the urge to look over my shoulder, but I couldn’t, and I glanced over to see her approaching our table with Graham’s wife, Madison; Hudson’s girlfriend, Stella; and Casey, who worked at Firehouse Café.
My body let out an internal whoop. It would be a challenge for Josie to keep avoiding me with all of our mutual friends. Of course, we were actually friends. I was starting to worry that the kiss might’ve ruined that.
Graham stood from the table, sliding his arm around Madison’s waist when she stopped beside his chair. He leaned down and gave her a lingering kiss. The man was seriously in love.
Josie’s eyes met mine from where she stood between Madison and Casey.
Although the light in the restaurant wasn’t the brightest, I could see the pink tinge on her cheeks.
It felt like she twirled a lasso in the air and cinched it around me.
My cock twitched, and I told my body to stand the fuck down.
“Hey, Josie,” I said, keeping my voice level.
She swallowed. “Hey, Tate.”
I loved the low rasp of her voice. I heard Hudson asking Stella if they were going to join us. Stella shook her head, her blond curls swinging. “No, thank you,” she said tartly. “Girls’ night.”
Hudson looked downright disappointed. Graham waved them off and sat back down with a loopy grin. “Dude, you are still whipped by your wife,” I teased, nudging him lightly with my elbow.
He shrugged. “Don’t care. I love her.”
His eyes shifted to watch Madison walk away. Glancing back at me, he added, “Josie’s renting from you, right?”
“Yep.”
“Good to see her back. I bet she’s stoked about the plans to re-open that old ski place,” he commented.
I nodded as Hudson asked, “Didn’t she win something in the Olympics?”
“Gold medal. Josie’s one of Willow Brook’s finest,” I said with a grin, feeling a surge of pride. I’d always been proud of Josie.
“What brought her home?” Graham asked.
“She told me she always missed Alaska. After she won gold, she got injured, so professional skiing isn’t really an option for her anymore,” I explained.
“That is so freaking cool that she won,” Hudson said.
“Damn straight,” Beck chimed in, overhearing our conversation.
It abruptly occurred to me that Lyle might still be around. With Josie here, I didn’t want her to feel awkward. I quickly scanned the restaurant, but I didn’t see him.
As if he could read my mind, Graham leaned close. “No doubt Josie knows things worked out the way they should. I think Lyle’s gone too.”
“I know, but I don’t want it to be awkward for her.” I wasn’t sure how to interpret Graham’s expression, but he knew me well. If he had an opinion about my protectiveness of Josie, he didn’t offer it now.
I managed to pay half attention to the conversation at the table but was distracted after Josie showed up. When it was time to go, I slipped out through the back hallway. Just as I passed the doorway that led into the women’s restroom, the door swung open, and Josie stepped out.
She walked straight into me, letting out a startled squeak as she bounced back. The brief imprint of her body against mine felt like a bolt of lightning striking me. “Tate!” she yelped.
I reached out to steady her when she stumbled a little as she stepped back. My hand landed on the soft curve of her hip.
“I’m so sorry!” she added.
“No worries,” I replied, trying to rein in my pulse. It had kicked off in a rolling drumbeat. “You heading out?”
Looking up at me, she nodded. “You?”
The pause stretched like elastic between us before I kicked my brain into gear. “I am.”
She glanced down the hallway where we could see the snow falling through the window on the upper half of the door. “The snow’s getting heavy.”
“Do you want to ride with me?”
She shook her head as we began to turn together. It felt as if a current of electricity circled between us as we walked down the narrow hallway.
“Tate, I might not have been in Alaska for the past decade of winter, but I’ve been where it snows. I can handle the drive home,” she said dryly, laughing a little when I held the door open for her.
“I wasn’t doubting your driving skills. I’ll be following you home anyway.”
A few minutes later, I watched the soft glow of her taillights as I drove.
I muttered a curse to myself. Life carried on when it snowed in Alaska, even when it snowed heavily, but I hadn’t thought to make sure to have the driveway plowed tonight.
Several inches had already fallen when I walked into Wildlands earlier.
It was the worst kind of snow. Some people called it “snot snow.” It wasn’t sleet or icy rain, but it was a messy type of snow that smeared under your tires on the surface of the road, making it hard to keep traction.
I quickly tapped my dash and selected Josie’s contact.
She didn’t answer, but then that was probably smart because she was driving.
I was relieved she kept a slow speed all the way home.
The next challenge was the driveway. There was a dip that I didn’t like.
When spring came, I planned to install guardrails on the side because the drive was narrow and it fell off steeply on each side with no shoulder.
I didn’t follow Josie too closely. Just when I thought it was all clear, she tapped her brakes, and in a split second, her car slipped right off the shoulder. It was a short hill, but there was no way she would be driving back up in the darkness.
I stopped, leaving my headlights on as I hurried out of my truck and down the slope. Her car was only about ten feet off the road. Before I even reached it, she was climbing out. “I’m fine, Tate!”
My heart kicked so hard against my ribs that it wouldn’t surprise me if I’d cracked a few. Intellectually, I knew she was fine, but still.
I stopped in front of Josie. “That scared me,” I said on the heels of my breath coming out in a gust.
She leaned into her car, turning off her headlights before grabbing her purse and throwing her hood up over her head.
“You okay?” I asked, placing my hands on her shoulders.
“Totally fine. My pride is dinged because I just told you back there that I’m good on snowy roads, and then I drove off the road.” She looked back toward her car. “This is the worst kind of snow, though. It’s sloppy.”
“It is.” We grinned at each other as we clambered up the short but steep embankment.
Moments later, I was parked in front of the houses. “You go on in. I’ll turn my truck off after you’re inside.”
“Tate, I can walk through the snow in the dark,” Josie protested. She glanced over at me with a glare.
“Humor me.”
With another eye roll and a huff, she climbed out and tromped through the snow.
After her door closed, I turned my headlights and engine off and walked into my house.
I’d barely closed the door and greeted my mom when my cell phone chimed.
Josie’s name flashed on the screen as I slipped it out of my pocket.