Chapter Twenty-One
JOSIE
My headlights beamed a path through the darkness as I drove, feeling like the biggest fool in the universe.
It had taken me a minute, but then I’d pieced together who that woman was.
Marnie was Kara’s mom. No matter what, that old betrayal from high school still burned.
Not because Marnie had anything to do with it but because she was everything I wasn’t.
Beautiful, tall, and feminine in a way I’d never be.
Her presence had torn the scab off all my old insecurities.
Being the athletic one, never the pretty girl.
When Tate told me how he’d ended up with his daughter, I’d been puzzled.
Like, he was a solid guy. How in the world did he get involved with someone who would walk away from their daughter by choice?
Well, one look at Marnie told me everything.
She was the kind of woman who drew men like a magnet.
Maybe her life was a hot mess or had once been before, but she had enough charisma to be blinding.
I let out a sigh, swiping quickly at the tears welling in my eyes.
I’d gone and fallen in love with Tate. I was truly glad to be home in Willow Brook, but I was also staring down some old ghosts.
One of those ghosts was remembering who I was.
It wasn’t that I’d forgotten. I was the athletic skiing girl, not the pretty, fun girl like Kayla had been in high school, and not the sexy, firecracker type Marnie seemed to be.
I wasn’t so sure what all that meant for me and Tate. Maybe we needed to take a little space and time. We stumbled into this fast. I’d been trying to tell myself it was okay because our friendship was the foundation. Our history had a scorch mark in it from that old shared betrayal.
In a way, coming home helped me come to terms with that. It had loomed in my memories. If you’re going to screw around on somebody, don’t do it with one of your friends’ boyfriends. It just made the whole thing about a thousand times messier and more painful.
I told myself I was going to tell Tate how I felt once we got past this stupid drama. When I got home, I debated whether to go over to my place. I didn’t even have my stuff there. I decided I would wait and face him.
I didn’t know how long it would be before Tate got home, but I could guess because Madison texted me to let me know “the little drama ended” when Tate left. He’d caught a ride with Leo to return to Willow Brook.
I hoped the snow didn’t get much worse. This time of year in Alaska could be dicey.
The coldest part of winter was past, but sometimes the snow mixed with ice and rain, making it a more dangerous combination than plain snow.
I navigated the driveway carefully, letting out a sigh of relief when I parked my car and dashed up the stairs.
I kept looking out the windows, hoping to see headlights arcing through. When more than enough time had passed that Tate and Leo should’ve arrived, I finally called his phone. He answered, but the reception was bad, so the call was dropped.
I resorted to texting, thinking maybe that would work since he was a passenger. Nothing came back in response a full five minutes later. Anxious, I called Madison.
“Hello?” she answered after the first ring.
“Did you make it home?” I asked.
“Um, yeah. Why?”
“Tate isn’t here yet, and I know he’s riding with Leo, but it seems like they should’ve made it back by now. Do you know what time they left?”
“They left a few minutes before we did. I’m positive. I even heard Leo saying he had a full tank of gas, so they would be driving straight home.”
“I tried calling. Tate answered, but the call was dropped. He hasn’t responded to my text.”
“Give me a sec.” She moved the phone away from her mouth, and I heard her calling for Graham. “Do you mind if I put you on speaker?” she asked a moment later.
“Of course not.”
“Graham thinks a few cars from the crew are behind them.”
The drive from Anchorage to Willow Brook was a ballpark of forty-five minutes when the weather was good. It had taken me closer to an hour tonight when the sleet started to fall. Even though the drive wasn’t too long, there was a mountain pass to navigate and no other towns in between.
“I’m going to call Beck and Griffin,” Graham said. “They were both behind Leo and us. I’ll also try Leo. If you hear from Tate, let me know right away.”
Worry started to churn inside my chest. I knew Leo could handle the Alaskan roads, but in the winter, all it took was one wrong turn or an icy patch, and you could slide off the road and out of sight in a blink.
“Graham’s calling,” Madison said a moment later. “It’s going to be okay. Maybe they just stopped.”
“There’s nowhere to stop between Anchorage and Willow Brook,” I pointed out.
“I’m sure it’s fine. Maybe they decided to grab some food before they left town. Just because we thought they were going straight home doesn’t mean they didn’t change their mind.”
“I know.” I let out a sharp, unsettled sigh.
“Do you want me to stay on the phone with you or come over there?” Madison asked.
“No, I’m fine. And for God’s sake, don’t drive over here. The weather isn’t great, and it looks like it’s getting worse.” I peered out the windows to see the blur of snow and rain falling from the sky.
“You stay put, I’ll stay put, and we’re going to find them,” Madison said firmly.
After I got off the phone, I paced around the living room and kitchen.
My arms were wrapped tightly around my waist. Beyond the chronic worry, I kept replaying those moments in the airport.
I had enough sense to know Tate hadn’t expected to see Marnie, but the entire tableau had triggered my insecurities.
“Tate, please be okay,” I whispered to myself.
My cell phone rang. I forgot I’d turned the volume on and nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of it jangling loudly. I ran to the kitchen counter, practically skidding as I stopped beside it. “Hello!” I shouted into the phone.
“It’s Madison. They ran off the road, but they’re both fine.
Griffin and Tish were behind them and saw them slide off,” Madison explained.
Relief washed through me so fast I felt momentarily dizzy.
“The cell reception is bad there, but you know that. Maisie and Beck are there too. The local EMT crew from Willow Brook is already on the way.”
“Should I go meet them?” I was restless to do something.
“No!” Madison’s tone was firm. “It’s really icy out. It’s worse now than it was earlier. They’re fine.”
“Are you sure?” I pressed.
“Griffin and Tish stopped to check on them. They are fine. Beck and Maisie are waiting with them.”
“But if they’re fine, why aren’t they leaving?” I pointed out.
“Because they slid off the side of the road. Leo wants to wait until they get his vehicle out,” Madison explained patiently.
I felt like I was going to burst out of my skin.
“This isn’t adding up,” I insisted.
“It is adding up,” Madison retorted. “A tow truck is coming to get Leo’s truck back on the road, and an EMT crew will clear them. In the meantime, they’re waiting with Beck, Maisie, Griffin, and Tish.”
I sighed impatiently, pacing in a little circle around the kitchen island. “I’m going out there,” I announced.
I heard Madison’s voice as she moved the phone away from her ear. “Josie’s lost her mind and says she’s going to drive out there,” she said to Graham.
The next thing I knew, she put the call on speaker. “No, you are not,” Graham commanded.
I’d known Graham forever. It rubbed me the wrong way to have him tell me what to do. “I’ve lived in wintery areas my entire life. I can handle this drive,” I insisted.
“Oh my God,” Graham muttered. “Josie, stay put, please. The last thing anybody needs is for you to run off the road too. Leo also grew up in Alaska, but ice is ice.”
For some reason, that point got through to me, and I took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll wait. As soon as you know they’re back on the road, will you call me?”
“Of course. I’m sure Tate is going to try to call you. He probably has already,” he pointed out, his tone exasperated.
“I know,” I murmured. “Thanks for checking on all of this, Graham.”
It felt like forever before Madison called again to say everyone was on the road and driving back to Willow Brook with an estimated time of arrival of twenty minutes. Beck and Maisie would drop Tate off since Leo’s truck was getting towed.
As soon as I got off the phone with her, I called Tate. This time, the call didn’t get dropped. When he answered, I blurted out, “I love you!”