Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
ZOEY
“ I s this punishment for last weekend?”
Ahead of us, Carl leads the way through the woods, ten third-graders following behind him.
“I take you to the city for two days, and you pay me back with mud and plenty of roots to trip over?”
Matt peers over at me, a smile tugging on his lips. “I like how reasonable you’re being about this beginner-friendly, two-hour hike only thirty minutes outside of Pine Falls with a bunch of eight-year-olds.”
I hide my amusement in my turtleneck. The truth is, being back here feels right. Vancouver was almost… suffocating. We were gone just over forty-eight hours, and yet when we drove past the Pine Falls welcome sign, relief flooded my system.
I’d completely forgotten that Matt was set to replace Oliver on Carl’s monthly hike with the Year threes of Pine Falls School, but when he asked me if I still wanted to tag along, I didn’t even hesitate.
Which, first, weird, because hiking and I aren’t the best of friends.
More like we’re total strangers. I’ve never hiked a day in my life, nor did I own hiking boots until Matt left a cute purple pair on my porch yesterday, along with a bouquet of wildflowers.
And second, I’ve actually been looking forward to today, to being with the kids and Matt while he showed me more about the place he loves so much.
“Jury’s still out on the two-hour thing.
” I jump over a big root running across the path.
“My dad used to trick me with phony estimated times when I was younger. ‘It won’t be more than thirty minutes, princess,’” I say in a deep voice.
“Yeah, sure. Then four hours later, I’d still be spinning in a conference chair with my legs and arms dangling. ”
He laughs softly. “I promise you, Zoé, we’ll make it back to the bus in about…” He checks his watch. “An hour and thirty minutes. You’ll see. And the view up there will be worth it.”
Catching my wrist, he pulls me to him and presses his lips to mine. It’s soft, and far too quick. I try to hold him against me a bit longer, but then the kids start to make noises around us.
“ Ew .”
“Kissing is so gross.”
“Later,” Matt whispers the promise, then turns to the kids. “Get moving, you noisy little monsters.”
We resume our walk, Matt never leaving more than a few inches of space between us.
He makes it so easy to lose my bearings.
To forget that I have responsibilities and a job to do.
Every time he comes near me, my body becomes hyperaware of his presence, vibrating with anticipation.
Will he touch me? In what way? Kiss me? Hold me close enough for me to feel just how much he’d like me closer?
Will he be as desperate as he was in that hotel bathroom, begging me for his own release?
God, it was so hot I almost came a second time at the sound of his plea and a third at the taste of him on my tongue.
Ever since that night, I’ve been longing for a chance to be alone with him, but his schedule hasn’t made it easy. When he’s not working at the store, he’s looking after his sister, which leaves little room for stolen moments together.
And tomorrow, the people of Pine Falls will vote on my proposal. My stomach twists into a knot. Every hour brings me closer to leaving this town and stepping into my legacy, like a ticking time bomb counting down to its final second.
Plans change. There is more than one way.
“What would happen to Emile’s land if the hotel wasn’t built?” I ask as we continue our climb.
“Not sure,” Matt shrugs. “I haven’t heard anything about other projects. Yours is the talk of the town.”
My heart pounds in my throat. Words dance on my tongue.
Words that have only ever lived in my head, exploring an idea I’ve never given more than ten seconds before I came here.
Lately, though, they’ve been all I fixate on.
They worm their way in without my permission, especially when I find myself dreaming about another life.
“Hypothetically,” I say, my voice reedy, “what would you think about me going back to school?”
He arches a brow, assessing me.
I glance away, unable to bear his scrutiny, keeping my focus fixed on the kids trotting in front of us.
“Hypothetically… I think you can do whatever you set your mind to. If you want to go back to school, then that’s what you should do.”
At thirty-two. After spending most of my career forcing myself to fit the mold my dad shaped for me. Gosh, I feel so stupid for never standing up for myself.
“What about the hotel?” he says, cutting into my thoughts. “And your dad?”
“I don’t want to give up on the project,” I reply. “I still believe it’d benefit the town and especially the small businesses that would be affiliated. But after the assembly vote this weekend, if it’s secured…” I sigh. “I’m not…”
“You’re not sure you want to take your father’s place,” Matt finishes for me.
I nod, startled when his hand brushes mine.
“It’s okay, Zoé.” He laces our fingers. “You’re allowed to want something different. To change your mind. To grow.”
The climb is getting steeper, our breathing picking up, and the kids are slowing down.
“Come on, guys,” Carl shouts from the front of our group. “We’re almost there.”
“Am I?” I ask, the words barely audible. “It’s always been my father’s plan to give me the reins, and he’s been wanting to retire for years. I pushed and pushed the deadline until I had no choice but to tell him I was ready.”
Matt jogs a couple of feet ahead and helps a girl with pigtails climb a rock in the middle of the path. When I reach him, he holds out his hand. I take it.
“If your father planned his whole retirement around the promise that you’d take over his company,” he says, helping me up, “then he’s a worse businessman than I thought.”
He has the good sense not to add And I already had a pretty low opinion of him .
I give him a look and he smirks.
“What I mean is, I can’t imagine he’d put all his eggs in your basket. He must have a backup plan. But even if he doesn’t, this is your future, Zoé. Not his. You didn’t choose any of this. If you said no, the company would be fine.”
My stomach flips. He’s right, but… “I doubt he would ever speak to me again if I gave up now.”
Matt scoffs, his fingers tightening around mine.
“If that’s all it takes for him to shut his own daughter out, then I’m sorry, beautiful, but he doesn’t deserve to have you in his life.
” He shakes his head. “It’s a fucking privilege to get to share this life with you.
” That last part is muttered, but I hear the words perfectly, and my pulse spikes.
In front of us, the kids start shouting.
“We’re here!”
“Oh my god, is that my house? It’s so tiny from here.”
“Matt, come and see!”
“I’ll be right there,” he calls back.
We climb the few feet left separating us from the rest of the group, and once we’re at the top, the sight comes into focus, stealing the air from my lungs.
The thick forest surrounding us throughout the hike clears, leaving us with a breathtaking view of Pine Falls.
I swallow, my eyes stinging from the gusts of wind and the desperate pang growing deep inside me.
It’s so obvious to me now. I exhale sharply, angry with myself, drinking in the panorama in front of me.
It’s so obvious . The words pound in my head.
And still, it sneaks up on me so fast, as I survey the town from here. It’s so small and so peaceful, shrouded in pines and maple trees, tucked away on the mountainside like a beating heart in a sheltering embrace.
This is the place I want to call home.
I’ve never called anywhere home.
That knowledge sits on my chest, heavier than a rock at the bottom of the ocean.
What am I supposed to do now? Give up what I’ve spent years working so hard for, sacrificing love, friendships, hobbies, and pieces of myself along the way? Slam the door in my dad’s face and turn my back on him, knowing there’s a good chance he’ll cut me out of his life?
I take a deep breath, the fresh scent of pine and earth filling my lungs and easing my clouded mind. “The University of British Columbia offers some interesting programs,” I say, my tone low.
Matt’s gaze is riveted on me. Intrigued, scared, wishful. “Yeah?”
Impatient too, by the sound of his voice.
“There’s a pediatric nursing graduate course. Half online, half in residence in the hospital of the student’s choosing.”
The hum vibrating under my skin during the three years I spent studying pediatric nursing has never completely gone away. That rush of fulfillment that welled up inside me every day because I knew I could make a difference in someone’s life.
It was all I wanted. Until my father decided otherwise.
But with each day spent in Pine Falls, that humming has been singing louder than ever. I feel it everywhere. Awakening and brewing in places I long ago sealed shut.
Matt’s throat works hard, his gaze fixed on Pine Falls beneath us. “Online, huh?”
“Yep.” I force my attention to the town too.
“That’s… that’s good.” In my periphery, he nods. He throws a glance my way, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. “If that’s what you wanna do, I support you. Always.”
Finally, I peel my eyes off the view and take him in. The wayward strands of hair floating around his face, the sweat that coats his skin shimmering in the daylight, that easy, lopsided smile that draws me in every time.
But it’s his eyes that make my knees do a shaky little dance. The way he’s watching me like I just gave him the world. Like I belong to him and nobody else.
My chest warms with tingling sparks.
I like it. I like it a lot.
Matt takes a step closer, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger. “Hypothetically,” he whispers. His face softens and my heart follows. “How hypothetical is all of this?”
My eyes flutter shut. “I don’t know. I—I’m thinking. I’ve been doing a lot of that. My head is a mess, Matt. I’ve never felt pulled in two directions like this before.”
Like a tug-of-war between my heart and my mind.
“We’ll talk tonight.” He scans our surroundings, taking in the kids playing on rocks and running, having sword fights with sticks they’ve found along the rail. “When it’s just the two of us.”
I raise an eyebrow. “The two of us?”
“It’s Saturday night. Daph is at a friend’s house for her weekly sleepover. I thought maybe you could spend the night at my—”
“ Yes .”
His gaze heats up, and a wry smile dances across his lips. “I can’t wait to have you all to myself.”
I want that too. In all the ways he can’t even picture. The soft ways and the hard ones. I want the vulnerable moments and the unguarded truths. The simple, unfiltered trinkets of our lives woven together.
I want to be his. And that fucking terrifies me.