Chapter 30
Iwoke the next morning to a throbbing headache in my temple. When I opened my eyes, discomfort hit almost instantly. I sucked in a sharp breath and carefully reached up to touch my stitches.
I’d hit my head on a step after talking with Tyler.
Jay had stitched me up.
Jay had insisted on checking up on me every few hours.
And I had, in fact, moaned his name in my sleep like a hormonal idiot.
“Fantastic,” I muttered, allowing myself a dramatic little wince as I went to find some medicine.
On the counter was a glass of water and two little pills. He must’ve come to check on me once more without my knowing.
I gratefully downed the Tylenol and then made myself some coffee. Thankfully I had a few days to rest until my next shift. I wanted to take it easy the next few days. When I got hurt, I was a bit of a wimp actually.
I was looking forward to sitting in my bed while reading one of my favorite books and nursing my wounds: the head injury and my dignity.
Just as I sat down on the couch to pull a blanket over myself and wallow, I heard the doorbell ring.
I frowned. It was a faint ringing, not on my side of the house, but I could still hear it. I heard Luna bark softly and then nothing for a moment.
The doorbell rang again.
More barking ensued, and then a few more moments of silence before it rang three more times.
“Who in the world—”
I listened for Jay, hoping I’d hear his footsteps or some indication that he was going to get the door, but of course, there was only Luna’s barking.
“Okay! I’m coming!”
I shoved my hair into something vaguely resembling a messy bun, still in my pajamas, and padded downstairs. The bell rang twice more during my descent, each chime more aggressive than the last.
Luna was jumping all over the place, and with some gentle cooing, I herded the little marshmallow to the back porch before going to answer the door.
When I finally swung the door open, breathless and slightly irritated, I was met with a familiar face that immediately melted all my irritation away.
“HELLOOOOOO, Sunshine!”
Emily stood on the porch holding an iced coffee in one hand and a tote bag in the other. Her red curls were sporadically coiled around her face, and she was grinning from ear to ear with her classic ready-to-summon-chaos expression.
I blinked. “Emily?”
“In the flesh.” Emily stepped into the foyer and immediately pulled me in for a bone-crushing hug.
“Oh my gosh,” I mumbled into my friend’s shoulder. “You’re actually here.”
“Of course I’m here,” Emily said, squeezing me once more before pulling back. “Let me look at you.” Her smile quickly faded when she began her perusal of my appearance and landed on the stitches by my eye. “Oh my gosh. What happened to you?”
“Oh, uh. I sorta fell down some stairs yesterday. But it’s really not a big deal. I’m okay now.” I gave a weak laugh, and Emily shook her head, giving me a knowing look.
“You’ve always been such a klutz. You really need to work on your balance.”
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks. I’ll try to fit it into my schedule.”
Emily gave me a sympathetic little pat on the shoulder before she stepped past me into the entryway. Her head tilted as she took in the vaulted ceilings, the dark wood floors, and the panoramic view of the lake through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“You live here? Oh my gosh, Hope. This is insane.”
“Well, I don’t live in this part. I live in the apartment above the garage,” I clarified.
“Still,” Emily said, her eyes wide as she continued to take in the cabin castle.
“How did you even find me?” I asked, shutting the door. I was still trying to wake up and stifled a yawn.
Emily dropped her tote bag onto a chair.
“Well, you said you weren’t staying at the cabin anymore last time we talked, and then you also said Jay offered you his rental apartment.
I figured when I hadn’t heard back, it was safe to assume you took him up on the offer.
I mean, who wouldn’t? So I drove up here, found your little cabin, and then just looked for the closest mansion.
This is the only one within a mile radius, so it wasn’t really that hard to find. ”
I fought back a smile. “Right. Okay, Nancy Drew.”
Emily thrust an iced coffee into my hands. “Here. You look like you need it.”
I’d just had half a cup already, but I wasn’t about to waste a perfectly good iced latte. Plus I was wallowing. I could have some more caffeine than usual, couldn’t I? I took a long sip as we wandered into the kitchen. “So how were the arches?”
But Emily wasn’t listening. Her eyes were wide and suddenly fixed on the windows behind me.
“Umm… Hope?”
I turned, worried there was something wrong. Another bear, maybe? My fear of bears was still very real after the incident with the garbage cans.
But it wasn’t a bear. It was just Jay.
He was emerging from the lake after what appeared to be a morning swim before work.
Water was streaming down his torso, sunlight catching on his shoulders and abdomen as he pulled himself up onto the dock.
Luna bounded up to him just as he bent down to grab his towel.
He scratched her fluffy white head, then began toweling off on the dock.
I nearly inhaled my coffee.
Emily whispered, “Is that—?”
“Nope!” I squeaked, setting my cup down so fast it nearly toppled. “We’re leaving. Let’s go. It’s my day off, so we should definitely leave right now and do something fun. Somewhere in town. Away from here.”
Emily stared, mouth still slightly agape. “Hope, you’re still in your pajamas. And you have a shirtless lake man out there—”
“You’re done. Grab your bag. We’re going.”
I pushed my friend toward the door, blocking Emily’s view of the window with my entire body.
“But—”
“Nope!”
“Okay, fine,” Emily whined, finally relenting and allowing me to lead us to her van.
When we climbed into Emily’s Sprinter and pulled away from the lake house, my entire nervous system was still strung out like I’d been running from an actual bear again and not my shirtless boss.
It took a solid twenty minutes of driving for my body to really calm down.
“This place is so cute,” Emily said, cracking the window open. “I’ve been here a few times to ski, but it’s been a while. I forgot how adorable it is.”
We parked downtown and wandered into a row of little boutiques.
I was still in my pajamas, so Emily immediately dragged me into a clothing store filled with cute cardigans, Big Bear T-shirts, handmade soaps, and mugs that said things like Wilderness Babe.
I bought myself a T-shirt and a pair of soft, flowy boho pants, then changed in the dressing room.
I redid my messy bun in the mirror and stuffed my pajamas into Emily’s tote bag.
Then we wandered the main street of Big Bear together, perusing more shops.
“Okay,” Emily said, linking her arm through mine. “Catch me up. How’s the writing coming along?”
I smiled. “Good, actually. I’ve been able to write on the days I don’t work, and I’m actually getting some words down. I might have a completed manuscript to query in a year or so if I keep at it.”
“That’s great. I’m glad you’re doing what you love.” There was a slight pause before she segued into the next set of questions. The writing question was just a warm-up question. “And how’s work?”
I hesitated. How was work? “It’s good. Really good,” I finally said.
“Really good?” Emily echoed, eyebrows raising.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I thought I would hate it. Really, I did. And I expected to quit by now, but it’s not horrible. And I like my coworkers. Macey is funny. Tyler—he’s been great.”
“Oooh, Tyler? Please tell me more.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually, I’m going out with Tyler this weekend.”
We’d wandered into another boutique, and Emily stopped perusing some keychains to whip her head around. “Like a date?”
I felt my cheeks warm. “I think so? He’s playing at a bar downtown, and he asked if I’d come and watch him sing.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Interesting.”
“What?” I asked, already regretting telling her anything.
“Oh, nothing,” Emily said, examining a scarf with an exaggerated amount of focus. “Just… good to know you’re dating.”
My eyes narrowed. “Emily.”
“Mhm?” she hummed, pretending to be fascinated by a rack of knitted hats now.
“You’re acting weird.”
“I’m literally just standing here,” Emily said. Then there was a long pause, and she cracked. “So how’s it working with Jay?”
I shook my head, letting out a bitter laugh. “We are so not talking about Jay.”
“Oh, come on, Hope. Sue me. I just watched the man emerge from the lake like some shirtless character in a romance novella, and you live in his house. The tea has got to be hot.”
“Emily.”
She blinked at me. “Yes?”
“Stop.”
Emily smiled like someone who had no intention of stopping. “Okay, I’ll stop, for now. You’re going on a date with Tyler. Wonderful. Love that for you.”
I rolled my eyes at my friend, but I couldn’t help but smile a little.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” Emily said. She grabbed my hand and started tugging me out of the store to our next destination. “Now, if you won’t give me the tea, then I’ll settle for lunch. Can we grab some food? I’m starving.”
On the way home, Emily helped me get my car that was still at the office. Then we pulled back onto Jay’s long driveway around nine. The sun was going down over the lake, and the glassy surface was a mix of orange and red that was utterly breathtaking.
After the day’s events, I was thoroughly spent. We’d wandered through all the shops, eaten tons of food, and chatted for hours. I was in great need of some more Tylenol and a good night’s rest, and I knew the moment my head hit the pillow, I was going to pass out.
Emily looked up at the sky that was just starting to show the faint twinkling of stars. “It’s pretty out here in the evening,” she murmured, taking in the silhouette of the mansion.
I nodded, arms wrapped around myself. “Yeah. It is.”
Emily nudged me gently. “Can I ask something?”
I hesitated, then nodded.
“You haven’t mentioned your parents all day. Have you talked to either of them?”
I exhaled, my breath shaky. “Yeah. My mom sent a few texts. And my dad, he called me a while ago.”
Emily’s expression softened immediately. “Was it bad?”
I sighed. “It wasn’t good. He brought up dental school and how he still thinks I’m wasting my potential. It was the same conversation we used to have. And I realized nothing has changed.”
Emily winced. “I’m so sorry, Hope. I was really hoping things would get better between you two.”
“It’s okay,” I said quietly. “If staying here and choosing things for myself means I lose out on mending things with my dad, well—” I trailed off, hating the position I’d been put in.
Emily reached over and squeezed my hand. “This isn’t on you.”
I swallowed hard, blinking back a sudden stinging in the corners of my eyes. “I know. And I’m done letting someone else tell me what my life should look like.”
“Good.” Emily smiled proudly at me. “Because I can tell you’re really building something amazing here.”
My throat tightened. “Thanks, Em.”
Emily slung her tote bag over her shoulder, glancing toward her van. “Alright, I'd better go. I’m heading to Banff, so I've got to get on the road.”
“Canada?” I laughed. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”
“I’ll call you soon,” she said, pulling me into one last hug. “Call me if you need me to come rescue you.”
I hugged her back tightly. “Thanks, Em.”
“Everything’s gonna work out, Hope. I know it.” Emily stepped back, giving me one last smile before getting into the driver's seat.
I watched her drive away, the van’s headlights disappearing down the long driveway.
I was unsure if it would be okay, but knowing there was no way to know unless I tried, I whispered into the surrounding forest, “I really hope so.”