Chapter 35
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Garrett had spent the entire day pretending he wasn’t avoiding the brewery. He’d been up before sunrise out of habit, dressed by six, keys in hand. But instead of driving into town, he headed for the lake. That hadn’t helped.
The quiet out on the water had only given him too much time to think. About the argument on the patio and about the way Madison looked at him right before he walked away.
So, he’d come back, showered, changed, and gone for a drive north along the shoreline with no destination in mind.
He’d stopped in Duluth and watched the ships: an outbound iron ore ship, a cruise ship crowded with passengers leaning against the deck rails.
He grabbed a coffee from a roadside shop, then drove aimlessly for another two hours.
His phone buzzed again in the cupholder, so he pulled over to the side of the road.
It was a text from Mason:
He’s here. Mom and baby are good. You’re officially Uncle Garrett. Hope you can survive a few days without Madison.
Garrett tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Yeah. She hadn’t said goodbye. Not a knock on his door. Not a text. Not even a hey, I’m heading out.
Just gone before he woke up.
Mason deserved a response. He typed:
Congratulations, Dad. Give my love to Eve and that new baby of yours. I can’t wait to meet him. What’s his name?
The three dots appeared.
Andrew Garrett Mitchell
Wow. A tear escaped and he brushed it away.
I’m honored
Pulling back onto the road, he drove another mile before finally turning back toward home, where Madison would not be.
His place felt off the second he walked onto the patio.
He didn’t hear her laugh, her shoes weren’t by her patio door, there wasn’t a half-finished mug or a book or anything that said she’d been there at all.
Garrett scrubbed a hand over his face. “You’re fine,” he muttered. “You’ve been fine before.”
He walked through his house, dropped his keys on the counter, and headed straight for the fridge, grabbing a beer.
He didn’t make it two steps back toward the patio before there was a knock on the door.
He froze. For half a second, his chest lifted with anticipation. Had she turned around and come back for him? But that didn’t make any sense. She was—
Another knock. Louder this time.
He let out a breath and went to answer it. Nick stood on the patio. Cole behind him.
Garrett blinked once. “Is this a raid, Sheriff, or did you forget how phones work?”
Nick didn’t smile. “You gonna let us in, or are we doing this out here?”
“Yeah, come in,” Garrett said with a sigh, taking a step back. “Make yourselves at home.”
Cole brushed past him like he owned the place, heading straight for the kitchen. “Already planning on it.”
Nick followed, quieter, more observant. His gaze swept the room as if already clocking everything that was off.
Garrett shut the door behind them. “What’s this about?”
“You,” Cole said, grabbing a beer from the fridge without asking.
“Lucky me.”
Nick leaned against the counter, arms crossed. “You didn’t show up at the brewery this morning.”
Garrett leaned against the wall. “Ryker’s got it handled. I took a day.”
Cole let out a short laugh. “You don’t take days. You work until someone physically drags you out of there.”
Garrett didn’t respond.
Nick studied him for a second, then said, “Madison’s source came through.”
That got Garrett’s attention. His head lifted. “What?”
“Frankie wasn’t exaggerating,” Nick said. “We followed the money trail. There’s an offshore account. The mayor’s cousin is tied into it. It’s bigger than we thought. And Madison’s still working on it.”
Garrett huffed out a breath. “Yeah. That sounds like her.”
Cole tilted his head. “That’s all you’ve got to say about that?”
“What do you want me to say?” Garrett shot back. “She left. She’s got bigger things to figure out than what’s going on here.”
Nick’s gaze sharpened. “That’s what you think?”
Garrett took another drink, avoiding his brother’s eyes. “It’s what it is.”
Silence stretched for a second. Then Nick pushed away from the counter. “You want my opinion?”
Garrett let out a humorless laugh. “Why else would you be here?”
Nick nodded once, like he expected that. “I get it,” he said. “From everything you’ve told me about the decision her dad’s asking her to make, I’m not surprised she’s struggling with it.”
Garrett didn’t argue.
“Think about it,” Nick went on. “What if Mom and Dad had treated Chloe like she was less than because she’s a woman?”
There was no need to answer; their parents would never have done that.
“We grew up knowing we had choices,” Nick said. “Every one of us. They supported whatever path we took—even when it wasn’t what they would’ve picked.”
Cole leaned against the counter, arms crossed, listening.
Nick continued, steady and sure. “They paid for your college. And when you walked away from that to open a brewery? They didn’t fight you. They told everyone how proud they were.”
Garrett swallowed.
“They supported Chloe with the boutique,” Nick continued, holding Garrett’s gaze. “Cole with the resort. Hell, we all sat around the table and talked about the future like it belonged to all of us. No one got cut out. Madison didn’t have that.”
“I know,” Garrett said, dragging a hand through his hair.
“Do you?” Nick pressed. “Because from what you’ve said, she had a plan. A good one. And it got taken from her before she even had a chance to try.”
“I get it, Nick.”
“Then act like it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” Nick said calmly, “you don’t get to make this about you.”
Cole winced slightly and said under his breath, “There it is.”
Garrett straightened. “I’m not—”
“You are,” Nick cut in. “You’re hurt she left. You’re frustrated she didn’t choose you or this town right away. I get that. But that doesn’t mean she’s wrong.”
Garrett opened his mouth, then closed it again. Because . . . damn it. It was true. He was being an ass because he didn’t want to get hurt again. But this wasn’t about him.
“She’s trying to figure out what this offer means,” Nick said. “Not just for her career—for her life. And whether or not she can trust it.”
“She doesn’t trust her dad,” Garrett said quietly, looking down at the bottle in his hand.
“No,” Nick agreed. “But she still wants him to see her.”
“I know.” Garrett exhaled slowly, tension pulling at his shoulders. “I just don’t want her to get hurt.”
“That’s the part that matters,” Nick said.
Garrett looked up.
“If you care about her,” Nick continued, “you let her make this decision. And you support her—no matter what she chooses.”
Even if she makes the wrong choice? The words didn’t need to be said out loud. Garrett nodded.
Cole pushed off the counter then, stepping in. “Okay, great. Emotional breakthrough. Love that for us.”
Nick chuckled softly.
Garrett shot Cole a look. “You’re not helping.”
“Oh, I am,” Cole said, pointing at him. “Because right now? You’re doing that thing where you mope and pretend you don’t care.”
“I’m not moping,” Garrett scoffed.
Nick raised a brow.
“You didn’t go to work,” Cole said after taking a sip of his beer, “and you answered the door like you were hoping it was her.”
Garrett went still.
“Yeah,” Cole said. “Thought so.”
“So, you want me to what, drive to Minneapolis and demand she come back?” Garrett said.
“No,” Cole said simply. “I want you to stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
“Wow. Thanks.”
“I’m serious.” Cole stepped closer. “You said it yourself—you don’t want her getting hurt. So don’t sit here. Do something about it.”
Garrett frowned. “Like what?”
“Ever heard of a grand gesture?” Cole said with a grin.
“This isn’t one of those rom-coms like Paige writes,” Garrett protested.
Cole shrugged. “Pretty sure it is.”
Nick huffed a quiet laugh.
Garrett shook his head, but something shifted slightly in his gut.
“You two are crazy about each other,” Cole said, slapping him on the shoulder. “Everyone can see it. She just needs time to figure her stuff out.”
Nick nodded. “And in the meantime? She’s still working the case. Still showing up for this town—even from a hospital room.”
Garrett let that sink in. Of course she was.
“She’s not walking away,” Nick added.
“No,” Garrett said quietly. “She’s not.”
Cole squeezed his shoulder once. “So, stop acting like she did.”
Silence settled over the room again.
“Alright,” Garrett said.
Nick’s brow lifted. “Alright?”
Garrett nodded once, something steadier settling into place. “Alright.”
Cole grinned. “There he is.”
Garrett grabbed his keys off the counter, because sitting here wasn’t going to get her back.
And if there was one thing he knew for sure—Madison Mitchell wasn’t someone he was going to let walk away without a fight.
Because for the first time in a long time, he knew exactly what home felt like.
And it wasn’t complete without Madison in it.