8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Young Jae
I can see the panic I’m feeling reflected on Elise’s face. We’re on our feet and I’m running down the path calling for Kimchi. Elise is on my heels, her voice panicked as she echoes my calls.
Stopping where the path forks to go behind my house or to the front, I try to breathe and think.
Where would Kimchi go?
Elise stops next to me, her hands on her knees as she pants. Her brows are pinched together and I can see the strain around her eyes.
Reaching out, I cup her cheek and try to remain calm. It hasn’t been that long since Kimchi got out. “We will find her.”
She nods. “You go that way and I will check the front.”
Before I can respond, she’s hurrying away, calling Kimchi, her voice thick and frantic. I slow down a bit, trying to search with more thought, whistling and calling the dog just like I do when she’s in the yard. I reach where my house backs to the trail and peek over the fence just to make sure.
Turning, I call Kimchi again when a white blur emerges from the bushes opposite the trail from my house. My knees buckle as she jumps into my arms, her tongue draped out of the side of her mouth as she wiggles happily.
Hugging her close, I exhale heavily. “You gave us a damn heart attack.”
Standing, I adjust my grip on Kimchi so she’s comfortable and rush toward where I can hear Elise calling, her voice getting more frightened.
Coming out of the pathways, I follow Elise’s voice until I find her coming out of a cul-de-sac up the road.
She turns to go further, so I holler, “Elise, I found her.”
Elise whips around and runs to us. I can see tear tracks running down her cheeks. She throws her arms around me and Kimchi, burying her face into Kimchi’s fur. She’s mumbling, but I can’t make out the words.
“She was in the bushes behind my house.” My nerves settle as I hand Kimchi to Elise, watching her snuggle and chastise the dog for running out the door.
Now that the haze of fear is clearing, that moment in the gazebo flashes back. Was I seriously about to kiss my best friend?
And was it me, or was she leaning in as well?
Glancing away, I scoff silently. She was probably thinking I was getting some chocolate off her face or leaning in to tell her something. Living with her, seeing her completely at ease all the time and in different situations than normal, it’s messing with me. And those shorts and T-shirts she lounges in all day don’t help anything. She’s so effortlessly sexy.
And the picnic. How did Hank get wrangled into that?
The town needs to stop meddling where they don’t belong.
***
Elise greets me Monday morning with a basket of goodies and freshly brewed coffee. Her long hair is pulled up into a ponytail and she’s wearing a pink summer dress that hugs her curves before flowing loosely from her hips. It kills me.
“How long do you think we’re staying in Thistle Creek?” Laughing, I lift the basket, groaning and slumping to the side.
She laughs, sauntering past me with the coffee, her dress swaying with her hips. “I figured we could make it a day trip. I’ve never been to Thistle Creek and we might as well go see the gnomes in Mistik Ridge as well.”
I follow her to the car, getting in before I turn to gape at her. “Gnomes? I've never heard of these gnomes, and I've been to Mistik Ridge a few times. I was in a small-town business owner group with the woman who owns the inn, Tasha, and we met frequently there until about five years ago.”
She chuckles. “It’s a cute story. It’s a love story between two of the townspeople. She was a tenant in his house, and they didn’t click because he was a bit uptight. So she ordered these vulgar gnomes to drive him nuts. Long story short, they’re in love and now these gnomes are spread throughout the town in all their vulgar glory. It’s a huge tourist attraction, and they even posted about it on their website. We have to go see these gnomes.”
“We can make the trip. Why don’t we stop by the inn for lunch?” It’s been a while since I saw it. I’m sure Tasha is doing amazing things with it.
Elise smiles, her excitement palpable.
The drive passes quickly as we sing songs from the ’90s playlist we made together a few years ago. When we get to Thistle Creek, Elise turns the volume down, peering around her. It’s quaint. A little bigger than Willowbrook Creek, but it doesn’t feel that way.
I pull into the parking lot for the grain elevator and see a few people waiting.
“Did you want to take my car and explore?” I hold out the keys.
Elise shakes her head. “Is it okay if I join you? I’m happy to take notes. I’d love to see the process for this.”
Nodding, I don’t say much as we get out of the car. I love that she wants to learn about what I do and see a project that is the culmination of everything I got into architecture for.
The building is amazing and in excellent condition considering how old it is. It still maintains its structural integrity, a thorough report was done with a structural engineer.
Elise takes notes and collects any of the needed documents the committee has put together for me.
“I think we should build mezzanines that we stagger so we can still see the entire space.” Gesturing as I go over each area they had highlighted, I point out how we can incorporate the history of the building into the redevelopment.
As we wrap up, Elise and I linger in the building.
“This place is going to be incredible. The way you describe your vision for it, I’m in awe,” Elise gushes as she hands me everything she’s holding, which she’s organized into a neat stack.
“Just wait until I show you my renderings, I’m itching to get started.”
We head back outside, hit by a wall of heat.
“Let’s walk a bit, explore,” she suggests.
A path around the grain elevator leads right to the creek. It’s bigger than I expected, and the water flows steadily through town. We meander down the path before finding a little dock.
Elise kicks off her shoes before sitting on the edge and dangling her feet into the water. Sitting beside her, I sigh as the cool water runs over my skin.
Glancing at her in my peripheral, she seems lost in thought. I can't help but wonder if she's thinking about the almost kiss. We never talked about it, returning to normal as though it never happened. However, it still lingers in the air whenever I'm near her, my mind automatically going down the “what if” path.
I wonder if she would have kissed me back or if she would have pushed me away.
And is she not saying anything because she wants to pretend it never happened and go back to the way things were, or is she waiting for me to broach the subject since I’m the one who leaned in? It's hard to feel so deeply for the person I consider to be one of my best friends but it’s impossible to ignore my feelings when I’m around her all the time.
She hums. “It’s a beautiful day. I like the creek, but nothing beats the lake at home.”
Agreeing, I glance at the time. “Why don’t we explore town a bit and then head to Mistik Creek for lunch?”
“Lunch and then gnomes.”
Laughing, I stand before offering my hand to help her up. She stumbles a bit, and I catch her, holding on for a moment before I drop my arms. When she looks up at me, her expression almost has me finishing what I tried to start. Instead, I grin and tease, “Easy, if you fall in the creek, I don’t have a towel or an extra shirt today.”
She scrunches her nose at me playfully, reminded of the day when she fell into the lake before she slips her feet back into her sandals.
We wander Thistle Creek for an hour, looking in some kitschy stores. Elise buys some water paintings done by a local artist before we head back to my vehicle and we make the short thirty minute drive to Mistik Ridge.
My stomach growls loudly as I turn onto the inn’s long driveway. When Elise giggles, the sound goes straight to my gut and, even worse, to my dick as well. The soft scent of her perfume has filled my car, so I’m surrounded by her.
We park by the veranda, my eyes taking in the chipped paint. As I look over the entire building, I see how run-down it is. I remember it was a fixer-upper when she bought it, but it’s been years, and in my mind, it was a bustling, beautiful inn.
Tasha appears on the porch, her brows pinched until I get out of the car, walking around to open Elise’s door.
“Oh my goodness! Young Jae?” Tash bounds down the steps, her friendly smile almost hiding the stress around her eyes.
She gives me a quick hug before turning to Elise and introducing herself.
“It’s been a long time.” She gushes at me before ushering us into the building. “What did I do to earn this visit?”
“Elise wanted to see the gnomes, so we thought we’d pop in for lunch. I hope that’s okay.” The inside shows wear, but you can tell that she has been working hard to maintain it.
Her expression shifts for the briefest moment before her smile is back. “Of course. Come in, come in. I wasn’t expecting anyone today, so I hope you’re okay with something simple.”
We agree, following her into the kitchen.
Elise catches my eyes, her expression confused and worried.
“Things have been a bit tough since I bought the place. The inspector missed a bunch of big things, and the expenses have piled up. I’ve had to consider bringing on a partner.” This time she lets her sadness show a moment, before she straightens her shoulders. “No matter. No mountain is too high, right?”
She whips up chicken salad sandwiches on fresh croissants, with fresh lemonade and no bake cheesecake. It’s delicious and Elise asks for her recipe.
We catch up, Tash filling us in on bringing on a new partner. She tries to keep her voice perky, but I can tell she’s not happy about it. There’s a fire in her eyes that I remember from when we first met.
“If you need anything for designs, let me know. And I have a friend who does a lot of contract work. He is reasonable and does amazing work.” I hand her Owen’s card, hoping I’m not overstepping.
“Thank you, this is—amazing. And I’m so glad I got to meet you, Elise.” She looks between us, her expression wistful. “You’re a cute couple. I’m glad you found someone so wonderful. You deserve it.”
Before Elise can say anything, I simply thank her and we head out. I’m curious if I will hear about it in the car, but as we turn to head toward town, she’s looking at me, her eyes wide. “We need to help her. Did you see the look on her face when she was talking about this new partner? It’s killing her to do that.”
Humming, I rub my jaw as I drive the short distance to town and these gnomes. “Possibly, she looked more determined than anything. It might not be a bad thing. Sometimes we need that push to light our fire.”
We park along the main street in town. Just like home and Thistle Creek, it’s quaint and well-kept.
As we get out of the car, the first gnome is in a flowerpot on the sidewalk. The gnome looks to be passed out, and his pants are around his knees.
Elise bursts out laughing and takes a photo.
We walk along the street toward the community info center, where a brochure boasts a scavenger hunt of the gnomes. Advertising seasonal changes.
Shaking my head, I grab the pamphlet and we start to hunt.
As we find more, checking them off, I chuckle. “I have to admit, this is brilliant. I want to come back in the fall to see the new gnomes and find them in the new locations.”
“Maybe we could make it a group activity?” Elise replies as she takes a sharp left into a neighborhood.
We hunt for close to two hours before finding all the gnomes. By the time we get home, I realize that my heart won’t let me ignore the way I feel about Elise, but I don’t know what to do about it.