Chapter 9
NINE
KRISTA
Wednesday, Two Days Before the Summer Swap
“This is all your fault,” Krista said, twirling the stem of her wineglass between her fingers.
She sat at the small bar that divided the kitchen from the living room—a space that somehow managed to look both homey and chaotic at the same time.
Fairy lights draped along the window. A stack of cookbooks teetered on the counter beside an abandoned art project Kit, who she shared the apartment with, swore she’d finish “eventually.” The air was warm, rich with the scent of garlic and pancetta.
“My fault?” Kit turned from the stove, a wooden spoon in one hand and a mischievous grin on her face. “You say that like it’s a bad thing that thanks to me, you’re hanging out with the hot travel journalist who looks at you like he’s already writing sonnets in his head. Honey, you’re welcome.”
Krista groaned, resting her chin on her hand. “What’s the point, though? He’s just passing through town. He’s not staying, and I’ve got about a million other things on my plate. I don’t have time for romance. ”
After they’d left her grandparents, Krista spent a bit of time with Joe, showing him around the campground, detailing the various jobs around the place like registering guests, splitting firewood, building maintenance, and general guest services.
Joe caught on to everything as if he’d been a park ranger his whole life, fitting in more than perhaps she ever really had.
Kit turned, one hand on her hip, the other snapping a pair of tongs. “Okay, answer this truthfully. If he were staying—if he actually lived in Maple Falls—would you hook up with him?”
Krista hesitated, then sighed. “Probably not.”
“Exactly.” Kit clicked the tongs again for emphasis.
“You’d say you’re too busy with the Hideaway, or your grandparents, or whatever else you pile onto that to-do list of yours.
So, consider this a blessing. You’ve got a gorgeous man in your orbit and no long-term consequences.
So, you had a hot kiss in your grandma’s attic? Great. Live a little.”
Krista smiled despite herself. “You make it sound so simple.”
“It is simple.” Kit tasted the sauce, then nodded approvingly. “Look at me and Rebecca. Did it work out? Nope. But it got me out of my rut, and the sex was amazing.”
“Kit!”
“What?” she said innocently, tossing in the asparagus. “I’m just saying—it reminded me I’m still alive. You could use some of that. You’ve been carrying the world on your shoulders lately.”
Krista took a slow sip of wine. “It’s not like I’m a nun.
I just…” She trailed off, searching for words.
“It’s been a long time since I even thought about letting someone in.
” It had been two years since she’d even casually dated someone.
Krista thought that couldn’t be right, but when she did the mental math, she quickly realized two years was a woeful underestimate.
Kit softened, turning down the heat. “Yeah, I get it. But sometimes it’s not about letting people in. Sometimes it’s just about letting yourself feel something good for once.”
Krista let the words settle. She could feel the warmth of the wine spreading through her chest, mingling with the smell of basil and toasted pine nuts.
Joe’s face flickered in her mind—his quiet focus, the rough timbre of his laugh, the way he watched her like he was trying to understand her, from the inside out.
Her phone buzzed on the counter.
Krista glanced down, expecting a text from the friend group chat or maybe her sister, Robyn. But it was her mother’s name that flashed across the screen.
The smile faded.
She didn’t answer.
Kit noticed but didn’t comment right away. The kitchen filled with the soft clatter of utensils and the hum of the vent fan. Finally, she said, “Everything okay?”
Krista sighed, tucking her phone face-down under her palm. “Yeah. Just…not in the mood for a lecture tonight.”
“Ah,” Kit said knowingly. “So, they still don’t know?”
Krista shook her head. “Not yet. I don’t think Robyn told them about me selling the Hideaway. But if she did, I’d rather not deal with the fallout until I’ve had more wine.”
Kit handed her a plate and sat across from her. “You’re not a disappointment, you know.”
Krista gave a small, humorless laugh. “Tell that to my mother. Yale still comes up every Thanksgiving.”
“Well,” Kit said, raising her glass, “to not being who they wanted—and being better for it.”
Krista clinked her glass lightly against Kit’s, smiling.
As they ate, conversation inevitably drifted back to Joe. Kit teased, Krista deflected, and somewhere between bites of pasta and sips of wine, she admitted to her friend that she wanted Joe. Maybe not forever. Maybe not even for long. But she wanted the way he made her feel seen again .
Krista told herself to have fun now and worry about tomorrow…tomorrow.
Mind made up, Krista picked up her phone.
Meet me at the Hideaway tomorrow morning at eight. I’m teaching you how to paddleboard.
They did rent paddleboards at the Hideaway, which required giving a quick tutorial to the customers.
So, she had to make sure Joe was prepared.
After that, they had a meeting with Elsie to go over the swap rules before the Hideaway opened at eleven.
Ian was going to run the café so she and Joe could keep preparing for the swap, which would officially begin the following day, Friday.
Krista didn’t know if she was more excited, or nervous.
A minute later, Joe replied.
Bossy teacher. I like it.
Krista bit her lip, smiling at her screen.
Across the counter, Kit caught the look. “Thatta girl,” she said, wagging her fork like a wand. “I don’t even need to know what you wrote. That’s a ‘something’s-about-to-happen’ face.”
Krista tried for nonchalance, swirling the last of her wine. “It’s just a lesson.”
“Mm-hmm,” Kit said. “And I’m just a regular chef who doesn’t own six different types of salt.”
Krista set her wineglass down and slipped off the barstool, trying to sound casual. “Be right back.”
She wandered into her bedroom, humming softly under her breath. The evening light spilled through the window, turning everything a warm gold. She opened her dresser and pulled out two bathing suits—her everyday black bikini and a bright coral one-piece that hadn’t seen daylight in two summers .
She laid them side by side across her bed, eyeing them critically.
Professional paddleboarding instructor, she thought.
Not woman currently overanalyzing her swimwear choices because of one kiss in a dusty attic.
It didn’t matter if she could still feel the press of his hand at her waist, recall the way his mouth had claimed hers like it had always been his.
Afterward, the look in his eyes made her pulse race, even now, which was why she couldn’t help herself.
She wanted to see how he’d reply. Would he flirt back?
Krista lined up her two suits on her bed, snapped the pic, and sent it without a second thought.
Which one should I wear?
The reply came a minute later.
Hmm. Tough call. I might need to see them on.
Krista’s pulse kicked up. She stared at the message, smiling despite herself.
Hold please.
From the kitchen came Kit’s voice: “Everything okay back there?”
“Totally fine!” Krista called back, grinning as she slipped the coral suit from the pile.
She took a steadying breath, the kind that did absolutely nothing to steady her. The coral suit was bright—maybe too bright—but it matched the flutter in her chest. She changed quickly, checked herself once in the mirror, then laughed under her breath.
“This is ridiculous,” she murmured, though her fingers were already lifting her phone.
The camera clicked. She made the photo playful—her hand on her hip, lamp light on her skin, the hint of a smile. She sent it before she could talk herself out of it.
Better?
For a long moment, nothing. Then her phone buzzed.
You’re going to make it hard to focus on tomorrow’s lesson.
Krista smiled, heart fluttering. Her thumbs moved before her brain caught up.
Good. That’s the idea.
A pause. Then?—
Can I see the black one?
She stared at the message, a laugh slipping out before she could stop it. “Oh, he likes this,” she murmured to herself, grinning as she reached for the next suit.
The black one was more daring—a deep, inky fabric two-piece that shimmered faintly in the light.
She slipped it on, pulled her hair over one shoulder, and lifted her phone again.
This time she didn’t overthink it. Just a quick shot in the mirror, a half-smile, and the glint of challenge in her eyes.
Happy now?
The typing bubble appeared almost immediately.
Very…Do you want to see what I’m wearing ?
A nervous laugh escaped Krista’s lips, wondering just how far they were going to take the whole “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” game.
Krista’s smile deepened, thumbs already moving.
Don’t make me wait.
The typing bubbles appeared…disappeared…then came back.
Her pulse jumped.
When the image loaded, she instantly smiled.
It wasn’t explicit—just a glimpse. His hand rested low on his stomach, the sharp cut of his abs visible above the waistband of soft gray flannel pajama pants. The light was low, shadowed, but it was enough. Her skin flushed hot all over.
She swallowed hard, biting her lip. Oh, this was dangerous.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, torn between teasing and surrendering completely.
Is that what you plan on wearing tomorrow?
That depends. Do you have a thing for flannel?
No, but I have a thing for what’s under that flannel , Krista thought.
She imagined herself sliding his pajama pants down and straddling him, skin to skin in his tent.
She clenched her thighs, thinking of how good it would feel to ride him, tilting her head back, his hands on her waist. Nothing but the wilderness around them, while she came undone on top of him.
Just the thought of him filling her made her ache all over.
I take that as a yes?
The second message snapped Krista out of the fantasy .
Might be kinda hard to swim in that.
He replied an instant later.
Don’t worry. I’ll take them off.
Her pulse jumped again. Enjoying the game, she quickly typed back.
Get some sleep, cowboy. You’re going to need your energy.
He replied almost instantly.
Except you’ve got me wide awake.
Krista smiled, setting her phone aside. For a long moment she just lay there, the blue of the screen fading from her eyes, her pulse still racing.
She loved that he was just as thrown off balance as she was. Whatever tomorrow brought, she knew it would change something between them—and she couldn’t wait to find out how.