Chapter 32
CHLOE
I accepted Maddie’s offer of a job an hour ago and with a few hours to kill before Kade picks me up, I walk into Chapters and Crumbs, the bell chiming above the door announcing my arrival.
Autumn’s clearing tables but looks up as I close the door. I can practically feel the excitement vibrating through her from here, but she does well to mask it as she heads toward me. “Hey. Have you come to sign a lease, or did Maddie get my hopes up for no reason?”
I can barely hold back my grin when I answer, “I’d like to sign the lease.”
She squeals, shimmying her body as she takes hold of my shoulders and pulls me into a hug, catching me off guard. “This is so exciting.” Leaning back, she takes hold of my hand as she drags me across the room. “I’ve got the key and a lease ready for you in the back office.”
I have no choice but to follow her as she heads for a door behind the counter.
“You just so happen to have a lease ready to go?” I tease.
She winks at me over her shoulder before shrugging. “What can I say, I had complete and utter faith that Coldwater is irresistible. Besides, my cousin wouldn’t let a good thing slip through his fingers.”
I grimace because Kade doesn’t know I’m here, and aside from knowing that he doesn’t want me to leave, we haven’t actually figured anything out.
I’m kind of taking him wanting me to stay and running with it by signing this lease.
Sure, I have the security of a job with Maddie, but I’m still leaving behind everything that is familiar back in Seattle.
Autumn lets go of my hand as she holds open the door that separates the front of the coffee shop from her workspace. Back here is a kitchen with some very expensive-looking equipment and a small storage area.
At the end of a corridor, Autumn props open a door to what some might call an office. The space is barely big enough for her and the chair that sits in the middle, let alone two people. It’s more like a broom closet.
“It’s in here somewhere. One second.”
I hover in the hallway as she rummages through the paperwork-covered desk. “Take your time. I’m really in no rush.”
She curses under her breath when something falls onto the floor. A plastic lid rolls past her and comes to a stop at my feet, and I bend to pick it up as she asks, “Will you be moving in right away?”
I fiddle with the strap of my purse before answering her. “No. I plan on still catching my flight out of Bozeman tomorrow. Then I’ll be back on Saturday once I’ve taken care of everything in Seattle.”
Guilt settles like a rock in the pit of my stomach.
I like Autumn, she’s been nothing but kind to me from the moment I met her, but she’s Kade’s family, and because I know his secret, that means I have to keep certain things to myself.
I can’t tell her that I’m coming back on Saturday to watch Kade ride in the Wild Ride Classic—his second official rodeo competition.
No matter how much I’d love to gush about him.
Autumn lost her Uncle Kurt too and I’m sure that if she found out Kade was riding, she’d be as hurt as the rest of his family.
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Autumn turns toward me with a set of keys dangling from one hand and a bundle of crunched-up papers in the other.
Her cheeks are a little flushed when she says, “I really need to get this place cleared up, but it’s somewhere at the bottom of my never-ending to-do list.” Brushing her chestnut-brown hair back from her face, she continues, “It’s all set up in there.
You’ve got running water, air conditioning, furniture, everything you could possibly need.
” She hands me the keys. “Rent’s six hundred a month. ”
My jaw goes slack, and I look down at the keys in my hand as if she’s just handed me the secret to life. “Six hundred dollars? Are you sure?”
Autumn chuckles, folding her arms across her chest as she leans against the doorframe. “I told you, rent’s cheap. Besides, you’ve got the friends and family discount.”
Pulling Autumn into a hug, I mumble a quiet “thank you” before releasing her and staring back down at the two gold and silver keys in my palm. They sit heavy in my hand, weighted with everything my future in Coldwater holds.
I may not have met Kade’s family properly yet, but if they’re all as kind as Autumn, I’m sure I’ll love them.
I’m a complete stranger, and yet she’s made space for me in her bubble with no questions asked.
When I think back to how my parents reacted to Kade, I can’t help but feel a wave of sadness that our experiences were so different.
“Come, let’s go show you around and then you can sign the lease.” Wiggling her brows at me, Autumn squeezes past as she says, “I had a feeling you’d be back.”
I trail behind Autumn as she weaves her way through the kitchen and to a fire exit in the far corner. It leads to a small parking lot and no more than a couple of feet from us is another door.
“The entrance to the apartment is at the back of the building, and you’re more than welcome to cut through the coffee shop when we’re open. There’s an alleyway about three doors up that you can walk through, or, if you’re driving, you just need to circle the block, and you can park back here.”
I nod, even though I’m not really taking in anything she’s saying.
My focus is on the cold keys in my palm and the shock colliding with the excitement that pulses under my skin.
I’m really doing this. It feels surreal.
When I arrived eleven days ago, I didn’t expect to have found someone like Kade, or even consider that I would be making such a huge life decision.
And yet, it feels like the right thing to do.
To take the risk with the offer of work from Maddie and see how Kade and I play out. I know I’ll be happy here.
Autumn turns toward me with a gentle smile on her face. “For this door, you need the gold key. The silver one is for the main apartment door.”
She steps back, and with trembling hands, I slide the key into the lock.
The sound of the chamber clicking into place as I turn it echoes like it’s being blasted over a megaphone.
I step back, allowing Autumn to go ahead of me up the steep set of stairs.
The walls are exposed brick, just like in the coffee shop, and although the space is narrow, the window at the top fills it with natural light.
We come to a stop outside the apartment door, and I slide the silver key into the lock.
I inhale, my chest expanding as I hold the breath, only letting it out as I push the door open.
My eyes widen as they bounce around the light and airy living room.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but this is beautiful. I can’t wait to make it my home.
Big bay windows flood the room with light, reflecting off the white walls and shiny herringbone floors. The living room consists of a worn couch in the middle of the room and a comfy armchair by the window, both of which I could imagine sinking into after a long day or sitting on as I edit photos.
Autumn leads the way as we move through the apartment. “This is the kitchen. You’ve got everything you need with the nearly new stainless-steel appliances. There’s crockery and utensils in the cupboards too.”
I stand in the middle of the room, turning as I take in the white marble top counters that glisten in the light. White cupboards line two of the four walls, giving a brightness to the room, even with the small window. Navy and white tiles cover the walls behind the counters, adding a pop of color.
Reluctantly, I follow Autumn into the hallway as she stands at a door and says, “This is the bedroom. The mattress and sheets are new, but if you’d rather, I’m happy for you to swap them out. I have a room at home I can put them in.”
The bedroom consists of a wooden bedframe with light pink sheets and a stack of pillows that are calling to me.
On either side of the bed are oak bedside tables that match the chest of drawers against the far wall.
“It’s perfect, Autumn. Are you sure it’s only six hundred a month?
It’s so spacious.” It feels too good to be true.
“I’m sure.” She pauses before taking off down the hallway. “Come on, I’ve got to show you the clawfoot tub. It’s to die for.”
Forcing myself to follow behind her, I can’t help but feel like I might have struck gold. When I said yes to attending Rachel’s wedding, I didn’t think I’d be finding all of this. A family that has been welcoming, a new job, if only temporary, and a man who’s shown me nothing but love.