by Kay Correll
Annie poured the hot water into the teacups. “He said they offered him that teaching position at the college.”
“But he went to med school, didn’t he? Why’s he teaching?”
“I don’t know. He said he went to med school, but he was taking a break or something.” Annie carried her cup over to the table and sank onto the worn wooden chair. She loved Nora’s kitchen with its brightly painted walls and cheerful curtains on a window that looked out over a clearing in the woods. The cabin was nestled into a bit of privacy provided by a small grove of trees, away from the rental cabins, and set right along the Sweet River.
Nora sat down across the table. “Well, it seems like a weird place for Nick to decide to take his break.” She dunked her teabag in her cup and swished it around. “I told him to stay far away from you.”
Annie smiled. Nora, her best friend since grade school. Always there for her through all of life’s ups and downs, as she had been for her friend when Nora’s husband had died. They’d seen each other through some rough times, that’s for sure. She didn’t know what she’d ever do without Nora and didn’t ever plan on finding out.
Nora tucked a stray lock of her gray-streaked hair behind her ear. She hadn’t changed much in the years they’d been friends. A few wrinkles around her amber eyes, a few gray hairs, but still a warm, welcoming smile.
“Well, I hope Nick does stay away from me. It was a shock to see him again. I just never thought that would happen.”
“You should have let me send him packing.”
“Nah, it will be okay. I’m sure I won’t run into him often.” Though, she had run into him twice in two days. That should have used up most of her bad luck, right?
Chapter 5
The next morning, Nick stepped out into the crisp air. Just being in Colorado invigorated him. He’d briefly considered going to the dining room at the lodge to eat but decided he didn’t want to chance a meeting with Nora. Not that he was afraid of her… but she was an awfully fierce defender of her best friend, and he’d rather not face her this morning.
He’d made up his mind to try and stay away from both Nora and Annie. That’s what they both wanted. He could do that.
Only he didn’t really want to stay away from Annie.
She’d always had a hold on him. A pull. A magnetic force that drew him in that he’d only been able to break free of once. The break that had hurled their lives in separate directions.
He sighed and crossed over to his vehicle. He’d buy groceries on his way home from work and cook at his cabin. That would solve the where to eat problem. But this morning he hadn’t even had coffee to brew, and that wasn’t cutting it at all.
He climbed into his vehicle and headed into town in search of the much-needed coffee. He could go all the way over to Mountain Grove, but that was way too long to wait for his caffeine fix.
Or he could admit to himself that he wanted to poke around the town he’d grown up in. Walk the streets. See what was new.
Before long he was pulling onto Main Street and parking his car. A few people wandered along the sidewalks. He slid out of the car and his cowboy boots hit the sidewalk. The familiar feeling of wearing the boots comforted him in some strange way. A staple of his life when he was growing up here in Colorado.
A sign with an arrow proclaimed a new riverside walkway. He crossed the street and wandered through a brick courtyard that led to the river. A long pathway wound its way along the river. He looked at it in appreciation, a great addition to the town.
He headed down the pathway until he saw a sign over a door saying Bookish Cafe. Another sign in the window announced ‘best coffee in Sweet River Falls,’ and that was just what he needed. He pushed in the door and glanced around at the cheerful ambience and welcoming tables. A counter was tucked neatly against the far wall. Just what he was looking for. He headed over to order his coffee.
Annie had nowhere to hide, no time to run. Nick was striding over to the counter. He’d notice her at any moment. She clutched the dishtowel in her hands, frozen to the spot.
Then he saw her. His eyes lit up with surprise, and a warm smile spread across his face. Just as quickly, it disappeared. “Annie, I didn’t know you worked here.”
She stood there silently, twisting the towel in her hands.
“I… do you want me to go somewhere else for my coffee?” He stood staring at her.
Yes, she wanted him to be getting his coffee in Los Angeles, or at least Mountain Grove. Heck, he’d rented a cabin. He could brew his own silly coffee. But she wasn’t quite brave enough to tell him any of that. She squared her shoulders. “No, of course not. What would you like?”
“A dark roast. Black. Large.”
She poured him his coffee and handed it to him. Their fingers briefly brushed, and it took everything in her power not to jerk her hand back and spill the hot liquid all over him. He handed her some money, and she gave him his change, careful to not touch him as she dropped the change into his palm.
“Nice place.” He stood in front of her making small talk.
Is that what they’d become? Strangers making small talk? But, strangers, that’s what they were now.
“Thanks. It’s mine. I mean I own it.” She didn’t know why she wanted him to know that. Maybe so he’d know she’d moved on after he left and found a good life for herself. Not the one they’d planned together, but a good one nonetheless. She was proud of the shop and all she’d accomplished with her life. A life that hadn’t involved going away to some fancy college and on to medical school, leaving everything and everyone behind…
“Wow, Annie, that’s impressive. It looks like a great place.” He glanced over at the stairway that was roped off. “What’s that?”
“I’m expanding upstairs. Putting in a loft room.”
“Really? You must be doing really well with the shop.”
“I’m working on it in my spare time and on the days the shop is closed.”
“I remember all those times your father let us tag along on his construction jobs. He taught us a lot, didn’t he? Is he helping you with it?”
Ah, it still caught her off guard when someone asked about her father. She put a steadying hand on the counter. “No… Dad… he passed away.”
“I’m so sorry, Annie.”
“It was about five years ago.” Though it seemed like just yesterday he was popping into the shop for his morning coffee, or stopping by in the afternoon to see if she wanted to go out to eat with him. She missed him every single day. It had just been the two of them for so many years. Ever since her mom had died when Annie had been six years old. From then on it was her father and her against the world. Until… it was just her.
“I know how close you were. It must be really hard.”
“It is, but… well, that’s life. It was unexpected and happened quickly. I didn’t even have time to tell him goodbye. Tell him how much I loved him.” She had no idea why she was telling all this to Nick. Except that Nick had been as close to a son as her father ever had.
Well, until Nick had left. Her father had been hurt when Nick had just dropped out of their lives, too. Just thinking about that made her square her shoulders and face Nick.
“Well, I’m sorry I didn’t know.”
“There’s a lot about me that you don’t know, Nick.” Slightly rude, but honestly, he couldn’t come back here and just act like he knew her. He didn’t. Not anymore.
“True. It’s been a long time.”
But he didn’t look properly chastised like she’d hoped.
“So you’re doing it alone?”
“Most of it. I had someone put in the fireplace and do the electric.”
“Can I see it?”
She paused. She could just say it was off limits due to the construction, but a part of her wanted to show off all she’d done. Show him that she was just fine, thank you very much. She called to one of her workers to cover the coffee bar for her and led the way over to the stairs.
/> She untied the rope blocking the stairway and climbed the stairs, acutely aware that Nick was one step behind her. The sound of his boots echoed with each step he took.
They entered the loft area, and he let out a low whistle. “Nice job.” He walked over to the large picture windows. “The view is fabulous. Sweet River with Sky Haven Mountain in the background. Doesn’t get better than this.”
His praise warmed her and agitated her at the same time. Why did she even care what Nick thought?
“I really like the pathway the town put in along the river.”
“That was a battle, but we finally got it voted in. It’s only been finished a few years. Dobbs was firmly against it.”
“Old Man Dobbs is still here calling the shots?” Nick shook his head.
“Mostly. He was outvoted on this though. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t forgiven Nora or me for campaigning so hard to have it put in.”
Nick grinned. “Good for you and Nora. Not many stand up to Dobbs.”
She caught herself just before she grinned back at Nick because there was no way she was going to have a friendly conversation with him. No way she was going to encourage him.
No way she could quit staring at his mesmerizing smile…
Nick looked at Annie and knew she was trying her best to stay cool and collected. But he knew her. Knew her so well. She was proud of the pathway along the river, proud of her shop. And she should be.
“I’m glad things have gone well for you since… well, since I left town.”
“Since you broke up with me?” Her eyes flashed now, a spitfire of energy and anger.
Ah, he remembered that anger well.
He tilted his head. “Technically, you broke up with me.”
“Technically, you decided that you wanted to go on to medical school after I waited for you to finish college. And technically you didn’t ask me to wait while you went to med school. And technically, you didn’t object when I said we should end things.” She turned to look out the window, hands balled into tight fists, avoiding looking at him. “You were ready to move on. I wasn’t going to be the one to hold you back.”
“Annie—”
“You were finished with us. With me. You wanted to be free to see what all the world had to offer. You just didn’t have the nerve to say the actual words.”
She was right. He’d done so much better in college than he’d thought. He’d loved school. When he’d gotten a scholarship to med school, he couldn’t resist it. He’d been surprised and honored. He couldn’t turn down a chance like that. And he’d wanted to be able to go anywhere, do anything after med school. And Annie had always wanted to live in Sweet River Falls.
“You were braver than I was, Annie. Brave enough to say the words. I am sorry I hurt you. I am. I know we’d made plans. Plans for a life together.”
“Plans change.”
He couldn’t mistake the pain in her words. “They do. Life throws us unexpected curves. I know you were ready to settle down… and I just wasn’t. I wanted to see all that life out there had to offer.” And how had that worked out for him? He scrubbed a hand over his face, blocking out the memories of his life in Los Angeles. Blocking out the reason he’d taken this job in Colorado.
“Did you find everything you were looking for?” Her voice was so low he could barely hear her.
“I… did. Sort of.”
“Well, then everything worked out for both of us, didn’t it? The way it was meant to be.” She turned to him and pasted on a cheerful face, but he could still see the pain in her eyes.
“I guess so.”
He turned away from the window and looked around the loft area. “You still have quite a bit of work left to do, don’t you?”
And undoubtedly she missed having her father work with her, by her side. Annie had always loved her father and adored working with him when she could.
Annie looked grateful he’d changed the subject from them to the loft. “I do. Lots. I was hoping to open for the May Festival, but I just don’t think I’ll make it. The town is so full of tourists that weekend, I could use the extra space, and it would be a good time for the grand opening. But I’m trying not to hire extra help for anything I can do myself. Can’t really afford to.”
“I could help you.” He was surprised when the words just spilled from his lips. “I’m finding myself with more free time than I expected. I’m used to staying busy. I want to stay busy.” Really busy. So busy that he didn’t have time to sit and think. “I did construction work on the side when I was in med school to help pay my bills. All that carpentry your father taught us came in handy. Let me help you.”
“I couldn’t let you do that.”
“Of course you could.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea…”
“You want to finish it before the May Festival, don’t you?” He took another tact. “We were friends once, good friends. Let’s just call this a friend helping a friend.”
He could tell the exact moment she wavered. And frowned. He was already tired of seeing her frown. He wanted to put smiles back on her face. He missed those smiles.
“I do want it finished before the festival. I guess you could help…” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.
“Great, that’s settled.” He rushed the words before she had a chance to change her mind. “How about I come by after work today and we can go over your plans and you can tell me what I can do to help?”
“Are you sure?” He could clearly see the doubt in her eyes.
“I’m sure. I’ll be here about six.”
Chapter 6
Beth tugged open the door to Brooks Gallery and waved to the worker waiting on a customer. She headed to the backroom. Her friend Sophie was singing quietly as she bent over a bench, hard at work on creating one of her silver jewelry pieces. “Hey, Soph.”
“Beth, is it five already?” Sophie glanced at her watch.
Beth laughed. “You always get lost in your work.”
“I do sometimes.” Sophie held up a silver bracelet with blue stones. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s lovely. What are those stones? They’re so pretty.”
“Denim lapis.”
“Wonderful as always.”
Sophie stood and stretched. “Are the boys with your mom?”
“Yes, they’re spending the night with her tonight. They cooked it up when we were over there for dinner last night. We’ve been so busy that they haven’t spent much time with her lately. They had big plans for popcorn and a movie marathon.”
“So you have the whole evening to yourself?”
“I do. Let’s make the best of it.”
“Let me tell Melissa that we’re headed upstairs.”
Sophie came back a minute later. “Melissa’s going to lock up.” She led the way up the back stairs and opened the door to her apartment above the gallery. The entire upper floor was a rustic, open concept room. The kitchen in one corner and a sitting area in front of a big picture window overlooking the tumbling water of Sweet River. A partitioned off area designated the bedroom.
Sophie crossed over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of white wine. Beth grabbed two glasses. They walked over to the two comfortable chairs in front of the picture window and settled in as they had so many times before. Their favorite spot for happy hour.
Sophie cocked her head to one side, then the other. “I really should take more breaks when I’m working.” She reached up to rub her shoulder.
“Remember when we had big plans to go to the gym five times a week?” Beth shook her head. “I barely have time to breathe, much less exercise.”
“We do have our once a week evening yoga class.”
“The only reason I make it there most of the time is because I know you’ll be there.”
“Guilt is a powerful motivator.” Sophie grinned. “I’m not really any good at yoga, but I sure enjoy it.”
“We used to go hiking
on the weekends, too.”
“Well, I took over the gallery, and you had two kids, got divorced, and have a teaching job. Things have changed since high school.”
Beth looked down at the rushing water in the stream. “Things have changed. Look at how well everything is going with the gallery now. Your parents would have been so proud.”
“I hope so.” Sophie gazed off into the distance.
Beth reached over and squeezed her friend’s hand. “They would be proud. I know you miss them. I miss them too. They were great people.”
“They were.” Sophie tucked a wayward lock of blonde hair behind her ear.
Sophie’s parents had died in a car accident five years ago. Sophie had given up her job teaching music at the high school and taken over running the gallery her parents had owned. Beth wondered if running the gallery was what Sophie really wanted to do with her life, but she insisted it was. There was no way she’d let her parents’ dream die.
“Anyway…” Sophie turned and smiled. “What’s new in your life?”
“Nothing. Same old, same old. Working. Chasing boys.” Beth took a sip of her wine.
Sophie laughed. “Chasing boys sure doesn’t mean what it used to mean to us, does it?”
“How times have changed.” Beth smiled. “Oh, but here’s something new. Mom said Annie’s old boyfriend is back in town.”
“Annie’s been single as long as I’ve known her. I can’t even picture her with a boyfriend.” Sophie’s forehead creased. “How long ago did she date him?”
“Like back when Mom and Annie were in high school. I guess there was some kind of messy breakup when he finished college. Annie was crushed. I wonder if that’s why she rarely dates. Well, at least I’ve rarely heard Mom talk about Annie dating anyone.”
“Must be strange to have him back here after all that time.”
“Well, it gets stranger. Mom rented one of the cabins to him. He’s teaching in Mountain Grove through the end of the semester.”
“Your mom rented a cabin to someone who broke Annie’s heart?”
