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“Stuff?” Jake asks.
Jesse shakes his head firmly. “Nothing you wouldn’t have wanted me to get for her. She was just wearing that wedding dress when I found her.”
“Just wearing it?” Jake asks. “Why are you phrasing it like that?”
“Soo,” I say, before Jake has time to dig any deeper into that line of questioning. “Know anybody who’s hiring?”
Caroline beams. “I do. Me. I’m always extra busy with the bed and breakfast with Christmas coming up. But I also coordinate the Frostival every year. It’s an assortment of holiday-themed events leading up to Christmas we put on every year. It’s a ton of fun, but a lot of work. I could hire you to come here every day and just put you to task on whatever I’ve got going on. What do you think?”
“That sounds like a bad idea,” Jesse says.
“What?” Caroline asks. “You’re usually so gung-ho about helping me. And you’re always complaining about how we don’t have more help. Why are you suddenly trying to turn down an extra pair of hands?”
“He’s right,” Jake says. “I don’t think Andi would want to do that.”
I stare at him. “Pardon?” I ask in a bad, fake French accent. “The girl who lives and breathes all things Christmas holidays? The girl who would listen to Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree all year if somebody didn’t complain that it was July when they rode in my car with me? I would absolutely die if you let me help you. That sounds amazing.”
“Then it’s decided!” Caroline says happily. “You can start tomorrow, if you want. If you are actually planning to die of excitement, just do it off the clock, please. I don’t have health insurance.”
“Got it. Die off the clock,” I say.
“The town council allocates an event planning budget every year. I’m kind of a frugal badass and always manage to slide in way under expected costs for everything, so there’s plenty left to take care of paying you. Besides, Jesse won’t ever let me pay him, so I’ve always got extra money lying around after Christmas every year.”
Jake is gripping his cup like it might get up and run off. Jesse looks like he just swallowed a frog.
“What?” Caroline asks. “I thought you guys would be relieved. That was the whole point of bringing her here, wasn’t it?”
“No,” Jesse says in a strained voice. He’s smiling, but it looks more like a wince of pain. “This is great. Just what we needed.”
Jake’s jaw twitches. “Thanks, Caroline.”
Caroline bulges her eyes at me in a kind of Okay, then way. I bite back a smile. “I can’t wait!”
And just like that, I’ve got my foot in the door of my new life. I can’t stop smiling the entire drive home.
I have a vague, uncomfortable awareness of the way it feels like I’m a bit of a human rubber band, though. I’m yanking myself as far as I can, stretching until I’m about to snap in half and split off from who I was back home. The question is whether the old life is going to slip free before I break things off and come rushing back to pop me in the ass, or if I’m the one who is going to go flying back home because I’m too scared to keep pressing forward.
But those are worries for another day. For now, I’ll just keep ignoring my phone and pretending I don’t still need to give my friends and family more than half-assed “I’ll tell you everything soon” kinds of texts. I’ll forget about my crashed car on the side of the mountain, and I’ll enjoy whatever my time here shapes out to be.
Who knows? Maybe I’ll even stay here in Frosty Harbor for a few months. Would that really be so bad?
10
JESSE
The cabin is filled with the aroma of simmering spices and fresh bread. I towel some sweat from my forehead and then chuck the towel and my shoes in the laundry room, kicking the door shut on my way in from the garage.
I find Nolan behind the counter and a familiar girl sitting on the other side.
“Mia?” I ask.
“Oh, hey, fancy running into you here.” She smiles at me and her tone is casual, but her eyes slip away from mine as if she’s embarrassed to be caught here with Nolan. Mia has her bright red hair pulled into a ponytail and looks like she just finished ice skating. She has on a black short skirt over matching leggings and a sleeveless top. Her jacket and bag with skates is at her feet.
“Right. Weird that you’d run into someone when you show up at their house uninvited.” I walk past her, glancing at whatever Nolan has simmering in a big pot. Mia has been best friends with my sister since they were little, and I have no interest in being cruel. If she’s embarrassed to be here for some reason, I’ll spare her the inquisition act. She can explain what the hell is going on in her own time if she wants to.
“That smells insane,” I say, setting the lid back on the pot. “What is it?”
“I’m just reducing some leftovers for stocks. So many people waste bones and fat trimmings and vegetable scraps. Throw that in with some water, boil it all off, and you’ve got liquid magic for weeks. Anyway, the real prize is in the oven. Wanna see?”
