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Alice stayed quiet as she nodded. I idly noticed when the wind caught her curls, blowing them lightly around her shoulders. “Are you ready?” she asked.
“As I’ll ever be.”
It didn’t feel strange that we smiled at each other. At that moment, I felt a sense of kinship flaring between us. Alice understood my grandmother in a way only Gram’s closest friends did. Gram would not want us to dwell, so we wouldn’t.
A few moments later, we walked into my grandmother’s house. As soon as Alice entered the room, Janet approached with a beaming smile. “Well, there you are, dear.” She pulled her into a big hug, smiling over at me as she added, “I’m so glad Jonah fetched you.”
Alice stepped back, laughing slightly. “He fetched me? I’m pretty sure he was ordered to get me.”
Janet grinned, reaching over to squeeze my shoulder. “He is a dutiful and loving grandson, so of course, he went to get you.”
I watched as Alice was pulled into the conversation with my grandmother, Dennis, Janet, and others, all of whom were glad to see her. Gram was thrilled to have the skinny-dipper show up at the reception. Alice shrugged off her teasing about it.
Meanwhile, I told myself the less I saw of Alice, the better. She opened doors inside me that were best left closed.
ChapterThree
Alice
As I drove down Main Street, I couldn’t keep the smile from teasing my lips. Willow Brook, Alaska—home, sweet home.
The town was still small, although it had grown some since I’d left for college. The main street had more shops and restaurants and more cars. With it being autumn, tourist season was still in full swing with the last gasp of them here for any number of wildlife viewings and wilderness activities. When the sign for Firehouse Café came into view, my smile widened.
I turned my little SUV into the parking area and came to a stop. When I climbed out, I heard a voice calling, “Alice!”
As I glanced around, my eyes landed on Amelia, an old friend. “Hey!” I walked toward her.
Amelia was tall, leggy, and gorgeous with amber hair and eyes to match. She smiled down at me. “Good to see you!”
We hugged. When she stepped back, she added, “I was wondering when you’d get here.”
“You were?” I teased.
Amelia was a few years older than me, and our parents were good friends when we were growing up. My heart stung with the burn of grief. My parents died in a boating accident. They’d been out fishing in the ocean, just for fun. A storm had kicked up, and their small boat had been swamped by the waves. I would never stop missing them, yet there was a sliver of solace in knowing they’d died doing something they loved.
“I heard you’re taking over at the vet clinic. My mom helps manage it, so I have the scoop,” Amelia said with a wry smile. “They also can’t wait for you. The clinic has been using visiting veterinarians for over a year.”
I chuckled. “Ah, that’s right.”
“Are you getting coffee?” she asked, gesturing toward the café.
“Of course.”
She slipped her hand through my elbow. “Well, then let’s sit together.”
“Will you get me up to speed on all the gossip?” I teased as the bell jingled on the door when we walked in.
For a moment, I was flooded with memories. I’d worked at the Firehouse Café in high school. It smelled the same—rich coffee and fresh baked goods with a savory sweet scent lingering in the air. There was a low hum of conversation, and the small round tables scattered about the space were mostly filled. This old firehouse had been remade into the café—years before I could even remember it being an actual fire station. The old concrete floor of the garage where we stood now had been stained, and the fire pole was decorated with painted flowers. Brightly colored artwork hung on the walls, and the garage bay doors had been turned into windows, offering a view of Main Street and the mountains in the distance.
When my gaze reached the counter and I saw Janet chatting with a customer, tears stung at the backs of my eyes. I looked away quickly, colliding with Amelia’s gaze. I saw the understanding in her eyes. “Feels the same, huh?” she asked softly.
I blinked away my tears and nodded. “It does. It’s good to be home.”
Our serendipitous encounter in the parking lot was exactly what I needed today. I knew I had always wanted to come home, but I’d also experienced trepidation every time I tried to plan it. I hadn’t run away from Alaska. I’d gone to college and on to one of the best veterinary programs in the country in North Carolina. I had loved it. Then my parents died. The rush to come home for more than the funeral or a visit had this giant boulder in the path. Coming home meant facing how truly gone they were.
I had fretted and spun my wheels with a good job at a veterinary clinic affiliated with my graduate program. When I got a call from Amelia’s mother, nudging me about the vet clinic and needing someone to take over, I had taken it as a sign from the universe. I’d needed some kind of impetus to push me along the way.
A moment later, we were standing in line. Amelia squeezed my elbow before releasing it.
