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She’d tried to convince herself of that on Sunday and Monday, but by Tuesday, she gave up the excuse. Whether these intense moments had bonded her and Cooper or not, bottom line was... she felt something for him. Something that was inappropriate when she was dating his brother.
The question was, what should she do about it? The thought of breaking things off with Gavin twisted her stomach. She cared for him. She didn’t want to hurt him—especially after all he’d been through.
He wasn’t opening up to her as much as she’d hoped, but who was she to talk? She hadn’t told him about her mother. She’d been planning to tell him Sunday, honest she had. But when she tried to recap her experience up on the summit—the scattering of the ashes and the hummingbird—Gavin didn’t seem to get it.
Maybe it was her fault. She hadn’t told him about the significance of hummingbirds before then, and maybe she hadn’t adequately explained how powerful that moment had been. His response fell flat.
She kept comparing his reaction to Cooper’s. Maybe that wasn’t fair.
Even Mama Jill’s response hadn’t measured up. She’d called right after Gavin left Sunday. But Jill was wrangling six kids and the youngest was battling colic. The woman seemed moved by Katie’s experience—she’d loved Spencer, too, after all. But there were so many interruptions, and Jill had to rush off because of the baby.
Now Katie pulled into the Robinsons’ drive and stopped in front of the garage door, thankful to put an end to that line of thinking.
Lisa met her at the front door with one of her warm hugs. “Thanks for coming early, sweetheart.”
“Thanks for having me.” Katie followed her through the living room to the bright, airy kitchen at the back of the house.
“Something smells good.” Katie set her purse on a chair and met Lisa at the island where she was chopping a head of lettuce. Beans bubbled in a pot on the stove. “What can I do to help?”
“Would you turn down those beans and give them a stir, please?”
“Sure thing.”
When Katie was finished Lisa gestured toward a few ripened tomatoes on the island. “How do you feel about chopping up those?”
“I can handle that.” Katie washed her hands, then grabbed a knife and went to work on the chopping block.
Lisa worked across from her with smooth, efficient motions that bespoke many hours in the kitchen. They caught each other up on their weeks as they worked on the salad.
The bridge was closing for repairs today, and that had been the talk of the town all week. Businesses were braced for change, but folks were hopeful the coming festival would help to compensate.
When Lisa and Katie finished setting the table, Lisa launched into the topic at hand. “As you know, we have to attract many people to Trail Days if we want to get this town through the lean months ahead. I’m making flyers to hang around the region, but I just don’t know what else we can do to draw people, especially when we’re on a tight budget. It’ll be the last weekend in October—Friday through Sunday—and we’ll have several food trucks as well as regional food for sale. Local artisans will sell their wares. But we’ll need a lot of activity and game ideas.”
“Since I know so little about the trail, I’m probably the worst person to ask.”
Lisa waved away her remark. “Avery says you’ve had many great ideas for the clinic. And since you have no preconceived ideas you might be just the right person to ask.”
“Well . . . tell me a little about the trail’s history.”
Lisa shared the story of Harvard graduate Benton MacKaye, who was sitting in a tree in 1921 when the idea came to him of a trail running through the Appalachian Mountains from Maine to Georgia. The plan was put into action in 1925, but there were dramatic setbacks. It was maritime lawyer Myron Avery who finally completed the 2,200-mile trail in 1937.
“That’s a cool story,” Katie said. “What about a skit telling how the trail came about?”
“I love that. Maybe one of our churches could put something together.”
“Good idea. The kids especially would love that. And what about having hiking-themed contests for different age groups and maybe throwback events and costumes celebrating the 1920s?”
Lisa jotted down the ideas. “You’re so good at this. I think we’ll attract hiking enthusiasts, of course. And there’s a certain segment that’ll probably just come for the food. And maybe others who’ll enjoy the small-town atmosphere and mountain getaway.”
“Are you just trying to attract people from nearby towns?”
“Mostly, I think. I have a friend working on a website. We’ll list the schedule of activities as soon as we have something concrete. I’m working on getting some local bands to perform. They’re eager for exposure so they’re willing to play for free.”
“It’s hard to argue with free.” Katie scraped the chopped tomatoes into the salad bowl, then went to the sink to wash the board.
“Thanks so much. You’ve given me plenty to think about.”
“I’m happy to help.” As Katie gave the beans another stir, the conversation turned to Gavin. Katie bragged on him, telling Lisa how well he treated her.
