“Too late.” She slid the coffee across the counter. “You look like you didn’t sleep last night. Let me guess, woman trouble?”
I took the stool nearest the register and wrapped my hands around the mug. “She left my place last night like the floor was on fire.”
“Did you deserve it?”
I didn’t answer. Which, of course, was an answer.
Nellie gave a knowing hum and grabbed a rag, wiping down a clean section of the counter just for something to do. “You know, I told myself I wouldn’t meddle. But that poor girl came in here this morning lookin’ like someone canceled Christmas.”
My jaw tensed. “She’s writing a story.”
“About you?”
“No. About the town. About rentals. Maybe now about the list.”
Her hand stilled. “Ah.”
“She doesn’t know yet,” I added quickly. “Not about me being on it. But she will.”
“Then you’ve got two choices, sugar. Wait for her to find out and assume the worst or beat her to it and show her the truth.”
“And what if the truth doesn’t make a damn difference?”
“Then you’ll know you tried.” Nellie folded her arms, eyes sharp and steady. “But if you don’t tell her who you are—really are—then you’re just proving the list right.”
I stared into the steam rising off my coffee. Every instinct I had screamed at me to protect what little peace I’d built. But peace wasn’t the same thing as happiness. And with Joely? I’d had a taste of something different. Something real.
“I’m tired, Nellie,” I said quietly. “Of hiding. Of pretending like I don’t want more.”
“Then stop,” she said, gentle now. “Wanting more doesn’t make you weak. It makes you brave.”
I stood slowly, the weight in my chest easing just enough to let the air back in. “You think it’s too late?”
Nellie smiled, soft but certain. “Not if you get off that stool and go tell her.”
My mind spun. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Just say the word.”
“Convince Joely to meet me at the clearing between our cabins? I’ve got something in mind.”
She nodded. “I’ll make sure she’s there.”
I headed for the door, her voice chasing after me.
“Try not to screw it up, Thatcher.”
I was going to do my best.
The waterfall looked exactly the way it had the last time I’d been here. Hidden by a curtain of fir and pine, the water spilled down the face of the rocks into a deep pool below. It was a magical place and until now, it had been all mine. It was time to stop keeping things to myself.
I wasn’t sure whether she would show, but Nellie said she'd make her come. And I trusted Nellie more than I trusted myself these days.
I retraced my steps to the clearing where I asked Nellie to have Joely meet me. Bear must have sensed how much I needed him because he stayed at my side. Even though I hadn’t come close to breaking a sweat, my heart pounded like I’d just hauled a full load of timber up a mountain. I’d never been nervous around a woman before, though I’d never let one close enough to need a moment like this.
But Joely wasn’t like anyone I’d ever known. She saw through me. Actually, saw the real me. And I’d pushed her away.
I could still picture the moment she’d turned to go. How the hurt shone in her eyes as I broke her beautiful heart. I’d followed her back to Nellie’s to make sure she got there safely without saying a fucking word. Then I’d gone home and taken my frustration out on a woodpile, hating myself for every word I didn’t say. For every wall I’d rebuilt just when she’d finally started to scale them.
