I open my arms, and she steps into them, her small frame fitting against mine perfectly. I breathe in her scent—clean and familiar like fresh fresh laundry hung in sunlight.
“Missed you,” I murmur against her hair, too quiet for anyone but her to hear.
She pulls back just enough to look up at me, her smile soft and knowing. “I missed you too.”
Noah joins us, clapping a hand on my shoulder in greeting. I release Holly with one arm to pull him into a brief, tight hug.
“Welcome back,” I say simply.
“Good to be back,” he replies, and I can hear the truth in it.
Kai bounces on his toes beside us, practically glowing with excitement. “Come on, we’ve got so much to tell you! The cooperative’s expanded, we’ve got three new bottling lines, and wait until you see what they’ve done to Main Street!”
“Let them breathe, Kai,” I admonish, though I understand his enthusiasm. “They just got off a six-hour flight.”
“Actually,” Noah says, checking his watch, “we should probably get their luggage before it goes around the carousel again.”
We make our way to baggage claim, Kai chattering the entire time about developments in Heat Mountain, Holly asking questions about mutual friends, Noah and I exchanging amused glances over their heads. It feels right, the four of us together again, our pack complete.
After retrieving their luggage—more than they left with, I note with resignation—we head back to the parking garage. Kai insists on taking Holly’s carry-on despite her protests that she can manage it herself.
“So,” Noah says as we load the luggage into the truck bed, “anything interesting happen while we were gone?”
Kai and I exchange a look, and I can see him struggling not to blurt out everything at once. We’d agreed to wait until we were back in Heat Mountain to share our news.
“Nothing that can’t wait until we’re home,” I say, securing the luggage under a tarp.
“Home,” Holly repeats, smiling at the word. “Can’t wait to sleep in my own bed again.”
I resist the urge to tell her that sleep isn’t highest on my list of priorities.
The drive back to Heat Mountain takes nearly three hours, there’s been more traffic on the only highway into town with all the tourists, but it passes quickly with Holly and Noah sharing stories from their medical mission—the challenges they faced, the lives they saved, the lessons they learned. Kai peppers them with questions, while I focus on the road, content to listen to their voices filling the truck cab.
As we approach Heat Mountain, the familiar landscape unfolds before us—the dense forests, the snow-capped peaks, the winding road that leads to our town. I feel something settle in my chest, a rightness that I’ve come to associate with this place, with these people.
“Oh!” Holly exclaims as we round a bend, the town coming into view below us. “It looks different!”
I hide a smile, watching her reaction in the rearview mirror. “A few things have changed.”
“More than a few,” Kai says with a grin. “Wait until you see Main Street.”
As we drive into town, Holly and Noah press their faces to the windows like children, taking in the changes that have occurred during their absence. The main road has been repaved and widened, with new streetlights installed at regular intervals. Several new businesses have opened, their freshly painted storefronts adding splashes of color to the previously utilitarian buildings.
“Is that a bookstore?” Holly asks, pointing to a cozy-looking shop with large windows displaying stacks of books.
“Opened last week,” Kai confirms. “The owner moved here from Seattle after visiting the springs last summer.”
“Is that a line outside the cafe?” Noah asks.
Sure enough, a small queue of people stands outside The Mountain Mug.
“Tourism is up almost eighty percent since last year,” he explains. “The spring water cooperative has been a huge success. People come for the water, stay for the charm.”
“And look at Caro’s!” Holly exclaims, pointing at the heat supply store.
The storefront has been completely redone, with a large, professionally designed sign proclaiming it “Heat Mountain’s Premier Omega Boutique.” A banner in the window proudly announces “As Seen on OmegaTok!”
“Caroline’s gone viral,” Kai explains with a laugh. “Some omega influencer posted about the store. Now she ships products all over the country.”
