“You knew my grandfather?”
“Knew?” She looked to Cody, her expression falling.
“Eddie passed away earlier this summer.” He gently patted Jenna’s shoulder as he took the seat next to her. The gesture meant to provide comfort made her pulse quicken. She refused to dwell on why. “Jenna has a few things her grandpa wanted her to do in Alaska. Touristy things. Once we’ve got the shop packed up, I’m going to help her.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss, dear.” Cody’s mother offered her a sympathetic smile, forcing Jenna to focus on an arrangement of flowers in the center of the table. She’d cried enough the first few weeks after Grandpa passed. She wasnotabout to open the floodgates all over again in front of strangers.
“Thank you,” she managed to say without her voice cracking.
“Now that Cody’s here, can we eat? We’re already behind schedule.”
“That’s my brother, Marc,” Cody explained, leaning closer to Jenna. Another inch or two and their shoulders would brush.Flowers. Focus on the flowers.“Wears a permanent frown and is up in the running for world’s grumpiest man. Ignore him.”
“Please, dig in,” Cody’s mother announced.
As bowls and serving plates passed around the table, Cody gave entertaining introductions of his large family in between their excited chatter.
His mother, Beth—the best cook in southeast Alaska and bravest woman in town for birthingfiveEvans siblings—sat directly across from Jenna. “We can’t convince her to enter the baking contest at the Blueberry festival to prove her natural talents, but Cody’s not wrong,” a blonde woman agreed. “She’s an amazing cook.”
“That’s Laurel and her husband, Chase. She’s the only sister who’s older than me. Those two have quite the story, but you’ll have to ask them to tell it.” Cody moved around the table, rapid-fire style. “There’s my dad, Jerry—hardest working man I’ve ever met, and I’ve met alotof people. He can put away an entire nine-by-thirteen pan of cheesy hashbrown casserole, which should be motive enough never to be late to breakfast again, should you find occasion to join us in the future.”
Laughter echoed around the table, making Jenna wish she was more than a misfit guest. She’d only known the Evans clan for ten minutes, and yet she already knew she loved them.
“Last but not least at the table, there’s my youngest sister, Haylee and her daughter—the cutest niece in the universe and future heartbreaker—Melly.” Jenna kept her surprise to herself, locking in her expression. Haylee didn’t look old enough tohavea child as she appeared to be one herself. The little girl in the highchair looked six to eight months old, if Jenna had to guess.
“You forgot to mention that I’m thebestsister,” Haylee said, flashing a cheesy grin that made Melly giggle.
Jenna looked at Cody. “I thought you said you had three sisters?”
“Sadie doesn’t like getting her hands dirty,” Haylee answered with an eyeroll. “Or, you know, working in general.”
Cody bit down on his bottom lip, but only briefly enough for Jenna to notice.He knows something he can’t share. “That’s not entirely fair,” he said, his tone completely calm. “Sadie works very hard—inAnchorage. It’s a little bit of a drive, and she doesn’t always make these family events.”
“Cody’s being nice,” Haylee chimed in.
“Haylee,” Jerry said in warning.
“What?” Haylee asked, feigning innocence. “Momwon the bet.”
“Really, Mom?”
Beth dabbed her lips with her napkin. “I know my own daughter. It’s not my fault I won twenty bucks because I expected her to cancel fifteen minutes before she was supposed to show up.” Beth looked at Jenna. “For the record, she calledfourteenminutes before.”
Cody let out a soft groan that was nearly inaudible, but it and Beth’s comment made Jenna silently chuckle. Had her smallish familyeverfelt this much . . . fun? She tried to remember a time from when her mom was still alive that carried the same warmth as this moment did now, but she couldn’t find one.
“And that’s the gang.” In a quieter tone, Cody said to Jenna, “Can you guess why I go away for the winter?”
Jenna thought if she had a family this big and wonderful, she’d never leave. Growing up, her grandpa was often gone for weeks at a time on one movie set or another. He wasn’t required or even expected to show up for filming, but his clout in the industry and desire to be where the action was born earned him a reserved seat whenever he requested one.
Since the age of nine, that left Jenna alone with her older sister, Whitney. She loved her because Whitney was family, and you were supposed to love family. Even when they drove you up a wall and constantly belittled every mistake you made.
Jenna barely cut her waffle in half before Beth directed a question at her. “How long are you in Alaska, dear?” The woman’s sweet tone made Jenna’s heart squeeze. Having lost her own mother when she was only nine left a big hole in her heart she wasn’t certain would ever be filled in this lifetime. Whitney had certainly nevertriedto fill it.
“I’m not sure,” Jenna answered truthfully. “At least a week. Could be longer, though.” Unbeknownst to anyone back home, Jenna had towed all her belongings in a covered trailer in case she chose to stay. The cabin would be hers to do with as she pleased once this bucket list nonsense was finished. But moving to Alaska was a big decision, one she wouldn’t make lightly.
The only thing she didknow for sure was that she wasn’t going back to Indiana. Grandpa’s death made one thingveryclear to Jenna. It was time to sever the cord with her toxic, controlling sister. She could love Whitney from afar, and that would have to be enough for both of them.
“Too bad Cody’s leaving in two days,” Haylee said, a heavy emphasis on the wordtwo. “Maybe he should stick around a few more so he can show you around. Most of the tourists are gone for the season, so it’s the perfect time.”
