“Every time I get an invite to dinner, I always look forward to it because Jude tells me you’re the main cook for the family now.”
“I am.Grandma helps, but I think she actually likes that I do it most of the time now.She’s old.”
I snorted.“Your grandma is not old.”
“Well, she’s not young,” he offered with an eye roll.“Where’s Jude?”
It was no secret that Jude often helped me out here.At the mere mention of his name, I felt the heat rising up my neck and into my cheeks.
“If you didn’t know, Jude’s in love with you,” Tommy said solemnly.
“What?”I sputtered, that blush blazing hotter in my cheeks.
Tommy shrugged as though he had announced the sky was blue, or something else mundane and factual.“Maybe you haven’t figured it out yet, and I’m not even sure if Jude has, but it’s true,” Tommy added matter-of-factly.“I think you two should get married.”
“Whaaaa-t?”I sputtered again.
This time he grinned, enjoying my discomfort.“You’re best friends.I’m no romance expert.”He held both of his hands up as he shrugged.“But that’s a good foundation.”At that, he leaned down to give Dolly another scratch behind her ears before he straightened.“I gotta go.”With a wave, he was off running.He often ran from place to place.
While I considered myself to be in good physical condition, I didn’t have the energy of a 11-year-old boy to sprint a half-mile from here to the resort.His comments left me standing there for I didn’t know how long in the middle of the aisle in the barn.Even though Jude had told me the other night he’d had a crush on me since high school, even though he told me he was half in love with me, I was still shocked to hear such a casual observation from his nephew.I couldn’t help but wonder how oblivious I’d been.
All this time, I’d worried about ruining our friendship and figured I would need to forever keep my feelings to myself.Although Jude had never had a serious relationship, he’d dated here and there.I’d always gone out of my way to keep a casual, polite distance, and to hope and pray nobody got uncomfortable about our friendship.I’d always promised myself I wouldn’t bethatfriend, the friend who claimed not to have feelings and tried to interfere in every relationship.
Jude was my best friend and had been for so long that I had worried and fretted almost painfully about losing our friendship.And yet, at the same time, I cared about him enough to want him to have whatever he wanted.I groaned.
“Get a grip, Kendall.You have work to do.”I threw myself into updating our logs to document the vet care updates.
Every time Jude rudely burst into my thoughts, I told myself that somehow this would be okay.
ChapterNineteen
Kendall
“Kendall!”Maisie exclaimed as she threw her arms around me.“You finally came!”
“I did,” I said, feeling a little sheepish.
I’d known—maybe not all, but many—of these women since elementary school.Many of us had scattered during the college years.Although I hadn’t gone that far geographically speaking, it had interrupted what patterns I’d had here just enough that slipping back in easily had felt fraught with difficulty.
“We are so glad you’re here,” Maisie added as she gestured me over to the table.
“I didn’t know anybody missed me,” I said, when Amelia pulled a chair out for me and patted the chair beside her.
“Sit.”Pausing, she took a bite of chips and salsa.I obediently sat.“You are one of us,” she added.
“What does that mean?”I asked.
“Born and bred in Alaska,” Amelia replied.
“Hey, I wasn’t born and bred in Alaska,” Farrah said as she sat down.“And, Alice and I are the ones who told Kendall about tonight.”
“We’re an inclusive group.Born and bred in Alaska.Moved to Alaska.Ran away from the law,” Casey said as she plunked down with a grin.
“Okay,thattoo,” Amelia said with a grin.
“Who ran away from the law?”I couldn’t help but ask.
Casey snorted as she held her hand up.“Sort of, but not really.It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll summarize it like this.When my sister died, something totally sketchy happened, and I was trying to stay out of the way, so I took a long road trip and ended up here.But it’s all cleared up now, and it’s good.”
