What in the world was Hattie thinking?
CHAPTER FOUR
“So did you get the Storm’s autograph for me?”
True let out a sigh. She’d been answering questions about Xavier Stone for the last twenty minutes. Ever since she had crossed the threshold of their cozy three-bedroom home, her little brother had been relentless. He was obsessed with the new resident of Moose Falls. Honestly, it didn’t surprise her, since Jaylen considered himself to be a mega fan of the Storm.
“Jaylen, finish your dinner, please. I’ve already told you a dozen times,” True said. “I didn’t ask him for an autograph. The timing wasn’t right.” True continued to eat her taco casserole. She had made the meal a few days ago and put it in the fridge for an easy dinner to heat and serve. Maybe Jaylen would follow her lead and clean his plate so she could check his homework and get him ready for bed. Lately, True felt that going over Jaylen’s work was futile. More times than not, he didn’t get a single question wrong.
Instead of polishing off his meal, Jaylen placed his elbows on the table and leaned forward. “Okay, last question.Was he nice? Do you think he’ll give me an autograph if I ask him?” As usual, he made True’s heart thump like the Energizer bunny’s drum. With his warm-brown skin and gap-toothed smile, he was irresistible to his big sister and absolutely adorable. At moments like this one, True wished her parents were here to see their sweet boy.
“He was nice,” True answered. So nice that she felt a little bad about the ghost pepper wings she had served him. Xavier had handled the situation with grace. And humor. “I’m sure he would love to give you an autograph if you ever meet him.”
Jaylen’s brown eyes widened. “Do you think I’ll ever get the chance to meet him?”
“So much for last question,” True said. It was all there in his eyes—the hope, the expectation, the adoration. Her insides clenched. Jaylen held Xavier in such high esteem. She’d rip his heart out if he hurt Jaylen. He had already been through enough heartaches for a lifetime.
“Last one. I promise,” Jaylen said. He picked up his fork and began taking a few bites of his meal.
“Well, with Xavier staying here in town, you’ll definitely cross paths with him. Moose Falls is teeny tiny,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “Smaller than a postage stamp.” It was something their mom used to say about Moose Falls, and it always made Jaylen grin.
“I’d skip school to meet him,” Jaylen said in a wistful voice.
“That’s not happening,” True said with a shake of her head.
“Why not? He’s a legend. And I’m his biggest fan.” His tone was full of outrage. “Life experiences matter.”
“Because I’m not down with playing hooky. Fourth grade matters too, especially for a great student like yourself.You’ll just have to meet him outside school hours.” When had she become such a grown-up? Her words rang in her ears, sounding so much like True’s own parents.
Jaylen rubbed his hands together and let out a squeal. “I can’t believe he’s here. We have someone famous living right here in Moose Falls.” If she could bottle up a nine-year-old’s enthusiasm and sell it to the highest bidder, True wouldn’t have a single financial worry.
“For now,” True muttered. She couldn’t wrap her head around the infamous Stone brothers permanently relocating to small-town Alaska. It simply didn’t compute. She didn’t know all the details of their arrangement with their grandmother, but she figured they could simply sell Yukon Cider after Hattie’s death and get out of Dodge. Northern Exposure could be a casualty of the Stone brothers’ whims. She was kicking herself for not being in a position to have made Hattie an offer outright.
“Before I forget to tell you, Miss Hattie invited me to a reception. It’s tomorrow night. She wants everyone to roll out the red carpet for her grandsons.”
Jaylen let out a groan. “You are so lucky. Can I be your plus-one?”
True sputtered. “What do you know about plus-ones?”
He puffed out his chest, seemingly proud of himself. “I remember Garrett saying it once.” Suddenly, Jaylen’s face fell, and he began stumbling with his words. “I—I’m sorry, True, for mentioning him.”
“No biggie,” she said. “That was a long time ago.”
Two years, three months, and some odd days. Who was she kidding? It really wasn’t that long ago as far as her heart was concerned. Garrett was like the gum stuck on the bottom of her shoes. No matter how hard she’d tried to disentangle him from her heart, he was still stuck there likea permanent tattoo. He served as a reminder of her foolishness. Her feelings for him had been over-the-top and epic. He’d made her believe in happily-ever-afters, unicorns, and white picket fences. She had felt like the luckiest girl in all of Alaska to behiswoman. And then he’d vanished into thin air, ghosting her in the cruelest manner. At first she had been frantic about his safety until he’d popped up on Instagram at a ski resort with a very sexy plus-one.
Months later they had run into each other at a local market, and Garrett hadn’t batted an eyelash. He’d made a point to tell her how great she looked and remarked on how long it had been since they’d gotten together. Garrett had waltzed away before True could recover enough to tell him off. To this day it astounded her how he’d acted as if nothing had ever happened. She was in a better place emotionally now, but he’d left her a bit jaded about romance in general. It would be a challenge to put herself out there again.
“I don’t have a plus-one,” she explained, “so Bonnie’s going to watch you. You can order Thai food. Your favorite.” She reached over and tousled the top of his head.
He pumped his fist in the air. “Yes! I love hanging out with Bonnie. We can playAnimal CrossingandMario Brothers.” Jaylen began shoveling taco casserole into his mouth. “She’s almost as good as I am,” he said with a mouth full of food.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, kiddo,” True cautioned.
“Excusez-moi, mademoiselle,” Jaylen said in a thick impersonation of a French accent. A smile tugged at her lips. Even though it was her job to correct her brother’s manners and raise him up into a well-rounded man, at moments like this one all she could focus on was the joy he brought into her world. He was the living, breathing embodiment of a sugar rush.
Jaylen was an incredibly cool kid and full of so much exuberance for one who’d lost his entire world at such an early age. He didn’t carry any loss around with him. Becoming a stand-in parent for a two-year-old hadn’t been easy, but Jaylen had made it more meaningful than she ever could have imagined. Losing their parents in a small plane crash had devastated True, but she’d picked herself up, staggered through her grief, and immersed herself in Jaylen. From potty training to nursery school to birthday parties, she’d done it all. And loved him fiercely every step of the way. And if, as she suspected, there would be no marriage or kids in her future, this would all be enough. Making taco casserole for Jaylen, baking cupcakes for his school’s bake sale, and tucking him at night would always be more than enough.
After reading through the contract, Xavier didn’t waste any time gathering Caleb and Landon to his room. There was no way they could let Hattie’s contract stand with this insane stipulation. Xavier’s thoughts raced all over the place. Raw emotion welled up inside him. He was a grown man now, and even though there had been countless moments when he’d ached for a dad, he no longer needed one. That ship had sailed.
