As soon as True’s Saturday shift ended, Xavier showed up. He was right on time, which she took as a good sign. Her past was filled with men who thought punctuality was a four-letter word. Garrett in particular had always made her wait around for him. More and more she was beginning to question what she’d ever seen in him in the first place. He hadn’t been particularly nice or caring. And come to think of it, his idea of romance had been a six-pack of beer and watching episodes of the originalStar Trektelevision series. It was sad thinking back over how much she had put up with in their relationship.
She’d changed since then. True liked to think she wouldn’t tolerate such foolishness ever again in a romantic relationship. Maybe the truth was that she had hardened herself to the idea of loving and being loved. She hated being so jaded, but there it was.
True wasn’t getting all dolled up for Xavier. If he wanted to pursue her, he needed to realize that she was a regular girl who dressed in regular clothes and put on the barest hint of makeup on a good day. She chuckled thinking of herself asan “as is” date. If she had learned anything from past experiences, True now knew that being completely herself was the only way to go.
Dark jeans and an oatmeal-colored sweater, paired with her Sorel winter boots, was her outfit today. Overnight they had experienced a snow event, which left Moose Falls with eight inches of fresh snow. True loved Alaskan winter weather and the powdery white stuff. A perfect day for True was when Moose Falls was having a snowstorm.
Xavier texted her as soon as she arrived, letting her know he was outside. True had arranged to meet him in the lot so as to avoid any questions from Bonnie or the rest of the staff. Although she viewed this as a meetup rather than a date, she wanted to avoid any speculation or rumors from her staff. In a town this small, it didn’t take long for gossip to fly on the wind, especially if it concerned anything related to Hattie Stone, the grande dame of Moose Falls. As heir to Yukon Cider, Xavier was big news here in town. Everyone wanted to know if the famous football player was going to plant roots in Moose Falls.
True heard a lot of talk at the tavern. All three Stone brothers were considered hot commodities. Between Xavier, Caleb, and Landon, it seemed that there was something for everyone. The hot, caring athlete. The charismatic, gorgeous actor. The brainy but adorable scientist. The residents of Moose Falls were in a feeding frenzy. She couldn’t really blame them, since pickings were slim here in town. Everyone had known everyone from the cradle, which left little room for romantic prospects, in True’s opinion.
Once she stepped outside, True easily spotted Xavier sitting behind the wheel in a large hunter-green truck. She raised her hand in greeting as he rolled down the passenger-side window.
“How’s it going?” he asked, grinning at her.
“I can’t complain,” True said, her pulse racing at the sight of him. If he wanted to make a fortune, Xavier could bottle his charm and sell it to the highest bidder.
“These roads are challenging,” Xavier said. “We’re not used to all this snow and ice in Arizona.”
“I’m so used to driving in these conditions, I barely notice. Why don’t I drive?” she suggested. “My truck is over there.”
Xavier let out a relieved sigh. “I’ll take you up on that offer,” he said, appearing relieved. “There’s a learning curve on Alaskan driving, but I’m going to figure it out. Let me go park, and I’ll meet you over in the lot.”
True nodded and headed over to her truck, getting into the driver’s seat and putting the heat on blast. January in Alaska was the coldest month of the year. Everyone layered up and wore their most rugged clothes and insulated boots. Days only had about five or six hours of sunlight. Some folks hated this month due to the extreme elements, but True loved it best of all.
The passenger-side door swung open, and Xavier appeared, sliding into the truck beside her. He smelled good, like sandalwood. He rubbed his hands together. “Much nicer in here. It’s cold enough out there to freeze our buns off.”
True chuckled. An immediate picture of Xavier’s buns being frozen popped into her mind. It hadn’t escaped her notice that he had a nice pair of cinnamon buns.
“Before I forget, this is for Jaylen.” Xavier handed her a piece of clothing. “It’s one of my Cardinals jerseys. I signed it for him.”
“Oh, my gosh. This is epic,” True gushed as she looked at the red-and-white jersey. “Jaylen’s going to absolutely love this.” What a sweet gesture from Xavier. If he was trying towin her over through Jaylen, he was definitely on the right track. There wasn’t much True wouldn’t do for her baby brother. She would fly to the moon and back to make him smile. A signed jersey from the Storm was going to cause her brother to do backflips.
“I hope he likes it,” Xavier said. “Making kids happy was always one of the best parts of my career.”
“So, how much of Moose Falls do you remember?” she asked, dragging her thoughts away from his physical attributes. She could easily stare at him all day.
“Not that much, although snippets come back to me at random moments. We left here with my mother when I was ten, so it’s been a while.”
“That’s a sweet age. My brother is nine.” Just thinking about Jaylen made her smile. “How come you never came back for visits?” True asked. Surely if he had, they would have crossed paths at some point in a town this size. She vaguely remembered the Stone brothers as young kids, but she had only been around seven or eight when they’d left.
“No, we never made it back, which sounds odd, but my parents’ divorce changed everything.” A muscle in his jaw began to bounce around. “Once we left Moose Falls, a lot of ties were severed. We had our new life in Arizona, and my mom focused on acclimating us to our new surroundings. My dad pretty much bailed on us. And no, I’ve never been okay with that, but I learned to live with having just one parent.”
True took a quick look at him, then settled her gaze back on the road. His face reflected a tinge of sadness. A surge of anger toward Red caused her breathing to quicken. How could he have treated his sons so shabbily?
“That must’ve been difficult for all of you. I can’t imagine leaving everything you’ve always known and being transplanted into a whole new world. Arizona is very differentfrom Alaska.” Her heart bled for the ten-year-old little boy whose life had been uprooted due to divorce. Xavier must have been forced to navigate a rocky road to adulthood.
Xavier shrugged. “It wasn’t easy, I can tell you that, but neither was hearing the fights going on between our parents. Those memories are seared into my brain. Getting away from all that was a relief.”
“But didn’t you miss Hattie… and your dad?” she asked, trying to be tactful.
“I don’t remember, honestly,” he said, his expression shuttered.
True wasn’t sure she believed him. How could a person forget something like that? Wouldn’t it be imprinted in your memory with all the permanence of a tattoo?
“The other night Red had us over for dinner, and we found out he still owns our childhood home.” He shook his head. “It was such a trip being back there. A lot came back to me. Family dinners. Game nights. And even though I didn’t want to go, I actually had a decent time.”
“That’s great. Maybe there’ll be some healing between all of you.”
