“I may have,” he said. “But being back here is way more interesting than I imagined.” He let out a chuckle. “Hey! Maybe I like small-town Alaskan living.”
Caleb and Landon shared a look full of meaning.
“What’s with that look?” Xavier asked, swinging his gaze back and forth between his brothers.
“This is about True, isn’t it? You really like her, don’t you?” Caleb asked, peering intensely at Xavier.
He avoided Caleb’s probing gaze. His brother could read him so easily. “It’s too early to make a declaration like that. We haven’t really known each other for long.”
“You like her,” Caleb and Landon said at the same time, nodding with conviction.
“So tell us more about this date the two of you went on,” Landon said, rubbing his hands together. “I fully admit that I want to live vicariously through you.”
“Speaking of which, you really need to get out more and stick your toe in the dating pond,” Caleb said to Landon. “Ican be your wing man. I promise you we’d have a lot of fun.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“I think we have two very different ideas of fun,” Landon said, quirking his mouth.
Xavier was intent on downplaying the time he’d spent with True. If he didn’t, Landon and Caleb would be in a feeding frenzy with him as the bait. “I wouldn’t call it a date. We hung out. Went skating.” He felt a smile stretching across his face as memories of their kiss filled his head. “She took me to this amazing waterfall we used to go to when we were kids.”
“I remember that place,” Caleb said, his eyes lighting up. “We used to have picnics and race around in the field of flowers. It was pretty cool,” he gushed.
“Yeah, we sure did,” Xavier said. “Forget-me-nots and wildflowers.” He could picture them now in his mind’s eye. Their mother had laced the flowers through her French braids and danced to Earth, Wind and Fire.
“As usual, I’ve got nothing,” Landon said, letting out a frustrated sound. “Not a single memory except the gingerbread cookies.”
“I’m sorry about that,” Xavier said, clapping Landon on the back. “But on the upside, everything that we do over the next year is making new memories. Hopefully, ones you’ll never forget.”
Landon’s face lit up the same way it always had since they were kids. “I hope so.”
“So, what do you think so far about Yukon Cider?” Xavier asked, feeling the need to check in with his brothers. This was what they needed to do throughout the year so they were all on the same page about the future. As the contract stipulated, their decision had to be unanimous, or they would forfeit Yukon Cider.
“It’s fine,” Caleb said with a shrug. “But to do this for the rest of my life? I don’t see myself in this role. No disrespect to Hattie, but I still want to act, and I can’t pursue an acting career here in Moose Falls.”
Acting.It was all Caleb had ever wanted. He was as passionate about an acting career as Xavier was about football and Landon was about being a scientist. They still had almost a year to make their decision, but from the onset, Xavier hadn’t believed that all three of them would agree to stay and run Yukon Cider.
“I like it here,” Landon said, “but it’s too soon to make any decisions. I’m a bit homesick, to be honest. I miss Mom.”
Caleb let out a sigh. “Yeah, it’s strange not seeing her and knowing she’s thousands of miles away from us.” He made a face. “And she wasn’t thrilled about this adventure either. She hates Alaska and Moose Falls.”
Xavier’s chest tightened at the mention of their mother. She had always been at the center of their world, so it was only natural they would all miss her. And it stung a little bit that they had come here against her wishes. In the end, he had realized that she was letting her own personal feelings get in the way of something that could be life altering. He didn’t think she hated Alaska or Moose Falls either. For Daisy, this place served as a trigger, since her marriage had fallen apart here and she had left under strained circumstances.
“She’s only a FaceTime call away,” Xavier said, trying to sound reassuring. “Maybe we should call her tonight.”
“Do you think she’s still salty about us coming to Moose Falls?” Landon asked.
“I think she was just scared,” Xavier answered. “Of all the bad memories and the way we left. The divorce was messy. We still don’t know all that went down between our parents after all these years.” He shook his head. “Uscoming back here must feel a bit unnerving. Like she might lose us.”
“That could never happen,” Landon said. “She’s the center of our world.”
Daisy Stone had always been their rock. Xavier’s ex-fiancée had always griped about him putting his mother on a pedestal, but Heather hadn’t understood the ties that bound them all together. She’d barely been on speaking terms with her own parents, so he’d taken her criticism with a grain of salt. Love and mutual respect weren’t bad things.
“Oh, by the way,” Xavier said, trying to sound casual, “I forgot to tell you guys that I volunteered to be a football coach for local kids. I start today.”
Caleb and Landon gawked at him.
“You did what?” Caleb asked, his voice raised.
“When did this happen?” Landon’s tone radiated concern.
