But it wasn’t a bear. It was just Jay.
He was emerging from the lake after what appeared to be a morning swim before work. Water was streaming down his torso, sunlight catching on his shoulders and abdomen as he pulled himself up onto the dock. Luna bounded up to him just as he bent down to grab his towel. He scratched her fluffy white head, then began toweling off on the dock.
I nearly inhaled my coffee.
Emily whispered, “Is that?—?”
“Nope!” I squeaked, setting my cup down so fast it nearly toppled. “We’re leaving. Let’s go. It’s my day off, so we should definitely leave right now and do something fun. Somewhere in town. Away from here.”
Emily stared, mouth still slightly agape. “Hope, you’restill in your pajamas. And you have a shirtless lake man out there?—”
“You’re done. Grab your bag. We’re going.”
I pushed my friend toward the door, blocking Emily’s view of the window with my entire body.
“But—”
“Nope!”
“Okay, fine,” Emily whined, finally relenting and allowing me to lead us to her van. When we climbed into Emily’s Sprinter and pulled away from the lake house, my entire nervous system was still strung out like I’d been running from an actual bear again and not my shirtless boss. It took a solid twenty minutes of driving for my body to really calm down.
“This place is so cute,” Emily said, cracking the window open. “I’ve been here a few times to ski, but it’s been a while. I forgot how adorable it is.”
We parked downtown and wandered into a row of little boutiques. I was still in my pajamas, so Emily immediately dragged me into a clothing store filled with cute cardigans, Big Bear T-shirts, handmade soaps, and mugs that said things likeWilderness Babe.I bought myself a T-shirt and a pair of soft, flowy boho pants, then changed in the dressing room. I redid my messy bun in the mirror and stuffed my pajamas into Emily’s tote bag. Then we wandered the main street of Big Bear together, perusing more shops.
“Okay,” Emily said, linking her arm through mine. “Catch me up. How’s the writing coming along?”
I smiled. “Good, actually. I’ve been able to write on the days I don’t work, and I’m actually getting some words down. I might have a completed manuscript to query in a year or so if I keep at it.”
“That’s great. I’m glad you’re doing what you love.” There was a slight pause before she segued into the next set of questions. The writing question was just a warm-up question. “And how’s work?”
I hesitated. How was work? “It’s good. Really good,” I finally said.
“Really good?” Emily echoed, eyebrows raising.
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I thought I would hate it. Really, I did. And I expected to quit by now, but it’s not horrible. And I like my coworkers. Macey is funny. Tyler—he’s been great.”
“Oooh, Tyler? Please tell me more.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually, I’m going out with Tyler this weekend.”
We’d wandered into another boutique, and Emily stopped perusing some keychains to whip her head around. “Like a date?”
I felt my cheeks warm. “I think so? He’s playing at a bar downtown, and he asked if I’d come and watch him sing.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Interesting.”
“What?” I asked, already regretting telling her anything.
“Oh, nothing,” Emily said, examining a scarf with an exaggerated amount of focus. “Just… good to know you’re dating.”
My eyes narrowed. “Emily.”
“Mhm?” she hummed, pretending to be fascinated by a rack of knitted hats now.
“You’re acting weird.”
“I’m literally just standing here,” Emily said. Then there was a long pause, and she cracked. “So how’s it working with Jay?”
