Page 29 of Make It Last

The door opened, and a curly-haired, smiling woman with twinkling eyes peeked around. She looked so familiar, yet I was drawing a blank. “Do I know you?” I asked, curious.

“Well, you do now,” she said cheerfully. “I’m Josie. I’m Tate’s fiancée.”

She stepped inside, waving a mitten-covered hand. “I help him manage these rentals. He’s the real estate guy,” she added with a playful eye roll. “Anyway, I just wanted to check that you had everything you need.”

I started to move, but she rushed over and sat on the couch next to me. “No, no, no—don’t get up. See? I beat you,” she teased. “You might’ve seen me at Firehouse Café—I fill in there sometimes.”

“Oh! That’s probably it. But also…” I squinted, trying to place her. “I really feel like I’ve seen you somewhere else.”

Josie grinned. “Well, I did ski in the Olympics once.”

“Aha!” I pointed at my foot. “I always wanted to be a skier. Loved watching it growing up. Guess my hopes are officially dashed.”

Her eyes went wide before she burst out laughing. “I mean, maybe don’t give up just yet.”

“What’s the rent?” I asked, getting practical.

“Nope. Absolutely not. Tate always keeps one cabin available in the offseason for people who need it. You need it. End of story.”

“I don’t even know what to say.”

She tilted her head. “You could say thank you and carry on.”

“Thank you.” My voice cracked, and my smile wobbled. “Sorry. I’m just not used to people being this nice.”

Holly had found me this place. Tanner had given me a ride. Josie and Tate refused to charge me rent.

Josie leaned in, her expression soft. “It’s a small town. We help each other out. Holly vouched for you, and that’s good enough.” She paused. “You okay?”

I blinked. “Yeah. Just, uh, overwhelmed.”

Josie smiled. “Totally understandable.”

We talked a little more, and I learned she’d grown up here. She startled me when she asked if I wanted to host a potluck card night.

“Wait—me? Host?”

“Sure,” she said. “You can’t drive. So we bring it here. What do you say?”

“I’m all about friends. That’s the whole reason I came on this trip.”

She grinned. “Perfect. I’ll text you the details. Speaking of, let’s swap numbers.”

We exchanged info, and she paused on her way out. “Oh, and by the way,” she said, eyes dancing. “Tanner’s single. And he’s awesome.”

I blushed immediately. “Josie!”

“What?” She winked. “I have a feeling about you two.”

“What kind of feeling?”

“The good kind.” She opened the door. “Okay, gotta run. Talk soon!”

After she left, I sat there for a long minute, phone in hand, with my heart full.

I wasn’t home. I wasn’t even in a familiar place. But maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

Chapter Twelve