Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Ella

I awoke the next morning, grateful that I had Wednesdays off as well as Sundays. When I'd first started working at the hospital, Mercy had asked if I wanted Friday or Saturday off, but neither of them had appealed to me. It wasn't like I had anywhere to go on the weekends.

The first thing I did was open the curtains, giving me a look at the sun rising above the lake. After a few minutes of admiring its beauty, I changed my clothes and decided to go for a run. I was grateful for the chill of early mornings during Wyoming summers.

I jogged around the lake, going past places I'd seen a thousand times while growing up. As I was finishing the loop, I reached the Whipple house, which was two doors down. I paused, noticing a black Jeep in the driveway. Noah had been driving one just like it.

I slowed to a walk, put my hands over my head, and pulled in deep breaths. What was he doing out here? Was the Jeep really his? When I looked around, no one was in sight. Everything was quiet.

Seconds later, Noah came out of the Whipple cabin. His eyes met mine, sending electricity crackling through me. We still had that old chemistry between us, just like in eighth grade when I'd noticed him for the first time. Or maybe he was the one who had noticed me. With our gazes locked, past and present mashed together. I felt scattered and weary, but hyped up at the same time.

Steeling myself, I moved toward him. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes swept me up and down. Suddenly self-conscious, I realized I was wearing just my exercise clothes, which were tighter and more formfitting than my normal outfits. He was in jeans, sandals, and a black T-shirt. He looked like he'd already showered, and his blond hair was bright in the morning sun. Dang, the man was attractive.

He gestured to the house. "I'm moving in for the summer."

"What?" I put my hand to my chest.

The corner of his mouth tugged up. "I'm taking some time off, since I want to be in Refuge Falls for a couple months for Mom and Dad. Plus, I like this lake." His eyes darted to the calm waters not far away. "I have good memories here."

My heart hammered in my chest, and I didn't know what to say. Of course, it made sense. He did have memories here, and a lot of those memories included me. "RJ's family owns this."

He moved to his Jeep, opened the hatch, and picked up a large bag. "They do. I'm going to help them fix some stuff, and they are letting me live here." He slammed the door shut again and paused. "Do you want to look around inside?"

"Sure." I said it without thinking, then instantly regretted it. "Actually, no. I don't need to look inside." What was I doing? It didn't matter if he was here for three months? So what if he was two doors down from me? I didn't want to hang out with him. "I have to go."

"Ella," he called, stopping me as I was turning to jog away.

I turned back.

He had his bag hoisted over his shoulder like it weighed nothing. "I had our pizza last night. It still tastes the same."

Anger burned into me. "Why are you telling me this?"

He shrugged, and his expression turned sad. "I don't know. I thought you'd like to get some with me sometime."

"I don't."

He nodded. "Or if you need something, don't be afraid to ask."

"I don't need anything." I started jogging again, slipping my AirPods into place.

It seemed like I'd need a longer run this morning.

After eating dinner that night, I relaxed on the back porch and set my laptop on the picnic table. A wooden splinter pricked me through the fabric of my sweats as I sat down. I pulled it out. At some point, I'd have to get the table sanded down.

I scrolled images online for how to redo fireplaces. I watched some YouTube videos on it, and it looked complicated enough that I wondered if I should take on the project this year. It might have to wait.

I'd spent most of the day clearing things out and taking bags to Goodwill. It was hard to let go of Grandma's things, but I had to if I wanted to move forward.

The phrase stuck in my brain. Let go to move forward. Wasn't that what Mercy kept telling me I needed to do about Noah?

Now that Noah was living by the lake for the summer, I couldn't pretend he didn't exist. I thought of that old fairy tale I'd read in elementary school about the princess and the pea. No matter how many mattresses she layered on the bed, she could always feel the pea underneath. Noah was my pea.

I snickered. His brothers would tease him about that.

I went inside to put my laptop away and considered cleaning up the mess I'd left. It could wait until tomorrow. Instead, I slipped my shoes on and grabbed a light jacket. I would walk down the road and try to get a glimpse of him. Maybe that was too much like stalking. Wasn't that the exact thing I had accused Clint of? Still, I couldn't resist.

I walked down the street toward the Whipple house. The sun was just starting to set, and annoyance shot through me. Why was I torturing myself?

My efforts were rewarded when I saw Noah standing on the porch, leaning against one of the columns as he looked out over the lake. He was sipping some kind of drink—probably something hot, since he was using a mug.

I was stalking. Why did I even care what kind of drink it was?

Just as I was chastising myself, he started to turn. Startled, I raced toward a nearby tree and ducked behind it, hoping it would keep me hidden from his view. I sucked in a breath and waited there for a minute. When I peeked out, he had disappeared. Phew.

As I made my way back to the road, I ran into Clint, who was jogging. He stopped and popped out one of his AirPods. "Ella? Is that you?"

I froze like a deer in the headlights.

"What are you doing here?" He turned and then noticed the black Jeep for the first time. "Is RJ out here? Did he get a new Jeep?"

I didn't know what to say, so I retreated toward RJ's house. Clint had an intense look about him, and he followed me.

"Ella," a familiar voice called. "Did you find the raccoon?"

I was startled and put my hand to my chest.

Noah walked toward us. He had a big grin on his face. "Well, hello, Clint. Interesting seeing you out here. What are you doing?"

Clint stopped abruptly, fixing his attention on Noah. "What am I doing? I'm working out. What are you doing at RJ's place?"

"Oh, I'm renting it for the summer. Did you find the raccoon you thought was out here, Ella?"

I didn't know how to respond, but if I didn't think quickly, Clint would realize I was stalking Noah. "I think it ran off," I said shakily.

Noah shook his head and then slipped his arm around my shoulders. "They are tricky. I remember all those summers when animals hung around. They always got away." He refocused on Clint. "What did you say you were doing out here?"

I could barely breathe. My mouth was dry, and my brain was trying to catch up to what was happening. I had been stalking Noah, and Clint was apparently stalking me, and now Noah was trying to save me from being stalked by Clint? Oh my goodness.

Clint looked like he wanted to fight someone. His gaze darted back and forth between me and Noah. "Are you guys back together?"

I froze.

"I wouldn't say we're back together." Noah turned to me. "More like hanging out."

My gaze met his, and I admired how the moonlight shone in his beautiful eyes. His scent was different from when we were in high school, and I hated myself for noticing. "Yeah. Hanging out," I agreed.

Clint snorted. "Isn't that just nice. I thought you didn't want to date anyone." He made it sound like I'd betrayed him.

His attitude annoyed me. I looked him in the eye as I leaned into Noah. "I guess I wanted to date him." I was done running away from everything—Clint, my ex, the past. My heart was running wild, and this felt like a turning point.

Noah pulled me closer. "Clint, I think it's time to change your exercise routine to somewhere else."

The low blow made me want to laugh. This had to be the craziest situation I'd ever fallen into. I didn't know what was happening.

Clint glared at him and then stuck in his AirPods. "I know when I'm not wanted." He took off at a sprint.

Once he was out of sight, I took a step back and shrugged off Noah's arm. "Sorry," I said. "Thanks."

Noah rubbed at his hand as if touching me had left him sore. "Why were you out here?" His tone was soft, almost conspiratorial.

My heart picked up speed, and I wasn't sure if I should tell the truth. "I was just on a walk." I lifted my hand lamely, gesturing to his house. "I saw you were out. I guess I stopped."

His grin widened. "I saw you hiding behind the tree. How long were you out here?"

I shook my head ruefully. "I don't know. Dang, I'm not sure how to handle this. I probably look like a stalker."

"I don't mind you stalking me."

My heart quickened. Something about the statement offered a connection between us.

"I guess I should thank Clint for stalking you so you would let me help you out."

"You always did like to help me." It was true; he prided himself on that … or he had, until he'd failed to save my brother. I didn't want to think about that. How come things had to be so complicated with him? Part of me wanted to ask him that question. Part of me wanted to slip into an easy conversation with him, the kind we'd had our whole lives, and talk over how I felt about him. I took another step back. "I should go." I turned, starting to walk home before I could give in.

"Ella?" he said, and I looked back. "I'm here if you need me. Just know that."

I stumbled and kept walking. "I … I do."

He was here, whether I wanted it or not.