Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

" A nd what was that zip code again?" Erin jotted down the number. "Thank you. I'll be sure to check the website. Take care."

She ended the phone call and typed the web address into the search bar. It was nice to be in a town that got something better than mediocre cell and internet service. For the past two days, she'd been working from a small cubical at the Clifton Heights's library.

The town was cute, boasting much of the same small-town charm she'd discovered when she drove through Ryder Creek. But nothing held the nostalgia she linked to Jasper Falls.

She'd always thought she hated her town and it held nothing but bad memories. But the further she drove the more she accepted that those memories would come with her wherever she decided to go.

Even her house didn't bother her as much since she ripped up the carpets and painted the walls. She hardly felt her father's presence there anymore, but it seemed silly to keep a house with a master bedroom she couldn't enter.

Well, she could enter it, but spending more than a few seconds in that room always gave her the chills.

She found the webpage she was looking for and hit print. When she went to the front desk, the librarian, Wendy, smiled at her.

"Another one?"

"I'll pay for the paper and ink," Erin said, placing a ten on the counter.

Wendy waved the money away. "You're on quite a roll."

It was easy, now that she knew what she was looking for.

Wendy handed her the paper, warm from the printer, and she took it back to her little desk. Five hours later, she moved to a larger table and spread the printed notes out in front of her. Each set of guidelines was slightly different, but they all required the same general materials.

It had been a long time since she did any sort of personal assistant work, but she was good with projects. She always enjoyed when she had a clear set of objectives to follow and the sense of accomplishment that came after each step.

She made a chart for each location, their going rate, and whatever requirements they listed online, then she went back to the computer and started searching videos. Wendy brought her a set of headphones and Erin gratefully accepted them, aware that she might have been making a little too much noise for a library.

"I'll keep it down," she said, but couldn't help the occasional laugh that slipped out.

That night, after a long bubble bath and some much needed self-care, she called Giovanni. She hated that he was worried, but she needed time to think. Once she had, she realized why he'd taken the job at the lumberyard.

Not used to people putting her first, she struggled with his decision. She's always lived for herself since no one else worried about her well-being. It was a novel experience to care for someone else and have them care for her in return.

She liked having someone to care for, even if she wasn't exactly sure how to do it. Taking time away gave her a new perspective of what was actually going on. Giovanni hated his job, but he'd taken it so that he could stay in Jasper Falls—with her. She had no loyalty to the town but couldn't leave until she was finished handling her father's estate.

They were both stuck in a sort of hiatus, both in between jobs, and neither of them sure what the next move should be. If they were going to stay together and make this work, they should at least try to be happy.

She came up with a plan as soon as she reached the little town, but she didn't want Giovanni to talk her out of her decision, and she wasn't ready to tell him what she'd decided.

They needed this. She needed to do this for them. No matter what he thought, she was doing this as much for her as she was for him. She felt good about her choice. It felt…right.

"When are you coming back?" he asked, his voice unsure and full of concern.

"I'll be home Friday."

"I don't understand this, Erin. What are you doing? Do you know people there?"

She smiled, thinking of the nice people she'd met—people who didn't judge her or hold her past against her. "I'm making friends."

"What does that mean? What kind of friends?"

No one in Clifton Heights knew who she was or remembered what a bitch she'd been in high school. It was freeing to be somewhere that no one knew her. But she was getting homesick, not for her town or her house, but for Giovanni.

"How far is it? I can drive there?—"

"No, you stay there and work. I know how much that job beats you up. But I want to see you on Friday. I have some news."

"News?"

"Don't worry. It's good news."

He didn't sound convinced. "Okay."

The next day, she returned to the library with a bag from the office supply store. The library had minimal software available for the high school students, but it was enough to do what she needed.

She spent the day editing clips and creating a video montage, which was kind of fun. The next day she tapped into her past campaign experience and worked on writing an irresistible pitch. By Friday morning, she was checking out of the quaint bed and breakfast, then off to the post office. By noon, started her way back to Jasper Falls.

She'd been so sure of herself all week, but the closer she got to home, the more her doubts returned. When she pulled into her driveway it was already two o'clock and she'd worked herself into a cold sweat.

She Googled the number to the Clifton Heights post office. "Hi, I was in there this morning. I dropped off a stack of manilla envelopes to—" Her stomach dropped. "Oh, I see. They've already gone out."

What had she done?

She ended the call and stared at her house. The snow was finally starting to melt. Maybe that was a sign of a new beginning. Or was it a symbol of an inevitable end?

Her apples were rotting in the bowl on the counter, so she sliced them up and made potpourri as the realtor had explained. She set it to simmer and got in the shower, expecting Giovanni sometime before five.

When she got out of the shower the whole house smelled incredible, like warm apple pie. She laughed, thinking how Giovanni probably would think she baked something and be disappointed when he only found a pot of cinnamon sticks and boiled mush on the stove.

So not to be cruel, she decided to bake something for him as well. It would keep her mind off the very spontaneous, possibly stupid, thing she did this week.

As she stared into the pantry at the canisters of sugar and flour, she debated what to bake. She knew one recipe by heart.

Standing in the open pantry for a solid minute, she wondered if she could bring herself to bake a crumb cake without triggering a mess of unwanted memories. She wouldn't be baking it because she had to. She'd be baking it because she wanted to, because Giovanni had once mentioned how much he loved that crumb cake.

What was she going to do, spend the rest of her life afraid of a cake? She reached for the ingredients and got to work.

As she sifted the flour and cracked the eggs, she thought of Skylar baking all the treats of the basket she'd dropped off after the funeral. That felt like a lifetime ago, but the gift still registered the same.

When she slid the cake into the oven to bake, she went to the drawer and dug out a notepad and pen. This time when she sat down to write the thank you letter, the words were there.

Skylar,

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to find the right words of gratitude, but ‘thank you' didn't seem adequate at the time. Even now, I know it's not enough to express my appreciation for your thoughtful gift.

Maybe you believe you only filled that basket with homemade cookies and sweets, but what you gave me was so much more. That basket was sunlight on a gloomy day. It was hope when I was at my most hopeless.

I know I didn't deserve your kindness, but you provided it anyway, expecting nothing in return. I hope one day, if you ever find yourself needing a friend, I can return the favor to you.

Please tell Rhett and Addison I send them my best.

Sincerely,

Erin Montgomery

She closed the note in an envelope and addressed it for the mayor's mansion. Then she got to work on the crumble topping.