Page 26 of Back in the Bay

The fact that he remembers this tiny detail undoes me. I accept the mug, our fingers brushing. "Thank you."

At his front door, I hesitate. This is the moment to say something profound, to define whatever this is between us. But words fail me.

Cole seems to understand. He leans down, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I look forward to seeing you tonight, counselor.”

It's not until I'm in my car, halfway down his driveway, that I realize I'm smiling. And that terrifies me more than anything.

cole

. . .

The December airhits differently today as I pull my truck into the Riverside development site. Fox's beat-up Ford is already parked near the half-finished framework of what will soon be someone's vacation home. With Rowan off honeymooning with Cilla, it's just Fox and me holding down the fort at Cedar Bay Construction.

"You took your sweet time," Fox calls out as I slam my door shut. He's standing on the foundation, clipboard in hand, scowl firmly in place. Classic Fox.

"I was busy," I say, which isn't a total lie. I spent the last fifteen minutes staring at my phone, rereading Mabel's texts from thirty minutes ago.

Still thinking about you. If things go well tonight, you could visit Portland next weekend.

Fox's eyebrows lift slightly. "Are you listening to me?"

I climb up beside him, grabbing the clipboard from his hands. "What's the problem here?"

"Contractor delivered the wrong windows. Again." Fox crosses his arms, still studying my face. "You gonna tell me about Mabel, or do I have to beat it out of you?"

My chest tightens at the sound of her name. Even after thirteen years, it still affects me.

"We talked. A lot." I flip through the paperwork, but I don't see it. "She wants me to go to Portland next weekend."

Fox is quiet for a moment. "And?"

"And I'm thinking about more than that." I finally look up at him. "I'm thinking about moving there. For good."

The words hang between us, heavy with implication. Fox's perpetual frown softens just a bit.

"Shit," he says finally. "You're serious."

"Never stopped loving her, Fox, even when I tried. Even when I should have."

He nods slowly, looking out over the construction site. "Cedar Bay's gonna be a hell of a lot duller without you."

"You'll survive," I say, nudging his shoulder. "You've got Prue now."

At the mention of Cilla's sister, Fox's face does that thing where he tries not to smile but fails miserably. It's still strange seeing him like this—the grumpiest man in three counties, gone soft over a woman.

"Yeah, well." He clears his throat. "If she decides Seattle is where she needs to be, I'd follow her there too."

I raise my eyebrows. "Really? Mr. 'I'll-die-in-Cedar-Bay' would leave?"

"For her? In a heartbeat." The certainty in his voice is something I envy. "So if Portland is where you need to be with Mabel, I get it. I'll miss having you around to fix my screwups, but I get it."

For a moment, we're both quiet, just two guys who've known each other since kindergarten, standing on the bones of a house,contemplating lives that suddenly seem too big for this small coastal town.

"So," Fox finally says, "you gonna call those window people, or should I?"

And just like that, we're back to business. But something has shifted. Something has settled. For the first time since Mabel walked out of my life, the future doesn't feel like a question mark.

It feels like a road map pointing straight to her.

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