Page 114 of Grumpy on the Mountain
As I'm savoring another heavenly bite, the café door swings open and Sienna enters with Maisie in tow, both of them bundled up against the cold but glowing with that post-adventure energy that means they've been doing something fun.
"Aunt Molly!" Maisie spots me immediately and comes barreling over. "Guess what? Mom took me to see the new foal at the Rogers farm and it'sso tinyandso cute.It tried to eat my glove!"
"That sounds amazing, sweetheart," I laugh, catching her in a hug that smells like fresh air and childhood joy.
Sienna slides into the booth beside us, looking more relaxed than I've seen her since... well, since before the whole Maisie-going-missing drama that turned out to be innocent six-year-old helpfulness gone wrong.
"How's the paperwork going?" she asks, nodding toward the stack of legal documents.
"Officially done," I announce, holding up the last signed page. "Riley Callahan is now legally required to pretend I don't exist. And I couldn't be happier about it."
"Good riddance," Sienna says firmly. "Though I have to admit, I'm kind of impressed with how Beau handled the whole thing. Saving the man who stalked his girlfriend? That takes a special kind of character."
"He's pretty amazing," I admit, probably with a dreamy expression that makes Sienna roll her eyes affectionately.
"Speaking of your mountain god," she says, glancing toward the café windows, "isn't he supposed to be picking you up soon?"
I check my watch and realize Beau should be here any minute.
The thought makes me smile for about twelve different reasons. Not just because I get to see him, though that's always the highlight of any day. But because today's pickup is special.
Today, Beau finds out whether Jamie officially offered him the job at Mountain Rescue.
The job he's been afraid to want for three years. The job that represents him finally stepping back into the world instead of hiding from it. The job that would mean we're working together, building something together, becoming partners in every sense of the word.
Soon enough, the café door flies open with enough force to rattle the windows, and every conversation in the room stops. Which apparently has become a pretty standard response whenever Beau Callahan makes an entrance anywhere.
I'm still not used to it.
Beau's eyes scan the room, landing on me with that look that still makes my knees weak. He's wearing his usual uniform of dark jeans and flannel, but there's something different about his posture these days.
Something looser, more confident.
He stalks across the café toward our table, and I swear I hear Betty make a little satisfied sound, like she's watching her favorite romantic movie play out in real life.
It's hard to forget that this is where it all started.
Right here, in my favorite booth.
This exact spot, with its view of the snow-dusted street and the lingering scent of Betty's cinnamon rolls, is where my heart first started to recognize what it wanted—who it wanted—even when my brain was too stubborn to admit it.
Beau reaches our booth, and doesn't say anything. Just leans down and presses a soft kiss to my temple, his beard tickling my skin. Then he plonks a large duffel bag onto the table with athudthat makes the salt and pepper shakers jump.
"Well?" I ask, looking up at him. "How did the meeting go?"
He shrugs, but there's something in his eyes that makes my heart start racing. "It went."
"Beau Callahan," I say, narrowing my eyes at him. "Don't you dare try to be all gruff with me right now. I've been sitting here stress-eating chocolate cake for the past hour wondering whether—"
"You got the job, didn't you?" Sienna interrupts with a smile.
Beau's mouth twitches. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" I practically shriek, causing every head in the café to turn our way. "What do you meanmaybe? Either you got it or—"
"I got it," he says simply, and the understated way he delivers the news makes me want to shake him and kiss him simultaneously.
For a moment, I just stare at him, processing the magnitude of what he's just told me.
