Page 112 of Broken on the Mountain
My hair's in a messy ponytail, my face is bare of makeup, and I'm pretty sure there's a coffee stain on my sleeve.
I've never felt more myself in my life.
"Sit, sit." Betty waves us toward the corner booth—ourbooth, the one where I first tried to convince myself that weekends only was a sustainable plan. "You both look like you need pancakes and answers, in that order."
Chase slides in first, and I follow, tucking myself against his side like it's the most natural thing in the world. His arm comes around my shoulders automatically, and I let myself sink into the warmth of him.
"Coffee first," Chase says, his voice rough with exhaustion. "Then pancakes. Then maybe I'll be conscious enough to explain why we drove through the night like we were fleeing the country."
"Oh, honey." Betty pours two mugs of her strongest brew. "The whole town already knows."
I freeze, mug halfway to my lips. "How—"
"It's Stone River." Betty and Chase chant atexactlythe same time.
I roll my eyes and laugh.
"Brooke called me at midnight." Betty sets down a plate of cinnamon rolls that are still steaming, the icing dripping down the sides in rivers of pure temptation. "Said you walked out of some fancy Chicago gala in hiking boots and told your mama exactly where she could stick her suitable suitors."
"I didn't tell her to stick anything," I say, but Chase is laughing into his coffee, and Betty's grin is so wide I can see every one of her teeth.
"Close enough, though." Chase presses a kiss to my temple. "You lifted that dress and showed the whole ballroom what Stone River means to you."
"I can't believe Brooke told everyone," I laugh, shaking my head. "Last time I call her just to pass the time on a long drive."
"Are you kidding?" Betty slides into the booth across from us, completely ignoring the fact that she has a café to run. "Etta and Mabel have been camped outside since dawn, waiting for you two to show up."
As if summoned by their names, the door jingles again, and in sweep Etta and Mabel like a two-woman cavalry charge.
"There she is!" Etta announces to the entire café. "Stone River's newest rebel!"
The handful of early morning customers all turn to stare.
"Oh God," I mutter, sinking lower into the booth.
"Don't you 'oh God' us, missy." Mabel slides in next to Betty, setting her empty Tupperware on the table. "We want every single detail. Start from the beginning and don't you dare skip the good parts."
"There aren't any good parts," I protest. "I just... I made a choice."
"A choice that involved publicly humiliating your mother and walking out on Chicago's most eligible bachelor," Etta says, leaning forward with gleaming eyes. "That's not just a choice, dear. That's astatement."
Chase's hand finds mine under the table, squeezing gently. When I glance up at him, he's smiling that soft, private smile that's just for me.
"Go on," he murmurs. "Tell them."
I take a breath. Then another. And then, somehow, I'm telling them everything.
About the gala and the Valentino gown and Maxwell's assumption that I'd spend weekends in Napa while he golfed. About Mother's plans and standing in the middle of that glittering ballroom, surrounded by people who've spent their entire lives judging appearances and calculating social advantages, and choosing to show them exactly who I really am.
"I lifted my dress," I say, and I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. "And I showed everyone my filthy mountain boots. The ones that are covered in mud from hiking to Silver Falls and climbing to Lone Pine Lookout and every other beautiful, messy,realthing I've done since I came here."
Then to my surprise, the entire café erupts likethey'veall been listening too.
Sam drops the dish towel he's holding. Some random hikers start clapping. And Linda lets out a whoop so loud it rattles the windows.
Over the noise, I hear the door jingle again, and I glance over.
The entire mountain rescue team is now standing there like some rugged, flannel-clad Avengers. Jamie, Knox, Travis, and Beau, all grinning like they’ve known this secret for weeks. Brooke’s beside them, arms crossed smugly, while Molly and her sister wave like they're cheering at a parade.
