Page 116 of Broken on the Mountain
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Epilogue I
Piper
Three Months Later
I'm standing on the deck of Fox Hollow Lodge, watching the sun dip behind the mountains while string lights twinkle overhead like a constellation brought down to earth.
ThePine & Proseccofundraiser is in full swing.
I've transformed the lodge's main terrace into something that would make my mother's event planner weep with envy.
Round tables draped in ivory linen dot the space, each one crowned with arrangements of pine branches, white roses, and flickering votives.
The silent auction table groans under the weight of donated items: a weekend stay at the lodge, handmade quilts from Linda, a year's worth of pies from Betty, even a 'Romantic Rescue Experience' courtesy of the mountain rescue team.
That donation alone has already got seventeen bids.
The charcuterie towers are a work of art—three tiers of aged cheeses, prosciutto roses, honeycomb dripping with amber sweetness, and fresh figs from the local farm that practically beg to be photographed.
I may have gone slightly overboard, but when you're raising money for the new Stone River Community Clinic, overboard is exactly where you want to be.
"Piper!" Betty nudges me from behind, appearing at my side with eyes suspiciously shiny. "Have you seen the donor board?"
I follow her gaze to the oversized display near the entrance, where names are written in elegant calligraphy beside their contribution amounts. The list islong—longer than I dared hope.
Local businesses, lodge guests, even a few of my former Chicago doctor contacts who I'd emailed on a whim when things in my new business weren't going so well.
"We've already raised forty-two thousand dollars," Betty whispers, pressing a hand to her chest. "Piper, that's... that's more than we raised for the rescue station in the last three years combined."
Pride blooms warm in my chest. "It's what this town deserves."
"It's whatyoumade happen." She squeezes my arm. "You're a miracle worker, honey."
"Nah. It's nothing. I've just been taught how to throw a pretty fancy party." I smooth my dress down, nothing too flashy, just a simple emerald number that hits mid-thigh, paired with my favorite hiking boots.
It's my new look. Iconic, right?
Chase materializes with two glasses of prosecco, looking unfairly gorgeous in dark jeans and a crisp white button-down with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hair is slightly tousled, and when he grins at me, my stomach does that stupid flip it's been doing for three months straight.
"Your towers are a hit," he says, handing me a glass. "Travis just proposed to the prosciutto."
"Tell him it's spoken for."
"Too late. I think they're eloping."
Betty laughs and excuses herself to check on the dessert table, leaving Chase and me alone in our little bubble of twinkling lights and mountain air.
"You're amazing," he says, soft enough that only I can hear. "You know that?"
"You may have mentioned it once or twice." I take a sip of the local prosecco from the vineyard by Wildflower Meadow, the bubbles dancing on my tongue like an expensive champagne imported from France. "How's the rescue team holding up? I saw Knox disappear behind the food stall with that woman again."
Chase's eyes gleam with mischief. "Yeah, about that..."
"Oh no. What did he do?"
"Let's just say if Knox and mystery girl think they're being subtle, they're wrong. Travis caught them making out near the ice sculpture."
