Page 60 of Broken on the Mountain
"Piper likes you, Chase. Question is—do you trust her enough to let her figure out what she needs before you go and screw it up?"
"So what… I just… let her figure it out?" I puff my cheeks and pop my eyes. "I'm not usually a gambling man, Strike."
Jamie's mouth quirks. "Then stop betting against yourself and start playing to your strengths."
He gestures back toward the cabin, where Piper's still laughing with Brooke through the window.
"You think she flew back here for the scenery? You think any of this—" he waves at the cabin, the mountains, the whole damn weekend "—happened by accident?"
I open my mouth but he keeps going.
"Keep being exactly who you are, Morrison. Keep doingthis." He gestures at the thoughtful surprises I've planned, the flannel shirts, the way I make her laugh. "There's a reason this entire town loves you. There's a reason you've found a home here in Stone River. And there's a reason Piper keeps coming back."
My throat tightens.
"You're a pretty amazing guy, Chase. And if you can't see that yet..." Jamie claps my shoulder. "Then maybe it's time you started trusting the people who already do."
He heads back inside, leaving me gripping the railing. I turn to see Piper snatch the last jar of raspberry preserves and dive dramatically for the bed. Brooke tackles her, both of them laughing like teenagers, and Jamie shakes his head with fond exasperation.
She catches my eye and smiles—that real one, the one that makes my chest ache.
Keep being yourself.
Yeah. I can do that.
But before I can process that, Brooke's voice cuts through the glass. "Quick, Jamie! Let's go! We're stealing the good jam!"
"Come on," Jamie says. "Before they destroy the place."
The rest of the morning flies by.
We leave Fox Hollow to pack Piper's bag back at my apartment. While she's not looking, I tuck a pack of gummy bears into the side pocket where she'll find them later.
Before we walk out the door, she pulls me down for a kiss that tastes like goodbye andsee you soonand all the things we're not saying.
The drive to the airport is too short and too long. She wears my flannel the whole way, sleeves rolled up, looking more like she belongs here than in whatever penthouse prison she's returning to.
At the curb, I pull her close, thumbs on her cheekbones, trying to memorize the exact shade of her eyes.
"See you Friday?" she whispers against my mouth.
"Always."
The gate call interrupts and she kisses me once more. It's hard, desperate, completelymine, and then… she's walking away, boots I bought her now slightly dirtier than last time we did this.
I watch until she disappears into the security line, then drive back to Stone River with the radio off and the silence too loud.
By the time I walk into Timber Tavern, the sun's starting to dip behind the ridge and the place is humming with that early-evening energy. The jukebox is playing something country, and the smell of burgers and beer is thick in the air.
Charlie spots me from behind the bar.
He doesn't ask questions. Just sets a pint down at the bar and says, "Replenishment. On the house."
I stare at the beer like it holds answers, Jamie's voice still ringing in my head:Keep being who you are. You're a pretty amazing guy, Chase.
My burger arrives, Charlie's nightly special with bacon and some kind of aioli I can't taste because my brain's still at thirty thousand feet.
I'm halfway through forcing myself to eat when Knox and Travis slide into the booth like they were summoned.
