Page 113 of Broken on the Mountain
“When the hell didyouall get here?” I blurt, but Chase just laughs, squeezing my hand tighter.
"Speech!" someone calls from the back.
"Oh no," I start, but Chase is already sliding out of the booth, pulling me with him.
"Come on, Chicago," he says, grinning. "Give the people what they want. Tell them your idea!"
"I don't—I can't—" I snap a glare at Chase. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
But Betty's already clearing space, and Etta's pushing me forward, and suddenly I'm standing in the middle of The Bear Paw Café with every eye on me.
My heart hammers. This is nothing like the gala, where I knew exactly what to say and how to say it. This is real people, waiting for real words, and I have no script.
Chase squeezes my hand. "Just tell them the truth."
The truth.
I look around the café—at Betty's warm smile, at Etta and Mabel practically vibrating with excitement, at Sam giving me an encouraging thumbs-up from behind the counter. At the rescue team, all looking giddy and excited, like a group of bears at feeding time.
Then finally, at Chase, standing beside me with so much love in his eyes it makes my chest ache.
"I'm staying," I say, and my voice is steadier than I expected. "In Stone River. For good."
The cheer that goes up is deafening.
"I spent my whole life trying to be perfect," I continue, raising my voice over the noise. "Trying to fit into a box that was never meant for me. And then I came here, and you all just... let me be messy. Let me be real. Let me figure out who I actually am instead of who I'm supposed to be."
Mabel's dabbing at her eyes with a napkin.
"So I'm staying," I say again, firmer this time. "And I'm going to help this town however I can. Because Stone River gave me something Chicago never could—it gave me a home."
The applause is thunderous. Betty's wiping her eyes with her apron. Chase pulls me against his side, pressing a kiss to my hair.
"That's my girl," he murmurs, and the pride in his voice makes me feel like I could take on the world.
"But wait, there's more," I say with a laugh, feeling like a gameshow host as I reach into the tote bag I dropped by our booth.
I pull out a stack of flyers I printed at a 24-hour FedEx in Chicago at 3 AM, running on coffee and adrenaline and the absolute certainty that this is what I'm meant to do.
"I want to bring tourism dollars to Stone River," I announce, holding up a flyer. "Real, sustainable tourism that celebrates what makes this place special. So I'm organizing a Stone River Summer Festival—local vendors, live music, hiking tours, the works."
I pass the flyers to Betty, who immediately starts distributing them around the café.
"I know I'm new here," I continue. "I know I don't have all the answers. But I have fundraising experience, and event planning experience, and a trust fund I might just be able to pull out from under my parents' control. Maybe."
Chase's eyebrows shoot up. "You have a trust fund?"
"Had," I correct. "I'm putting it toward the festival. Every penny."
Knox sticks his thick arm up, a massive grin on his bearded face. "I'll volunteer for setup. We can use rescue equipment for the climbing wall."
"I'll donate pies," Betty says immediately. "And we can do a bake-off competition."
"Live music!" Sam pipes up. "I know a band from the next town over… they're really good."
Ideas start flying, voices overlapping as the entire café transforms into an impromptu planning session. Chase pulls me back down into the booth, his eyes shining.
He kisses me, soft and sweet. "Welcome to your first official Stone River chaos moment."
