Page 20 of Meant To Be

“We’re both moving to Alaska,” Piper replied, glancing at me.

Jack’s brows hitched up. “Well, Alaska is definitely a change of pace from here.”

“Bigger mountains and longer winters.” I chuckled.

We chatted with them, learning they ran a furniture business in Asheville. We even exchanged numbers, assuring them we would send pictures from Alaska once we were there.

The wind buffeted the inn all day, and icy rain fell periodically. We ended up having an enjoyable day. The guests set up a schedule for bringing in wood for the fire. Matt and Jack also organized games and a no-money-allowed poker tournament.

When evening came around, the band played an acoustic show. As we rolled into the third day there, I looked over at Piper. My heart felt as if someone had knocked it off its feet. I’d stumbled and lost my balance emotionally. Perhaps it was how unexpected the situation was. I wasn’t even supposed to be here.

Maybe this thing with Piper had sent me spinning inside. That evening, we sat in a circle on the floor near the fire. This was definitely the warmest place in the inn by this point. The rooms hovered around fifty degrees. I’d opted out of this card game while she played slapjack with Jack. They were laughing hysterically.

Eventually, Piper won and thrust a fist in the air. When she caught my eyes, her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were bright. I wanted to lean over and kiss her. Considering we were continuing the ruse of truly being a couple, I did.

Her smile was warm when I lifted my head. For just a moment, my heart gave a shuddering kick. We stared at each other while I was caught in the dawning realization that we weren’t faking it. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail. I wanted to loosen it and slide my fingers through her silky locks while I kissed her senseless.

I straightened, looking away at the fire. When I glanced around, my eyes landed on Jack while he shuffled the cards. He smiled at me, offering, “Y’all sure make a good couple. How long have you been together?”

Piper and I looked at each other. Matt and Jack were our friends at this point. Piper shrugged. I decided to let her answer, unsure what she might say.

“Just the weekend. We’ve known each other for years because Dylan’s one of my brother’s best friends. They went to college together, and they’re both firefighters,” she explained.

Jack looked back and forth between us. “Just the weekend?”

Piper’s gaze slid to mine for a beat before she rolled her eyes. “I kind of got burned. But I already had the tickets for the weekend, and Dylan offered to join me. To be honest, I’ve always had a crush on him, so we decided to just have this weekend.”

When Matt and Jack glanced my way, I nodded. “That’s the deal.”

Jack’s lips kicked up at the corners. “My point stands. Y’all make a good couple, and you’re both moving to Alaska. Maybe you should make it more than just this weekend.”

Matt, who appeared to be the quieter of the two, flashed us a smile. “Jack is a matchmaker.”

“For real?” Piper asked. Jack passed her the deck of cards, and she began shuffling them again.

“I run a matchmaking service as a secondary job. It’s not the usual thing,” he explained.

“What is it, then?” Piper pressed.

Jack looked pensive as he glanced at Matt, who nudged him with his knee. “Just tell them.”

“My father was a pastor, and he did marital counseling for couples before marriage.” Jack rolled his eyes. “It was kind of funny because he wasn’t supposed to tell people if he didn’t think they would work out, but he did. He was usually right. To clarify, I’m not a pastor.”

“Definitely not,” Matt chimed in as he waggled his brows.

Jack chuckled. “I’m also not a counselor. I started a thing where couples can sign up to chat with me. I do their astrology chart, we do a whole thing, and I give them feedback on who I think may be a good fit for them. I don’t know much about y’all, but you’ll make it.” He paused, his gaze sobering. “But before you can do that, you have to believe it.”

Chapter Sixteen

PIPER

You have to believe it.

Jack’s pointed observation kept bouncing back into my thoughts. This weekend was turning out like nothing I could’ve imagined. For starters, I wasn’t with the guy I expected to be here. I was relieved I hadn’t wasted any more time on Kent.

But Dylan was the last man I expected to be having crazy-hot sex with. I was crushing hard on him. Sex with Dylan was really good. All things considered, that was convenient because our room wasn’t the warmest at night. We were, though.

But it wasn’t the sex that had me pondering Jack’s observation. What startled me the most was how I felt with Dylan—so encompassed, so protected. I wanted to fall into this and stay there forever with him. Yet I knew his story. He had plenty of good reasons not to want anything remotely resembling commitment. He was also my brother’s best friend. By chance, we were both moving to the same town in Alaska. What were the freaking odds of that?

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