Page 16 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

That was a slightly different take than her situation, but close enough to make her feel a stitch of connection to this serious stranger. “I get that.”

“Good. Does this mean you’re comfortable enough to set that flashlight down now? Because the last thing I need is for you to brain me with it because my leg accidentally touched yours.”

“How do I know that’s not your plan? Get me to set it down so you can make your move?”

“Well, that answers that question. All right. So, of all the places in the world, why did you rent a cabin in Calamity?”

She set the flashlight on the nightstand. He might come off all brusque and gruff, but he was a good guy. As badly as he needed to sleep, he wasn’t willing to leave her wide awake and full of fear.

Yeah. Good guy.

“I was visiting some people here when my life fell apart. I just needed a break, and my friend found this place.” She’d leave it at that. That was enough of an answer without enabling him to connect the dots. “What about you? Do you always come here for Christmas?”

“Never.”

“So why this time?”

He shifted. “I have some decisions to make.”

“Well, look at that. We’ve got something in common.”

“Too bad it’s the wrong place to come.”

She got a whiff of his scent—expensive shampoo, clean clothes, but also something she couldn’t identify. “What does that mean?” Something deliciously masculine.

“You’ve been here three months. Clearly, it’s a shit place for decision-making.”

“Excellent point. You should totally leave first thing in the morning. In fact, why wait? Go now.” She couldn’t suppress her grin.

“That’s one take. Here’s another. You’ve had three months, and you haven’t gotten anywhere. Sounds like it’s time to move on to a new location.”

Here’s a fun fact: I never bantered with Landon.“Given the blizzard out there, I don’t think either of us is going anywhere. So, I’ve got a great idea. How about I solve your problem, and you solve mine?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but your track record at problem-solving isn’t all that good.”

“First of all, Slick, I’m not here to solve a problem. I’m here to…” She was going to say heal, but that wasn’t the core issue, was it? She was trying to figure out her next move.Who am I once I go back out into the world?Just thinking about it got her muscles tensing up. “Okay, fine. You’re not wrong. I suck at solving my own issues, but I’m probably great at solving them for other people. Isn’t that how it works?”

“Okay. Let’s give it a go. Me first. What did you hate about your job?”

“Nothing.” The word hurtled out of her mouth. And she sat with it for a moment.

She’d been torn up over her identity, thinking she needed to change what she did.

Butshewas the one who’d built this career. It washertalent. If anyone needed to leave the music industry, it was her ex and her former best friend.

And if she really did love her job, what was she accomplishing by hiding out? She wasn’t healing. She was punishing herself.

Maybe even more than her ex, it was the press that kept her in the cabin. The barrage of questions they’d ask. The humiliation. The people she’d trusted and loved most had made a fool of her.

But she hadn’t done anything wrong. They had. She could hold her head high.

She thought about her dad’s advice. Maybe she couldn’t write happy, lovey-dovey songs anymore, but her fans loved her because she was honest and real. Because she had the gift of articulating a universal experience through lyrics.

Maybe—just maybe—once she healed, a new voice would emerge. A new narrative would take form in her lyrics. Maybe she just needed to wait for the wounds to scar over.

“So, why are you taking a leave?” he asked.

“Because I worked too much. It was so all-consuming I lost sight of all the other things that matter.”

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