Page 54 of Pain in the Axe
There was no good way to answer that question. It had been too long, and the distance she and I had put between us was great. But the other night had ignited a flame of hope inside me.
“Here’s the thing,” I said, scratching at the label on my beer bottle. “We’re both adults now. I’m fucking forty, for God’s sake. It’s been a really long time. But when she walked into that conference room, I woke up. It’s like I’d been asleep for the last twenty years, but the moment she was in my proximity, my eyes just opened.”
“Damn.”
“The knowledge that she’s here is enough to have me jumping out of bed in the morning. Things feel different. I feel different. The connection is still there.”
“It’s romantic.” Adele sighed. “I’m proud of you.”
I smiled at her and thanked God for sending her to my brother. He’d been floundering until he met her. And now they were blissfully happy.
“Aren’t you worried?” Cole asked.
“Terrified,” I admitted with a dip of my chin. “She can barely stand to be in a room with me. But I catch her staring at me when she thinks I’m not looking. And her pupils dilate so wide they practically swallow her irises when I get close. She’s feeling things too. And I’m not afraid of a little hard work.”
“I hated Finn,” Adele admitted. “For years.”
Finn’s grin almost split his face in two. “I wore her down.”
She nodded, peeking under the blanket at the baby. “He did. And eventually, I could not resist the lumberjack charm.”
“Especially after you beat me in strip axe-throwing.”
Looking at the two of them, I was struck with a sharp pang. Finn had found what he was looking for and was exactly where needed to be.
And I wanted that. All of it. The contentment, the banter, and the passion.
For the first time in my life, I saw a glimmer of hope. Chloe. I knew what I wanted, now I just had to put my head down and work for it.
Chapter 15
Chloe
“This might be my favorite day ever,” Karl gushed. “It’s like we’re in a small-town Hallmark movie. A wood-chopping competition? On the town common? For charity?” He spun around dramatically, his arms flung out like Maria in the opening scene ofThe Sound of Music. “How can this be real life?”
“He’s really in his small-town era,” JJ deadpanned. “I’m worried about him.”
“It’s all the fresh air,” He said, his tone breathy.
I could practically see the cartoon hearts dancing above his head.
“And the views. Not to mention the house on the lake boss lady here got for us. On my run this morning, I saw a whole herd of deer frolicking in a meadow. We’re not in Seattle anymore, ladies.”
Karl’s sunny yet sharp personality was one of my favorite things about him. It was a testament to his character that he could remain positive despite his past. And it was rubbing off on me. Every day, I appreciated this place a little more.
“So you’ll stay forever?” JJ asked with a sarcastic smirk.
Karl froze, and his look of pure elation morphed into a grimace. “Fuck no. The nearest Starbucks is over an hour away. But it’s a fun place to spend the summer.” With a shrug, he scanned the outdoor space. “Ooh. Food trucks. I’m starving.” He pulled JJ toward tents and trucks lined up on the periphery of the park.
“I’ll find a spot,” I said, pointing toward the platform where people were assembling. I still wasn’t sure why I was here, exactly, other than because my curiosity had gotten the better of me. And Karl probably would have dragged me even if I’d refused.
The town common was packed, and despite my wedges, I couldn’t see over the crowd to find a good spot. I was just scoping out the side of the large stage when I heard someone call my name.
“Ms. LeBlanc?” a man asked.
I turned and found a skinny man in his early thirties with thinning hair smiling at me. I had an immediate visceral reaction to his presence and took a step back, putting space between us.
He kept smiling.
