Page 25 of Married to Her Yeti
“Oops sorry. Sleep time.” He made a fake snoring noise, then fell silent.
Sleep time, right. But Mari’s eyes were wide open in her dark bedroom. She still had so many questions. Sure, Tseten had filled her in on a lot of Nima’s activities over the years, but she wanted to hear directly from him. If not now, when? He didn’t live in Wildwood anymore. He didn’t live anywhere. He moved from job to job. His modern nomadic lifestyle involved traveling by truck instead of on foot, like the older yeti generations. And in summer whenhe fought fires, he traveled in small planes or helicopters all over the state.
“I heard you had a close call last summer on the Eagle Knob Fire,” Mari said softly, uncertain if Nima was still awake. Though she hadn’t admitted it to her friends, she’d been worried about him.
She held her breath for a moment, beginning to regret she’d spoken at all, when Nima said, “My singed fur grew back. It covers the scar.”
Mari nearly sat up in response, but her injuries stopped her with a stab of pain. “Your fur caught fire, and you’rescarred?” she cried, unable to hide the concern and fear in her voice.
Nima huffed, as if dismissing the incident. “It wasn’t like a tree fell on me. Just a stumble down a hillside as the fire closed in.” Based on Yeshe’s account, Nima was downplaying the event.
Mari wanted to turn on the light and trace her fingers all over his body to check for scars—and relearn every inch of him while she was at it. She fought the urge to find last summer’s injury or comb back his fur to study his tattoo that matched hers.
Not only did her bruised ribs and giant air cast prevent her from doing that, but it also didn’t align with their friendship goals, not even friends with benefits goals. Instead, she continued to learn abouthim without a full-body scan. “What did you do between the fire season and your work in Wildwood?” What she really wanted was for him to describe his life over the past ten years in his own words. But how did she even go about asking?
Nima let out a long breath that tickled the hair on the top of her head. “I fished and smoked salmon. I repaired my mom’s shed.” He paused. “She lives up in Denali now.”
Nima’s mother, a yeti, moved from Wildwood not long after Mari and Nima split. “I know. She comes back to visit sometimes.” And she always talked about Nima. Despite Mari’s polite reminders that they’d broken up, his mother seemed to believe Nima might call Mari one day, and they’d simply resume their relationship.
Mari paused as her present situation settled in. This was the first time she’d seen Nima in ten years. And within the past twenty-four hours, she’d had four orgasms, and he was sleeping beside her in her bed.Huh.Something to unpack another time. His motherneverneeded to knowallthe details.
“I did a few other odd jobs in Denali—helped Dale cut and stack firewood, and repaired the roof on his hangar. When termination dust collected on the smaller peaks, the Blackwoods headed south forwinter, and I came to Wildwood to work on their house.” He was silent for a moment, then added. “It’s been nice to be home and around friends, but...”
She stilled her fingers on his thigh. “But?” Mari repeated, coaxing him on, even though she had a good idea of what he’d say.
“But our past has tainted my time here. I was afraid you wouldn’t like my reaching out to you. And I wasn’t sure I could take the rejection and remain in Wildwood. So I pushed it off until yesterday, when I’d nearly finished my work. Then I accidentally texted you part of a message before having to hide in that closet.”
Mari’s chest tightened at his confession. He likely wouldn’t be a person who was afraid of rejection if they’d simply talked ten years ago. But she’d blocked his number. Guilt bubbled like acid in her stomach. She linked her fingers with Nima’s to reassure him that despite their past she welcomed him now. If only she hadn’t been so quick to assume the worst... But her heart had been broken.
“I’m sorry, Nima. Thank you for reaching out.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry too.”
They fell silent for a moment, then Mari said, “Your tilework at the Blackwoods is beautiful. Where did you pick up that skill?”
“I taught myself.”
Mari thought back to the watercolors Nima had painted in his teens. He’d always had a brilliant eye for color and easily picked up new skills. “I can see why your services are in demand.”
“Thank you,” he said simply, almost humbly. “Too bad work is limited and sporadic.” No matter how great a yeti’s skills, jobs were scarce.
Nima’s breathing evened out, and Mari had thought he’d drifted off when he softly asked, “What about you? Tell me about your move from the Wildwood Retirement Center kitchen to the bakery.”
“There’s not much to tell,” she insisted. “I stayed in contact with the bakery owners. They reached out when the head baker position became available and hired me. I added new products to their menu using Yeshe’s sourdough, and they were a hit. Business was good. Soon after, the owners approached me about buying the shop when they retired.”
“I’m not surprised,” Nima said, the warmth in his voice pleasing her. “Of course, it didn’t take long for them to recognize you as capable, responsible, and the best baker in Wildwood.”
Mari blushed, her smile wide, though invisible in the dark. Nima’s support and praise buoyed herspirits and filled her with a sense of enthusiasm and empowerment.
Nima’s tilework flashed through her mind. She’d love to showcase his art in her bakery. Plus, working for her meant he could extend his time in Wildwood. Several of her friends had spare rooms and would put him up. If Nima extended his stay, he and Mari would have more time to explore and develop their new friendship.
“I’d like to remodel the bakery. Would you be interested in doing the work?” Her heart thumped with excitement, but Nima was quiet for a moment. Too quiet.
He finally said, “I’m flattered, Mari. Thank you for considering me.”
That sounded a little too formal. And it wasn’t a yes. But it wasn’t a no either. As Mari overanalyzed his response, she realized his breathing had become deep. Nima had likely fallen asleep. She didn’t disturb him again. Instead, she focused on potential projects for him and things they could do together if he extended his stay. Mari finally drifted off with a grin on her face, truly excited about her future, for once, on all fronts.
CHAPTER TWELVE
