Page 49 of Pine Creek Lodge
“There was soil everywhere but mainly it was just great entertainment for everyone there,” Nat said, pouring wine while Sofia dressed the salad and stirred the sauce.
This had become their rhythm – sharing the daily details of their lives over cooking and wine, finding comfort in the simple act of being together. Sofia talked about her latest project, the way she was in the process of restructuring her company to make it easier for her team to work remote, and about Zoe, who had recently moved into Sofia’s house in New York. It was much more comfortable than her dorm, but she had been driving Sofia’s cleaner mad with her tendency to leave clothes strewn everywhere, dishes piled up, and books scattered across every available surface. Just last week, Sofia had to call Zoe and give her a friendly but firm warning to either shape up or prepare to embrace the dorms again.
“My cleaner only comes in once a week when I’m not there, and Zoe created more mess than a whole classroom of students combined,” Sofia said, rolling her eyes as she stirred the sauce. “She promised she’d clean up, but I’m not holding my breath.”
Nat laughed, taking a sip of her wine. “You mean Zoe promised, ‘Scout’s honor’ with her fingers crossed behind her back, right?”
“Exactly!” Sofia’s voice held a mixture of exasperation and fondness. “Anyway, we’ll see how it goes. So, what have you been up to?”
Nat shared stories about the guests, about Marcus's latest culinary creation, and about her parents, who had dropped by at the hotel for a coffee after work.
Outside their windows, the sun was setting behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. Inside, their home glowed with warmth and life and love – everything Nat had dreamed of and more. She watched Sofia move around their kitchen and her heart swelled with gratitude for the chance they'd taken on each other, for every moment that had led them here.
This was home – not just the physical space, but the feeling of completeness she found in sharing it with Sofia. From that first snowy night at Pine Creek Lodge to now, they'd created something beautiful together. Something real and lasting, built on the kind of love that made everything else fall into place.
