“Sure. One second.”
Sofia heard Ash say something away from the receiver, then the sweet, musical voice of Holly came over the line. “Hey, Sofia. I bet you’re loving the weather this morning.”
“It’s heavenly.” Sofia cracked open the door, letting the late-morning sunshine fall on her face. She took a deep breath and could have sworn she smelled spring in the air. “Want to go to the concert at the Emerald House tonight? All The Kates is playing.”
“I’d love to.”
Once they finished the conversation, the two hung up, and Sofia hummed as she headed to her laptop. It had been too long since she and Holly had had a girls’ night. She needed to fill her in on the latest on her business and catch up with Holly since her most recent trip to Canada.
And she would have to put a bug in Ash’s ear about Valentine’s Day. She didn’t think he would forget, but it was the first year he’d been in a serious relationship since Sofia had moved to Emerald Hollow, and she felt it was her duty as his best friend not to let him slip up.
Valentine’s Day.It was one of those necessary evils in her world. She knew she was a romantic at heart—her perfect night involved a bubble bath, fresh flowers, and a rom-com—but she didn’t believe that there was love out there for her anymore. It was something some people got lucky with, like Holly and Ash. But for others, like her, one big crash and burn was enough to ruin their illusions for a lifetime.
“Well, at least the snow’s melted, and if I want to take a day trip out of town, I can,” she said as she went to get dressed. It was her day off, and the sun was shining. Sofia was going to enjoy it.
Chapter Twenty-One
ISAIAH
Isaiah was surprised to wake up to bright sunshine streaming through the space between the curtains in his room at the Emerald House. The mounds of snow that had blanketed Emerald Hollow since he’d arrived were gone.
He decided to head to the animal shelter first thing. He’d been volunteering there most mornings, and the dogs would enjoy the weather as much as the human residents.
He bumped into Ash in the lobby on his way out.
“Good morning,” Ash said, giving him a quick wave.
“Hey, Ash. Headed to the shelter. How long do you think the sun will hold out?”
Ash looked up and peered at the window. “Hard to say, but honestly, I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”
Isaiah knew what Ash meant as soon as he stepped outside. The temperature was perfectly springlike, not warm but definitely not cold like it had been. The town was like a different place. He could see little details that had been buried or overshadowed by the snow, such as the planter boxes that lined the Emerald House and most of the buildings around town.
His mind went to Sofia, as it did most mornings, and he wondered if she’d seen it yet. They hadn’t exactly discussed it, but he’d gotten the sense that she wasn’t an early riser.
Isaiah picked up three dogs—which he’d learned was the most he could comfortably walk at a time—and took them to the park near the library.
As much as he was enjoying the weather, something about the change in temperature had made him acutely aware of the passing of time. He had been in Emerald Hollow for a month, and he’d made no progress on getting back home.Where is home?he thought for the millionth time.
He was at ease in Emerald Hollow and wondered if he was from a small town. Though he also realized it could just be that it wasn’t hard to feel at ease there. Someone from a city would probably settle right into Emerald Hollow as well.
He tried to review what he knew, running through the information like it was an old police file he was scanning as a cold case detective.
He’d been found on a hiking trail outside of town. Though he didn’t know what his stamina was, he was pretty sure that meant he hadn’t started his hike more than ten to fifteen miles away, at most. He and Sofia had called all the nearby towns, asking if any abandoned cars had been reported at trailheads, but they’d come up empty-handed.
The local deputies who’d gone searching for identification had hiked the trail both ways for a while and hadn’t come across any sort of backpack or other gear, so it was unlikely he’d been camping.
Questions plagued him.How did I get onto the trail that day? Did someone drop me off? If so, wouldn’t they have had plans to pick me back up, and wouldn’t they have reported me missing when I didn’t show at the scheduled time?
None of it made any sense, and he wasn’t sure what to do next. He’d been trying to make himself useful in Emerald Hollow, doing physical work around the Emerald House and helping at the animal shelter.
But he couldn’t live like that forever.I can’t go the rest of my life not knowing who I am, can I?
He tugged the leashes gently to direct the dogs onto another trail, trying not to let his mind go the only other place it went besides trying to figure out who he was.Sofia.
He didn’t know why she was still being kind enough to go with him to the library on all her lunch breaks, even though she claimed it had nothing to do with him. He loved sitting in her section for dinner. She worked as if there were always energy bubbling under the surface, and her face was more expressive than she probably realized. It made for decent entertainment, and she hadn’t kicked him out yet.
Twice, he’d witnessed a local man, Park, trying unsuccessfully to flirt with Sofia. It was obvious to Isaiah what was going on, and even though Sofia was giving the man what seemed like clear signals that she was not interested, Park didn’t seem to be giving up. Isaiah’s jaw tensed a little at that, but then he relaxed. Sofia could handle herself. She was a kind, funny server, but she put rude patrons in their place if necessary.
