Chef’s brother-in-law.She was drawing a flowchart in her brain, connecting all the people together. “Nice to meet you,” Presley said, reaching out her hand.
“You, too. You’ve got a lot of packages,” he said to Jill. “You go on a shopping spree?”
“Something like that. We’re renovating one of the cabins sooner than expected, so we needed a few things.” Jill pulled her phone out of her pocket, opened up her to-do list.
“I’m thinking of bringing my dad and brother over for a weekend,” Miles said, flipping through an accordion file box.
“We’d love to have you,” Jill said, leaning on the counter.
When his cell phone rang, he used one hand to answer and shook some papers out of the file with the other. “Miles here. Yes. You bet. They came in this morning. Sure thing.” He hung up. “People know their packages have arrived because they get a confirmation email, but they phone anyway.” He shook his head but one side of his mouth tipped up in a grin. He set the papers in front of Jill, who checked them while he wrote something on a well-used pad of paper.
Jill looked through the papers, slid them across the counter, then leaned on it and turned to Presley. “Smile residents tend to put the General Store as their address because things show up quicker. Plus, drivers get frustrated by the funny street names and the random way they’re laid out.”
“We like to keep them guessing,” Miles said. He walked through a swinging door, leaving Presley and Jill at the counter.
“If I wasn’t here myself, I’m not sure I’d believe some of what I’m seeing. The owner of the General Store does therapy on the side, pubs aresplit down the middle, the community chalkboard has everything from singles ads to flower sales, and the entire place is named after a misspelling.” Presley was mostly musing out loud to herself, but Jill grinned.
“Charming, right?”
“Ridiculously so.”
Miles came back with stacks of boxes. “You want me to get Anderson to take these to the dock?”
“I didn’t realize there were so many. I thought they’d package more together,” Jill said.
“Maybe we should have brought your car,” Presley commented.
In the end, they decided to have Anderson pick up and drop off the items at the dock.
When they left the store, they sampled some of the vendors as Jill said hello and chatted with what felt like every single person. Presley took it all in, half listening to conversations, chatting with people, and eating delicious food that just kept appearing in front of her. She didn’t even get a chance to pay for anything, because everyone knew Jill and wanted her to try a bit of everything.
As they strolled, Presley realized the marketing opportunities for the lodge were huge. They could cross-promote and piggyback with dozens of other Smile businesses. And Beckett’s bike business? He was absolutely right. Smile needed something just like that.
Stop working. You’re on vacation.She took pictures, bought a cute scarf for Rylee, and posted a few shots on Instagram of the adorable scenery.
Rylee texted, asking for Hot Mountain Man content. She laughed at her phone screen, and when she lifted her gaze, she saw Jill looking at her.
“My best friend is also a fan of your brother’s abs.”
Jill cringed. “Trust me when I say that of all the things I thought might put the lodge on the map, it was not Beckett’s abs.”
A delicious shiver traveled along every inch of her skin. The internet didn’t even know the half of it. They’d just gotten a tiny glimpse. Abarely there peek. As someone who’d been up close and personal, she could confirm they were worth the buzz. In fact, Beckett as a whole was an unexpected treat. A perfect remedy for her dented heart. If anything, it’d not only bounced back, it had grown fuller. Happier.
And you’re leaving.Why wasn’t she spending every minute with him? The thought sent a jolt of panic through her. She couldn’t become attached, because she was leaving on a boat, bus, and airplane in less than a week. Needy much? Beckett was probably grateful for the break. They’d spent 24–7 together.
She stopped walking, looked down at her feet.Breathe.
“You okay?” Jill’s feet came into sight.
“Yes. Just trying to focus on now. I learned it at a meditation retreat. When my brain starts spinning with too many things, I look down at the ground, remind myself that I’m right here, right now.”
Though she didn’t look up, she sensed that Jill was copying her and it felt oddly comforting to know that instead of laughing, she just joined in.
“Huh. This really does work. I like it.”
Presley looked up and smiled, fighting the urge to hug this woman. “Your family is something special.”
Jill’s eyes widened in surprise right before she threw her arms around Presley. “So are you. Don’t forget that.”
