“And how did that go?” Nathan asked.
“You know, it went surprisingly well,” she said, remembering how pleasant that afternoon had been. “Owen got to have fun with other kids while Cal and I browsed the library, and then we went out for coffee after. Well, it was really a hot-chocolate trip, but I ordered coffee. That poor kid had never tasted a hot chocolate before, so I decided to treat him.”
April hadn’t noticed how both her friends stopped eating after a bit and leaned in to listen attentively. They were both wrapped up in her story.
After it became apparent that April wasn’t going to offer more information, Crystal prompted her. “So… are you dating him, or what?”
“Oh, no,” April protested, waving her hands out in front of her. It was probably too much, truth be told, but she had this instinctive need to deny it because it wasn’t true. Even though she almost wished it was. “Like I said, you know, I don’t see myself ever living like that, so I doubt it would work out in the end. The last thing I need to do is waste more time in relationships that are doomed from day one.”
“Who says it’s doomed?” Crystal said.
“You can fix him,” Nathan added, the quirk of a smile playing on his face. If Crystal was the voice of reason, Nathan was always the voice of mischief in their little group. If they were in some kind of trouble, and neither April’s optimism nor Crystal’s pragmatism could get them out of it, Nathan would always step out of the shadows and provide an idea so completely absurd that everyone had to admit it might just work. “Why don’t you take him to town more?” Nate suggested. “Just a little at a time. Act like you need him for something. Ask for a favor or two. Get him addicted to Summit Falls until he can’t stand the thought of not living here. Then you can seduce him without worrying about where you’ll live.”
April reached over to slug him playfully. “That’s awful, Nate.”
“Is it, though?” Crystal asked, clearly considering Nathan’s plan as though it was meant for her and not April. “It could work. It’s not mean at all either. It’s like… the sweetest manipulation you could do. Perfect for you.” She nudged April. “And he could always decide he hates it and go back to his cave on the mountain.”
April laughed. “It’s not a cave. I swear, you’d pay to stay there on vacation.”
“So keep it for vacation,” Crystal said. “Who says you can’t have more than one house?”
“You’re both terrible.” April laughed again.
“We’re also right,” Nathan added, nodding. “Anyway, who wouldn’t fall in love with Summit Falls? It’s only the best town in the whole country.”
Crystal finished her drink and finally asked, “Do you even know why he doesn’t like coming into town? It can’t just be an introverted personality. It seems kind of extreme, the way he lives. Is that how he grew up?”
April shrugged. “We haven’t really gotten into discussing our entire life stories yet.”
Nate snagged a fried zucchini and once again dipped it in nothing before stuffing it into his mouth. “Well, get to it, girl,” he said before swallowing. “We’re not getting any younger.”
They spent the rest of the evening talking about Nathan’s new hobby of restoring antique vehicles and Crystal’s new boyfriend. April talked about her desire to do a photography show in the near future, and both her friends promised they’d go if she did.
“I don’t know if I could afford the venue,” she said.
“Why don’t you have a booth at the art festival?” Nathan suggested. “It’s way cheaper than a whole venue, and you can sell your work to people.”
“We can help you pay for it,” Crystal offered, and April was so touched at her generosity that she almost cried.
“You would?” April said.
Nathan nodded in enthusiastic agreement. “It’d be a great investment,” he said. “Everyone knows investing in photographers this year is the best chance for an increase in wealth. Gotta jump on that bandwagon while I can.” April knew it was a joke, but it warmed her heart all the same.
“Thank you!” It was too much, but at the same time, she knew she would easily do the same for either of them. “I’ll think about it. Seriously. That sounds like it could be a lot of fun.”
Since she was young, April had loved taking photos, and that hadn’t changed, even after she became a nurse. Any time she wasn’t on the job, she had her camera with her and was always on the lookout for well-framed portraits and beautiful landscapes. All while she’d been at the cabin on her most recent visit, in fact, she’d thought about how nice it would have been to have had her camera on her. She felt foolish for not bringing it. The area around the cabin was one of the most beautiful places she’d seen in the vicinity. Getting some photos would be a good excuse to go back, anyway.
It was Nathan’s turn to foot the bill. While he went to the bar to pay their tab, Crystal leaned in to speak candidly. “You really like him, don’t you?” she asked.
April decided not to answer. The truth was she hadn’t decided. Cal was attractive, no doubt about that, but was he boyfriend material? Was he husband material? Was there any chance he might choose to leave his paradise home and make a new one in Summit Falls… for April? She sincerely doubted it. Then again, if there was a chance his isolation wasn’t by choice—if there was some other reason he avoided the town, some misunderstanding or misinformation—maybe she could smooth it over.
Crystal went on despite April not answering her question. “You blush every time you talk about him,” she said. “Thought I’d let you know. If you like him as much as I think you do, you should fight for him. Don’t let him become the one that got away.”
Nathan returned, and the friends said goodnight to each other before heading home. April got a cab. Her home wasn’t too far from the bar, but there was a chill in the air on this particular night, and she had the means. On the way home, she stared out the window of her cab at the town passing by, her own face dimly reflected over the passing antique shops, restaurants, and cafés.Summit Falls really was a beautiful little town. She could not see how anyone wouldn’t fall in love with it if they saw it the way she did.
Maybe she could act as a kind of tour guide, show Cal everything she loved about the little town. Maybe he would start to think of the place as home rather than somewhere he wanted to avoid. Surely, after enough time in town, Cal would come to love the place. April certainly had, especially after she found her friends.
She probably should have questioned the fact that she was planning to sell a life in Summit Falls to someone she supposedly only liked. Who would put that much work in for a potential date or two? If she had thought seriously, she might have admitted that she was hoping for more, much more. Some deeply buried part of her was dreaming of a family. Cal and Owen would fill a hole in her life that no one else could fill.
