They were doing better than Josh could have hoped. No problems and, according to Rosie, Andy had a real knack for making the guests feel at home. They always asked after Josh, of course, but they hadn’t lost any customers. While knowing that put his mind at ease, he had to admit that the fact everything just went on as usual without him made him feel a little…not needed. The fact he’d run the Northern Star involuntarily didn’t mean he hadn’t poured his heart and soul into that business. He missed it, honestly. Almost as much as he missed Katie.
“Business has been better than anybody expected,” he said when he realized Liz was still waiting for an answer. “The snow’s good and I guess Andy has a knack for that whole internet thing, which blows my mind. And the guests like him.”
“I’m glad you didn’t sell it,” she said in a quiet voice. “I understood why you wanted to, so I said yes, but it almost broke my heart.”
“If they were going to keep it the same as it’s been through the family, I might still have done it,” he admitted. “But I think it would have broken my heart, too. Stupid old house must mean more to me than I thought.”
She was quiet for a minute, drinking her coffee. Then she asked, “Have you heard how Drew’s doing? Is his divorce final yet?”
“Yeah. He and I helped Mitch put together some office furniture and he said it was final.”
“That’s rough. How’s he taking it?”
“He’s not happy about it, I guess.” Josh shrugged. “But he’s not locked in a dark room with a bottle of booze, either. Other than that, I don’t really know.”
“Does he see Mallory at all?”
“I wouldn’t know. Why?”
“Just wondering. We spent some time talking at Mitch’s wedding and I was curious about how he’s doing, that’s all.”
“You should ask Rose. I’m sure she knows.”
Liz laughed. “Rose knows everything. And I know I have to get ready for work. What are you going to do today?”
“I might sit here on the step all day and wish I had a decent cup of coffee.”
“There’s a coffee shop a half mile that way.” She pointed to the left, then pushed herself to her feet. “Nice day for a walk.”
“Your hospitality’s as good as your coffee.”
“Now you know why nobody suggested I run the lodge.” She ruffled his hair, which she knew from childhood pissed him off. “You need a trim. Badly.”
He knew that. He spent a lot of time trying not to think about it, actually. “I’ll get around to it at some point.”
Because his ass was starting to hurt from the concrete, Josh stood and picked up the empty coffee cup. As awful as it was, he was going to have another cup. First, though, he was going to tuck the snow globe safely away in his bag. He shook it a final time, tracing the outline of Katie’s face as the plastic snow drifted down.
“A second cup?” Liz asked when she emerged from the bathroom, showered and dressed in a waitress uniform. Her hair was in a thick braid, but he noticed she didn’t bother with makeup. Probably just sweat it off, anyway. Maybe it was his New England blood, but it was far from chilly in New Mexico.
“Yeah. Even shitty coffee’s better than none.”
“I told you, there’s good coffee up the road.”
“I am going to go up the road, I guess. But I’ll probably keep going.”
Liz paused in the act of grabbing her car keys to look at him. “Time to move on?”
He nodded, and then had to brace himself when she threw herself into his arms. “God, I’m going to miss you.”
“Why don’t you go home, Liz?” he said, squeezing her tight. “You don’t have to live at the lodge. Lauren hasn’t sold her house yet. She’d rent it to you and you could be close to Rosie and the rest of the family.”
“Whitford hasn’t been my home in a long time.”
“Hey.” He pulled back so he could look directly in her tear-filled eyes. “Whitford will always be your home.”
Just like it would always be his home. The Northern Star was in his blood just as surely as Katie was in his heart. He knew that now.
“So now where are you heading off to, little brother?”
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then grinned. “Gotta go see a barber about a haircut.”
*
Rose was sitting on the front porch, a mug of tea in her hand, when Andy’s truck pulled up the drive. It was still too early in the season, really, to be out at the crack of dawn on a March morning, but she was bundled up and hadn’t been able to sleep.
While they were definitely into spring conditions out on the trails, they’d had just enough of a snowfall to run the groomer, so Butch and Andy had taken a turn last night. She’d grown accustomed to having him in her bed and she hadn’t slept well without him.
After he parked, he walked up the steps and sat in the chair beside hers. “Little chilly to be watching the sunrise on the porch, isn’t it?”
“It’s worth it,” she said. “There’s nothing more beautiful or soothing than sitting here drinking tea as it starts to get light.”
“You were up all night worrying, weren’t you? I was with Butch, Rose. We didn’t have any problems.”
She leaned her head back against the chair. “It wasn’t just worrying about you. I haven’t heard from Josh in a couple of days and I’m trying not to call him.”