Katelyn sat on Spring’s porch steps in her leggings and well-loved, almost worn out runners, studying the check marks and cross outs that filled the current page in the spiral notebook on her lap. She inhaled deeply and as her lungs filled with sweet, slightly damp air, renewed hope and vigor danced through her. Even rolling her eyes at her inner geek couldn’t squash her satisfaction. She was fond of lists. Liked how they gave her a feeling of control. She could plan what she wanted to do and needed to accomplish, short and long term, then see those goals come to fruition, or at least track herself getting closer in a tangible way. Yes, she still faced a plethora of problems, but the past weeks had gone better than she ever could’ve imagined they would after that dark night at the airport.
Just a few of the things on her list making her smile as Lacey and Sawyer kicked a ball nearby:
Call Jayda at Got the Notion and see if her job was still available—check. The girl they’d hired to replace her worked well enough, but she was struggling with the work-school balance and had actually given notice. Katelyn could start back at the little fabric shop in two weeks. Jayda encouraged her further by telling her she could be as busy as she wanted after shop hours too, doing bespoke orders and alterations. “There’s no one in town like you!” Jayda had finished, which was probably more kind than true, but Katelyn found it incredibly cheering nonetheless.
Find a good second hand car, cheaper than the old one, if possible—check. She’d gotten it within days of arriving at River’s Sigh, actually, because Callum knew someone who knew someone, but she’d written it into her notebook anyway. She wanted a record of her good fortune and to remember to be grateful. The Honda sedan was twenty years old but had less than 100 000 miles on it. Plus, it had literally been owned by a little old lady for its whole pampered, parked in a garage, regularly maintained life. At five hundred bucks, it was not only a steal, it left her with a couple thousand dollars in her account.
And best of all? Find a place to live and arrange childcare. Check and check! She couldn’t believe her luck.
Jo and Callum, though Katelyn had hardly been able to articulate the hope even to herself, had agreed to a month-by-month rental. And in the freakiest, most awesome bit of coincidence or blessing or whatever you wanted to call it, Aisha, who actually had come for a visit, and was now frequent company, was looking for some extra work that wouldn’t take her away from Mo. She had a built-in, on the property, babysitter!
There was something else behind her current sense of well-being too, she knew, something that hadn’t made it onto the page, but still topped it: Steve had been wonderfully quiet and absent. She’d enjoy the respite while it lasted, trying not to overthink why or worry that it was merely the calm before another storm.
From somewhere across the parking area, Katelyn thought she heard a door slam—and her heart skipped. She set her notebook and pen down and shifted positions, moving a good two feet, but still couldn’t spy around the shield of cedar trees. She stood up, dusted off her butt, and strode down the path. She hadn’t gone far when Brian appeared around a bend thirty paces in front of her, dressed in a ragged blue T-shirt, moisture wicking shorts, and neon orange running shoes.
The soft breeze that had been caressing Katelyn’s bare arms suddenly roughened, becoming a windy gust that raised goose bumps across her flesh. A black storm cloud dodged in front of the sun, seemingly out of nowhere, and the sky darkened. Oh, they were in for it now. Spring in Greenridge—weather that could change in a heartbeat.
Brian lifted his arm in greeting.
“Are you still going?” Katelyn called.
“Of course,” he yelled back. “If you won’t run in the rain in Greenridge, you’ll never run.”
He jogged off slowly, but Katelyn knew from seeing him run daily the past week, that his regular pace, which he’d commence soon, would be what most normal people considered a sprint. She gathered Lacey and Sawyer up, shushing their protests with the assurance that they could go back outside the minute the rain stopped, and headed toward the cabin. They scooted up the stairs and reached the shelter of the porch’s overhang, just as the clouds broke. Rain pounded the ground like someone was throwing buckets of water from the rooftop.
Katelyn glanced at Brian’s retreating figure. His worn shirt was already damp right through and clinging to the muscles in his back. She caught herself chewing her bottom lip in appreciation of the view and something long dormant uncurled and stretched in her belly.
Get a grip, she lectured herself. Poor Brian. The last thing he needs right now is to be ogled by you. For a moment the shine rubbed off her peaceful glow. They’d exchanged enough tidbits of conversation over breakfast, while watching movies—the Bullock night had kicked off a semi-regular habit—and during their newest shared activity, running together, for Katelyn to know Brian wasn’t enjoying the string of good breaks she was.
Katelyn’s glow brightened again, almost instantly, however, when Aisha trotted into view, golden-haired Mo in tow. Aisha was holding a sweatshirt over their heads to fend off the worst of the sudden downpour, and Katelyn wondered if she’d ever been happier to see someone in her life. Only because of the anticipated exercise, of course. Nothing more. Definitely not because Aisha’s presence meant she’d get to see more of Brian.
“Sorry I’m late,” Aisha said.
“You’re not late at all—and thank you.”
Aisha gave a thumbs up and little Mo flashed a drooly grin, which Katelyn returned.
“I’ll be back in forty minutes, an hour max?”
“Perfect. I’ll be here.”
Katelyn practically flew down the path. She and Aisha had decided that rather than shock the kids’ systems with full eight-hour days right off, they’d do a few short babysitting stints here and there first, so they could get to know each other. So far, it was turning out wonderfully. Both Lacey and Sawyer took to Aisha right away and seemed to adore “the baby” as Sawyer still called Mo, despite her delight in destroying whatever he built. And as for Katelyn . . . well, she really enjoyed running outside again. It was so fun!
Oh sure, it’s the running you’re enjoying, teased an inner voice that Katelyn recognized as sounding all too much like a certain running partner. But it was the running, it really was—or was in addition to, anyway. Katelyn didn’t think her smile could get any bigger.
Brian had been all the way to the highway already and was almost back to River Sigh’s parking lot when Katelyn caught up to him. “Sheesh, finally,” he said.
“And here I’d been hoping you’d burned off the worst of your ego and cheekiness by now,” she joked back.
“No worries there,” he assured her, sounding very serious, running backwards just in front of her. “I always have tons of ego and cheek to go around.”
Katelyn laughed. “So let’s get the lead out, shall we?”
Brian pivoted so he was jogging forward again and she fell into an easy stride beside him. “Your wish is my command. Wanna take the lead today?”
“Sure, creek or forest?”
“Surprise me.”