Stormy gracefully jumped up onto the counter and started to eat. Her gray-and-white coat and striking resemblance to a husky always made Ellie smile. At least the fox was living her best life, surrounded by books and customers who spoiled her after a tough year trying to survive in the wild where Levi, the grandson of the bookstore’s owner, Meredith Grayson, had rescued her while on a wildfire call. Domesticating her had been surprisingly easy as her temperament was more catlike.
That morning was a quiet one. Sunday mornings usually were, with people attending church services or weekend brunch. The afternoon would pick up with mostly browsers, an occasional sale, but the morning was normally Ellie’s favorite part of the day.
Leaning against the counter with her coffee in one hand, she scrolled through social media on her phone. Pictures of family vacations and weddings and honeymoons filled her feed and her breathing grew more and more labored the longer she looked. By age twenty-nine she’d assumed she would have the things she’d always wanted—a great career teaching at the elementary school, a devoted, smart, handsome husband and at least one adorable child of her own.
Life goals.
Recipe for disappointment was more like it.
She shook her head. It had to be the upcoming reunion making her feel this way. A few weeks ago she hadn’t felt like her life was slipping past, and she certainly hadn’t viewed it as a failure. But seeing everyone else’s life, seeing what they’d accomplished in ten years was starting to take its toll.
A social media hiatus would be the smart thing to do until she cleared this dark cloud that loomed over her.
She sipped her coffee, and the liquid stuck in her throat as a new notification popped up.
Brent Lanigan RSVP’d “YES” to Wild River High Class of 2011 Reunion.
Ellie’s heart raced. He was online right now at the same time she was. She clicked on the group page and stared at the photo of him in his pilot’s uniform, standing in front of a commercial plane on the Anchorage airport airstrip. He looked so handsome—the casual smile that had filled all her teenage fantasies now filled her heart with a longing she couldn’t quite shake.
For her, it had always been Brent. He was good-looking, polished, kind and ambitious. He’d been a fantastic kisser, and he’d never been afraid of showing his emotions for her. He was honest and straightforward and stood up for the things he believed in. She’d respected that about him. She’d never doubted her feelings for him and had always been able to picture a life together. He’d valued family as much as she did and they’d both wanted a solid, long-lasting marriage, a safe place to raise the children they both dreamed of having. Their morals had aligned, and Ellie always knew that with Brent she wouldn’t have to worry about ever being alone. No one else had ever measured up to him. He’d set a standard that no other man she’d dated could live up to. And now he’d be back in Wild River at the reunion.
If there was ever going to be a chance that they could reconnect, maybe this was it.
She sipped the coffee and stared at the RSVP button on the page. Without overthinking it, she hit YES, and just like that she was going to the reunion.
And an hour later, she was somehow involved in the planning of it.
Her polite, friendly message to Alisha asking if there was anything she could do to help had been met with a full to-do list that Ellie was somehow now in charge of.
You’re so good at this stuff.
Alisha’s praise had made her feel good for about thirty seconds before the list of things to do had appeared.
Contact the Wild River High School to see if the auditorium was available that night for the event, call around to local caterers for pricing and availability, come up with a theme (nothing cheesy), plan and buy the decorations, and follow up with the attendees once all the details were confirmed.
Sure, no problem. Ellie could pull off an event in less than three weeks.
And this was good. She wanted Brent to notice her, right? What better way than to be a key player in the reunion? It gave her a legitimate reason to reach out. And there was no time like the present.
She took a deep breath and posted for the first time in the group page.
Hey, everyone! I’m really excited to see everyone at the reunion.
So, maybe stretching a little—there was really only one person she was excited to see.
Alisha has entrusted me with some of the planning for the event.
Or all of it.
If anyone has any special requests or dietary restrictions, please let me know as soon as possible.
Then she sat back and waited.
Within seconds someone was typing.
Her heart raced seeing Brent’s comment appear.
I’m sure you remember my dairy allergy. You were always so great at finding lactose-free desserts whenever we went out.
Ellie rode the high of his comment all morning as she worked. It might seem like a casual comment, but there was definitely a hint of flirtatiousness to it. Like he wanted her to remember the past and how close they once were.
As if she could forget.
She was instantly feeling better about her decision to attend, and she wasn’t the least bit bothered when Alisha continued to send her more things to take care of.
Unfortunately, her coworker was in less than a good mood. Entering the store a half hour late in a suit that was obviously custom-made, Callum’s expression was...intense, which was definitely off-brand.
“Let me guess, mandatory hotel board meeting?” It was the only time Ellie ever saw him in a bad mood.
He nodded, yanking the tie off from around his neck and removing the jacket. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Only not really. It was more of an intervention,” he said, unbuttoning and rolling the sleeves of his dress shirt.
“What do you mean?” she asked, looking up from the latest update from Alisha.
“It was just Dad and Sean, and basically I’ve been given an ultimatum. Either join the family business or be disowned.”
Ellie cocked her head to the side as she put her cell phone away. “Disowned? Dramatic much?”
Callum’s laugh held zero humor. “You really need to meet my family sometime so you can see the level of assholery for yourself.”
“Well, what does your dad want?”
“For me to start getting serious about my life.” He bent and lifted several boxes of publisher new releases with ease and carried them to the shelves.
Ellie bit her tongue. She didn’t want to make him feel worse with her honesty, but she too wondered why he was kinda just coasting through life. He seemed happy working in the bookstore, and not that there was anything wrong with the job, but didn’t he want something more? He was certainly capable of so much more. The guy had an MBA. He could be climbing any corporate ladder he wanted, even if he didn’t want to work for his father in the hospitality industry.
Had his privileged upbringing made him less motivated? She couldn’t claim to fully understand him. But she liked and respected him enough not to judge. Families could be complicated, and she didn’t know the whole story, so she kept her opinions to herself.
Unfortunately, he could read her expression.
“You think he’s right?” Callum asked.
Ellie sighed and hesitated before answering. “Do you want honesty or someone to agree with you?”
“I guess that answers the question,” he grumbled, tearing violently into the boxes with the box cutter.
Fearful for the fate of the book covers inside, Ellie took the knife from him and took his hands in hers.
Callum’s expression immediately softened as his gaze dropped to their joined hands, and his eyes held a look she couldn’t quite decipher when they met hers again.
Ellie awkwardly let go and cleared her throat. “I just think maybe you’re not living up to your potentia
l, working here, that’s all.”
He scoffed. “Isn’t being happy more important? I mean, I can appreciate how hard my father worked to get where he is, I really can, but the dude’s miserable. He may have money and a reputation but he also has two failed marriages and kids who don’t even really know him. He wasn’t around much when we were growing up, and now he expects us to follow in his footsteps.” Callum shook his head. “There’s more to life.”
She didn’t disagree. She just wished she had the opportunities and the choices that he seemed to take for granted. Her parents had been in their late forties when they’d had Ellie. She’d been unplanned and unexpected, though not unloved. Sadly, they’d passed away from illnesses within months of one another the year she’d graduated high school, and before then they’d never really put any pressure on her or had any expectations.
While some people would find that freeing, Ellie had longed for a little more guidance and involvement from them. As free-spirited people, they hadn’t been concerned about her education, wanting her to enjoy life and not work so hard. They also hadn’t felt any pressure to ensure that there were college funds available when she graduated, feeling that she’d somehow make her own way, that the universe would take care of her. All she had to do was put that positive energy out there and things would miraculously work out. She didn’t begrudge them that, but unfortunately fate had not intervened, and she’d never been able to get that funding figured out on her own. Her grades were good, but in her final year they’d slipped a little, just below the threshold for scholarship qualifications, and her jobs hadn’t afforded her the luxury of saving enough.
Her cell chimed for the millionth time that morning and she took the phone from her pocket and clicked on the new notification in the group.
“Oh no.” Her heart fell deep into her stomach as she read.
“What’s wrong?”
“Brent just added a plus-one to his reunion RSVP.”
Callum looked like he was over the whole reunion discussion, but he nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure it’s not anyone special,” he said, a note of irritation in his voice as he placed the last book on the New Release shelf.
Ellie frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t get defensive. I’m just saying the guy doesn’t seem to be long-term material.” Callum broke down the empty box and headed toward the back.
Ellie followed him, on a mission. “Why would you say that? You don’t even know him. He’s totally long-term material. He just hasn’t found the right one yet.”
Callum swung back toward her and she nearly collided into his body. He steadied her. “What you mean is that he let the right one get away?”
Ellie shrugged. The thought had crossed her mind. The two of them had been perfect together. What more could Brent be searching for? “I’m just saying that maybe there’s a reason neither of us has found anyone else to settle down with yet.” It wasn’t that she hadn’t put herself out there... Or maybe in some ways it was. It was just difficult to trust in new relationships. Brent had been there for her when her parents had died, and he’d been the rock she’d relied on back then. That had bonded them in ways other people couldn’t understand.
Callum nodded. “Yeah, there is. You’re pining for him and he’s living his best life dating a new woman every few months.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t judge him.”
Callum sighed. “Fine. Maybe you’re right. Maybe he’s still single because he hasn’t found someone as incredible as you yet.”
She scoffed, turning her attention back to her phone.
“That wasn’t sarcasm, Ellie. You are incredible, and if this guy can’t see that, then he’s an idiot.”
She was barely listening as she clicked on the profile of the woman Brent was planning to bring as his date. Tall, thin, dark hair, breasts that had to be medically enhanced...stunning but obviously she knew it. Why else would a grown woman post a photo of herself suggestively licking a lollipop? She sighed. Poor Brent. Always dating superficial women as a way to protect his heart.
“Look, if you don’t want to see your ex with someone else, then just don’t go,” Callum said, opening the back door and tossing the cardboard into the recycle bin in the alley behind the store.
Ellie bit her lip as she held the door open for him. That ship had sailed. “Um, yeah... I kinda have to go.”
Callum reentered and locked the back door, then turned to face her. “Why?”
“Because I agreed to help with the planning?”
“You mean you agreed to do all the planning.” He shook his head and moved past her in the hall. “You really need to work on saying no.”
She followed him back to the front of the store. “It’s not a big deal. I’m good at that kind of thing.” She shrugged.
“And you thought if you were on the planning committee, then Brent would have no other choice than to interact with you.”
Damn, why was she so predictable? And how the hell did he know her so well? “Well, it worked,” she said in a huff. Unfortunately, now she’d have to deal with the dietary restrictions of his plus-one, as well.
Although the woman looked like a plate of ice cubes might be all she’d eat. She flicked through the unlocked profile. Picture after picture of the woman loaded...each one more perfect than the last. Had Ellie ever taken even one photo that looked this good? Had to be some kind of filter...
“Fine, I’ll go to the reunion with you,” Callum said.
Ellie’s head snapped up. “I’m sorry, what?”
“I’ll be your plus-one,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed. “Did I ask?”
“No, but you were hinting at it.”
“No, I absolutely wasn’t.” She hadn’t even considered bringing a date. Her mission had been to go alone, bump into Brent and then spend the rest of the night reminiscing about old times and getting him to fall back in love with her. Simple. Only now that plan had been derailed by Samantha.
“Fine, I made the executive decision that you need me,” Callum said, picking up Stormy and petting her.
The fox curled into him and purred like a cat.
Ellie bit her lip. Maybe she should bring someone just in case... “I don’t know. Bringing a hot guy friend might make me look even more pathetic. Like I couldn’t get a real date so I brought my coworker who felt guilted into doing me a favor.” The last thing she wanted was for everyone to think she had to bring a friend to events because she couldn’t get a date. But admittedly, she didn’t want to ask someone who might read something into the invite. The last guy she’d dated, a dental hygienist, would be more than willing to go with her, but she didn’t want to lead him on. Greg was a nice guy—good-looking, smart and caring—but she hadn’t felt a spark. The few times they’d gone out, the conversation had been somewhat forced, and whenever he’d touched her hand or kissed her cheek, it had felt more platonic than anything. Great relationships could develop from friendship first, but Ellie wanted passion, at least in the beginning. Her parents had been so passionately in love, even after years together, that it was hard to settle for less than the type of relationship they had role modeled.
“I don’t feel guilted, and you could get a real date if you wanted one,” Callum said. “In fact, we can just tell everyone that we’re together,” he continued casually.
She blinked. “Like pretend you’re my boyfriend?” Was he serious?
He laughed, sounding slightly dejected. “You could do worse, you know.”
She punched his shoulder playfully. “I could do a lot worse.” Sadly, every guy she even entertained the thought of dating was always compared to the one guy that no one could compare to.
She hesitated. Callum’s solution might not be a terrible idea. He was certainly a head turner. No one would feel sorry for poor old Ellie Mitchell if she show
ed up with this amazing man...and it wouldn’t be a real date with expectations and complications. Conversation with Callum wouldn’t be strained or awkward, and he was a good dancer—she knew that from the store’s four-person Christmas party where he’d spun her around The Drunk Tank’s dance floor until 2:00 a.m. and they shut the place.
Maybe if she showed up with someone, Brent would even be jealous.
“So? What do you say? Let me take you to your reunion?” Callum asked.
A hot guy on her arm might ease the sting of seeing Brent with a supermodel a little, and if she felt really bad and got shit-faced, he could easily carry her out of the high school auditorium. “Fine. Okay.” She paused. “Thank you.”
He smiled.
“But, there’re some ground rules.”
Callum sighed, folding his arms across his chest, a look of amusement on his handsome face. “Right, because we couldn’t just wing it,” he said.
“Winging it will only lead to disaster,” she said, completely serious. Ellie had not inherited her parents’ “go with the flow of the universe” attitude. Maybe it was always feeling a little unsettled with their carefree way of life that had her desperate to live hers with more structure and familiarity.
“Okay. What are the rules?”
“No kissing...” That was an obvious and easy one. She paused. “Well, maybe one but only if it’s absolutely necessary to sell the idea that we’re actually dating—and no tongue.”
He nodded. “Not loving it, but okay.”
She rolled her eyes. “No elaborate meet-cute story. If anyone asks how we met, we tell them the truth—we work together. I want to avoid lying as much as possible.” Lying would only come back to bite them if their stories somehow got twisted throughout the night.
“Boring, but I can work with that.”
“And third, we go, we mingle, we leave by ten before the karaoke starts.”
Callum cocked his head to the side. “I love karaoke.”
“I know you do, but I can’t carry a tune.” She refused to get up onstage and make a complete fool of herself. She’d argued against the activity ten minutes ago, claiming a photo booth was more than enough, but unfortunately she was outvoted in the decision, by the two other planning committee members—Alisha and Cheryl—who hadn’t actually planned anything else so far.
Alaska Reunion Page 3