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And then there was Matt's text, sitting unanswered on my phone. A part of me—a small, stubborn part that refused to learn its lesson—still wondered what could have been if things had been different. If he hadn't ghosted me, if he hadn't had another girlfriend, if he had been the person I initially thought he was.

And Alex, whose texts were becoming less frequent but still arrived daily, a reminder of the passionate but ultimately shallow connection we'd shared.

Three men, three different types of relationships, three different versions of myself reflected back at me. The girl who fell for the wrong guy and got her heart broken. The woman who sought physical comfort and validation. And now, potentially,someone new—someone who might be ready for something real, something lasting.

But was I ready? Had I found enough of myself here in the mountains to know what I truly wanted?

I stared at the ceiling, watching shadows play across it as clouds passed over the moon outside. The revelation about Con's feelings had shaken me more than I wanted to admit. It was one thing to come here and find myself, to build a life independent of romantic entanglements. It was another thing entirely to discover that someone I genuinely cared about might want more from me than friendship.

The question wasn't just whether Con loved me, or whether I could love him back. The question was whether I was ready to risk my heart again, with anyone.

As I finally drifted toward sleep, one thought kept circling in my mind: What if Cam was wrong? What if this was all a misunderstanding, or worse, a deliberate attempt to create drama?

I needed to know the truth, but I was terrified of what that truth might be—and what it might mean for the fragile peace I'd found here in the mountains.

Chapter 15

Geri

The next few days passed with me doing what I did best: avoiding anything that might make me feel things.

I had messaged Matt back saying sure, I would love to visit, but I was away working the snow season. Was I going to visit him? Probably not, but I also had an issue with being attached to things I shouldn't be.

I had slid back into the easy friendship I had with Con. I had three days off coming up, mostly because Louise and Jenny were coming for a ski trip. They had a place in Lakeview for the three days with Nick, Alex’s friend. Louise had hit it off with Nick and they were now seeing each other. Jenny had tagged along as the third wheel, so I had volunteered as tribute to be her date for the three days they were here. Getting the three days off had been hard, but I had managed. Con told me he would take one off too and come to ski down in Lakeview with us. I was both happy and sad. I had sort of avoided him a little bit since that night, not fully, but I had been a little bit more aloof than I normally am.

Work had been busy as I had agreed to do double shifts so I could get ahead of time for the days off, and Cam hadn't spoken to me since that night in the bar.

Alex had messaged me saying he wished he had come with Louise and Nick, but he wasn't able to get off work, and I was severely glad. My life was complicated enough. Honestly, I needed time away from all men before I did anything silly, but I was a sucker for punishment. I knew I had an issue, but refused to address it.

"You look like death warmed over," Lily commented as I dragged myself into our room after my third double shift in a row.

"Thanks," I muttered, collapsing face-first onto my bed. Every muscle in my body ached, and my feet felt like they might actually fall off. "Just what a girl wants to hear."

"I'm serious," she said, setting aside the book she'd been reading. "You're working yourself into the ground. What are you running from?"

I turned my head just enough to glare at her with one eye. "I'm not running from anything. I'm running toward three days off."

Lily snorted. "Sure. And it has nothing to do with Con's brother telling you that Con's in love with you."

I sat up so fast my head spun. "How do you know about that?"

She gave me a pitying look. "Geri, everyone knows. Cam isn't exactly subtle, and he told like half the staff."

"Great," I groaned, flopping back down. "Just what I need—everyone thinking I'm some heartless bitch stringing Con along."

"Is that what you're doing?" Lily asked, her tone neutral.

"No!" I protested. "I didn't even know he felt that way until Cam told me. And I'm still not sure I believe it."

"Why not? Con's a great guy, and you two are practically joined at the hip."

"We're friends," I insisted. "Good friends."

"Mmhmm," Lily hummed, clearly unconvinced. "And that's why you've been avoiding him since Cam spilled the beans."

I sighed, rolling onto my back to stare at the ceiling. "I haven't been avoiding him. I've been working."

"You volunteered for those shifts, Geri. You could have spent that time with him."