Page 20 of Meeting Me, Loving You (Hearts of Maple Lake #1)

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, centering myself before I dig into my painful memories. “Okay, you told me something personal, so I’ll tell you something,” I say. “Remember when you asked about Natalie?”

His head whips toward me, and he searches my eyes for a second before looking back at the road. “Yeah, of course I remember.”

“Well, I told you she moved away, and that’s true. But only partially true… She didn’t just move away. She ran away.”

My eyes stay on Cam’s profile, and I see him frown. “I’m sorry, Jules. That must be really hard for you. I know you two were close.”

“We were. And when she left, I felt like a part of me was ripped away. I think about her all the time. It may have been easy for her to forget about me, but I couldn’t forget her even if I tried.

” I hesitate. “The worst part is that every time I look in the mirror, I see her. Our faces have always been similar, and I can’t help seeing her when I look at myself.

I hate that I can’t escape the reminders of her. ”

“Do you know where she is now?”

“Somewhere in Florida, I think. She left two years ago with no word. She just left a note that said she was fine but didn’t want to be contacted.

Something about wanting to find happiness that she didn’t have in Maple Lake.

My parents did everything they could to find her, but she was eighteen.

According to the authorities, she was considered an adult who just moved out, so there wasn’t much that could be done.

” I shrug and fight off the tears that threaten to fall.

Dax sticks his head between the front seats, and I pet his ears, causing him to lick my cheek.

“We were all so shocked. She changed her phone number and all her social media accounts, so it was almost impossible to find her. But by some miracle, I was able to find one of her new accounts.”

“Did she ever give you any indication why she’d want to leave?”

“I’ve asked myself that a million times.

She never directly said she wanted to leave Maple Lake, but since she left, I keep having the vaguest memory of her talking about a tourist she met.

I think maybe they exchanged phone numbers and had been in contact for some time before she left, but I don’t have any more details.

She never told me a name or what he looked like, but she seemed genuinely interested in him. ”

Cam looks at me. “You don’t think it was something shady, do you?”

My eyes widen. “No, I don’t think so. At least, I hope not. From her new socials, it looks like she has a boyfriend. And I can only assume he was who she was talking to while she was still here. I just… don’t know why she would leave the way she did.”

“Would your parents have been accepting of her moving away at eighteen to follow a tourist if she had asked?” Cam questions, and my shoulders deflate.

“Probably not. They would have urged her to stay close and go to college.”

“Teens tend to run when they don’t think they’ll be heard or encouraged. Believe me, I know the feeling. Growing up, I had the same urge more times than I can count.”

“I guess you’re right. That would make sense,” I say. There’s silence for a few seconds before I shake my head and attempt to lighten the mood. “At least she seems happy in all her pictures. So, there’s that. Maybe I’ll still get invited to a wedding one day.”

Turning to Cam, I find him watching me from the corner of his eye. “When you’re hurt, Jules, it’s okay to feel it. You don’t have to hide the hurt from others, especially me.”

My eyes drop from his and I study my hands. “I just don’t like how it feels.”

“What does it feel like?” he asks. His voice is low and smooth, like sitting by a peaceful stream. It makes me feel safe.

“It feels like being forgotten… and it feels like forgetting myself. Like I don’t know myself anymore,” I whisper.

“What do you mean by forgetting yourself?”

“This may seem silly, like maybe it’s just an unrealistic task I’ve placed on myself.

But I’ve stayed in Maple Lake for Natalie, in case she comes home someday.

I know she might never choose to return, but I just thought…

if she ever wants to come back home, someone needs to be here for her.

So I’ve planned my life around her , putting aside my own desires, even though she’s not here.

” I let out an uneven breath, somehow feeling relieved to speak this all aloud to him.

“I used to have dreams of going to a great nursing school and opening my own general practice in a well populated town somewhere. Every state has their own requirements for NPs, and in Pennsylvania, we can’t run our own practice—they call it a reduced practice state.

Otherwise, I would love to open one here; the townspeople could really use it.

So, I’ve given up the idea of opening my own place somewhere else—in a full practice authority state—to stay here.

I’m still working toward becoming a nurse practitioner, but I’m doing all I can online instead of going away for school.

When I’m done, I’ll hopefully be able to continue working in the hospital where I’m already employed, only I’d be a CRNP rather than a registered nurse. ”

“What if someone else opened a practice here? Would you be able to work there with your certifications?” he asks.

“I could, but I doubt anyone’s scrambling to set up shop in a small town like Maple Lake.”

“You never know,” he replies. “With tourism booming here year-round, you might just get lucky.”

Cam’s large hand comes into view and it slides into mine, his fingers holding mine gently. “Believe me, those dreams can still happen. You’re getting there, even if the path looks different than you first imagined. But you need to know, to the right people, you’re absolutely unforgettable.”

A smile tugs at my lips, and I revel in the feeling of my hand nestled in his.

I never let myself talk about this stuff, but it was so easy to talk to Cam.

Why was this so easy with him? It feels like we’ve only just met, and yet, he’s still the Cam I knew from years ago.

He’s the boy who would cheer up the family by staying for dinner, the boy who was always patient with me when I didn’t understand the math concept I was being taught.

He’s still caring and thoughtful, just like he was as a teenager.

Finally, we turn off the winding mountain road onto a long, paved driveway.

The cabin in the distance comes into view as the trees surrounding it glimmer in the winter afternoon sun.

I lean forward, taking in the trees and the snow-covered roof.

The only sound is of the truck tires rolling over bits of snow.

It’s beautiful and peaceful, like the rest of the mountain.

But knowing that this part of it belongs to Cam makes it feel extra serene, like it’s a safe space to bunker down, rather than the wild of the unforgiving mountainside.

The truck rolls to a stop close to the house, and Cam turns it off with the press of a button.

“Well, here we are. See? The drive wasn’t too bad.”

“You were right. Thanks for checking on me. And for bringing me here and letting Dax come along.”

“Jules, you don’t ever have to thank me. Come on.” He opens his door and I do the same, our hands slowly coming apart as we slide out of the truck. “I’ll make you lunch and some hot coffee.”

And with those beautiful words, I jump down from the truck with the promise of warmth and caffeine filling my soul.