Page 103 of Wrecked on the Mountain

"I told them you'd be interested. I mean, this is everything we dreamed about in medical school."

I stare at the message, at those three simple words that have become the foundation of my new life. Then at Piper's expectant face. Then out the window at the mountain silhouettes barely visible in the darkness.

Fuck. This sucks.

How do you choose between the dream you thought you wanted and the life you never knew you needed?

"Brooke?" Piper reaches across the table, touching my hand again. "Say something. This is good news, right? This is what you wanted?"

I think about Jamie's sunrise deck, about the way the whole town rallied around the winter festival, about how Chase sometimes brings me gummy bears just because he knows I had a bad day.

I think about Jamie's mom offering to share her family recipes, about feeling useful without feeling destroyed, about waking up next to someone who thinks I'm worth cherishing.

I think about my father, and wonder what he'd want for me now.

"When do they need an answer?" I hear myself ask despite knowing Piper has already mentioned it. My head is a whirlwind.

"Two weeks," Piper says, relief flooding her features. "But honestly? The sooner the better. They're already talking about transition timelines."

My phone buzzes again. Another text from Mountain Daddy:I was thinking… would you care if we shared our sunrise spot with Piper? Up to you, babe.

The sunrise spot. Our place. Where he told me he was falling in love with me, where I realized I could honor my father's memory without sacrificing my own happiness.

Piper squeezes my hand.

"Well… what do you think?"

Chapter Twnety-Three

Jamie

The fire crackles in my fireplace while I stretch out on the couch, a safety precaution manual balanced on my chest.

Brooke sits in the armchair across from me with some medical journal she's flicking through, her legs tucked under her in that way that makes me want to abandon all pretense of reading and just watch her instead.

"Chase owes me big time," I say, closing the manual and tossing it onto the coffee table. "I may have mentioned that Piper seemed interested in outdoorsy guys."

Brooke glances up from her journal, but her eyes don't quite focus on me.

"That's awfully nice of you."

I study her face as she looks back down.

Something's off.

She's been weird since she got back from dinner last night. Distant, like she's thinking about something else entirely.

During breakfast, I caught her staring out the window for ten minutes straight while her coffee got cold. And I know she likes my coffee.

"You okay? You seem... off. Your book not good?"

She forces a smile.

"Just tired. Long night with Piper."

I sit up straighter, military instincts kicking in. In Afghanistan, reading people's micro-expressions often meant the difference between life and death. Right now, Brooke's giving off every signal of someone carrying weight she doesn't want to share.

"Another hangover, huh? I can rob another pharmacy? I've got connections after the last stash I got for you."