“You’re soaked to the bone!” Noni said as I stood in front of the door, dripping like a melting snowman in the sun. “And who is this handsome young fellow?”

“Noni, Eli. Eli, this is my grandmother Noni,” I said, setting the bags down and then fighting my way free of the jacket clinging to my arms.

Eli shifted the bags to one hand and took my grandmother’s in his as he said, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Manners, too. I like him, Nova. Invite him in,” Noni said before toddling off to the living room.

“Well, you’re in for it now,” I warned. “Let me see if I can find you something dry to wear. I’m sure you don’t want to sit in sopping wet clothes while you get interrogated.”

“Where do you want these?” he asked.

“Just set them down. I’ll take your jacket and toss it in the dryer with mine,” I said, fighting off a wave of shivers that rolled over my body.

Once he’d freed himself and handed over his jacket, I told him to give me a second and then darted off in search of something he could change into. It wasn’t uncommon to have a handful of castoff clothes tucked away since people never knew if someone showing up at the door would need to be thawed out from one thing or another.

Noni was always in the habit of keeping a spot in the closet for such things. It probably stemmed back to when she was younger and the population wasn’t what it had become. A change of clothes and a warm blanket could quite literally save someone’s life in Nome.

Tucked away in the back corner was a stack of clothes. I pulled them out, picking the warmest things I could find, and then headed back to Eli and handed them over. “Bathroom’s that way. When you’ve changed, wring your clothes out in the bathtub and toss them in the dryer. I’ll start it once I’ve changed.”

Once my bedroom door was firmly shut behind me, I leaned against it and steadied myself. Eli was in Nome. My heart raced as I clenched my fists tight and fought to keep my thoughts from running away on me. I never thought I’d see him again after he’d left Haiti so abruptly. He was there one day and gone the next, and I’d had no way of finding him. How the hell had he found me? You told him you were from Nome, Nova. That’s how he knew where to find you. But why? Why had he come all the way to Alaska?

How many restless nights had I lain awake on my cot, wondering where in the world he was at that moment? Too many if I were being honest with myself.

There had to be more to it. Had to be. Who would do what Eli had done and move from Alabama to Alaska to find someone? A trickle of unease broke through the euphoria I’d kept on lock down. There was only one way to find out, and that was to let Noni at him. She’d unearth everything in no time.

I blew out a long breath. After pushing away from the door, I peeled my clothes off one layer at a time, breaking out in goose bumps when the warm air touched my chilled skin.

Eli was in the kitchen putting away the groceries. Noni directed him where everything went while carrying on a lighthearted conversation. I’d made it just in time.

“There you are. I was just telling Eli he should try the little cafe we go to. They really do have the best halibut in town,” Noni said, pointing to the cabinet across the kitchen.

Eli followed the direction and stowed the canned vegetables as he said, “I haven’t had halibut before. Is it fishy?”

Noni laughed. “Of course it is… it’s fish. Now, if you mean is it one of those stronger fish like salmon, then no. Halibut is light and flaky… Nova, we should take him there for dinner, but maybe call Stanley in advance so he knows we’d like the halibut again.”

“Noni, Eli might already have plans,” I said, collecting the plastic bags and swiping them with a dish towel to dry them before I stored them.

“Nonsense. If a man travels half the world just to see my granddaughter, then why would he turn down the chance to go to dinner with her?” Noni scoffed.

I became momentarily baffled. She must have dove right in with the questions. How long had I been in my room? It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes.

“Did you have speed-round questioning while I was changing?” I asked, looking between the two of them.

“Noni pulls no punches, Nova. She wanted to know who I was, what brought me to Nome, and to get to the point before she forgot what she asked me. Her words, not mine,” Eli answered as he lifted the new bottle of cleaner and looked to Noni.

“Under the sink. And he answered them. Now, about dinner,” Noni said as she gave me a cat that ate the canary, the cream, and desert to boot look.

I wagged a finger at her. “Don’t think that look will get your way, Noni. Did you take your medicine?

Noni huffed.

“I’ll take that as a no. And furthermore, we can’t go anywhere until his clothes are dry. Do you expect him to go into town dressed like that?” I asked, dumping her medicine into my palm.

“Be a good lad and get me a glass of water, would you? Nova has her hands full,” Noni directed to Eli.

He was already one step ahead of her. Glass in hand, he carried it over to her.

“I have my hands full all right, Noni,” I said, dumping the pills over into her palm as she smirked.

“Cheeky,” she said, popping one pill at a time, following it up with sips of water.

“Learned it from the best,” I said, quirking my eyebrow at her.

“Well, if we can’t leave because the two of you are in your PJs, then what’s for dinner?” Noni asked.

“I wonder sometimes if your brain has only been hardwired to meal times,” I said, giving her a hard time.

“I’m thinking we should make something special,” Noni answered, ignoring my sarcasm.

“We? Don’t you mean me?” I asked, taking the glass when she held it out.

“We. You cook. I’ll supervise,” Noni said, shooing me.

After we ate, Eli changed into his dry clothes and then helped me with the dishes.

Noni had quieted some. It was obvious by her eyes that she was tired, but wasn’t going to say anything since she’d enjoyed Eli’s visit so much.

Eli must have noticed it, too, because he’d politely refused desert and then kissed Noni on the cheek, promising to come back to visit soon.

I walked him to the door, peeking over my shoulder to see Noni, nodding off in her chair.

“Thanks for dinner,” he said after we stepped outside. “She’s something else, your Noni.”

I followed him down the stairs and walked with him to his truck, arms crossed to ward off the cold seeping past the thickness of my sweatshirt.

“You’re welcome. It was… fun. I haven’t seen Noni so animated like that in forever,” I said, catching the door of his truck to keep the wind from slamming it back into him.

“It was fun for me, too.” He reached inside the cab and started the truck so it could warm up.

“So you really live here now,” I said, wondering why I felt the need to hear him say it again.

“I really live here now. Maybe one of these days, you and Noni will come over so I can cook for you,” he said, taking hold of the door and closing it with a soft bump.

“We’d like that.” I braced against a blast of wind, tucking my chin against my chest as Eli moved to block it.

“Get inside before you turn into a Nova-cicle,” he said as my teeth began to chatter.

I hugged him. Pulling back and stomping my feet to get the blood flowing, I asked, “When will I see you again?”

He smiled. “Whenever you want to see me.”

“Breakfast tomorrow? Noni has a nurse coming by. She’ll be here for a few hours, so she won’t be alone,” I said, backing away to the steps.

“What time?” he asked.

“Nine?”

“I’ll be here. Good night, Nova,” he said, giving me a smile that made my knees weak.

“Good night, Eli.” I gave him a quick wave and then darted back into the house.

When the door was shut and locked behind me, Noni called out from her chair. “I like that young man. What was his name again?”

I went from giddy excitement to concern in the space of two heartbeats. “His name is Eli, remember? I met him while I was in Haiti.”

Noni’s face twisted up as she asked, “When were you in Haiti?”

My heart fell. “Oh, Noni.” The words were a whisper so faint it almost couldn’t be heard.