Mitch looked around the bridal shop reno, grateful to see that work had progressed even though his time there had been limited recently. That hadn’t been on purpose, although he had to admit it was possible that he might have avoided the site even if other circumstances hadn’t kept him away.
For a moment—just a moment—when Belle had hugged him, hope had flared into a huge raging bonfire. For a moment, he’d thought that maybe she felt something like he did. That hope had lasted until she’d stepped back, a distancing smile on her face. It had thoroughly squelched any flame of hope in him.
The meeting a few nights later had only been bearable thanks to Jasmine’s presence. He had appreciated her enthusiasm for the renovation. Belle had had similar enthusiasm up until that moment between them in her office. After that, things had been…different.
“We managed to keep things on track even without your supervision,” Mark told him as he thumped him on the shoulder.
Mitch glanced at him to see a smile on his face. “Very funny, dude. I never expected anything less.”
“Everything okay?” Mark asked.
“Yeah. I just felt I needed to pay a bit more attention to some of the other work sites after the problems we had at the new build. Turns out, we were having similar issues at the other site in that same subdivision. Ethan wasn’t happy. Bennett wasn’t happy.” Mitch lifted the hard hat from his head and ran a hand through his hair before replacing it. “And I wasn’t happy.”
“Everything okay now, though?” Mark asked.
“I hope so,” Mitch said. “We can’t both be spending so much time on this site.”
Mark put his hands on his hips. “Do you trust me with this job, Mitch?”
“I do, Mark. That’s why I’ve been able to focus on the other sites for the past couple of weeks.”
Mark didn’t say anything for a minute, the noises of the men working filling the silence. “Miss Jacobs has been by two or three times to see how things are progressing.”
“I hope she was okay that I haven’t been here to oversee things.”
“Yeah. I explained that you were busy elsewhere.” Mark paused. “Funny though, she hasn’t been here at all this week.”
“Could be she’s busy too.” Mitch hoped that was the case. “As the nice weather progresses, there are more and more weddings. I’m sure she’s got a lot on her plate.”
Mark turned his focus from Mitch to the work area. “Well, we’re just waiting for the inspections on the electrical and the plumbing. Once they’ve signed off on those, we’ll start on the final touches. The built-ins, the flooring, the paint. We’re in the homestretch.”
Mitch was glad that in spite of his distraction, work at the reno site had continued without issue. He was a bit surprised that Belle hadn’t stopped by, or that she hadn’t tried to contact him at all since the night she and Jasmine had stopped by. Not even to tell him their paint choices. That information had come from Jasmine via email.
“Let me know if she stops by, will you?” Mitch asked. “I want to know if she has any concerns.”
“I’ll be sure to let you know and to pass on any concerns if you’re not here.”
“Thank you,” Mitch said. “Now let’s have a look around.”
When he left an hour later, Mitch felt more at ease now that he’d seen for himself that everything was progressing as it should. The only thing that made him uneasy was the lack of communication from Belle. Up until that moment in her new office, she’d been in fairly regular contact with him. Not just for business, but also as a friend.
But then…nothing. Silence from Belle should have made him happy because he’d thought that was what he wanted. Only, now he wasn’t so sure. Maybe having her as a friend was better than no contact at all. Could he get over what he felt for her even with her still present in his life?
Later, as he sat in his apartment, Mitch held a brief battle with himself before finally pulling up a text screen on his phone.
Sorry I haven’t been on site when you’ve come by. Been dealing with some issues at other sites which have kept me tied up.
He hoped to have an immediate response, but it was over ten minutes before he got a reply from her.
Belle: No problem. It looked good the last time I stopped in.
Yep. I stopped in there today. Once the inspections are finished, they’ll start with the finishing touches. Flooring, paint, etc.
Belle: I look forward to seeing the end result.
Mitch waited to see if she would say anything further, but after five minutes, there was still nothing else from her. He couldn’t understand what had happened. Yes, there had been awkwardness that night, but it wasn’t like they had kissed or made out. She’d hugged him, and while, yes, he might have wanted more, the fact was that nothing more had occurred.
Nothing that had warranted the distance that had suddenly developed between the two of them.
Maybe he should see if they could meet. Could he make up a reason—a business reason—for them to meet for dinner again?
When his phone beeped, Mitch looked at it, anticipating another text from Belle. Instead, it was a message from Gabe.
Gabe: Yo, bro! Maya wants to invite the Disney princesses to the Canada Day weekend at the cabin. Is that okay with you?
Mitch smiled, happy that the perfect excuse to hang out with Belle had just been handed to him.
Sure. That’s fine. The more, the merrier. Right?
Gabe: You know it!
Mitch hoped that if it had only been schedules that had kept them apart, Belle wouldn’t hesitate to accept Maya’s invitation. There would be a good crowd of people up at the cabin, so if she really wanted to avoid him, that would still be possible. Given the number of people coming, and how the configuration of the family had changed in recent years, they wouldn’t all be staying at the cabin like they had in the past.
Discussions earlier in the year had ended with several family members deciding to rent camping sites and RVs. Last he’d heard, Bennett and Grace, Ethan and Makayla, and Sammi and Levi had gotten three sites close together in the campground, not far from the family cabin. He wasn’t sure how many of their family friends might also have reserved sites at the campground.
There would still be plenty of people at the cabin though. He, Gabe, Tristan, Kenton, and Dalton along with Kenton’s girlfriend’s son and her brother would be in the boys’ room.
The girls’ room would have Danica, Sierra, Maya, and Kenton’s girlfriend, Avery. There would still be room in there if Belle and her sisters came. There was also a motel and a hotel nearby for people who wanted more privacy or who didn’t mind spending the money on more luxurious accommodations.
He knew that his parents—and probably Maya and her mom—had more exact numbers of who would be with them for the weekend since they were planning the food. Mitch decided that he wouldn’t ask if Belle had accepted the invite or not. If she did show up, he hoped that maybe they could get back to whatever it was they had before the awkwardness of that moment—because it really was just a moment—had occurred.
He still had the rest of the week to get through before the holiday weekend though, so Mitch turned his focus to what was needing his attention.
Once he’d finished the last of his work for the week on Friday, Mitch stopped by his place to grab his bag and then headed to the house. His dad had asked him to swing by to pick up some of the stuff they were taking to the cabin for the weekend.
It was a bit of a madhouse when he got there. He wasn’t even sure he could call it organized chaos.
“So what did you need me to take out?” Mitch asked his dad when he finally found him in the family room.
His dad came over to give him a hug then stood back, his hands on his hips as he looked at the boxes stacked in the room. “Well, honestly, I’m not too sure. Are you headed up there right now?”
“Yeah. That was my plan.”
“Okay. Good. Maybe we’ll send some of the frozen stuff up with you so you can put it in the freezer.” His dad turned and headed out of the room, motioning for Mitch to follow. “But let’s make sure that’s what the others want. We’re expecting a ton of people at the cabin this year.”
“Is Ryan going to make it?” Mitch asked as they walked toward the kitchen. “Last time I talked to him, he wasn’t sure.”
“Yes, he’s coming. He talked to your mom last night and said he’d be driving up tomorrow and leaving on Monday.”
“That’s great. It’ll be nice to see him again.”
Ryan had been the first one of the McFaddens that Mitch had met. All the way back when they were in the first grade. Ryan had taken one look at him and had somehow decided that Mitch needed him as a friend. He had pestered his mom for a playdate until she’d given in and had come to talk to Mitch’s dad about setting something up.
Even to this day, Mitch still remembered the day Emily had shown up at their doorstep. Her blonde hair and blue-eyed appearance made her look like an angel to him. And best of all, she’d come bearing gifts. Baked goods that smelled better than anything Mitch had smelled in a long time. And they’d not only smelled better, but they also tasted better than anything he’d eaten in what felt like forever to a young boy.
Ryan’s insistence on friendship had started them on a path that Mitch was sure none of them had imagined would develop. He’d been right too. Mitch had needed someone. He’d felt so uncertain in his life. Even at just seven years old, he’d already started to feel like he wasn’t as good as Gabe. That he wasn’t good enough for their biological mom, who had divorced their dad and abandoned her boys. But then there had been Ryan, insisting that Mitch needed Ryan as his friend and demanding that his mom help make that possible.
They had forged a friendship that day that had only deepened when they’d become brothers through their parents’ marriage. He wished that Ryan hadn’t moved away. He hadn’t understood why Ryan had been so determined to join the military. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He knew that Ryan had wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps.
When Ryan had announced he was leaving the military after only four years, Mitch had hoped that meant he’d be coming home, only he’d ended up settling in Minneapolis. It appeared that he had no intention of returning to Winnipeg, so Mitch was always happy to see Ryan when he did come back for a visit.
“Well, let’s figure out what I need to take, so I can head up there.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask Gabe or Maya if Belle was coming, but he managed to restrain himself. Instead, he focused on helping them load the things they wanted him to take up.
“Did you want a ride up with me, Tris?” Mitch asked when his younger brother wandered into the kitchen just as they were loading up the last of the coolers.
“Sure. I was going to catch a ride with Mom and Dad, but this way I can help you carry all the stuff in,” Tristan said. “Just let me get my bag.”
Within minutes, Mitch was backing out of the parking area at the house. They passed Avery who was driving in the opposite direction down the long driveway. Mitch lifted a hand in greeting as they drove past her.
He had a feeling that Avery and Kenton would be the next ones announcing their engagement. And he was genuinely happy for his brother because he and Avery seemed to be a wonderful fit for each other.
On Saturday morning, Belle climbed into the back seat of Rory’s car, letting Jasmine claim the front seat for the two-hour ride out to the Callaghans’ cabin. She still wasn’t happy with her sisters for having accepted Maya’s invitation on her behalf, but she didn’t feel comfortable backing out.
Once they got to the cabin, she would have to put on a happy face, so for now, she was going to sulk in a way she only ever did around her sisters. The only thing that gave her any sort of solace about the upcoming weekend was that there were apparently going to be a lot of other people there. Hopefully, that meant that she wouldn’t run into Mitch too often over the course of the weekend. Mitch and his girlfriend.
With her earbuds in place, listening to her favorite worship playlist in hopes it would improve her state of mind, Belle watched the scenery slip past as Rory drove. She’d been up to Hecla on a couple of occasions when she’d had weddings there, but she’d never gone up on her own. Certainly not to camp.
At some point in the drive, Belle’s irritation slipped aside, and she closed her eyes. It had been a busy week, but she was fortunate that she’d only had one small wedding that weekend, and it hadn’t been one that required her presence. They’d just wanted help with the organizational part of it which meant she had the weekend off. She kind of wished she didn’t.
“Wake up, sis.”
Belle opened her eyes to see Jasmine leaning into the back seat, shaking her. She straightened when she saw Belle was awake.
“We’re there already?” Belle tilted her head from side to side, easing out the ache in her neck from the uncomfortable position she’d been in while she slept.
“Yep. Let’s go inside.”
Belle slipped out of the car and stretched, not really surprised she’d fallen asleep. Her night had been fitful. She had struggled to fall asleep, her mind spinning with scenarios that might unfold over the course of the weekend. All the possible things that might happen. She’d thought about coming face to face with Mitch and his girlfriend. Rehearsing the best ways to react.
Knowing that the inevitable was closer now than ever, Belle reached back into the car and grabbed her purse. She shoved her earbuds into an outside pocket, then waited for Rory and Jasmine to precede her to the door of the cabin. Not that cabin was a really accurate description of the building in front of them. This…this was so much more than a cabin. It may have been made of logs, but it was no simple cabin.