Sully stood in line for the bathroom at the gas station. He ran his hand through his hair wondering again what in hell’s name had possessed him to make this trip. He stepped forward as a guy came out of the bathroom and the woman in front of him went inside. He sighed, expecting her to take a while. He turned at the sound of footsteps approaching rapidly, accompanied by the sound of a woman’s voice muttering, “Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!”

The sight of the owner of that voice took his breath away. Long blonde hair, a beautiful face and a slender, almost willowy figure stopped before him. She didn’t even seem to notice him as she looked in consternation at the lone, and firmly closed, bathroom door. She hopped from one foot to the other.

He couldn’t help smiling to himself. Usually, the beautiful women he encountered were composed, self-assured, well put together both in their grooming and their attitude. This one was like a breath of fresh air; she seemed to be in constant motion from the wafting of her floor length dress as she rocked back and forth to the way she kept pushing strands of wavy blonde hair behind her ear as she waited.

The bathroom door opened, and as its occupant stepped out, he gestured toward it. Her need was obviously much greater than his. “Go ahead. I can wait.”

The blonde’s eyes grew wide as she smiled. “Really? Thank you so much!”

She bolted past him, and he chuckled as the door closed behind her.

When she emerged a few moments later, she smiled, seeming somewhat calmer now. “You’re a gentleman and a hero! If we weren’t standing outside a public bathroom, I’d hug you!” She stopped herself, looking a little embarrassed. “But that would be even weirder than me standing here gushing my thanks when you no doubt need to pee too! So, yeah. Erm, I’ll leave it at thank you.”

Sully couldn’t help chuckling to himself as she rushed away and he stepped into the bathroom. Who would ever have guessed that an encounter at a bathroom would be just what he needed to put the smile back on his face?

When he got back to his car, his smile faded. He was blocked in by a motorhome. He’d never understood the appeal of those things. He looked around for its driver, but there was no one to be seen who might fit the description. He spotted the girl from the bathroom helping an old man in a wheelchair through the doors to the store. He smiled, wondering if that was her father. Apparently not. As Sully watched, she wheeled the guy inside then bid him farewell with a cheery wave before coming back outside. Sully had an idea he knew what was coming as she made her way toward him. She smiled in recognition as she came closer.

“We meet again,” he said.

She grinned. “We do.” Her smile faded as she looked from him to his car. “Oh, no! I’m making you wait again, aren’t I?”

He shrugged. “It’s okay. I’m not in a hurry.” He could just imagine the look on the faces of any of the guys at the office if they could hear him. He was always in a hurry—and if anyone held him up or got in his way, it was most definitely not okay.

This chick didn’t know that, though. “I’m sorry. I’ll move. I just couldn’t watch that man in the wheelchair struggle to get through the door.”

Sully nodded. So, people like her did exist? People who would go out of their way to help a stranger—people who cared. “Take your time.” All of a sudden he had the ridiculous urge to ask her not to move her vehicle yet at all, but rather to come back inside the gas station with him, have a cup of coffee, chat for a while. He stared at her, feeling like he might be crazy for even thinking the thought.

She was staring back at him, a puzzled look on her face. “This is going to sound weird, but do I know you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No.” Why didn’t he say the other things that came to mind? Not yet. No, but we can soon change that. Even, No, but I’d like to. Instead of saying anything, he simply stood there.

She looked embarrassed. “Sorry. You just seem familiar somehow.” She hurried to her motorhome. “This time, I really will get out of your way. I promise once I pull out of here, I’ll never hold you up again!”

Sully climbed back into his car and watched in the rearview mirror as she pulled away. He wished she would hold him up again. He wished he’d held her up longer. Given in to that crazy urge to ask her to come for a cup of coffee. Instead, all he could do was watch as her motorhome merged into the traffic and disappeared. As he waited to pull out of the gas station, he smiled to himself. He felt as though Patrick was close. He would have loved the ditzy blonde and would have encouraged Sully to chase her down and ask her to dinner, would have told him he needed to loosen up and go play. His smile faded. But Patrick was gone. If Sully was ever going to do what Patrick had been encouraging him to more and more over the last few years—take the stick out of his ass and learn to have fun living—he was going to have to do it all by himself. And he’d just missed the most appealing chance he’d had in a long time. He sighed as he pulled out to join the long line of slow moving traffic. Why did he have to lose his mentor in order to really start taking his advice to heart?

~ ~ ~

Jess checked herself out in the rear-view mirror as she slowly made her way out of town. She was a mess! Dammit! That guy at the gas station had been swoon-worthy! He’d stood outside the bathroom as if he were the bodyguard for whoever was inside. He’d stood tall and alert; hands clasped behind his back. He’d looked like he should be wearing a dark suit and shades with an earpiece! She chuckled to herself at the thought. Unfortunately, she’d been more concerned with getting inside the bathroom than making a good impression on the gorgeous guy standing outside it. She’d been so relieved when he’d let her go ahead of him—literally and figuratively. And, of course, when she’d come out she’d managed to babble at him like a crazy person! Oh, well. He’d been a bright spot in her travels. He was a nice memory to picture and a nice warm feeling, too! She’d still been picturing his handsome face as she’d helped that man in the wheelchair inside the store. How could people just walk by him and let the door close in his face? She didn’t get people! Still. The smile the old man had given her as he thanked her had been another bright spot in her day.

Now she was on her way to see Tessa and her new family. She couldn’t wait! Tessa had even told her about some spots she could visit if she wanted to get out with her camera. There was a waterfall, Hope Falls, after which Tessa’s town was named. Jess loved to photograph waterfalls. It was funny, although she and Tessa had connected through their love of photography, they were both intrigued by very different aspects. Tessa had been a photojournalist; she’d traveled to war zones and portrayed harsh realities and human suffering. Jess admired Tessa and her work immensely, but she couldn’t ever imagine doing the same. Jess was all about capturing nature’s beauty. Animals in their natural environments, those environments themselves, sunrises, sunsets, oceans, leaves, and spiderwebs. Jess had devoted her life to sharing the beauty she saw in the natural world around her. She didn’t want to capture the human story in her lens—she used her lens to block it out, to try to escape it.

From what Tessa had said, she’d find plenty of her favorite subject matter to shoot around Hope Falls. She checked the clock on the dash. She should be there soon. Tessa had told her that it should only take about an hour from Tahoe. She wriggled in her seat. For some reason, she was excited about this visit. For all her musings last night about loving the fact that no one in the world knew or cared where she was, she loved the feeling that she was about to see an old friend, someone whom she knew without question did care about her.

It wasn’t long before she passed a bar, JT’s Roadhouse, just like Tessa had said. So she knew she only had about five miles to go till she hit downtown. And once she did, all she had to do was look for a place named Sue Ann’s Café. Oh, crap! And she was supposed to call Tessa and let her know. Jess cast a glance over at the passenger seat where her purse sat. She wasn’t about to try reaching for her phone. She’d wait until she stopped. She could mosey around while she waited for Tessa to join her.

As she drove down Main Street, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. The place was lovely! It was a proper small town, the kind you weren’t sure even existed anymore outside the movies. It even had wooden sidewalks and everything! She spotted the yellow awning Tessa had told her to look out for and pulled over. The excitement bubbled up. This was going to be a fabulous visit. Maybe she’d stick around a while. She didn’t need to impose on Tessa, but Hope Falls was giving her the warm and fuzzies right from the get-go. Maybe this was a place where she could settle down—for a while at least.

She climbed out of the motorhome to stretch her legs while she called Tessa.

“Hey! I made it. And I’m already in love with the place!”

Tessa laughed. “I knew you’d like it. Isn’t it great?”

“It’s wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it because I’m going to be a while. Sorry, but I’ll be there as soon as I can. If you go into Sue Ann’s she’ll make you feel right at home.”

“Thanks. I might just have a wander while I wait. I want to explore.”

“Okay. If I don’t see you, I’ll call you when I get there.”

“Great, I can’t wait!”

“Me neither. See you soon.”

Jess hung up and locked the motorhome. She decided she’d at least take a walk down Main Street, but she didn’t want to go too far and leave Tessa waiting when she showed up. Her fingers twitched for her camera; there were so many shots she’d love to frame of the mountains that towered above the small town, and surprisingly, of the town itself. If the human story looked like this, then she might change her mind about wanting to capture it!

~ ~ ~

Sully looked around as he drove down Main Street. Wow! This place looked like a movie set. It was cute; even he had to give it that. He also had to wonder if it was the kind of sweet that would become cloying if you spent any time here. Perhaps that was just his natural cynicism kicking in? He couldn’t see his old buddy Eric sticking around in a place like that. He was looking forward to seeing Eric. It would be good to catch up. It’d been too long. They’d been close in college, and afterward for a while. But life had this habit of intervening, and they’d been reduced to the odd call now and again. Eric had been surprised to hear from him; surprised, but pleased, Sully could tell. He still wasn’t sure why he’d decided to come up here, and maybe he wouldn’t stay long. But whether he stayed or not, it’d be good to see Eric.

He scanned the street for a yellow awning Eric had told him to look out for. Sue Ann’s Café was the place he was going to be staying; apparently there was a room upstairs. He did a double take when he spotted it and saw a very familiar motorhome parked outside the café. It couldn’t be. He checked the number plate—it was! What kind of coincidence was that? He grinned. A good one was his first reaction. Then he frowned. It couldn’t be some kind of setup, could it? What was the likelihood that a woman he’d run into at a gas station in Tahoe would then just show up here in Tiny Town, USA right at the same time he did? His guard was up, but he couldn’t help the way his smile returned at the thought of seeing the ditzy blonde again. He didn’t even know her name! Okay, then. That had to be objective number one. Get her name. And while he was at it, he could always make sure that she checked out to be who she claimed. He pulled into a spot a few spaces down and gathered his thoughts. Was she inside the café? Or… A quick glance down the street answered his question. She was strolling toward him with a big smile on her face—a smile which made him guess that she might just be pleased to see him, too.