Page 63 of Better Together

When Alexis and Maggie arrived at Chloe’s, all the girls were waiting for them.

“Spill. You kissed and made up?” Lily said.

Zeke had put a permanent smile on Alexis’s face. “Yes. It’s official. No more hiding our feelings from each other or my crew. I was stupid.”

Maggie reached for her hand. “No you weren’t, you were scared. Believe me, we’ve all been there.”

Chloe, Lily, and Paige all nodded as they made their way to the living room. “I’ve never seen Zeke this happy before. I reminded him never to let you go,” Paige said.

“Wait. How did you all find out?”

“You haven’t seen the post?” Chloe asked.

“No–oo. Town Talk?”

The girls all smiled. Chloe lifted herself off the couch and walked over with her phone in hand. “It’s all right here.” She handed Alexis the phone.

Alexis’s eyes misted over, and her smile widened. The post read “My one and only.” Zeke had posted a picture of them he had taken at the Lakeside Inn.

“When was that picture taken?” Lily asked.

Alexis laughed. “During my second date, well . . . After my date with Mitch, Zeke rescued me. Technically our first official date.”

She had so much to tell the girls, so she started at the beginning. They laughed so hard they cried. Maybe it was the brandy slushes, or maybe it was the stress relief they all needed.

Alexis had missed the camaraderie with her girlfriends. Asking for help never came easy for her. She’d learned that relying on other people wasn’t a weakness; sometimes it was necessary. Her friends helped her see that, and she thanked them for their continued love and support.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Zeke wiped his sweaty palms on his worn jeans. The details were set. The plans in motion. The frozen ground crunched under his rubber-soled work boots as he exhaled puffs of air the way his granddad used to with his pipe. He took the first step and climbed. When he reached the top, he rested his forearms on the railing and breathed in the frigid air. A covering of ice had formed on Balsam Bay, and across the water, the sugar maples stood statuesque, barren of their leaves on this calm morning. Zeke felt anything but calm. He chose truth over fear and hoped he played his cards right.

He sent a text to Maggie: All set.

Rewarded with a half dozen smiley face emojis, his smile widened, his heart full.

The idea had formed when watching Alexis’s interview on the contest house. Contacting Garrett was his first step to making his plan a reality. His good friend, an architect, enjoyed the challenge, as did his brother Ethan and brother-in-law, Owen. Cole, a master woodworker, had also lent a hand, and the result was phenomenal.

* * *

Alexis hadn’t been able to get a hold of Zeke all day. He’d left to take care of something and said to meet him at Ethan’s. She sent a quick text to Zeke before this whole fourth-date thing blew up in her face: Maggie arranged for a new guy to meet me at Ethan’s get-together tonight. Not my idea. I can’t imagine what she was thinking.

Zeke still hadn’t responded as she pulled on her black lace bra and panties and dressed in a turtleneck sweater, jeans, and leather boots. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen everything in her wardrobe, because it wasn’t extensive unless you counted the multitude of flannel shirts and well-worn jeans. But she wanted to wear something he had admired.

She picked up her phone and noticed a missed call, then a text from Maggie. Change of plans, the text read. Please call me before you leave.

Alexis punched in Maggie’s number, and the phone connected with her friend’s hurried voice. “Have you left yet?”

“Nope. Sorry I missed your call. I was getting dressed and my phone was in the kitchen.”

“Okay, good. Can you drive to my house? I’ll explain when you get here.”

“Okay. I’m leaving now. See you soon.”

Maggie usually extended her goodbyes, but this time she simply hung up. Something wasn’t sitting right. Alexis hoped it didn’t have anything to do with the new guy she’d meet tonight. Maggie had promised she would warn the guy that Alexis and Zeke were an item and that there would no longer be any kind of a date. Alexis chose her black leather jacket with faux-fur collar and set out toward Maggie and Owen’s place.

When she pulled into the driveway of the Reynolds family homestead, now Maggie and Owen’s home, she noticed Maggie jumping up and down to stay warm while texting. What on earth was she doing waiting outside?

Alexis climbed out of her truck, and Maggie ran up to her.