Coming Home to the Mountain: Complete Edition

10. Abby

CHAPTER 10

Abby

I don’t have anything to wear to a candlelit dinner, so Bartlett makes a call to his sister. I'm expecting Lemon to show up with clothes for me, but, surprisingly, it's Fig who stops by an hour later.

"Hey. Sorry I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you last night," she says with a shrug. She takes off a big, furry pink coat and a matching faux fur hat. "I know I was being a little melodramatic, but, you know, that's just me," she says, scrunching up her face. "Hey, Bart, Mom said to bring you this." She hands him a bag and he opens it immediately.

"Mm," he says. "Mom must have been in a good mood today, huh?"

Fig laughs. "Yes, because after I realized I was being a brat at dinner, I told her I was finished with the idea of studying abroad for the end of my senior year and that I would drop the whole thing."

"So, she went on a baking spree today?" Bartlett asks.

"What did she make?" I ask, curious about the family dynamics.

Fig's eyes brighten. "She made her almond thumbprint cookies and her famous vanilla bean scones. You'll love them. They were my Uncle Luke’s favorites.”

“Were?” I ask, not sure how personal is too personal but also wanting to know everything about this family.

Fig and Bart share a kind look. Bartlett clears his throat. “He was my dad’s best friend. We lost him last year; he died in a car accident up on Rickshaw Ridge. It’s a bad bend up in the woods.”

Fig smiles softly, a hand on her brother’s arm. “Well, when you have those scones with your morning coffee, remember to tell Abby some of those tall tales he always wowed us with when we were little. I mean, if you're staying here?” She winks at me. "Okay. I know you're staying here. Everyone in town knows you're staying here. I heard what happened with Mary last night.”

"How did you hear what happened with Mary last night?" I ask.

Fig smirks. “Mary told Mom. Mom told me.”

I'm on the couch and there's a fire blazing. We don't have reservations for this popup restaurant for another 90 minutes, and I have on cozy clothes while I'm waiting for my hair to air dry.

Fig, on the other hand, looks like she's just stepped out of a fashion magazine, which is surprising considering she lives in a small town. But she has on heeled boots, patchwork denim jeans, an oversized sweater with a blouse under it, jewelry, and a full face of makeup. Somehow, though, she looks effortless, like she could be an Instagram influencer.

Me, I don't have a stitch of anything on my face, or my hair, or my nails. I am as salt-of-the-earth as they come.

I take in Fig's big, bold personality as she plops down on the couch with a large tote bag under her arm that I'm just now noticing. "So, why did you give up on your dream of being a foreign exchange student for your last few months of high school?" I ask her, knowing it's a bit of a pry.

"Because Mom promised me that I could go on a trip for spring break.”

"One trip is better than a whole semester in Europe?" Bartlett asks. "Doesn't seem like much of a compromise."

Fig shrugs. "Well, I realized Mom and Dad are never going to actually let me go. So, I was probably being a little bit of a baby with my whole, you know, tantrum."

I smile. Fig may be dramatic, but at least she has some understanding of the family dynamic and the way she comes off. "So, where are you going on your trip?"

She smiles. "I don't know yet. What do you think I should do? Have you ever gone anywhere cool?"

"I've gone to some cool places. I've spent a lot of time in California," I tell her. "Santa Monica's awesome, and Santa Cruz is really cool. They both have great beaches. Have you ever been surfing?"

"Never," she says. "I've hardly been to the ocean at all. The only beaches I've been to are the ones here in Washington and in Oregon, which are, like, totally frigid."

I laugh. "You've never been to a warm beach, like in Florida?"

"Never," she says. "You have?"

"Yeah. My family has traveled around a lot."

"Lucky," she says.

I shrug. "It's all relative, I suppose, huh?"

Bartlett meets my eyes, and I know what he's thinking, that it really is all so relative. What I wouldn't have traded to have a life like Fig’s. "Well, I guess you have some time to think about it. Spring break is, what, March or April?"

"April. And it's only January now. So, I suppose you're right."

"Who will you go on your trip with?" Bart asks. "Don't tell me you have some boyfriend now."

"As if Mom and Dad would let me go on a trip with a boy. No. I'm going to go with Mom." Fig smiles. "And Lemon. Unless, you know, something crazy happens and Lemon's married by then."

Bart snorts. "Yeah, right. That girl is more frigid than a Washington beach. I don't think she'll ever get married."

"Geez," Fig says. "You never know. Someone might come into town and sweep your little sister off her feet."

"Are you talking about you or Lemon?" I tease.

Fig smiles. "I'm never getting married," she says. "I'm going to be single forever. Living in Paris, smoking cigarettes, and sipping on gin. It's going to be glorious."

"And what are you going to do in Europe?" I ask.

"I'm going to be a fashion designer," she says with a flourish. "Speaking of, I have the most amazing outfits for you." She opens her bag and begins holding up different dresses for me to choose from. "I didn't know if you were a velvet kind of girl, or more of a silk girl, but I mean, with your body, you could really wear anything. Speaking of, what kind of work do you do?"

"I'm a gymnast," I tell her as simply as possible.

"Really?" Her eyes widen, impressed. "That's, like, a real job?"

"Yeah," I snort. "It's a real job. I can do all sorts of stunts."

"Wow, that's amazing. Can you show me something?"

"Uh, sure," I say, and then I look around Bartlett’s room, noticing the rail across the loft. I walk up the flight of stairs and climb up to the railing.

"Stop," Bartlett cries. "Don't get up there. You'd be twenty feet in the air!"

"I'm fine," I laugh.

Fig shakes her head. "What are you doing, Abby? You're going to kill yourself."

"Sorry," I grimace. "I told you I was a gymnast."

Fig has shock written on her face. "My God. You're going to break your neck."

I shrug. And, instead of climbing on top of the railing, I walk back down the stairs. "Fine," I say. "I won't show you my tricks."

Fig doesn't think I am being serious and just laughs. "Okay. You're super crazy. Also, you're perfect for Bart because he is so straight and narrow, he needs a crazy girl like you."

I scrunch up my nose, thinking she has no idea. She thinks her brother is all wound up tight, but a little bit ago, when he was in the shower with me, he was nice and easy.

I lick my lips, thinking if Bartlett was going to see me in a dress, he'd probably prefer me in something tight. "I'd say silk," I tell her, pointing to the tiniest dress out of the options.

Fig nods. "It's going to look stunning on you. And I have tights and heels, and a little fur coat. Come on," she says, scooching me down the hall. "It's time for you to get dressed."

Thirty minutes later, Fig has me decked out in the most glamorous look I've ever had on. She's even curled my hair a bit, and my eyelashes, and added some mascara for good measure. "I don't think your brother's going to recognize me," I tell her.

She smiles. "He's going to love it," she says. "Besides, Bartlett needs a reason to have a little sparkle in his life."

"Why do you say that?" I ask.

"I don't know. He's always been the good guy, done the right thing. Maybe it's just time for him to have some fun."

"I'm more than fun," I say.

"I know," Fig says, "but you can be good and fun, and I think maybe he needs both."

"So, you approve? Because Rye doesn't."

"Oh, Rye doesn't know anything," she says. "He's a big bossy boy who knows nothing about the real world."

I fight back a smile. The baby of the family might be the smartest one of all. "Thank you for helping me," I tell her. "I’m an only child, so I don't know what it's like to get ready with sisters and have siblings drop by, but I appreciate it."

She grins. "Well, my sister is super bossy, and most of my brothers are too. So I appreciate having a nice girl around for a change," she says haughtily, giving me a wink and blowing me a kiss.

When Bartlett sees me, he lets out a low whistle that tells me everything I need to know. He takes my hand and gives me a kiss and makes sure I feel like I'm the most beautiful girl in the world. Hijinx is happy and asleep in the cabin, and Bartlett drives me into town.

Home Grown is a popup restaurant tucked next to the toy store. And, apparently, the space rotates into different establishments throughout the year. Everyone knows Bartlett when we enter, and they look me over, but they all give me warm smiles.

"I feel like they're staring," I say.

Bartlett whispers in my ear, his breath hot, warm, burning me up. "Of course, they're staring," he says. "You are the most beautiful woman in this place."

At the table with candlelight between us, he orders wine that is expensive and delicious, and we get steaks and mashed potatoes and green beans, and we eat until our hearts are content and our bellies are full and our eyes are glazed over with lust and desire and memories of the last 48 hours.

"I don't know what's happening," I murmur. "I think there's a spell on this town and it's been spun on me too."

"Is that a good thing?" he asks.

"It's a great thing," I say.

After dinner, he leads me down Snug Street and stops right in front of the Home History Museum.

"I got the keys," he said.

"What for?" I ask.

"Well, I thought I might tell you a little bit more about Home."

I smile as he opens the door and lets us inside.

"I told you. My ancestors started this town in 1910. They settled here, Homer and Annabel Rough, after they got married in 1909 in Seattle. They moved up here, found this mountain, and settled this land."

I smile, listening to him as we wander the museum. It's dark and romantic and quiet, and the night feels like ours in a way a night never has before. There are pictures on the walls that tell a story, that tell his story, and I feel like I'm going back in time. I hear about Welby Rough, who married Margaret.

"He's the one who was making the whiskey in his barn?"

"Legend has it," Bartlett laughs. "And he had a sister named Annie and another named Lucy. Though, Lucy disappeared in Oregon around 1935."

"You remember all this?"

He laughs. "Hey, I'm a family man. You should know that. Do you want kids?"

I nod. "I do," I say. "Do you?"

He laughs. "Yeah. Though, I wasn't thinking of seven."

"Me either," I say, "but a few."

"Same," he says with a smile. His hands are on mine, my heart bubbling up with want, with hope, as he continues to recite his family tree. "That's my grandfather, Reynold Rough, who married Rosie. They had Redford and Filson, brothers, who then each married a wife of their own. Red married Annie, and became my mom and dad, and Filson married Ruby."

"And where do your aunt and uncle live?" I ask him.

"Oh, they live on the mountain."

"They have any kids?" I ask.

"Yeah. Wyatt and Willa. They're a few years older than us, but neither of them are married."

"Interesting," I say. "And how did your parents meet?" I ask him.

He grins. "Now, that's a story for another day, and you'd have to ask them because my mom gets mad if any of us kids get it wrong."

"Okay," I say. "I can honor that. And if your whole family settled here, and if this whole family tree is your family history, what happens next for you?" I ask. "Does the line just continue?"

"Yeah," he says. His eyes find mine. “With the right woman, the family tree grows more branches, Abby.”

I swallow, feeling scared because I realize this – him – it’s all I want.

He must sense something stirring within me because he wraps me up in his arms, and he holds me tight. There isn’t any music playing, but we slow dance in that museum, imagining a life that has roots going deep in the town of Home.