Page 151 of Saving Forever with the Hockey Captain

"You've made this place yours."

I follow her gaze. "I guess I have."

"You never unpacked this quickly before."

"I know."

"You usually live out of boxes for months."

"Yep."

She smiles. "Something about Frostholm feels different."

"It does.” The answer comes more easily than I expect. "I think that people slow down here. They notice each other. The cashier at the grocery store knows my name. My landlord keeps leaving fresh muffins outside my door."

Keisha laughs. "That sounds slightly suspicious."

"Mrs. Jensen is seventy-eight."

"I stand corrected."

"And last week my neighbor shoveled my sidewalk before I even got home from work."

She tilts her head. "You like belonging somewhere." The words settle softly between us. I hadn't thought of it in quite that way. Maybe she’s right. Maybe somewhere between the frozen lake, friendly neighbors, and long days at the hospital, Frostholm and Briar Cove have quietly stopped feeling temporary.

Keisha stretches and glances toward the clock.

"So..." she says. "What's on the agenda tomorrow?"

"I thought I'd give you the grand tour."

"Oh?"

"The lake, downtown, the bakery you’ve heard me talk about."

She smiles. "I've heard more about this bakery than any actual tourist attraction."

I laugh. "That's because around here the bakery practically is a tourist attraction."

"Who's the owner?"

"The owner’s name is Sadie. She's married to Colby Reid, one of the hockey players, and they have an eight-year-old daughter named Jillie."

"Oh, I like that name."

"You'll love Jillie. She has enough personality for three children. And she has this wonderful habit of asking questions nobody else is brave enough to ask."

Keisha smiles. "I thought most hockey stars dated actresses and influencers."

"So does half the internet. I shake my head, laughing. "Instead, he fell in love with the local baker and her little girl."

Keisha's expression softens. "I like him already. Now what else is in store for today?"

"There's a little independent bookstore on Main Street."

"Oh, now you're speaking my language."

"It belongs to a girlfriend named Brooke Reed who will inherit it from her grandparents."