Page 36 of Stuck with the Hero Next Door

“Well, first off, you had an interview yesterday, then today you asked for help with a place to rent and the new set of wheels. It was a lucky guess, but I put two and two together.” He winked at me as we pulled off and parked.

The salt mine was more or less a mountain with one side gone from erosion and mining, but it was the old mining shed that made the place look haunted and old.

“I was hoping to surprise you.” I made a mock pout face, then smiled and turned to face him in my seat. “I start Monday as their new ninth- and tenth-grade biology teacher.”

“That wasn’t part of the plan? How are you holding up with that?” Levi took my hand across the middle console. His fingers brushed my knuckles, sending chills up my spine.

“Good, I think.” I didn’t want to tell him I was scared to death of everything, the job, not following mom’s dream, even this, him and me. Scared, yes, but I was also excited.

It wasn’t what I’d planned, and it didn’t look like I thought it would.

It looked better.

After returning from our victory lap around town in Frankie, I parked near the square to grab coffee. I was still riding the high of new car day, which, let’s be honest, was really just adulting in a new form.

As we passed the bakery, the owner waved from the doorway with a spatula in hand and that knowing smile that made me feel like she could read my soul—or at least my breakfast order.

“You settling in?” she called.

“Bought a truck,” I said, raising the keys like a trophy.

“About time,” she replied. “You’ll need it when the snow comes.”

“Don’t I know it,” I said, mock-shivering.

She winked and disappeared back inside, the scent of cinnamon rolls trailing behind her.

Levi nudged me with his elbow. “You ready for the next new thing?”

“Which is?”

He slowed his pace, gaze flicking toward the quiet edge of town. “As I see it, you can’t keep stayin’ at Janet’s. Even the Everwood Inn’s not free.”

“I know. Janet has been great, but I think I need a place of my own.” I grimaced, knowing he was right but also knowing I had no clue where to start looking. That’s why I asked for help.

“You need a place to live now that you’re stayin’ here.” His expression said volumes, and I could tell he was excited that I was sticking around.

“And you have something in mind?”

“Bob’s little cottage.” He said proudly.

I blinked. “The one past the tree line that needed a new coat of paint?”

“That’s the one,” he said, grinning. “It’s been empty since Bob moved to Florida two years ago. You need somewhere to stay that’s not temporary. A nice coat of sunshine yellow and a little elbow grease, and you’ll be all set.”

His words settled around me like warm cotton. I glanced toward the mountains in the distance, where the tree line curved like an invitation.

“I don’t know,” I said, quieter now. “It’s one thing to buy a car. It’s another thing to consider a house. That feels... serious. Maybe I should just look for an apartment.”

“It’s just a look,” Levi said. “No pressure. No commitment. You walk through it, hate it, and we pretend it never happened, then go eat pie.”

“Pie as an emotional buffer?”

“Works every time.”

I shook my head, smiling despite the nerves tugging at my chest. “Okay. I’ll look. No promises.”

Levi gave me a steady, quiet nod. He knew I’d already made up my mind, or I thought I did.