Page 45 of Finding Home

“Good. I’ll send you the paperwork for the job. If you fill out those forms, we can start paying you. And I’ll set up a meeting to introduce you to the rest of the team. Welcome to the Beacon, Julie.”

“Thank you,” she told Griffin. “I can’t wait to meet everyone.”

After Griffin hung up, Julie sat in her truck without moving.

Senior investigative reporter.

She pressed her hand flat against the steering wheel and held it there until her breathing evened out. Then she looked up at the lake, at the road, at the low rooflines of a town that had stopped feeling temporary.

The job was real and so was everything else.

Cole would be thrilled, and Susan, Beth, Laurel, and Rachel would be over the moon. They all knew how much this meant to her. And how long she’d been waiting to show everyone that she was could still be a great reporter.

She stopped mid-thought and looked out at the lake.

She didn’t need to prove anything to anyone. Not anymore. That version of herself had driven away from a city she’d loved and arrived in Sapphire Bay with nothing but a car full of boxes and an inbox full of silence.

This was different.

She hadn’t taken the job to prove she could still write. She’d taken it because Griffin Rowe had read her work and picked up the phone, and because the story was real, and because somewhere between the cooking class, the planning meetings, and the long quiet evenings at Cole’s kitchen table, she’d remembered that this was what she was good at.

Not just the writing. The listening. The patience. The willingness to sit with something until it told her the truth.

She picked up her phone and looked at it. Then she set it face down on the passenger seat.

She’d tell Cole tonight. She’d tell Susan and the others when she saw them, and maybe call her son and daughter. But right now, she wanted to keep it close for a little while longer.

With a smile, Julie started the car and continued the drive to her cottage.

Chapter 29

Later that evening, the light on Cole’s veranda was on when Julie pulled into his driveway.

She sat in the truck for a few seconds before getting out. The air smelled of pine and the kind of cold that settled in after sunset, clean and still. Somewhere across the lake, a light blinked on a far shore.

She hadn’t rehearsed what she was going to say. She’d tried on the drive over and given up.

Cole opened the door before she reached it. He had his reading glasses pushed up on his forehead and a mug in his hand, and he looked steadier than he had two days ago. Some of the grey-faced wariness from the hospital had lifted.

“I’m glad you could make it. How was the drive?”

“Quiet and uneventful.”

“Come inside,” Cole told her. “I’ve just put on the coffeepot.”

Julie took off her jacket and wooly hat in the kitchen. It was tidier than usual. Someone had stacked the documents Cole had been working through into a neat pile at the far end of the table, and the takeout containers were gone.

“I know,” Cole sighed. “It was a bit of a mess before my brother arrived. James told me I needed to hire a housekeeper if I can’t keep the place tidy.”

Julie knew Cole was exaggerating. The house hadn’t been too messy when she’d visited, and she hadn’t wanted to make a big deal of the things she would have straightened. “Where is James?” she asked.

“He’s at the old steamboat museum,” Cole said. “Pastor John stopped by this afternoon and told him about the tiny homes they’re building for a new development in Wyoming. James wanted to take a look before he goes home, so he’s over there now. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

If Julie told him she could make it herself, Cole would send her one of his no-nonsense stares. Walking to the mailbox and making his visitors coffee was about as energetic as Cole’s life had become.

“Coffee would be great.” She pulled out a chair and sat down. While Cole moved around the kitchen, she told him about her day and the next event her friends were organizing for the church. “The Santa’s Secret Helpers Program relies on donations to make people’s wishes come true. We’re organizing a concert to pay for some of the gifts they give away.”

Cole handed Julie a cup of coffee and settled across from her. “That sounds ambitious. But if I know anything about you, it’s that you can do anything you put your mind to. Let me know if you need a hand. I can’t do much at the moment, but I can make some calls and help with any behind the scenes things.”