"That sounds expensive."
"Would be, if I was paying someone." Cal took a sip of his water. "Knox offered to do it. Cost of materials only. Says he owes me."
My fork froze halfway to my mouth. "Knox."
"He's good with his hands. Does work all over town. Rebuilt the porch at the firehouse last year." Cal's expression was unreadable. "He'll be here most days for the next few weeks. I wanted you to know."
Most days. For weeks.
I set my fork down carefully. "Cal, I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why not?"
Because being in the same town as Knox was hard enough. Being in the same house? Seeing him every day, watching him work, existing in his orbit for hours at a time?
That sounded like torture.
"We have history," I said carefully. "It's complicated."
Cal's eyes sharpened. For a moment, he almost looked guilty.
"What kind of history?"
I hesitated. I'd never told Cal about that summer. I never told anyone except my college roommate, who'd held me while I cried and called Knox every name in the book.
"The kind that ended badly," I said. "A long time ago."
Cal was quiet for a long moment. "He's not the same kid he was eight years ago, Daisy. People change."
"Do they?"
"Some do." He stood, taking his plate to the sink. "Knox has worked harder than anyone in this town to prove himself. Whatever happened between you two, I'm asking you to give him a chance. For me."
For him. Cal, who never asked for anything. Who'd opened his home to me without question, who'd given me space and safety when I needed it most.
"Fine," I said. "But I'm not going to pretend we're friends."
"Didn't ask you to." Cal rinsed his plate, set it in the rack. "He starts Monday."
I spent the rest of the evening on the porch, watching the stars come out, trying to convince myself this was survivable.
***
Saturday morning, I woke early and drove to the Hollow Peak Hot Springs.
I needed to think, and the springs had always been my favorite place in Hollow Peak. It was a series of steaming pools carved into natural rock, overlooking the valley. The kind of place that made your problems feel smaller.
Ingrid Sorensen was at the front desk, tall and blonde and vaguely terrifying in the way only Scandinavian women could be. She raised one eyebrow when I walked in.
"Daisy Taylor. I remember you. You used to sneak in after hours."
My face flushed. "I was nineteen."
"And now you're paying like everyone else." She handed me a towel and a locker key. "Third pool is empty. Best view."
The third pool was perfect. Steam rising from mineral-blue water, mountains sharp against a pale sky, nobody else in sight.I slipped in and let the heat soak into my bones, closing my eyes and breathing deep.
Knox was going to be at the cabin. Every day. For weeks.