Intoxicated By You

Oh shit, I forgot to call her. “I’ll come right away. Did she say what it’s about?”

He sighed. “No, she won’t say a word to me since I’m not on the paperwork.”

These types of mundane things aggravated Hollis since he had originally wanted to be on the mortgage. If I’d added him, this could have been handled quickly. He was used to being able to pay a price to make things happen. Getting medical equipment up here was cumbersome, to say the least, and it had been entertaining when Hollis asked for a confirmation on the delivery date. The slower pace was definitely an adjustment

for him.

“I’m coming right away. We’ll get it all cleared up. This is good practice for patience in domesticated life.”

He huffed, and I heard footsteps on the other end and a door closing. “You know me so well. Are you still good with me buying the place?”

“Of course. We’ll get it started when I get there.” I grabbed my keys, locked up, and started down the steps.

“Good. And I need your help with something.”

That sounded ominous. Cautiously, I answered, “What’s that?”

“Did Drake mention I’m going to build a cabin?”

I almost stumbled at his words. “What?”

“Yeah, well, I’m not going to build it. I mean, hello, I can barely hold a hammer. But it seems all Alaskan men have cabins. It’s like a rite of passage.”

It was true, which made me laugh. “Well, not all Alaskans have them.”

“Do all the Fosters?”

The Fosters had become Hollis’s official benchmark for true Alaskans. Heaven help us. “All of them but Drake do. Hayden’s is smaller and more of a bachelor pad. Kane’s is bigger and up in the mountains.”

There was an awkward pause. “Well, Drake needs one, and I need your advice.”

What was that about? Maybe Morgan had walked into the room as he was speaking.

“I can take you to my dad’s if you wanted to see a medium-sized one. Hayden and Kane would show you theirs, as well.”

“Oh, yes. I like this idea. I can see myself standing on the porch with an ax. It’ll have a lumberjack feel.”

I nearly choked but managed to say, “I’m getting in my truck. Be there in five minutes.”

“Sounds good.”

Hollis and lumberjacks were about as opposite as anything could get. This idea had disaster written all over it.

The drive over to the clinic took no time at all, and when I got there, Hollis was leaning against the porch rail, talking to Morgan. I was afraid to ask why he had on a plaid shirt and cargo pants. He must have thought it was some sort of Alaskan uniform.

Suppressing my laughter, I managed to say in an even tone, “Good morning. I’m so sorry I didn’t call you back, Morgan. It’s been crazy since I got back into town.”

Morgan fidgeted with her dress. “Hey, Alexa. It’s good to have you back.”

We’d gone to high school together but hadn’t really hung out. For the most part, I’d gotten along with all the kids but kept to myself. Raquel would always cause issues, so it was just easier to stay out of the drama. “How’s Greg? I heard you guys got married.”

“He’s good. Really good. It’ll be a year this December.” Again, she fidgeted. “I’m sorry to have to say this, but the bank has called in your note.”

It took me a moment to process her words. “What? They called in my loan?”

“Yes, someone purchased it from the bank. Your collateral mortgage had a demand clause in it. There wasn’t a term call option added, so this can be done at any time. Since you didn’t have an income, this was the only type of loan I could get you approved for.”

I vaguely remembered us talking about it. Morgan had been shocked and unsure why this was the only type I qualified for. But I hadn’t thought it would be done. “How long do I have?”