“I bet you’re not,” she mumbled with a chuckle, scrabbling a little as she lost her footing, looking up at the steep hill in front of her. A harbinger of things to come. Even so, she was ready to climb to a new place in her life.

And now she had a friend.

A friend who was utterly kissable.

Someday.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Olivia wanted to strangle her sister but wasn’t sure that she wanted to live out the rest of her life in a small jail cell. Neve was counting the Fostoria glassware and talking about how she could sell it online “for a lot of money.”

Ignoring her sister had been the plan when she’d woken that morning. After meditating and doing a quick round of yoga, she’d listed three things she wanted to work on that day. Number one on the list should have involved her client, but with Neve working her nerves, she’d moved “Ignoring Neve’s gibes” to the top, sliding “Patience with Chase” to spot number two. Three was “Self-awareness of her own fragility.” Not that she was fragile. But she was somewhat vulnerable at this particular time, and she could own that about herself.

“Neve, I think inventorying the cabin is a solid idea, but shouldn’t we focus on making the list of household items along with a repair list before we start selling off everything we come upon? You know, first things first.”

Neve gave her a sharp look. “I didn’t say we should sell the Fostoria. I said we could. You’re hearing what you want to hear, as usual.”

“I’m not.” But maybe she was. Irritability had whittled out a place inside her and now scratched around, making her want to let the harridan she normally gagged and bound out to rampage. She took a deep breath and blew it out before glancing out the window for the twentieth time. She’d asked Chase to be home at four that afternoon. They were volunteering at the senior care center where her grandfather had spent his remaining years. Then they would attend a committee meeting for the Mount Larsen Fall Festival, which would be held in a few weeks. The organizers had agreed to let both her and Chase serve on a committee.

Neve rose from the floor, knocking the dust from the knees of her jeans. “This place needs a lot of attention. These bookcases need painting and the floor refinishing.”

“Yeah,” Olivia said, noting the tone shift in Neve. Her sister was overly interested in getting the cabin in order. “You want to do that?”