It had been just under a week since I’d had any contact with either of the Hamilton brothers, save a few text messages. Jamie was likely at home packing up his house, getting ready for his big move to California. I could imagine him pacing around, annoyed that the weather was slowing him down. I was glad he was planning to move. I didn’t bear him any ill will. I wanted him to be happy, and he would be once he’d made it to the West Coast.

I could imagine Simon too, holed up at home, working a little, reading. I wanted to see him and felt a swell of sadness I couldn’t push aside. We’d had one more text exchange since I’d given him the ring.

I heard about the breakup. I’m sorry, he’d texted.

It was the right thing to do, I responded. How’s Jamie?

Dejected. But resolute. He seems to be moving forward-ish.

That’s good.

His next message came through over an hour later. Lane, I’m sorry about my role in all of this. That you ended up getting hurt. More than anything, I’m so sorry we didn’t meet under different circumstances.

The subtext of what he didn’t say pulsed behind his words. Jamie’s my brother. He’s broken, and I won’t make it worse. But if he weren’t . . .

It killed me. Because the more I thought about Simon, the more I realized how much I cared about him. All along, he’d been the one seeing me, understanding what would make me happy. Without having to really think or try or pretend, we’d always connected. That I’d ignored the obvious for so long in the guise of saving my relationship with Jamie was almost too much to process. But then, truly, what would it have mattered? They were brothers, and Simon had proven he’d never turn his back on his brother.

In the kitchen, Granny had the table set and was already ladling the soup into bowls. She handed me one and then the other. I breathed in, savoring the aroma of the spicy corn chowder, before setting them on the table. “Corn chowder and corn bread?”

Granny paused and leveled a stare right at me. “There’s a foot of snow on the ground outside. You been to the store lately?”

I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “I wasn’t complaining. I’ll eat your cornbread with anything.” I filled my glass with water while Granny filled hers with sweet tea, then we both sat down. “How are things at the inn?” she asked.

“Quiet. There are a few stray guests left over from last week, but most everyone cancelled their reservations because of the storm. There’s supposed to be a wedding on Saturday in the ballroom. Hopefully the roads will be clear enough by then.”