Four Weddings and a Swamp Boat Tour - Erin Nicholas Page 0,43

great middle man—woman—for Paige.

Paige: I started my new job, and everyone is so nice, and I’m staying with a friend in a nice house. It’s fifty-six degrees today and I’m good.

Those were all the things her mom would wonder about.

Josie: I’m glad. And Mitch? You’ve seen him? He was glad to see you?

Paige: Yes, I’ve already seen him, and he was thrilled to see me.

She thought about that answer. He really had been happy to see her. That was so nice. Sure, she’d had a few minutes of doubts and nerves, but she hadn’t honestly doubted Mitch. Not for long.

He really was a good guy. She totally understood why Kennedy felt protective of him. She felt a little protective of him. His mom had left, and his dad had made him feel like he had to work to not be a burden on his family.

Josie: I miss you already, but I hope you’re having fun, and I have to admit, I’m jealous of the spontaneity.

Paige smiled at that. Josie was awesome. Sure, in Josie’s mind, the ultimate happiness was marriage and family and a job she loved in their hometown. And there was nothing wrong with that. But if Paige told her that she was honestly, fully happy working at a swamp boat tour company and doing otter yoga, Josie would be happy for her.

Her mom would be too. Mostly. Dee would be less thrilled about the distance between Appleby and Autre. She’d want to know what was going on with Mitch. She’d look up facts about Louisiana and send Paige tips on what to do if she ran into an alligator and probably mail a care package of mosquito repellent and sunscreen because she’d know Paige was making her own. They would never be as good at the really strong store-bought stuff.

But, at the moment, anyway, that made Paige smile. She and her mom were very different people. But Paige knew Dee loved her. Paige knew she gave Dee headaches and kept her awake at night sometimes with worry, but never had Dee said or given the impression that Paige was any kind of burden. Dee had happily sent Paige, Josie, and Amanda to relatives’ houses for dinners, to spend the night, for help on homework, and so on. She’d asked for help at times, like Mitch’s dad, but she’d never told the girls to not be a problem. Dee had, in return, helped out with nieces and nephews as well. It was what family did. Paige had grown up knowing that she could depend on not just her mom and dad and grandparents, but all of her aunts and uncles and even friends of the family. Of course, all of those people were also ready to scold her if she got into trouble or misbehaved. But even that, she knew now, was out of love. And she’d never felt indebted.

Thinking about it now, she realized it really was nice to have so many people looking out for her.

She kind of hated that Mitch felt they’d been doing him a favor by taking care of him.

Paige: I love you. Thanks for having my back. Always. I promise I’m really good, and I will keep in touch.

That was a promise she felt completely fine making.

Josie: I love you too, and I’ll always have your back.

Paige smiled at her sister’s text, feeling better than she had in a while about her relationship with her family.

The door to the office opened just then, and Paige looked up.

When she saw the older woman coming in, she had to admit that she’d been hoping it would be Mitch.

A second later, she felt a flash of nerves.

An older woman. Was this Ellie?

Paige sat up straighter on her stool and pasted on a smile. “Hi.”

“Hello.” The other woman’s smile was sweet. She crossed to the desk, and Paige noticed she was carrying a box like the ones Mitch had brought home for Griffin last night. “I’m Cora.”

Paige relaxed a little for some reason. Cora was the cook at Ellie’s and Ellie Landry’s best friend. She was as much a part of Mitch’s life as his grandmother from the sounds of it. But she wasn’t Mitch’s grandmother.

“It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Paige.”

Cora smiled and set the box on the counter. “It’s lovely to meet you too. I brought you some lunch.”

Paige loved the woman already. “Wow, that was so nice of you.”

“Mitch said that you might be a bit intimidated coming over to the restaurant