Love a Little Sideways Read Free Page A

opened the back of the SUV and grabbed a box while Liz retrieved the key from where it had been taped under the mailbox for her. After unlocking the door, she opened it and felt along the wall for the light switch.
    “It’s very...empty,” Drew said from over her shoulder, and she stepped aside so he could carry the box in.
    Her new home was indeed very empty. There was a futon in the living room and, judging by the familiar quilt draped over the back, it was Rosie’s doing. Next to it sat an upside-down milk crate with a pile of paperback books on top, probably to distract her from the lack of a television. She went into the kitchen and smiled at the smallest microwave she’d ever seen, so new it still had the stickers on it. It was the only thing in the kitchen besides the stove, the fridge and a basket covered by a towel and a note.
    She peeked under the towel first. Banana bread and pumpkin muffins, freshly baked judging by the smell. Then she read the note, written in Rosie’s familiar handwriting.

    Welcome home! I know you said you didn’t need anything , but I brought in a few things so you could at least have a place to sit. Call me when you get in. Love , Rosie.

    Home, she thought. Maybe all she had to sit on was a hand-me-down futon, but she was home.
    The first bedroom she came to was empty, and the bathroom had the bare necessities. Liz smiled when she recognized the towels and hospitality toiletries used by the Northern Star. It cheered her up, knowing her family had ignored her when she said she’d be fine and didn’t need anything.
    The big bedroom almost made her cry. Somebody had been busy, basically disassembling her room at the lodge and moving it here. Her bed was made with her favorite quilt, and everything from her dresser to her ancient unicorn lamp had made the trip.
    “Liz?”
    She jumped, turning back to the hallway. She’d forgotten about Drew, who probably thought she’d abandoned him to carry everything in by himself.
    “None of the boxes are marked, so I put them in the living room.”
    “Thanks. I’ll help with the rest. I didn’t mean to run off on you.”
    “It’s done. You don’t really own a lot, Liz.”
    “I’m starting over,” she told him. “Sorry I’m not starting over in a place with a garage, though. It’s not too late to change your mind about the Mustang.”
    “It’s a car. Won’t kill her to sit outside for a few days.” He shrugged. “I’m going to head out. If you stop by the station, we’ll write you out a police report for the insurance company.”
    “Thanks for your help.”
    “All in a day’s work, ma’am,” he said, and she laughed.
    Once he’d left and she was alone in the empty house, her amusement faded. She sat on the edge of the futon and rested her chin in her hands, staring at the pile of her belongings. What the hell had she done?
    One minute she’d been on the phone with Rosie, listening to news about the family. And somewhere between hearing about her sister-in-law Emma’s pregnancy and Rosie wondering whether Ryan and Lauren or Josh and Katie would make it to the altar first, the homesickness had hit Liz so hard she could barely breathe. Between her cousins and her brothers, the family was awash with love and marriage and babies. And since they’d all recommitted to helping Josh make the Northern Star Lodge a success, it seemed her brothers were closer than ever.
    And there she was, all the way across the country with a dead-end relationship behind her and nothing but work ahead of her.
    “I’m moving back to Whitford,” she’d told Rosie before she could talk herself out of it.
    The housekeeper had only been quiet a few seconds before she said, “Your room will be ready.”
    The idea of moving into the lodge didn’t appeal to her, though, and her brother’s fiancée having a house sitting empty had seemed like a sign she was doing the right thing.
    She was still pretty sure she was doing the right thing, but it