Page 183 of Three Reckless Words

Not cool.

We are about to have some serious words, because this isnotwhat I signed up for when I went on this stupid camping disaster without thinking it through.

The next moan comes closer.

I fling myself back in my sleeping bag, finding my shoes and putting them on. That’s it—I’m heading to the RV park I saw a little ways from here. At least over there, I’ll find people around.

Light and familiar noise.

A little community where I won’t just magically disappear alone.

It takes me way too long to stuff the tent and its doohickeys back into this oversized bag. Then I’m on my way in the dark, my phone in my pocket and the light from the moon guiding the way.

Or rather,notguiding the way.

As time ticks by and I clamber over rocks and fallen branches and twigs reach out to scratch my face, I’m coming to the worst conclusion possible. A perfectly rotten close to this disaster of a day.

I am lost.

Totally and utterly.

I wander around for about an hour before giving up and checking my phone to see if I can call emergency services—only to see my phone has ten percent left on its battery. And the service bars look weak, fading in and out as it tries to find a tower.

Holy shit.

I don’t think it’s even going to hold out to call anyone, so I send a quick Snap to Lyssie, taking a picture of the dark and captioning it,Guess where I am! If you find out, please tell me because I have no clue.

There.

Not too panicked.

Nothing embarrassing.

I don’t want to worry her, but also, I am freaking out.

The only thing I can do is press on, though.

Only now I’m facing a different, scarier problem than the one I tried to flee from.

My stomach knots as I push through the dark, hoping I’m going in the right direction, desperately looking and listening for any sign of the RV people.

24

LOST HONEY (ARCHER)

Iread the letter Winnie left for the umpteenth time.

I practically know it by heart at this point, but I can’t stop looking, even when every word feels like a toothpick in the eye.

It’s the saddest fucking letter I’ve ever read in my life.

Winnie, thinking she’s brought so much chaos she’s deleted herself from my life. In her heart, I’m sure the math made sense.

Because I’m the prick who told her.

I fuckingtoldher it wasn’t working, demanding her trust and barking shit, and of course she took that literally.

How many times has she been pushed around by men with egos bigger than their brains? And I went in and threatened to abandon her if she didn’t fall into line.

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