Page 58 of Anchored

Classes at the junior college are going fine, but I feel like all the life has been sucked out of me. Nothing excites me anymore. My friends complain that I never want to go out. Even Daddy has noticed a change in me.

So when Mama insists for the hundredth time that she has someone she wants me to go on a date with, I finally agree. It’s mostly to get my parents off my back. I think maybe something is needed to get the groove back in my life. I don’t want to live this way forever, feeling dead inside.

“His name’s Colby. He’s a good man. Comes from an excellent family. They only come to Anchor Lake over the summer, but his mama is involved in the church quite a bit when she’s here. She said Colby’s looking for a job here. Looking to settle down.”

It’s all just minutia. Things I don’t care about. I don’t intend to like this man, but maybe he can help me pass the time.

Except he picked me up on our date tonight, and when I opened the door and he smiled at me, something inside my chest eased. I stepped out onto the porch and accepted the bouquet of flowers. Roses. Not dogwoods. I buried my nose in the blooms and breathed them in. When I exhaled, I said goodbye to Hank forever.

ChapterTwenty-Two

Holt

The next week is the best I’ve ever had. I’m still in shock that Maple and I cohabitate so well together. Even though she still insists on sleeping on the floor, I join her every night now, feeling like we’re having a summer camp sleepover. I feel like a kid again, and not even my aching back in the morning can stop me from whistling a tune as I get ready for work. We’re in a rhythm that I didn’t think would ever be possible for me.

If anything, living together is helpful. My keys, wallet, and leash for Mookie somehow always make their way to the tiny table inside the back door. Usually, I spend a good ten minutes every morning fumbling for all three items before I find them in the oddest places. Maple never complains about my scattered thoughts or throws my flaws in my face to humiliate me. She just quietly helps me in the background.

With her in mind, I had a talk with Debbie on Monday. She came up with a work-around for Megan that I approved of. We moved Megan to a different position that keeps her in the higher-level-care residential area, and essentially, away from me. The human resources director also had a chat with her, informing her to take the transfer or be fired. Megan went quietly to her new role.

“You forgot to chart Anthony’s session,” Debbie reminds me, corralling me to the computer where I need to finish my notes on my last patient. She hands me glasses and gives me the mom-glare until I actually sit down and start typing.

“What would I do without you, Deb?”

She snorts and takes a moment to lean her bulk against the desk. She doesn’t rest often, so it’s nice to see her take a moment to relax at the end of the day. “It’d be chaos around here. And then you’d hire someone else to straighten things out and you’d be fine. You’re not an idiot, Holt.”

I lift my head, surprised. She usually takes every opportunity to tease me. “Is that…acompliment?”

“Oh, shut up,” she grouses, rummaging through the drawers of the desk until she pulls out a chocolate bar triumphantly. She keeps my glasses handy, I hide chocolate bars for her. We’re a well-oiled team. “You and Maple better get out of here if you plan to hike. Supposed to rain tonight.”

I save the report and close out the computer. “I just checked and it’s not supposed to hit until after midnight. But I’m heading out anyway. Much as I love you, I’d rather be staring at Maple’s butt in a pair of leggings as she hikes up the mountain.”

Debbie talks through a mouth full of chocolate. “And I’d rather not have to babysit your ass. Get out of here, would you?”

I pat her on the shoulder, truly not sure what I’d do without her, and head for Gracie’s condo, knowing that’s where I’ll find Maple. She’s already coming out the door, laptop bag on her shoulder when I arrive. Her face lights up when she sees me, and I have a feeling my face mirrors hers.

“You ready?”

“Question is, areyouready? Last time we hiked you looked a little…”

Maple’s lower lip sticks out. “What? A little fatigued, but beautifully glowing with a sheen of sexy perspiration?”

I grin and kiss her pouty little mouth. “Yes, exactly that.”

We hurry home and get changed, harnessing Mookie, checking we have enough water, and head out to the mountain just west of the cabin. The trail is clearly marked thanks to tourists and locals alike who flock here for some exercise in the gorgeous outdoors. Thanks to the summer heat that’s particularly steamy today, I’m quick to pull off my T-shirt and tuck the hem in the back waistband of my shorts.

With each twist and turn we get a different view of Anchor Lake below. Main Street with all the shops and tourists bicycling through. Then the lake with brightly colored inner tubes and canoes cutting through the pristine water. Plenty of folks are laid out on towels, soaking in the late afternoon rays before heading back to their vacation rentals to either get ready for dinner in town or to grill their own dinner.

“Doing okay back there?” I ask over my shoulder. Maple’s breathing has been steady, albeit a bit labored.

“I’m good!” comes her quick reply. “Although I think I’ll have to run through some quick yoga positions to loosen up when we get back. My quads are on fire.”

“I’ll do it with you,” I offer, already looking forward to getting bendy with her when yoga used to hold very little appeal. “Good news. The top is just ahead.”

We take a good ten minutes to rehydrate and take in the view when we reach the pinnacle. I would have taken longer, but the billowing dark clouds to our west have me nervous. Summer storms out here can be vicious. Lightning, wind, and pounding rain aren’t out of the question. Add in a muddy trail that might lead to slipping, and I don’t want Maple anywhere near this mountain when the storm comes in.

“I think we better head back. I don’t want you getting rained on.” I reach down and pull Maple from the flat rock we used as a resting place.

“I don’t mind. Hiking in the rain might be kind of fun.”

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