Page 64 of One Small Spark
Not the enthusiastic consent I’d like to hear from her, but understandable given our audience. After a few quick goodbyes, we exit the house, the crisp air a shock to the system after the warmth of our evening on the couch.
We cross the home’s extensive gravel parking lot like we’re stuck in first gear. If something is out here, we’re not doing a good job of trying to avoid it.
Wren side-eyes me. “I don’t need a bodyguard.”
“Depends on what’s out here.”
“Do you really think there are bears?”
“We see black bears sometimes at the lodge.” Rarely, but I’m still not letting her leave my sight in a place this secluded. Anything could be out here, including the worst threat of all—other people.
“Have you seen them at your cabin?”
I grin in the darkness. “What answer is more likely to get you to visit again?"
She scoffs. “As if I want to tangle with a big, hairy beast.”
“Are you talking about me or the bear?”
Her mouth falls open and she stumbles in the gravel. I take her elbow with my free hand, helping her right herself.
“Even I have motion-activated lights at my house,” she mutters.
“If there’s a lot of wildlife out here, they might never turn off.”
She looks around, but it’s too dark to seeanything. The home’s porch light provides a dim glow, but it doesn’t reach the trees surrounding the clearing. It’s pitch-black out there, and if you’re not used to it, more than a little unnerving.
We get to her car, the last in the row of eight vehicles. We really should have carpooled. What a waste. She’s parked next to my truck, so I toss my leftovers in the passenger side while she does the same at hers. We meet between the cars, pausing as if intentionally delaying our goodbye.
I certainly am.
“What are you doing after this?” Terrible small talk, but I don’t want her to drive away yet.
She laughs. “You mean besides going back to sleep?”
“Besides that.”
“I’m probably going to read in bed and ignore my mom and her boyfriend.”
“You don’t like him?” She mentioned him the other day, too.
“I’m starting to feel like an outsider in my own house.”
She rests her back against her car door, her face barely illuminated. “I like him. He’s a nice guy. It’s just that I always feel like I’m in the way. It’s weird enough being twenty-nine and living with my mom, but now I’m basically living with my mom and her new man.”
She lifts a hand between us as if to cut off my nonexistent commentary. “I’m going to move out ASAP. I’ve been looking. It’s just…awkward right now. Instead of relaxing at home, I’m intruding on them.”
I know a thing or two about too much family togetherness. “I’m usually home after seven-thirty. If you need a place to hang out.”
I have no idea what I’m offering and would hate to try to quantify if she asked. All I know is, she’s welcome. To anything. Anytime.
“Wouldn’t that ruin your lone wolf persona?”
Her teasing works through me like whiskey, loosening me up and priming me to make poor decisions. Or maybe just long-awaited ones.
I take a step closer to her. “I’m not a lone wolf.”
She sways forward, her gaze never leaving mine. “You sure seem like one. I don’t want to intrude on your personal space.” She scrunches her nose. “Again.”
