Page 45 of Grown-Up Second Chance

“I’m only stopping there briefly,” he said. “I have mixed feelings about the place. The entire Black Hills area is sacred to the Lakota Sioux, and we come along and deface some beautiful hills just to build a tourist destination and one-up Georgia for Stone Mountain. The land itself was stolen with treaty sleights-of-hand. And the guy who did all that drilling? He supposedly had ties to the Ku Klux Klan.”

“I get your point. Still, I’d like to see it someday.”

“Yeah,” Joe said. “It doesn’t feel right to go through South Dakota without seeing it or stopping at Wall Drug.”

“Or the Badlands.”

“Yes. That’s where I’m planning to spend some time. Like Yellowstone, it’s a place that is fun to explore in small bites. There are lots of trails to hike, and hidden places to explore.”

“Sounds fun. Except for the hiking part.”

“We’ll help you get your Montana legs back,” he said. “Liz isn’t going to let you sit around.”

“No, she isn’t.”

The waitress came by with our food, and we dug in. In between bites of the amazing food, we continued to reminisce, easily flowing from past to future and back to present.

“I’m planning a trip into the park at dusk sometime this week. I hope to see some wolves. Interested in coming with me?”

“Oh, yes! That sounds amazing.”

“We may not see any. They’re easier to spot during the winter when they venture away from the woods.”

“But we might,” I said, hope rising within me.

“Yes, we might. I’ve got a pretty good spotting scope, and I’ve been practicing using it.”

“I’d love to get a picture.”

“Probably not happening with a phone. I’ve seen those guys out there. They have mega lenses on their cameras. And patience. They’ll prop their lens on a tripod and spend hours hoping for a good shot. I don’t think I could ever wait that long for satisfaction.”

Could I?

I was never going to find out unless I actually bought a camera. I’d put the dream of owning one away a long time ago when Larry found excuse after excuse to dissuade me from the purchase.

But now, reminded of life’s possibilities by spending time with my high-school best friend, the time might be right.

Chapter Fourteen

“This place is a damn pig sty!” Kathleen’s roar made me hit a wrong key. Suddenly, the client’s spreadsheet disappeared from my screen.

Did I save it? Please god, let me have saved it.

“Cleaning day today!” Kathleen announced. “Liz! Finish up with whatever you’re doing!”

“But I was planning on going into the park to paint,” Liz said, coming from the back.

“Aren’t we supposed to be having fun?” I chimed in, more to annoy my sister than anything else. Kathleen had always claimed I was the bossy one, but I couldn’t hold a candle to her.

“We went to the falls yesterday. We’ll do some more later this week. But look around you, ladies. It’s time to get a handle on this.”

I glanced around and immediately saw what the problem was. True to form, Liz’s belongings had begun to take over every surface. Not only her personal things, but items from the kitchen had drifted into the main space. I plucked a jar of bay leaves tucked behind the computer desk and held it out.

“Like this?” I asked Kathleen.

“Like that,” she replied.

“Do you have to be so regulated?” Liz complained as she snatched it from my hand and returned it to the spice rack.

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