“It looks like it should be coming up on the left in just a few minutes. We’re going to take Myrtlewood Falls Road, then take a right on Raven’s Vale, then finally a right on Lion’s Tail Ridge Road. The cabin looks like it’s almost at the top of the mountain. Can we make it if it gets steep?”
“Yeah, your dad said he’d been here once, and he keeps the roads maintained, so we shouldn’t have a problem. The locals think this is a corporate retreat, so we shouldn’t get any visitors. He said he’s got a shell corporation that sends fakeclientshere sometimes to make it look busy and used. I could learn a lot from your dad.”
I brushed Ze with my energy for the first time since the courtroom and felt his admiration for my dad. I also felt his longing and sadness for me. I pulled back quickly. I wouldn’t cave, even if he did feel sadness and loneliness. He had hurt me, and he needed to make it right.
We made our turnoff, and the climb up the mountain began. The hairpin turns and steep inclines made the SUV work hard for every mile, but eventually, we made it to the top, leveling off in the driveway of a large nondescript house in the woods.
Ze and I sluggishly unloaded all the food first, placing the things that needed to be chilled in the fridge in the garage. The nonperishables we left in the boxes for now. We silently agreed to deal with it after some sleep.
We each grabbed our bags and climbed the stairs into the cabin from the garage. When we got to the top of the stairs and opened the door, we both just stood there and stared. The place was amazing. The furniture was rustic but had beautiful fabrics that invited you to sink in and stay forever. The entire place was nothing but wood, floor to ceiling with a massive tree trunk taking up pride of place in the center of the room acting as the anchor for the roof. There were no nails, only wooden pegs holding everything in place. It was magnificent.
It was a little dark with the floor to ceiling curtains closed, so I found the remote and clicked the button to open them. That’s when I saw the view.
The valley below was covered in early morning dew and wisps of fog, faintly lit by the new dawn that hadn’t made it over the mountain yet. The mountain tops in the distance were glowing with early morning colors of lavender and dustings of peach and pink. The view must have gone on for sixty or seventy miles at least. Row after row of mountain tops lined up in a never-ending vista that took my breath away.
“Holy fuck, that’s a gorgeous view. These windows face west. I can’t wait to see the sunset. I’ll bet it’s gonna be spectacular.”
I wished I felt comfortable enough to cuddle with Ze and watch the sunrise for the next few hours, but I was nowhere near there yet. I saw a lush bedroom off to my right and went that way with my bags. As I went, I set the rules for now.
“I’m taking this room. I’m getting a shower and crashing. I’ll see you later.”
I didn’t turn around to see Ze’s reaction, just closed the door, dropped my bag and went straight to the shower, throwing my clothes on the ground while I waited for the water to warm. After my scalding shower, I came back into the bedroom to find a tray on the bedside table with a sandwich and a glass of cold juice waiting for me.
I nearly cried.
It was only a sandwich and juice, but Ze had finally made a gesture. I ate the ham sandwich, drank the juice, then brushed my teeth and crawled into the most luxurious bed I’d been in for what seemed like years. I would sleep like the dead tonight, and I’d wake to a new day and new possibilities.
