Maybe it was found years ago by someone who doesn’t know what they found, or who sold it off to someone else who buried it inside their walls for someone to find centuries from now.
“Half the joy is in the journey,” Vanessa says to me as we reach the cars to head back to Beck’s place and regroup for the night.
Authorities are crawling all over the cabin behind my trailer, so we can’t go back there.
I grunt in return.
And Sloane smiles at me.
“What?”
“I know I shouldn’t be glad you’re frustrated, but honestly, it’s not getting old to realize you have actual real emotions and aren’t straight-faced all the time.”
Vanessa laughs.
“Probably you too,” Sloane says to her. “Especially since most of whatyou’vedone all day is just frown and growl at everyone around you.”
“You’re very happy for a woman who’s still stuck with my brother for another couple days. Or longer.”
“Patrick was actually the best of my ex-boyfriends. It doesn’t take a lot to impress me or make me happy.”
Vanessa’s nose wrinkles. “That’s very sad.”
“Yep. So today was fun. And I’d like to find the fucking treasure and get back to normal too, but since I clearly can’t decipher pirate code, and I’m honestly nervous to go back to my house, at least I’m with pleasant people in the meantime.”
“I don’t think you were wrong with your assessment of where the treasure should’ve been.”
“Agreed,” I say.
Sloane wrinkles her nose. “But it wasn’t there.”
She’s not wrong about that either.
“I started looking at the rocks and the trees to see if there was possibly another clue somewhere in there, but I came up empty,” she adds. “Which isn’t really a surprise. Two hundred years is a long time for a tree to grow and hide its secrets.”
“You guys coming for dinner?” Beck calls over the cars. “We should have enough extra food.”
“Are you sure?” Sloane calls back. “I saw your snack backpack today. Also, no one asked, but it’s my professional opinion that you should have your metabolism checked if you haven’t. How much you eat is abnormal.”
Look at that.
Even when I’m irritated and frustrated, she makes me smile.
I’m fucked—I like this woman too much.
And I’ve done it to myself.
“My obstetrician and then Ava and Francie’s pediatrician said the same thing,” Sarah says. “We’ve had him checked three times now. He’s fine. Perfect, actually. Which is a relief since the girls take after him.”
“Yes. She still thinks I’m perfect. High five, world.”
“Is he really always like this?” Sloane whispers to me.
“Yes.”
“Always,” Chuck agrees. He’s back on shift.
“Glad you’re perfect,” Sloane calls to Beck. “Had to ask.”
