CHAPTER
THIRTY
Boston climbed up into the bed of his truck and then grabbed onto the bungee cords he and his dad had put around the mattress. He pulled with all of his strength, and with Daddy pushing, the mattress slid right on top of the box springs.
He hated moving, but it felt necessary. He hadn’t been able to find a job in Coral Canyon, despite the fact that there were several event centers and luxury lodges here. They seemed full-up with staff—and Jackson Hole was the biggest tourist town in Wyoming.
He’d started applying there and gotten interviews instantly. He’d slept on Cash’s couch for the past week and a half, and his back ached as he jumped down to the frozen ground.
“At least it stopped snowing,” he said.
His daddy grinned at him and turned to go back in the house. “You got everything?”
“Did you grab that duffel bag?” Boston asked.
“Yep.” Daddy led the way down the snow-cleared path and up the steps into the house.
Boston didn’t want to live here, but he didn’t want to move either. The warring emotions felt like tearing himself right in half, but he put a smile on his face for his mother.
“All set?” she asked, her eyes bright with what Boston hoped was excitement, though he knew his mother worried about him moving to Jackson Hole. His grandparents had come too, and he stepped in to hug his mother before moving over to them.
“I’m all ready,” he said.
She indicated two big brown grocery sacks. “Grandma bought some food for you and Cash,” she said.
Boston kept his smile in place. “Thank you so much. We’ll really appreciate this.”
Daddy looked up from his phone. “Uncle Blaze has left,” he said. He turned the device toward everyone. “And Uncle Gabe just sent this.”
Boston looked closer and found a smiling picture of Liesl behind the wheel with Gabe in the passenger seat. They both gave a double thumbs up, and Boston grinned. “Oh boy,” he said. “I hope that goes okay.”
“She’s a good driver,” Momma said. “They’ll be fine.”
“It’s one of their first long trips on the highway,” Daddy said.
Boston sent up a silent prayer for his cousin, because heknew driving made Liesl nervous, especially with her daddy beside her. Uncle Gabe was the buttoned-up type, who wore a suit everywhere he went, spoke properly, and had been educated as a lawyer. He’d been the youngest lawyer in Wyoming, in fact, having graduated law school by the time he was Boston’s age.
He’d done one year of college before coming home and trying to figure out what to do with his life. He’d really enjoyed working for Harry on the concert series, and he’d been really good at handling details, scheduling things, and working with people.
He’d thought about returning to school to do hospitality management or something of that sort. But no matter what, he needed a job to be able to move out of his parents’ basement. He picked up the bags of groceries—and probably some of his grandmother’s famous fire-roasted corn chowder—and headed for the door.
“You leavin’ Boston?” Lars asked as he gained the stairs.
“Hey, buddy,” Boston said, and he quickly passed the bags of groceries to his dad. “I’m gonna text Momma and Daddy all about my new place, okay?” he said. “And my first day on the job, so you’ll get to see it.”
Boston’s younger sister, Emilia, came upstairs too, and he knelt down and hugged them both. “You guys be real good for Momma and Daddy, okay?”
“Okay,” Emilia said, and Lars looked to their daddy.
“Can’t I come?”
“No, buddy,” Mav said, and he ruffled the boy’s hair. “Momma needs you here to do that de-icing on the driveway. Remember?”
“Yeah, I ‘member,” Lars said, and he semi-stomped back into the kitchen toward their mother.
Boston took one bag of groceries from his daddy, and they left the house. They didn’t say much on the way to Jackson, with Boston driving his truck with his daddy in the passenger seat. He’d get a ride back to Coral Canyon with Uncle Blaze, who’d taken the opportunity to come see his son.
They drove through the National Park, and Boston did love the majestic mountains, wide open fields, and glistening lakes. “Big herd of buffalo here,” he said, approaching a slowdown in traffic. Tourists and wildlife photographers alike always pulled over whenever there were animals in Teton National Park.
