‘Who is this mysterious benefactor?’ Briar asked, narrowing her eyes.
Alice nodded to someone over Briar’s shoulder. She turned and did a double take, her brain not computing the sight of Cook anywhere other than camp.
‘Hiya, Bri.’
Briar stood and crushed him in a tight hug. ‘Your name is Matthew?’
‘Ay, it is.’
She pulled away, looking at Alice and then back at Cook. ‘Where did you get enough money to buy the camp and the house? If I’d known you were interested and could afford it…’
‘Nearly forty years’ salary, with food and lodging provided.’ Cook shrugged. ‘I grow my own grass, so I’ve not had many expenses.’
Briar was sure her lungs weren’t working properly. That was why her brain was getting all fuzzy around the edges. That had to be it.
She couldn’t stop herself from looking at Alice again, from drinking in the sight of her, from hoping that maybe this was all real.
‘So you’ve got it all figured out, huh?’ she asked, failing miserably to strike a nonchalant tone.
Alice looked pleased with herself, and Briar wanted to kiss her more than she ever had before. ‘I do.’
‘Then what’s next for me?’ Briar asked.
‘That’s easy,’ Alice said, stepping forward so that they were nose-to-nose. ‘You get to do whatever the hell you want.’
‘Is that so?’ Briar said, finally letting herself break into the grin she’d been suppressing.
Alice nodded, snaking an arm around Briar’s waist, pulling her closer. ‘So… what are you going to do first?’
‘I have an idea.’ She wrapped her arms around Alice and kissed her deeply.
Epilogue
Briar
Eleven months later
‘Hey,’ Alice said from the doorway. ‘When did you get here?’
‘About an hour ago,’ Briar said, stretching her arms over her head and snuggling deeper into the sheets. Alice had replaced the beds in the cabin with a plusher queen-sized mattress, which Briar often dreamed of sleeping on when she was home in DC.
Besides the bed, Alice hadn’t changed the director’s cabin much. It still had the same woodsy smell: old books, pine and honey. Nothing made Briar feel calmer.
Alice walked towards her, toeing off her sneakers and shucking her tank top over her head. ‘You didn’t come find me?’
‘Figured you’d be busy with closing week.’ Briar scooted over to make room for her.
‘Too busy for you?’ Alice said, sliding in. Her skin was sticky with sweat, but Briar hadn’t held her in over a week and was greedy to touch her. Alice’s fingers settled into the crook of Briar’s hip, pulling her closer. Her mouth ghosted over Briar’s shoulder.
Briar ducked her head for a kiss, sighing into it. ‘Missed you.’
Alice grinned against her lips. ‘Really? You didn’t answer my call last night.’
‘The guys took me out for a drink after my last shift,’ Briar said, sliding a hand up Alice’s spine. It still surprised her how much being in Alice’s arms instantly pacified her, how the stress she didn’t even know her body was holding slipped away. The whole world faded to the background and Briar could breathe a little bit easier knowing that Alice was there.
‘How was it?’
‘Good,’ Briar said, swallowing. She wanted to hold on to the stillness for a little longer and didn’t want to talk about anything serious.
