“The cat’s fine, by the way.”
“I figured as much.” Avery walked past an endcap and slowed down. There were packets of clay masks and hair masks and hand masks—whatever those were—on display. An idea struck, and she grabbed several of each. In a quick step, she’d picked up two bottles of nail polish as well.
“Honey, I gotta go. The UPS man just pulled up. I just wanted to give you the bad news about your plant.”
“I appreciate you calling right away. It would have been an awful shock to come home to.” Not really, but when you asked a neighbor to watch over things, and she took that job as seriously as Evelyn, you had to play along or you’d lose your house sitter.
* * *
Avery took a deep breath of clean air. That was one thing the rains in Seattle did that she’d never complain about: they washed the pollutants from the sky so cloudless days were bright-blue beautiful.
There was something different about mountain air, though: it was crisp and sharp. The salty sea was out of each breath. Instead, she caught the scent of fir trees, pine, dirt, and every once in a while, the brush of wildflowers. There was a patch of them just below the trail, the maroon and red sticking out against the lush green grass and the muted gray rocks scattered across the dry riverbed.
“Is this the Meadow Valley?” asked Landon.
“Methow,” she corrected. “Yes. We made it.”
Landon grinned, his whole countenance radiating victory. He’d started out the hike strong, hanging with his buddies at the front of the pack. But as the day wore on, his ankle wore out and he opted to go at a slower pace. Avery was glad she was along on the hike so she could keep an eye on him. She’d checked the joint, and though there was no additional swelling, it had developed a bruise. The discoloration was a good sign. The pediatrician had once said that outward signs of injury were better than pain with no apparent reason for it.
“I’d say the view was worth the trouble.” Ben and Savannah came up behind them.
His eyes were on Avery, making her puzzle over the meaning behind his words. Was he paying her a compliment, saying she was beautiful, or had he meant Methow Valley was worth giving up a weekend’s income from the hotel? Unsure how to respond, she looked away, making the situation all the more awkward.
“How are you feeling?” Savannah asked Landon.
Landon shrugged. “All right, I guess.”
Savannah, bless her, tried to engage Landon in conversation. “Do you know what yarrow looks like? I have almost everything else for my journal, but I couldn’t find that one.”
Landon perked up. “I think there was some back this way.” He flicked his hand, inviting her to go with him. They fell in step together.
“So where do you guys live?” Landon asked.
Avery grinned at Ben. Her boy was making conversation with agirl. This was, like, huge. So far his interactions with girls—the ones she knew about—included cootie fights and throwing mud at them. Ben grinned back.
“In The Cove,” Savannah answered. “What about you guys?”
“Ballard.”
Savannah laughed and shook her head. “I have no idea where that is.”
Landon lifted a shoulder. “You’re new. You’ll figure it out. Seattle’s fantastic. You’re going to be so glad you moved here.” He pointed to a yellow plant. “That’s yarrow. Hey, have you guys tried the ice cream at the waterfront? The stuff inside by the arcade?”
Savannah broke off a stick with a bunch of yellow flowers on the end. “Not yet.” Her nose wrinkled at the pollen that filled the air around her.
“Mom, we have to take them.” Landon turned back to Savannah without waiting for her answer. “We can get clam chowder too. They have this window that you order at, and it comes in a lunch sack and it’s so warm.”
“Does it have curry in it?” Savannah asked.
Avery turned her ear towards them. The breeze was making it hard to listen in without being conspicuous.
Landon twisted up his nose. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“My dad’s allergic to curry.”
Avery stopped in her tracks, remembering Ben’s outrageous behavior at the table, the rinsing his mouth and spitting, his red, watery eyes. How had she not noticed an allergic reaction? She turned to Ben. “The French fries … they had curry.” She wanted to smack her forehead. “You were having an allergy attack. That’s why you sp—coughed?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “My throat was tingling and I sort of freaked out. I’m usually more cautious.”
