“Um, well, I suppose it’s cheating a little, but I knew where I was and that I wasn’t too far from here. A swim sounded refreshing, and I figured I could catch a few fish too.”
“I sent you in a completely different direction. How’d you find this place?”
“Did I not mention I’m an Eagle Scout?”
“I guess you pass navigation,” she mumbled.
“I’ll head back to my spot,” he said, turning to go.
It had only been half a day, and Tess was already bored out of her gourd. A brief conversation with Logan wouldn’t hurt.
“You can stay and fish if you want,” Tess said. “Since you’re already here.”
“Sweet.” He dropped his pack, set up his fishing pole, and sat next to her. “We drivin’ you to drink?” he asked, tipping his chin to her flask.
“It’s been a long campout,” she said, taking another swig.
“Can’t say I blame you. Herding a motley crew of cats is rough work.” She offered him the flask, and he took it. “Hmm. Don’t mind if I do.”
His line tugged, and he pulled in a nice-sized brook trout and reset the pole.
“To be honest,” he said. “I’m glad I ran into you. This sudden isolation is kind of uncomfortable.”
“Technically, we’re not alone anymore.”
“Touché,” he said. “And I mean, I live alone, so it’s not like I don’t already spend plenty of time by myself. It’s just that being alone out here, in the vast, vast wilderness? Is different. And terrifying.”
“I get it.” She chuckled. “I live alone too. We’re just so used to phones, radios, and TVs filling the silence that true solitude feels unfamiliar. And having only your thoughts for company can get weird fast.”
“Is that really why you’re drinking?” he teased.
“Ha. Ha.”
Her feet were still bare from her swim, and she noticed him staring at her ankle.
“So, are you just exceptionally confident, or is there a story behind your tattoo?”
“Well, I am pretty confident,” she said. “But it was my jersey number in high school.” At his confused look, she continued.“The other night, I mentioned that our basketball team won the state championship. Well, because the town’s so small, it was a pretty big deal. My team and I all got tattoos to celebrate.”
“Oh, that’s cool.” He caught another fish, but kept talking as he reeled it in. “Is it possible I saw your picture in the entryway of a restaurant in town?”
“Yeah, that’s a thing around here. You know what they say? It’s easy to make a big splash in a small pond.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” he said. “I bet you’re pretty good. You gonna share any more of your contraband or what?”
She passed him the whiskey. “This is my reward for surviving the week.”
“I ain’t heard no fat lady,” he said, taking a healthy swig.
She assumed he was quoting from the movieIndependence Day—another of Tess’s favorites—and she followed up with the line that came next. “Forget the fat lady. You’re obsessed with the fat lady. Drive this thing out of here.”
They laughed.
“I’m not getting so hammered I couldn’t handle an emergency if that’s what you’re insinuating.”
“I meant to suggest no such thing,” he said. “I have no doubts whatsoever regarding your ‘roughing it’ prowess. How’d you end up with this gig anyway?”
“It was a marketing idea I had for The Outpost. Turned out to be a you catch it, you clean it type of situation.”
