That’s code for barren and empty.
Code for “Don’t send me stuff.”
Too late. You’ll thank me.
Not sure about that.
Is your cottage’s living areabig enough for a love seat or a couch?
Ormaybe both?
You’re ignoring me again.
Fine. I’lljust decide myself. Thinking a floral print. You’re welcome.
Gotta go. Workday,remember? No calls,no texts.
Unless youreally are dying. Then I’ll pick up.
Five
The wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.
—Nancy Newhall, writer and photographer
The coffee shop hummed with chatter and the clatter of cups, every table packed with tourists and locals alike. Maisie stood near the counter with her cup of hot chocolate, scanning the room for a seat. No luck. Then she saw an empty seat next to a guy along the window counter. Maisie made her way over to him, setting her drink down. “Okay if I sit here?”
Scrolling through his phone, he nodded.
She slid onto the stool with a sigh of relief, placing her hot chocolate and the envelope from Pops’s desk on the counter. The envelope had a musty smell. In fact, it kind of stunk. She decided to finish her hot chocolate before she opened it, just in case the smell got worse.
The guy next to her kept scrolling through his phone. “Busy in here, huh?”
“Yeah.” From the corner of her eyes, Maisie glanced at his profile. He looked like he had stepped straight out of her mom’s L.L.Bean catalog—light green polo, khaki shorts, boatshoes, no socks. His hair was styled in a crisp, clean-cut way, with short sides and back, and a slight wave swept back from his forehead. It gave him a polished, all-American look. Outdoorsy but in a casual way. Not sloppy lumberjack style like Frankie.
The guy must have sensed her lingering gaze because he set his phone down and turned to her with a smile. “You looked a little overwhelmed.”
Maisie blinked, startled. Wow. He was super cute! She wondered how old he was. College, maybe? She felt suddenly self-conscious, like her sneakers and ponytail and the unicorn on her T-shirt made her look young. “Oh—yeah. This place is totally packed. Is it always like this?”
“Only when the cruise ships are in,” he said, glancing behind him at the crowded tables. “The locals call it the coffee shop crush.” He turned back to her. “Summertime gets pretty crazy. First time to Acadia?”
Maisie nodded. “Yeah. Just got in yesterday.”
“You’ll love it,” he said, leaning back slightly. “Acadia’s amazing. I grew up here, and I’m still not over it.”
“You grew up here?” Maisie said, intrigued.
“Yup. Bar Harbor, born and raised.”
Maisie bit her lip to stop from grinning at his thick accent.Bah Hah-bah.
“My family’s been in Maine for ages,” he said. “There’s no place like it. Acadia especially. I tell everyone, if you don’t fall in love with this national park, there’s something seriously wrong with you.”
Maisie beamed, hoping he would notice her very smooth, very straight teeth. “I totally agree, but I would add any national park. They’re all amazing, each in their own way.” Pops would love this guy. “My grandfather is Chief Ranger Tim Rivers. That’s why I’m here. Visiting him, I mean.”
“Seriously?” His eyebrows lifted in interest. Maisie was big into eyebrows. “Your grandfather’s a ranger?”
“Chiefranger. He’s kind of a big deal.”
