“Scout,” Naki said, breaking her out of her thoughts, “this is my father, Sakwasis Dana.”
Scout came around the jeep, extending a hand, her left hand protectively against her bulky abdomen. “How do you do, Mr. Dana, sir?”
Sakwasis looked at her outstretched hand and grabbed it with both hands. “You are the one who found our gold.”
Ah. Sothat’sthe vibe she’d been picking up on. “Actually, sir, your son has been instrumental in finding all the gold.” She knew that wasn’t really what was on his mind. It was who wouldgetthe gold.
Naki intervened, answering his father in their language. Then he turned to her. “Let’s go to my office.”
Before they could cross the street, the woman from the storestepped into Naki’s path and spoke to him in the same language, her dark eyes appraising Scout in a way that was definitely not friendly.
Naki responded in their language, his reply much shorter than whatever she had just said. Then he turned to Scout. “This is Molly Atwul,” he said.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” Scout said, but she didn’t extend her hand. There was a look in Molly’s eyes that telegraphed,Go back to where you came from.
“Pardon us, Molly,” Naki said, steering Scout by the elbow to pass around her.
As they continued down the sidewalk toward his office, she cut her eyes at him. “Taking a wild guess—Molly is your girlfriend?”
“Was,” Naki said.
That was all he had to say about it. One word. Which only sparked a million questions. She let out a silent sigh. Questions that would go unanswered.
As they reached a two-story wooden building, Naki turned to her before he opened the door, his face extra serious, if that was possible. “Scout,” he said, his voice low. “I believe this is the right thing to do, but I also believe you might not think so.”
“What do you mean?”
“Come and see.”
She followed him into the building. Inside, the air smelled faintly of wood smoke. He opened the door to an office and let her go in first. Her eyes immediately went to the walls, lined with shelves packed with books. Above the shelves were bulletin boards, each one thumbtacked with a map of Maine—aerial, maritime—red flags were pinned along the coast. Shipwrecks, Scout imagined. Her gaze continued to the window, where sunlight streamed in, illuminating motes of dust. And then she realized a man was sitting at one of the two desks.
“Hello, Scout.”
Her breath caught. That voice. She hadn’t heard it in years. She stared, her mind spinning. “Dad?” Her voice cracked on the word. It sounded foreign in her mouth, like a relic from another life. She felt like the floor had dropped out from beneath her, leaving her weightless, unsteady. Her father’s face—a little older but unmistakable—looked back at her with a tentative smile.
Her father stood slowly, as if any rapid movement might cause her to bolt, like a nervous songbird.
She couldn’t breathe. A flood of emotions—shock, anger, confusion, hope—collided within her, leaving her unable to speak. Her pulse pounded in her ears. She glanced at Naki, who stood silently beside her, his eyes full of concern.
He had known. He had brought her here for this. Not to share his life with her. Not to have her meet his people. “Your partner?”
Slowly, he nodded.
Howdarehe!
“Gentlemen, please excuse me,” she whispered finally, her voice shaky. “Ranger Rivers will be expecting the gold.” She turned on her heel, heading to the jeep as fast as she could. She drove back to Acadia National Park, hands trembling all the way there.
One-sided text between Scout and her mother:
Scout
Finally getting back toyou,Mother. Sorry for the delay. It’s been crazybusy here. Too much to text.
Also,I saw Dadtoday.
She hit send before she could second-guess herself, then powered down her phone completely.
Fifteen
