Epilogue
Jamie
Eight months later
It was always a good sign when the drive down Highway 26 changed from civilization to an evergreen-surrounded winding road. After many trips, it felt like they were welcoming me with open arms. Sun shone through the needled trees above me, reflecting off my windshield as I drove the curved highway. Soon, I’d be home.
Now, if you’d told me a year ago that I’d run off to live in the forest, I would have laughed in your face, but some things in my life still surprised me.
Living with Autumn at Camp Starlight had been many things but especially a learning curve. Who knew you couldn’t get food delivery at all hours of the day unless it was from a guy named Herb in his nineties-era Dodge Neon,ifhe wasn’t stoned? Or that you could scream at the top of your lungs with no one noticing? That one was a little nerve-racking. A lot had changedsince I’d moved away from Seattle. I’d found myself going on adventure after adventure, and Autumn was always game.
I’d put in my notice the second I’d touched Seattle soil. Clint and Margaret were more than surprised at my leaving. They’d likely thought I was losing my mind when I opened with “I’m running off to live in the wilderness,” or something to that effect, but they’d been supportive, even offering to refer some Oregon clients to me when I was ready once they learned I was opening my own firm.
I hadn’t even researched taking the Oregon State Bar Exam before quitting. That was how unprepared I’d been. But I’d jumped, and Autumn had been prepared to catch me. I had to remain at the firm for three long months to finish my cases and sell my condo. It hadn’t been lost on me that we’d had to do long distance again during this process. I’d been grateful that she took a month off to help me settle affairs, so we got to spend time together, alone and happy. The other two months were difficult, but still less of a struggle than when we were teenagers. While it was nice having her with me through that process, it was clear where we belonged. I’d had my fill of Seattle, and she wasn’t meant to live there. Autumn was like a baby bird who’d left the nest and fell right into a puddle of water, getting out and shaking the liquid off before waddling away all disgusted.
I knew I’d made the right choice.
Once I moved to Oregon, I spent my time studying for the bar exam around the clock. I’d be taking it in July, but I was already getting inquiries about the firm I planned on opening. There was a lot of interest because, it turned out, there weren’t any lawyers in the sticks. I anticipated having clientele coming from all over, and planned to expand my repertoire to include land disputes and agricultural business pursuits, as well as general law. I avoided giving legal advice, but I did help a particular camp with its expansion.
Another thing that had changed? The amount of time I spent with my family. It took a little over an hour to get to Portland, so I did it frequently. Watching my niece and nephew grow up from a short distance away was the icing on the cake, especially since I’d barely been there for the first years of their lives. I loved being an uncle, and even though there were stressors from starting anew, I still found time to spend with them. They’d even come to stay at Camp Starlight for a few days this spring.
But my favorite moments had been with Autumn. When I moved to Wildwood, she offered me one of the other counselor cabins until the new season, but I’d spent so much time at her place, I was basically moved in already. We’d spent our days getting reacquainted, but the more time we had together, the more it felt like things had never ended between us. Every day, I was still just as excited to see her, and living with her only made it better.
Eight months together went by quickly, and I learned how much I loved taking in the seasons with my girlfriend. Winter found us cozy, huddled happily under her patchwork blanket, sipping cocoa at the bonfire and cheering on Leo’s shenanigans until our sides hurt from laughing. Spring was a whole other beast. Autumn increased her time working with Jack and his small team to finish the next round of cabins—which were to be opened this week. There were many nights she came home sopping wet, dirty, and happy, and I loved to see it.
Meanwhile, Jack had been a bit of a workhorse to meet his timeframe, and it wore on my girlfriend. She’d told me she was worried about him being down, that he hadn’t been the same lighthearted guy she’d known, but she attributed it to the deadline, assuming that he’d come back around to his old self once camp restarted. I hoped she was right.
Today, I was touring the building I planned to operate out of. It was a small location with a single back office and space fortwo small desks in front, and it fit me perfectly. My future office was nestled between Beans and Beans, my favorite Mexican/coffee shop hybrid, and Wildwood’s craft store Sew Cute. It was also right next to the bench I’d done some important thinking on, and now I couldn’t wait to spend lunches sitting there and looking at the forest.
The realtor had just walked away when Ren called. I sat down at a squeaky chair and hit answer.
“How was your trip?” he asked.
“Good. How was yours?”
He and Grant had gone to the San Juan islands for a getaway. They’d been together nearly as long as Autumn and me, but they’d started out the normal way, meeting each other for dates instead of movingin a month after connecting, which was progressing pretty slow, if you asked me.
“It was amazing. The water was as blue as Grant’s eyes, I kid you not. And we saw whales, Jamie. Real whales. They’re the cows of the sea.”
I didn’t think he realized “cows of the sea” kind of downplayed the wonder. “That’s really cool.”
“How’s my favorite ax-wielding blonde?”
“She’s good. I’m excited to see her, but I had to stop by the new office first.”
“Always got that nose to the grindstone.” There was no real judgment in his tone. He knew I was pushing myself to the limit, but he was always there to remind me that things would work out. I wiped a layer of dust from the desk where my future assistant would be working. “You’re one to talk.”
Ren had been studying for his LSATs, and we had regular calls for me to help him practice. He had continued working at our firm and was gelling with his new associate. I was so happy for that (mostly) seamless transition.
“Hey, I have my reasons,” he said. “For one thing, Grant gives me sexual favors if I answer enough questions right.”
“There’s a joke in here about Pavlovian responses,” I started.
Ren cackled. “It’s definitely training me toenjoywork.”
It was hard being away from him, and there were times I felt that four and a half hours of distance, but he and Grant were planning on coming back for another summer session in a month, so I had that to look forward to.
After our call ended, I wrapped things up with the realtor, and took my trusty notebook outside to do some brainstorming while I waited for Autumn. It wasn’t long before arms wrapped around my shoulders from behind.
