Page 64 of Wag More Bark Less

“Calm down, Vader. Of course I sympathized with you. It doesn’t get more front and center than having to announce to a packed church that the wedding’s off.” Connor reached into my peanut canister and tossed an offering of his own to the crow. “I would’ve done it, you know.”

“Done what?”

“Made the announcement. If you’d only told me first⁠—”

“I didn’t want to put that burden on you.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Connor mumbled. “From the moment you moved home after Mom died, you’ve acted like it’s your responsibility to put everything back together. You put on the badge before the Army even fully out-processed you. You started worrying over Dad like he’s made of glass. Hell, half the town calls you before they call 911.”

“What’s your point?”

“I’ve always wondered whether you wanted Raquel, or you just wanted your life to make sense again.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Connor didn’t try to argue, which only irritated me further.

“And stop calling me Vader. You know I was always Skywalker for Halloween.”

“I’ll stop referring to you as Darth Vader when you stop carrying the weight of the entire galaxy on your shoulders. Luke Skywalker had a whole damn rebellion behind him.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I threw the crow a small handful of peanuts.

“I’ll tell you what,” Connor said, patting my leg as he stood. “I’ll manage the parade crew today. Why don’t you go do something to clear your head? Maybe hike a trail. Whisper Lake’s quite the sight this time of year. When’s the last time you were out there?”

Odd how my immediate reaction wasn’t I don’t have the fucking time. Huh.

“Not a bad idea, little brother.”

“I have a lot of good ideas, actually.”

“Since when?”

“Since the day I was born.”

“That’s news to me.”

“You might be surprised what you learn about other people when you stop deciding what they need and actually get to know them.”

TWENTY-FOUR

MAGGIE

“Would you get a load of this view?” I said to my phone, panning the camera across the landscape before me, ignoring the red battery icon in the corner. My video wouldn’t capture the richness of the autumn colors, but at least I could give my sister a taste before my phone died. The Michigan fall season was something to behold, but it didn’t have the mountains. “We’re not quite a mile in—and not even to the best part yet—but I just can’t get over how absolutely gorgeous Colorado is right now. Ollie, look at these mountains!”

Ellie and I’d stopped at a small offshoot from the main trail for a quick water break. I was huffing and puffing an embarrassing amount for how tame the trail had been so far, a reminder that I hadn’t seen the inside of a gym since I left North Carolina almost four months ago.

Despite how out of shape I currently felt, I was smiling so much my cheeks hurt. I needed this.

This hike was by far one of the better decisions I’d made in the several days I’d been in town. Nature had a way of melting away my worries, disappointments, and frustrations like nothing else could. And the odds of running into Officer McGrumpy miles from town on one of the many available trails were so low they were hardly odds at all.

This was my haven.

“On a scale from rocking and crying in a corner to on cloud nine, I think I’m cautiously optimistic.”

Sure, my phone was almost dead, and I didn’t have any actual signal—the video message wouldn’t send until I reconnected with Wi-Fi. Oh, and there was a new voicemail from Jason that was mildly concerning.

But I’d save the Luanne and Jason update for another video. I refused to let them spoil the good mood nature had granted me. After nearly dying in that wedding dress last night, I had even less patience for their bullshit. I’d been saving one ace up my sleeve when it came to that whole situation, and I was finally ready to play it.