“He did?”
Valerie sighed and wrapped a strand of hair around her finger. She wasn't about to give up yet. “My father says you don’t belong in the city. That you need your freedom. He likes you a lot, Rick. Your father, on the other hand…”
Her words took him by surprise. The number of years their families had done business together, it seemed their parents had a friendship that extended beyond the occasional business deal.
“Why do I have a hard time believing that?”
“Because my father tried to get along with your father for our sake. When he found out I liked you, he wanted to make it easy on us with your parents. Then we got engaged, and after that… I ruined everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“He said we made a terrible mistake when we broke up and it wasn't until later, when I dated this guy, Michael, that I realized he was right.” Valerie took a breath, and for the first time, Rick witnessed emotion in her eyes. “I had thought I wanted to do something exciting and travel the world. I never got the sense that traveling interested you. You had this little cabin, and this was as much of the world as you wanted to experience. It was stupid of me to think a relationship would be my answer to the adventure I wanted. Had I just told you I wanted to do some traveling, I am sure you would have given me the freedom to do that.”
“I would have.” Rick tried not to look at her eyes. He had stared into them many times in the past and had lost himself in those deep pools of blue. It wouldn't happen again. Now that he had Molly's eyes to lose himself in. “We're past that now and you have all the freedom you want to see the world.”
Valerie raised her arms in the air and dropped them against her side. “I don't want that anymore, Rick. These past few months, I realized I've grown up. While living in a cabin in some small town isn't my dream, it's yours, and if I sacrifice for you now, one day you might try to live in the city to make me happy. We never know what the future might hold.”
Rick shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the grass. Sure, he might consider moving back to the city one day, but it wouldn't be for Valerie.
“I appreciate you coming all this way to tell me this. It wasn't easy for you, and as much as you have tried to imagine living here, we both know you would be miserable. I can't ask that of you. Perhaps Michael wasn't the guy for you, but there will be someone who won't ask you to live in a small town and will want to see the world with you. Don't give up on that dream. You're a special girl, Val.”
She wiped a tear from her cheek and rubbed the side of his arm. “You were always so sweet.” Valerie looked past him at the women whispering in the distance. “That woman you were with... where did she go?”
Rick looked over his shoulder and gestured toward the trees. “Probably back to the campsite where she's staying.”
“Is she someone special?”
“She is,” he said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic over his new relationship. He didn’t want to crush Valerie after her failed attempt to win him back. “I should go. After our reunion, I expect we need to talk.”
Valerie wrapped her arms around him for a friendly hug. “I'm going to miss you, Rick. I apologize if I messed things up for you and...?”
“Molly,” he said.
“That's a cute name. She seems nice.”
“Hudson likes her, so that's a bonus.”
Valerie smiled. “You still have that dog? I can't believe he's still alive.”
She never did like Hudson and was now most likely relieved not to be saddled with the responsibilities of being a dog owner. It is another reason Rick was happy about not reuniting. Hudson didn't like Valerie and would have a sour look on his funny face if he saw Valerie walk through the front door of the cabin.
Rick continued toward his truck with Valerie following close behind, and followed soon after by the town gossips. Valerie stood by the driver's side door as Rick climbed into his truck and rolled down the window to share a few last words.
“Stay in touch,” she said before he pulled away.
He took two long, cleansing breaths. Finally, he had rid himself of Valerie and said all he needed to say. Rejecting her was the easiest decision he had to make. Without a doubt, Valerie was not who he should be with, and he couldn't wait to scoop Molly into his arms and kiss her again. His heart pounded harder against his chest as he pulled into the campground. From now on, he wanted to experience the twisting in his stomach every time he drew close to her, knowing he would only find relief when he held her. He wanted to tell her, without a doubt, they were meant to be together, and he didn't want Molly living in the city to be a barrier. They would make it work. They had to.
His truck came to an abrupt stop. He had slammed the brakes when he saw her empty campsite. Rick looked over his shoulder at the sites he passed by. Surely he hadn't taken a wrong turn. The campground wasn't that big, and the showers were across the street from her site. Bile rose into his throat. Where had she gone?
The truck moved faster than the posted speed limit as he drove past site after site, not seeing her tent or any sign of her car. Molly was gone.
He stopped at the office and rushed inside, where Glenda was on the phone with her back to the door.
“That would have upset me, too. I never expected that from him. You don’t flirt with another woman in front of someone,” she said to an unknown caller. He cleared his throat and Glenda spun around in her chair. Her face turned pale. “I've gotta go.” She curved her lips into a smile and placed her phone on the desk. “Hi, Rick,” she said with a shake to her voice. “What can I do for you?”
“Molly.” His voice tightened when he said her name. “Where is she?”
Glenda looked at the map on her desk, acting as if she was trying to remember the name. “Molly... oh, yes. She checked out about fifteen minutes ago.”
The room spun, and Rick leaned against the office wall for support. “Fifteen minutes ago? Did she say where she was going?”
“I'm afraid not. I refunded her for the days she didn't stay, and then she left. Seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.”
Now he knew what people meant when they said they couldn't breathe at the thought of someone disappearing from their life. Something was crushing him on the inside and, ashamed that he had already worn his emotions on his face, he had to rush out of the office. It should embarrass him to think of others seeing him rush out of the building with tears pooling in his eyes. He didn't care. Molly had left, and he understood what he had done. To her, he made a choice when he allowed her to leave so he could continue his conversation with Valerie. He shouldn't have allowed that to happen, and this was the consequence.
Rick fumbled through his phone contacts and listened as the phone rang. If he waited long enough, Molly might pick up the phone. As soon as she answered, he would tell her how sorry he was for the visit to the Farmers’ Market being such a terrible date, and that Valerie had gone home. All he wanted was to hear her voice and for her to forgive him for messing everything up.
The phone rang with no sound on the other end besides the default voice message from the phone company. She didn’t take his call. He only had one other option. He could go to Patsy's and see if she had gone to the café. After that, the only other place he would think to look was the city. Maybe her friend, Carla, at the coffee shop, could tell him where to find her. He feared that the longer Molly didn't hear what he had to say, the closer he came to losing her forever, and Rick couldn't imagine his life without her.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Molly drove a tent peg into the ground, narrowly missing her finger. This was Rick’s fault… No, it was her fault she moved to a new campsite so late in the day. Now, at dusk, she struggled to get her tent up before the last bit of light disappeared. Had she stayed away from Rick like she originally planned, she would still be at her campsite in Lemon Grove with a clear head and comfortable campsite. Leaving meant driving for longer than expected in search of an empty spot, and sh
e ended up at a more rustic campground to pitch a tent for the night. She considered getting a hotel, but every hotel she saw was along the noisy highway and none had vacancies. When she saw the advertisement for the Bent Crane Campground, she took her chances. She would commit to one night and tomorrow she would decide if the campground was worth staying another day or two.
At least it wasn’t raining. That was the only thing that kept this from being some sort of nightmare. After driving through tears, she didn’t need tears and raindrops. Still, the weather was cool and her teeth chattered as she worked to assemble her tent. It took time to untangle the mess Molly made when she crumpled the tent and stuffed it into the back of her car. If she hadn’t been in a rush, laying out the tent at the new site and locating the door would have been easier. The rope ties had become a tangled mess, and she needed them to stake down the fly.
She fought back more tears. Not only was her tent a mess, so was her life. Nothing ever turned out the way she hoped. By her age, she should be in a serious relationship and planning a wedding. What was this pattern with her and men? Why couldn’t she find a guy worth her time and her heart? She seemed destined to be alone. Perhaps she needed to accept her situation and would be happier if she stopped trying to find happiness with someone else. But she was happier when she was with someone. She enjoyed sharing her dreams with another person and having him share his with her.
Molly always imagined coming home to someone and not to an empty house. She needed someone to be happy to see her when she returned from a long day at the coffee shop. Some friends adopted pets for this very purpose. To be their furry greeter. Had it come to that? Would she get a pet so she didn’t have to be alone?
Wiping a lone tear from her cheek, she felt a smudge of dirt brush against her skin. Now she would have a streak of mud on her face, and since her campsite was nowhere near the facilities by the campground office, she would remain covered in dirt until she readied herself for bed. At least the lack of daylight would keep the other campers from seeing her looking like a disaster.
Now she recognized her mistake in booking all two weeks in Lemon Grove instead of breaking up her vacation into two locations. She could have used her schedule as an excuse not to get caught up with Rick. Knowing he had two weeks to show her who he was, she gave him a chance. Limiting her stay to one week would have made it easier to turn him down. She could have moved on and avoided the heartache.
Molly took another swing at the peg and caught the side of her thumb. She gasped and whimpered. No one would care if she howled out loud, and it was best to not draw attention to herself. For the rest of her trip, she would remain under the radar with no one knowing who she was or, most of all, ask her out on a date.
She tossed her belongings in the tent and prepared her bed. The cool air surrounded her, sending a chill to her bones. She would need the extra blanket here. What a difference a little elevation could make. While it was cooler here, she still questioned why smoke hung in the air. The fire ban extended to the entire region, and the campground wasn’t exempt. The attendant gave her a gentle reminder about the fire ban when she registered. No campfires were visible, so the smoke came from elsewhere. While she missed roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire like she had enjoyed as a child, maybe the fire ban was a good thing. She didn’t want her experience in Lemon Grove to taint her childhood camping activities. Marshmallows would always be associated with good thoughts. Now, she would make fresh memories here at a cold, private campground where smoke lingered in the air.
* * *
With the cool dampness of the morning dew sending a small shiver up her spine, Molly stood outside her tent. The attendant promised views of the nearby lake from her campsite, but a thick layer of smoke had settled in and a bright orange glow emanated on the other side of the hill. A strong wind beat at the side of her tent, pushing more and more smoke down into the valley bottom, which forced Molly to wrap her blanket around her. She choked down her breakfast cereal as her eyes stung and her throat burned. After yesterday, she had been looking forward to waking up to the sparkling shimmer of the water. Of course, the location would disappoint her. The entire vacation was a disappointment.
She sighed and then gagged and coughed. There would be no swimming today, or hiking. Any physical activity in the smoke would irritate her lungs, so her best option was to sit and wait it out, hoping the wind would blow the smoke away. Once the weather pattern changed, the smoke would surely subside. Still, there was something unsettling about a wildfire being so close. It would have to jump the lake, or circle around it for her to be in any danger. Molly didn't know how far embers might travel, but if they blew across and lit the surrounding trees, the thought of needing to outrun a blaze terrified her.
Once again, the tears pooled. This was supposed to be a nice vacation, not one filled with frustrating and frightening experiences. She pulled her chair to the edge of the campsite and imagined she was looking down at the water. Even the sun was obscured. A small glowing circle attempting to push through the hazy morning light.
A camper emerged from their trailer and coughed, as did another traveler across the road. It was a miserable place. Music played in the distance. Someone was trying to mask their disappointment with loud music. If only this campground shared the same rules for noise as Lemon Grove.
Molly couldn’t tell if her sore throat resulted from the smoke or her growing emotions. She never would have left Lemon Grove had she known this was what awaited her. She should have moved to Lemon Eagle Resort or to a different site and asked Glenda not to tell Rick where she was. At least there she had privacy with the trees and underbrush. Here there was only grass and a small hill to minimize the view of her neighbor. If there was no smoke, the site would be hot in the summer, and no trees meant no place to string a tarp for additional shade or for her laundry line. To get out of the sun, she would need to hide in her tent where the temperatures would surely climb. Molly wasn't sure if she wanted the smoke to clear or not.
She sat in her chair, grinding her foot into the gravel pad. People had come with their trailers and boats expecting to play on the water, but judging by the miserable looks on their faces, they lacked energy in the smoky conditions. The wildfire was ruining everyone's plans.
Molly checked her watch. There was a visitors' center up the road and she decided that checking it out would be better than sitting around in the cold, feeling sorry for herself. Getting moving would be better with her irritated eyes and a burning throat.
Jumping into her car, she navigated around kids riding slowly on their bicycles and drove toward the visitors' center. They must know of something she could do when the weather or fires weren't accommodating outdoor activities. If she was lucky, they might even have coffee. She would take anything besides the instant garbage she had back at camp.
Compact cars and travel trailers filled the parking lot at the visitors' center. Everyone appeared to have the same plan as Molly. Inside, she stared at the many pamphlets for the area and, once again, she was disappointed. The town only offered outdoor experiences, and the rest of the pamphlets were for restaurants and museums. While she wanted a slower pace, a museum would push it a little too far.
“We have several shops,” she heard a representative say to a weary-looking couple. “Our parks are also beautiful.”
The clang of metal got her attention. A man in his sixties walked inside with a chihuahua trotting on a leash alongside him. It sniffed at the air and sneezed as it crossed the room.
Molly thought of Hudson and how there was no dog at the campground to warm her feet in the morning. She missed Hudson and his morning visit during breakfast. Molly walked over to the man standing at a wall-sized map. She leaned down and stretched her hand out to the little chihuahua. It sniffed at her fingers and growled.
“He's not friendly,” the man said. “He doesn't like many people.”
“I guess so,” she said, rising to her feet. “Sorry to bother him.”
The man walked away, leading his growling dog toward the next display. Hudson never rejected her and always sought her out for attention. She missed the way he would crane his neck around to get more attention, demanding more scratches and hugs.
Soon, a rush of excitement came over her, and the accompanying thought made perfect sense. She should get a dog. There must be a local humane society nearby to visit, and with dogs in need of a home.
She smiled to herself, thinking of picking out a dog and bringing it back to her apartment... with no access to a yard. Molly sighed. When she returned to the city, the coffee shop would keep her away from home all day. She would not be home to let a dog outside and it would be miserable spending its days by the window staring at the outdoors from three floors above. Adopting a dog wouldn’t be possible as long as she lived in a place without access to a yard, and definitely not with her lifestyle.
Molly sighed and gave her head a shake. It was a pleasant dream while it lasted, as brief as it was. The thought of owning a pet had brought excitement that she would not forget. One day she would live somewhere that would be dog friendly. The dream might be what would drive her to continue to build their business. They would become successful enough to allow Molly to afford to live someplace where she could own a dog and make sure it was happy.
With none of the pamphlets interesting her, Molly returned to her car, disappointed, and drove back to her campsite. At least she had done something besides sit around in her camping chair. As she drove back, her eyes watered more than before. Was it possible the smoke had become thicker? Her throat tickled, and she coughed as she entered the campground. Only a few feet onto the property, the campground attendant waved her over.
“Good afternoon,” the attendant said. “We are letting campers know there is an air quality advisory for the area and are giving guests the option to cancel their reservation. We will charge you for the night, but we will reimburse you for the rest of your reservation with no penalty.”
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