She dug a lip-gloss out of her pocket and ran it over the edges of each stick, then stacked them in a cone shape, with fine wood shavings at the center.
“What the hell are you doing?” Sam said, teasing her about the pale pink lip-gloss she continued to dab on the edges of the wood and shavings.
“None of your business, Draper.”
As the light started to fall into violet evening, Sara lit the first wood shavings, fine as dust, patiently adding coarser shavings as they caught and flamed under the pyramid she’d created. When the flames reached the base of the smallest logs that Sara had stripped of bark, Sam watched as it climbed, until the pyramid of fire was burning strong.
“It should be hot enough now to burn the moisture out of those logs if we add them one at a time,” Sara said.
“Seriously,” Sam said, “Lip-gloss?”
“It doesn’t always work,” Sara said, “But most of them are petroleum based, so if the tinder is fine enough, it can help light it.”
“So where did you learn all this?” Sam asked. “Do chefs spent a lot of time out in the wilderness armed with lip-gloss and wet wood?”
“Yes,” Sara said, “When we’re not knocking ourselves out with our own boats.”
She added another log to the fire, which spit and sputtered as the flames started to dry out the moisture. The fire was beautiful in the fading light; sparks and rising ash shimmered in the air as they rose. The air had started to cool and sharpen, and Sara reached in her bag for a jacket as she spoke.
“I went to camp in McCall for ten years as a kid,” she said, “Everyone was always bigger and tougher than me. You pick up a few tricks along the way out of self-preservation.”
“You’re kidding,” Sam said. “I had no idea you’d even been to McCall before you landed here.”
“That’s actually why I decided to come to Idaho. After the restaurant burned, I didn’t even know who I was anymore. I’d worked too hard to have a life, or a girlfriend. So I just tried to remember the last place I was really happy. And McCall was it.”
“What about high school?” Sam said, turning the log over in the fire. “You seem like you’d be a popular girl. You weren’t happy then?’
“Honestly, high school was hell for me. My brother and sister were always so smart and it was a lot to live up to. I just never understood things like they did, I guess.”
“Were your parents supportive?”
“Well, my Dad just ignored me – there was nothing about me that he could brag to his golf buddies about, and Mom was just waiting for me to get married, hence the dramatic interlude when I came out. But it wasn’t a big deal.” She looked out from the mouth of the cave to the sun starting to set over the mountain.
Sam knew it was a big deal, but Sara didn’t want to talk about it, and she knew how that felt.
“Okay,” she said, looking over at the tent. “Are you ready for the bad news?”
“Thank God,” Sara said, “I’d love to hear the bad news.”
Sam unzipped the tent and pulled out a cardboard box. “My buddy was supposed to leave us some stuff to make dinner, and it’s in this box.”
“Great,” Sara said, reaching for it. “Let’s see it.”
“Brace yourself,” Sam said, sliding the box out of her reach. “I’ve been to his house. This is guaranteed not to be pretty.”
“I love this,” Sara said, settling in and leaning over to the box. “Hit me, I can take it.”
Sam opened the box and pulled out the first item.
“Saltines.” Sara tilted her head, considering their potential. “It all depends on what he sent to go with them.”
Sam brought out a can of Kraft spray cheese. Bacon flavor, apparently.
“Now we’re talking,” Sara said, surprisingly genuinely pleased. “Toss that over here.”
She loaded up a saltine with the aerosol cheese and put the whole thing in her mouth, closing her eyes with a look of bliss.
“I’ve never thought that stuff was actually edible.”
“You’ve never had spray cheese?” Sara said, loading up another cracker. “What the hell have you been doing with your life?”
Sam reached in for the next item and held it up. “Oreos.”
“You’ve got to love Oreos,” Sara said.
Next, there was a hunk of butter, some sliced ham, and a round loaf of bread.
“Believe it or not, my buddy actually makes this bread,” Sam said, handing it to Sara. “No one really knows why, but he’ll only eat bread he makes.”
“This looks great,” she said. “I can tell it’s airy on the inside; he knows what he’s doing.”
Beyond the food, there was a single knife and some bottles of water, and Sam and Sara took everything near the edge of the cliff to eat while they watched the sun set.
****
Later that night, after glittering stars had swept across the black velvet sky, Sara was asleep in Sam’s arms inside the tent, the entrance unzipped to the night sky and the dying fire. She still had a sore throat, so Sam insisted on going to bed early to keep warm. Sam stroked her hair, looking out past the cliff to the mountains, the white snow still barely visible in the darkness. This road trip had been centered around food, and sitting in the same diners she’d grown up in and talking about what it all meant to her had torn open the raw edges of losing Gus. She’d only stepped into the diner once after Gus died, and that was when Sara bought the place and she knew she had to go get all his pictures. In the end, she’d only taken her favorite, the one on his desk. Being there brought everything back; it still smelled exactly as it always had. Even the creaks in the floor were as familiar as breath. Before she left, she stood in the dining room, letting it wash over her. It was the one place she could still feel him.
And now the woman she’d fallen in love with was taking that away.
Chapter Fourteen
After Sam had dropped Sara off at her cabin on the way to work the next day, she’d climbed the ladder to the loft and burrowed under the covers, an arsenal of cold medicine scattered across her nightstand. She stayed there for the next two days, only sitting up once to eat the chicken soup Mary asked Sam to deliver for her, then pulling the covers back up over her head. On the third day, Sara finally felt well enough to take a shower and get dressed. She pulled on some yellow chino shorts, a white tank, and a jean jacket, then headed toward town, lucky enough to grab the last free parking spot in town.
The brass bell clanged against the glass door as she walked into the drugstore, and she waited at the counter while Mary finished with a customer in the back. When she saw Sara on her way back to the front, she pulled her into a hug, then handed her a mug and reached under the counter for the coffee pot.
“Spill it,” she said, her eyes twinkling. She sat on the stool behind the counter, her cup poised.
“Spill what?” Sara said, reaching for the sugar.
“What? Hmm…let me think,” Mary said. “The most eligible person in town whisks you away for a road trip and you come back with a ten mile smile on your face. Let’s start with that.”
Sara laughed, stepping aside so Mary could ring up a customer. After he left, Mary sat back, clearly ready for some serious gossip.
“What did Sam tell you?” Sara said.
“Are you kidding?” Mary replied. “You can’t pry a secret out of Samantha with a crow bar, never could.”
“Okay,” Sara said, “It was amazing. The tasting I did outside the diner the other day was a disaster, so she took me around to all the places she ate in as a kid and still loves. We even checked out a food truck in Boise that was the best food I’ve eaten since I got here.”
“Uh huh,” Mary said, “And was it all about the food?”
“I think it was supposed to be, but we were definitely closer by the end.”
“Well,” Mary said, tapping her fingers on the counter, “If you want my two cents, she’d be lucky to have you. I just hope she doesn’t let her pride ge
t in the way with that diner over there.”
“You heard, huh?”
“She didn’t say much, just that she was having a harder time than she thought with it. I told her to get the hell over it.” She cleared her throat and fidgeted with the register tape before she went on. “I know how it is. I miss my husband; it was hard to let his cabin go. But I just finally had to tell myself that he wasn’t in it anymore.”
Sara was quiet for moment, thinking about what she said.
“Mary, do you remember that one day I was in here and you had that amazing lasagna we had while we watched Days of Our Lives?
“That was just regular old lasagna,” Mary said.
“I think that may be exactly what I’ve been missing.”
****
Sam wrapped up her weekly maintenance records for the patrol boats and sat back in her chair. It had been two days since she’d seen Sara, and it felt strange being without her. She reached for her phone.
Want to go to Wine and Fire with me tonight? It’s at Moxie Java, 7 p.m..
Sam pressed send and waited. Her phone pinged in just a few seconds.
Sorry, I can’t. I’m kind of seeing someone.
Sam read the text twice, her stomach sinking like an anchor. Then her phone pinged again.
And she hates wine. So, I’m on my way to her office now to let her know her phone’s been stolen.
A minute later Sam heard a knock at her door and she opened it, pulling Sara inside and against the wall. She kissed her, then pressed her forehead against hers.
“So we’re seeing each other now?” Her voice was teasing but the hand running up her back and pulling her closer said the opposite. “How do I know you’re not just in it for the boating license?”
“Well, I guess you’re just going to have to trust me, Captain Draper.”
Sara’s hands slid under Sam’s shirt and she leaned into her body. Sam groaned and pulled Sara’s hips to hers, wrapping her hands around her ass and biting her neck lightly.
“If you start this in here, Brighton, I’m going to finish it,” Sam whispered, looking slightly over her shoulder, “Against that wall with your legs wrapped around my waist.”
A loud knock at the door made Sara jump. Sam stepped away and sat behind her desk, coolly stacking papers into a neat pile.
“Come in.”
Lily walked into the office and paused, looking first at Sara, then over to Sam. She started to say something but thought better of it and left, pulling the door shut behind her.
Sara arched an eyebrow. “Do you think she knew something was going on?”
“Absolutely,” Sam said, looking amused. “But it’s none of her business.”
“Well, I’m going to get out of here and hope not quite everyone has heard about it by the time I reach the door.”
“Good luck with that,” Sam said. “See you on the back deck of Moxie Java at seven?”
“There’s a back deck?”
“Yes,” Sam said, “And Sunday nights it’s closed for locals, for Wine and Fire, invitation only.”
“I’ll be there.”
Sara turned to leave, but Sam stopped her.
“I almost forgot,” Sam said, “I have something for you.” She reached into the top drawer of her desk and handed a small card to Sara.
“Don’t get excited. I’ll still arrest you if you continue to insist on sunbathing topless.”
Sam gave her a teasing look, and Sara tucked her license proudly into her pocket and pulled the door shut behind her.
****
Sam got to Moxie Java that night a little early and chose a spot in the risers. The back deck was built in two levels; there were chairs and tables on the upper level, then a staircase that led down to the ground level, where stone risers, built in a bowl shape into the earth below, surrounded a huge sunken fire pit. Even in the winter, the locals gathered every Sunday night to talk and share a bottle or two, watching the embers rise into the frosted air.
The incident with Lily had unsettled her a bit. She needed to have a conversation with her, but the office was not the place. She made a mental note to remember to stop by her cottage at some point and talk. Soon.
By the time Sara arrived, Sam had set up a space for them on the risers, a blanket folded beside her from the stack the coffee shop provided for night events. Sara was wearing navy blue linen pants that sat low on her hips, and a white strapless top. Her shoulders were toned and golden from the sun.
“Good God,” Sam said, still taking her in, “You look amazing.”
Sara was carrying a bottle of rose, and set it down beside the bottle of red that Sam had already bought.
“Seriously,” Sam said, her eyes reflecting the shifting light of the fire, “You brought pink wine?”
“It’s not pink, it’s rose. Totally different.”
Sam picked up the bottle of Syrah that was on the other side of the blankets. “I’m one step ahead of you, Miss Brighton.”
“Damn,” Sara said, teasing in her voice. “I was so looking forward to finding a delicate little glass and watching you squirm while you held it.”
“So now that you have your boating license, you think you’re in charge, huh?”
“No, ma’am.”
“That’s better,” Sam said, her eyes sparkling, leaning in to whisper in Sara’s ear, “Not that I wouldn’t love to show you who is if you have any doubt.”
Something about the way Sam handled her made Sara hot. What she really wanted to do is go home and make her back that up. She let her hand rest on Sam’s hip while she leaned in to whisper an invitation for later into her ear.
“So, this is the girl.”
Sam and Sara looked up to see Lily standing there, her eyes narrowed, with her hand on her hip. A worried looking friend stood behind her with her hand on Lily’s elbow.
“I thought it was her.” She looked Sara up and down, before turning her attention back to Sam.
Sam sighed, leaning back against the risers. “Lily, this is not the place.”
“Where is the place?” She replied, her voice barely above a whisper. Anger made the edges of her words razor sharp. “Maybe your office, right before you fuck me on the desk? Or does she not know you’ve been having sex with me for the last three months?”
Sam stood up and just as quietly told Lily she needed to leave.
“No,” Sara said, gathering her things and avoiding Sam’s eyes. “I’ll leave. You two look like you need to talk.”
The only way out of the row of risers was past Lily, and when she tried to step past her, Lily intentionally bumped her with her shoulder. Sara stopped, took a breath, and kept walking, disappearing into the crowd on the top deck.
“First of all,” Sam said, her voice low and controlled. “Don’t ever touch my girlfriend again.”
Lily sat down beside her, her head in her hands. “I know. I’m sorry. I totally lost it.”
“What the hell, Lily? I would have been happy to talk about this anywhere else. You should have just asked me.”
“I just,” Lily looked up at Sam, tears threatening to spill over, “Didn’t want to be replaced.”
Sam nodded, waiting for her to go on.
“I mean, I know this wasn’t about love,” she said, “For either of us. I just didn’t want to be nothing to you suddenly.”
“Lily,” Sam said, opening the Syrah and handing Lily a glass. “You’d never be nothing to me. We shared time.” She leaned down to catch Lily’s eyes. “I haven’t forgotten that, and I won’t forget you.”
Lily looked into her glass. “I’m so sorry. I’m sure she hates me now.”
Sam shook her head. “She’s actually pretty sweet; I’d bet right now she’s thinking about how upset you are.”
“Really?”
“And about how pissed off she is at me.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Sam said, giving in and filling a wineglass for herself. “I had it coming. I should have t
alked to both of you about this way before now.”
“Yeah,” Lily said, clinking her glass to Sam’s, “It’s totally your fault. Let’s go with that.”
Sam laughed, and looked around. “Where did your friend go?”
“She left. I think she thought I was going to get a little crazy.”
“Smart girl,” Sam said.
“Hey!” Lily said, hitting Sam’s arm lightly with the back of her hand. “Don’t go telling people that. It’s a secret.”
Sam elbowed her gently. “All writers are a little bit crazy, right?”
“About that,” Lily said, then paused. “I need you to fire me.”
“Why? This really wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“No, I need you to fire me because this is the last week I have to sign a contract I need to sign for another job, and I can’t seem to get it done.”
“Lily, I know about the book contract,” Sam said. “I was in Moxie Java that day when your friend was trying to get you to sign it.”
“Oh.” Lily handed Sam her empty wineglass and took her nearly full glass. “It’s not that big of a deal. But I think I’m going to take it.”
“It’s a huge deal, and hell yes, you’re going to take it,” Sam said, “Because as of now, you’re fired. If I see you back in the office, I’ll make a big damn scene kicking you out.” Sam’s eyes were kind, and she took Lily’s hand. “I always read what you were writing when you left the room, and it’s amazing. You deserve this,” she said. “Take it.”
“I had them fax it to me at the office again today. I’ll sign it when I get home and get it in the mail tomorrow morning.”
“And I’ll be checking up on you to see that you did.”
“Thanks, Captain.” Lily looked up at her. “Wait, do I get to call you Sam now?”
“I guess you do,” she said, “Calling me Captain Draper would sound a little dirty now.”
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