Chapter 10
M ac stepped into the lodge, and the scent of coffee hit him in the face.
Avaline was behind the counter, sorting through a stack of trail maps with her usual quiet efficiency.
Beckett and Cord were out back, probably arguing over the generator again.
He didn't bother asking them what he wanted to ask. He already knew their answer.
He cleared his throat. "Morning."
Avaline looked up. "Morning, Mac."
"You ever seen TikTok?"
"Hasn't everyone?"
He shrugged. "I wouldn't know."
"I used to scroll every night." She sighed. "Back when I had a working phone. Since moving up here with no cell reception, I've been scroll-less. Not that I'm complaining."
Mac leaned his hip against the counter and pulled on his beard. "Can you see TikTok on the computer? Or does it have to be a phone?"
"It's on the computer too."
"Can you get it on that one?" He pointed to the computer they use to run the website.
"You do know that's hooked up to satellite internet, right?"
"So, it doesn't?" he asked.
"It does, but the connection is super slow.
It's enough that I can check on reservations through the website and receive emails, but streaming shows is nearly impossible.
I'm not sure about TikTok playing videos, but I'm pretty positive you can see the pictures or previews.
" She pushed her glasses higher on her nose.
"Did you want me to see if I can load it on the computer? "
He hesitated. It would be better if he walked away and forgot about Lauren.
"Yeah, go ahead," he said. There was no turning back.
Avaline moved to the end of the counter and typed on the keyboard. He stood behind her, watching the website come up.
She stepped to the side. "The computer is yours."
The bell on the front door jingled, and campers walked in. While Avaline helped the couple, he scanned the page. There were numerous videos featuring different people. How was he going to find what he was looking for?
He spotted a woman in a bikini dancing on the bow of a boat. Tilting his head, he checked her out before losing interest when she fell overboard. The guy who videoed her should've kept her safe.
Mac pulled the stool over and sat slowly, the screen glowing in front of him. He stared at the search bar for a long moment, fingers hovering over the keys.
He shouldn't look.
He typed in her name. Lauren Holt. The page disappeared but wouldn't load. His leg jumped, and he crossed his arms. The internet was slow. For what they paid to keep one computer and three satellite phones up and running, he expected better.
There she was. Dozens of videos. Hundreds, maybe.
Her face lit by sunsets, her laughter echoing off cliffsides, her hair whipping in the wind on beaches he'd never seen.
He grabbed the mouse and scrolled without watching any of them.
She danced in cities, hiked through forests, and posed beside waterfalls.
Always smiling. Always radiant. Always in a sundress.
An independent woman enjoying life.
Mac leaned back, watching her move through the world like it belonged to her. She was fearless. Vibrant. Loud in a way that didn't make apologies. She was living her best life.
He frowned.
Why had she come here?
This place was slow. Quiet. The kind of place people passed through, not stayed in. It didn't match her other pictures. Didn't match her shine.
He clicked on a video of her laughing with friends. She wore a white sundress and was sipping wine on a rooftop when suddenly she twirled, and the lights illuminated her dress. It was like watching a movie on the big screen.
His chest tightened. He ran his hand over his whiskered jaw. They had nothing in common.
Except good sex.
He exhaled, clicking on another video. What they shared with each other was real. But it didn't change the fact that she lived in a world of constant motion, and he lived in one of stillness.
He closed the tab, exited TikTok, and stood, walking out of the lodge without saying a word.
Outside, the wind rustled through the trees, steady and familiar. This is where he belonged, not drooling over some videos of a girl who was too young, too carefree, and too beautiful for someone like him.