Chapter 25
L auren's second-floor apartment was louder than she remembered.
Not only were the neighbors constantly shuffling, talking, and shouting, but she never realized how much color she had in the room or how many unnecessary things she had in her space.
The constant hum of traffic, less than a block away, the distant car alarm beeping incessantly, the neighbor's child screaming as if it had something urgent to say and nobody was listening, jarred her after a month of pine trees, lake water, and nature walks.
And, it was all her belongings that she had yet to put away. How had she accumulated so many things in her twenty-two years?
A knock interrupted her scrutiny. She opened the door and got swept into a hug.
"I missed you." Sonja, her best friend since ninth grade, threatened to choke her.
She laughed, squeezing her back. "I missed you, too. There were so many times that I wanted to text you. It was the longest we've ever gone without at least texting."
"Tell me everything that happened and don't leave anything out."
She pointed to the couch. "Sit, and I'll grab us a glass of wine. I have the photos off my camera downloading now. I did my phone earlier. Though I'm not sure pictures could do the place justice. It was the most beautiful place I've ever been. So serene and majestic."
"I still can't believe you lasted a whole month. I saw your mom at the grocery store a few days after you left, and she bet you'd last less than a week." Sonja kicked off her shoes and then sat on the couch, pulling her legs under her. "Have you seen your folks yet?"
"No." She carried the glasses over and handed a wine to Sonja.
"I called and left a voice message, letting them know I was back in civilization, but I haven't heard from them.
I probably won't. I think they were flying to Hawaii.
I'm not sure when they planned to come back home. I'll have to check my phone."
"You haven't checked your phone?" Sonja gaped. "You never have it out of your hand."
"A month of having no cell service has shown me how much easier it is to go through life with both hands free." She shrugged. "Besides, I came straight home and started doing laundry. You can't believe how much I had."
There was no need to check her phone. Mac wouldn't be contacting her because he was off-grid.
"Considering I went with you when you bought forty pairs of underwear to take with you, I can imagine." Sonja laughed. "Girl, you're not going to have to buy clothes for a while."
"No kidding." She sipped from her glass. "It's crazy having to live with no electricity."
"So..." Sonja waved her hand. "Tell me everything. Did the place meet your expectations? Did you commune with nature? Wrestle a moose? Get the world's best video? Give me the details."
Lauren smiled faintly, sitting down on the couch.
"As a matter of fact, yes, to everything.
I saw a moose with twin babies. It was the most tranquil experience to see something so big glide through the water, looking for plants on the bottom of the lake to eat.
I took tons of pictures and videos for future social media posts. Oh, I almost got attacked by a bear."
Sonja blinked. "Wait—what?"
Lauren's chest warmed. "It wasn't a full-on attack. More like a surprise guest. Jetter handled it."
"Jetter?" Sonja followed her, eyebrows raised. "Who's Jetter?"
"The most manly twelve-year-old boy you'd ever meet. So smart and brave, too. He lives at the campground during the summer." She paused as Sonja continued to stare at her. "Imagine Mowgli in The Jungle Book. That would be Jetter."
Sonja narrowed her eyes. "Okay, hold on. You're telling me a twelve-year-old saved you from a bear?"
Lauren sighed softly, missing her time on the mountain. "He had bear spray and nerves of steel. I owe him a thank-you card and probably a lifetime supply of jerky."
Sonja leaned back, studying her. "You're different."
Lauren lifted her brows. She was the same person.
"You met someone," Sonja said, half-joking, half-probing. "Some hot mountain guy who chops wood and doesn't own a phone, right?"
Lauren tilted her head, wondering if she should mention Mac. Being off the mountain, she found herself struggling to understand what had happened between them. Away from him, it seemed as if it'd been ages since they'd seen each other.
Her leaving the campground was a chicken way of getting out of saying goodbye. She couldn't face seeing him, knowing she'd never see him again.
Sonja's smile faded. "Oh my God. You did meet a man."
Lauren hesitated, then nodded slowly. "His name's Mac."
"Mac," Sonja repeated, like she was testing the weight of it. "Let me guess. He wore a flannel shirt and had a bushy beard, and a mysterious past?"
Lauren's lips curved, but it wasn't quite a smile. "He gave off serious Mountain Man vibes."
"I knew it." Sonja's eyes widened. "You fell for him."
Lauren swallowed hard. "He owns the campground, along with two of his cousins. He's a single dad. Jetter is his son. He's quiet. Grumpy. And complicated."
Sonja whispered, "How old is he?"
"I don't know. Older." She frowned. "I never asked."
"Well, if you had to guess his age, what would you think it is?"
She took another drink. "Probably forty-two. Jetter's twelve and I don't think Mac had him when he was young, so hm, maybe forty-five."
"Lauren." Sonja's jaw dropped. "That's highkey insane."
"No." She blew out her breath, thought about it, and said, "Maybe lowkey."
"Did you...?" Sonja wiggled her finger. "Have sex?"
She nodded. Three different ways in which she'd shed all her inhibitions, but she kept that information to herself.
What she experienced with Mac was different than anything she'd had with any other boyfriend.
Maybe it was because of the age gap. Maybe it was because he was strong-willed and stubborn.
Maybe it was because he was the most caring lover imaginable.
Her stomach fluttered. She inhaled deeply. By now, Mac had to have found the letter she left behind in the cabin.
"He made the mountain and the outdoors beautiful to me. I didn't want to leave," she said softly.
Sonja shook her head in wonder. "You went from bougie chick to feral wilderness witch."
"I fell in love," she admitted.
"Do you have a picture of this mountain man?"
"Tons." She got up and motioned for Sonja to follow her into the bedroom.
She sat down in her desk chair and quickly scrolled through the pictures she'd downloaded from her phone already. Stopping at an image of Mac as he listened to Jetter, just out of view of the camera, she slumped in the chair. Seeing him only made her heart hurt.
"You weren't kidding." Sonja whistled. "He could kick Big Foot's ass."
"He was gentle with me." She clicked on another picture. "Look at him with his son. Have you ever seen such pure love?"
Sonja hummed. "It doesn't look like he knew you were taking his picture."
"He didn't." She got up from the chair. "I thought I'd pick some of the better photos of him and Jetter and have them framed and then send them to him. As a thank you."
"A thank you for having sex?" Sonja clicked her tongue. "It sounds like you have unfinished business with him."
"It's finished."
Sonja frowned. Lauren picked up her wine glass and took a healthy drink. A relationship with Mac wasn't possible. She had to end it before he did. That's why she left early.