Chapter 11
RAVEN
It was just a stack of folded papers, probably completely insignificant, yet those letters called to me like a siren. Begging to be read.
My attention was now torn between Nash and the letters. How would I ever get anything done?
Wedging the claw of my hammer under the edge, I loosened the section then slid my gloved fingers underneath and pulled. Riiipp!
Demolition work was much more satisfying than I expected. I was on my third section, almost to the fireplace, when the lights went out, cloaking the cabin in darkness. I froze, unsure what to do next. I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face and the entire cabin was littered with tools and debris. At least I couldn’t see Nash’s muscles anymore.
“Power must have gone out,” Nash called out through the gloom. “I wondered when that would happen.” He emerged from the bedroom holding a flashlight.
“Where’d you find that so fast?”
“I had one in my toolbox, and when the storm hit, I clipped it to my tool belt, just in case.”
“You really are a Boy Scout. You prepare for everything. Don’t you?”
“I try. Doesn’t always work.” Nash flashed his light around the room. “If you could hold the light for me, I’ll carry these pieces of paneling outside so we don’t trip over them.”
“Okay. But I can carry some too.”
“You think you can hold the flashlight for both of us while carrying one of those big sheets?”
“Good point.” I took the flashlight and shined it in front of him as he picked up each plank and carried it outside to toss onto the stack. “I can’t believe it’s still raining.”
“Good thing we have plenty of food and water.”
I could read between the lines. What he was really saying was that we might be here a while. How would we handle that?
I stood awkwardly, shining the light on the floor between us, not knowing what to do. The only furniture was my folding chair and the bed. “So, what do we do now?”
Nash looked around. “Let’s push the bed against that wall, then we can sit and use the wall as a backrest.”
I hesitated, not wanting to be that close to Nash, especially not in the dark. I wasn’t afraid of him, not at all. I’d trust him with my life. It was myself and my traitorous heart I couldn’t trust.
We pushed the bed against a wall we had yet to tear apart.
I sat on the edge of the mattress with Munch at my feet. “We haven’t eaten supper. I could get us some food, if you want. I did say I’d cook the next meal.”
“Go for it. I can always eat.”
With the flashlight in hand, I found my cooler and grocery bag then grabbed two paper plates from Nash’s stack. “I only brought one set of silverware, since I thought I’d be alone. Would you prefer a fork or spoon?”
“I’m not picky.”
“Careful or I’ll let you eat with the knife. In the dark.”
“Fine, I’ll take the fork. What are we having?”
“Patience. Let me dish it up first.” I set the flashlight on the top of the cooler, shining on the plates so I could see what I was doing. I loaded up both plates and carried them to Nash.
“Tabouli salad, hummus, and naan bread. Then I have fresh strawberry pie for dessert.”
“Wow. This sure beats my PB&J sandwiches.”
I shrugged and sat down with my plate on my lap. “What can I say? I thought I’d be here by myself so I brought all of my favorite things.”
“Did you cook all this?”
“Everything but the pie, that’s compliments of Auntie Emma’s Bakery.”
“Of course. I don’t understand why anyone would go through the trouble of baking when we have Auntie Emma in town.”
“I know, right?”
He took a bite of the salad and moaned. “Mmm… this is delicious. I had no idea you were such a good cook.”
“I have many hidden talents. You might think you know everything about me, but you don’t.”
His gaze sent a rush of warmth through me. Unsure what to make of his attention, I scooted to the furthest corner of the mattress. Munch sat right in front of me, his big sad eyes begging me to share a morsel. The softie that I am, I tossed him a corner of my bread.
“Now that we can’t work. Do you still want to read one of those letters?” Nash asked.
“Of course. Aren’t you curious to find out what was so important it had to be hidden in a wall? I’m guessing it’s something juicy.”
“It might not be anything at all.”
“Do you always have to ruin my fun, Baron von Buzzkill?”
“What do you mean? I suggested we read one, didn’t I? And that’s for your entertainment, not mine.”
“Are you telling me, if you were here by yourself, you wouldn’t read them?”
He leaned his back against the wall and laced his hands behind his head, wafting a scent all his own my way. “I don’t know. If I were just working, I wouldn’t take the time. But if I was stranded like this with nothing else to do, I might. Just out of boredom.”
“Just out of boredom, huh? Well, if that’s the case. I’ll read them myself, since you’re clearly not interested.” I reached for the stack of letters, but he slapped a hand on top of them. My skin tingled where we touched. I should pull away, but the magnetic draw was hard to resist. I looked up, and Nash’s gaze met mine. His wide eyes told me he felt the zing, too.
He removed his hand. “I never said I wasn’t interested.” His soft voice rumbled through me, touching me with an unexpected tenderness. My treacherous heart hoped he was talking about more than the letters. He sat with his back against the wall. “And now I have nothing else to do. Why don’t you read it to me?” He patted the spot next to him on the bed.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. Could I really sit next to him on a bed, and still keep my cool? No choice, really. I took a deep breath and fortified my guard. Boy, did I need it. I plopped myself onto the bed and fanned the letters out in front of me. “Fine. Shine a light here, Sparky. I need to see if there’s a sequence. We wouldn’t want to read them out of order.”
I unfolded each one and laid it out on the mattress. Nash spotlighted them so I could read the date scrawled across the top of each page.
“They’re from 1945,” I said, my eyes glued to the pages. “To G, from T.” I gasped and looked up at Nash. “Do you think these could be from Tillie to Gladys? Wouldn’t that be something?”
“Possible, I suppose. I have no idea how old Tillie is, but she’s probably in that ballpark.”
“Now we have to read them.” I arranged all the letters in chronological order.
“Since we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here, how about if we just read one letter now and save the rest for later?”
“Oh all right, Practical Pete. We’ll do it your way.”
I scooted my back to the wall, and Nash sidled up next to me with the flashlight so I could see what I was reading. Even though we weren’t actually touching, my skin felt the scorch or his closeness. Like sitting too close to a fire, you don’t have to touch it to get burned.
A part of me wanted to put a little more space between us, and the rest of me yearned to move closer. So I stayed glued where I was.
I cleared my throat.
Dearest G,
The time we spent together this summer gave me a much needed respite. I wish I could have stayed longer. And I wish we didn’t live so far apart. I never realized how boring my life was until I spent time with you.
What do you do now that I’m not there to entertain you?
Are your siblings driving you crazy yet?
I bet you can’t wait for the school year to start. I’m looking forward to it, but also dreading it.
Remember I told you about the crush I’ve had on my brother’s friend?
My throat spasmed, and I started to cough. Nash stood and brought me a water bottle. I took a swig.
“You okay?” he asked.
I coughed again and cleared my throat. “I’ll live. Just swallowed wrong.” Unable to think up a reason to shove aside the letters I’d been so eager to dive into, and not knowing what else to do, I continued reading. My voice trembled. I rested my hands on my lap to keep them from shaking as I held the paper.
After not seeing him all summer, I thought maybe I’d be able to forget about him. But I saw him last night when he came to see Arnie. Oh, my word. He looks even better than when I last saw him three months ago. He teased me and rubbed his knuckles on my head. Clearly, he only sees me as his friend’s annoying kid sister.
G, what am I going to do? You have to help me. Give me some advice. I can’t take another year of this. Please write back. I’ll be impatiently awaiting your reply.
Your desperate friend,
T
I lowered the page and tried to tamp down my emotions to hide how deeply it affected me. “That doesn’t sound like Tillie. Not the Tillie we know, anyway.”
“It was a long time ago. Nobody’s wise as a teenager. Not even Tillie,” he argued.
“I don’t know. Somehow I can’t imagine Tillie being a normal angsty girl. I think it’d be the other way around and her friends would be coming to her for advice.”
“You only think that because that’s how she’s been since you’ve known her.” He rubbed his fingers along his stubbly chin. “I wonder if she was more an annoying little shadow, or an aggressive stalker type. I bet she was a handful when she was younger. She still is.”
His flippant comment hit a little too close to home. Did he think of me in those ways? Was I an annoying shadow or an aggressive stalker?
I abruptly shuffled the letters together and set them aside where they wouldn’t get wrecked. The blood in my veins simmered with unvented anger and frustration. At least this time, he wouldn’t be able to watch my face turn red. Needing to get some space, I retreated to the other side of the cabin to look out the window. It was pitch black out, and I couldn’t see a thing.
“What did I do now?” he asked.
Seriously? For such a smart guy, he really was clueless.
Munch pawed at the door, needing to go out. Thank goodness I had a dog as a diversion. I got up and moved toward the door, but tripped over something, and tumbled in some kind of flailing somersault, landing on my hip and shoulder.
Nash was at my side in an instant. “Are you alright? Sounded like you took quite a spill.”
“I’m fine. Be glad you couldn’t see what happened. I think I actually hit myself in the head with my own elbow in that crazy display of acrobatics. Is that even possible? I’m sure I’ll be sporting pretty colors in some interesting places by morning, but you know me, I’m all about the colors.”
He grasped my hand and pulled me to my feet then gently patted my arms and shoulders to determine if I was hurt. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Energy zinged between us again. If I thought I needed to get out of here before, that need was now defcon 5. “Alright, Munch. Let’s go out.” I grabbed my jacket and escaped into the dark night with my dog.
My heart was still in my throat as I leaned against the railing to catch my breath. What in the world was wrong with me? I was never going to survive the night alone with Nash. If my clumsiness didn’t kill me, humiliation would do me in for sure.
It was going to be a long night.