Chapter 27 Cateline
CATELINE
The wedding yesterday was fun, but the proposal to marry Connor so I can get my green card gets muddled in my mind between truth and pretend.
Dancing with him was better than I could’ve imagined. Kissing him is a dream. But forever with a guy who goes by “Wolf?”
I glance at him as he loads things from a storage unit into the Jeep. Yes, his muscles set me on fire.
His smile, too.
And his voice.
His copper eyes.
The exterior is amazing, but he goes deeper too. Much deeper than I expected. Do I want more? How much more? I’m like a greedy little miner digging for gold. I know there are gems there, too—and not connected to the one that belonged to my grandmother that I’m wearing on my finger.
That’s when I realize that I wouldn’t say no to matching bands with Connor. To marry him for real.
He’s silent and slows to let a truck pass on the narrow road.
I slap a mosquito. “You said we were going to be spending time outdoors. Define outdoors.”
“The annual Wolfe family camping trip.”
“Why do I get the feeling we’re not going to be making S’mores around a campfire?”
“Because you saw what my brother is like.”
“What about your dad? Mom?”
“Dad always said, ‘No one is coming to save you.’ Harsh but true, so we learned survival skills.”
“Was that part of your bedtime story routine? If so, I’ll stick with Little Red Riding Hood.”
He chuckles. “My father was a failed football hopeful. He pushed us boys hard. When he passed away, Cain carried on the tradition.” Connor doesn’t lift his eyes from the road.
“But before that? Your mother?”
“I’ll never know the whole story, but from what I understand, Dennis Wolfe built the cabin, dragged my mother out there, and convinced her to live off the land.
They were completely off the grid. Nothing wrong with being self-reliant.
I admire it, but he went to extremes. She got pregnant with me and didn’t make it.
You’d think he’d have gone back to civilization, but instead, he went deeper into isolation.
” Connor scratches the stubble that shades his jawline.
“I think, in a strange way, he convinced himself that if he taught us to survive, he wouldn’t lose us as well. ”
“But he did.”
Connor nods. “Dad was aggressive. Abusive. Made me feel like I never measured up. I think he and Cain blamed me.”
Understanding crystallizes. “The lone wolf.”
“Yeah. School was a different story when I’d play football at recess. Whatever my father lacked in talent and skill, I somehow gained. I was hooked. Obsessed. And pretty good at it, if I do say so.”
My heart aches for him. “Then what?”
“He passed away during my sophomore year in college. Except for my annual return for the camping trip, I left and never looked back.”
“Same,” I say softly.
But the Jeep barrels along the dirt roads, getting narrower and narrower until we pass more Jeeps, trucks, and SUVs lining the sides. At last, Connor comes to a halt, quickly unloads some gear he got at the storage locker, and then helps me out.
With a quick peck on my cheek, he says, “Wait here. Be right back.”
My palm presses against my skin. “What was that?” I whisper, only it sounds more like a giddy little whimper of surprise.
Before I have a chance to process the quick kiss, Connor jogs back to meet me. It’s hard to take my eyes off him, but I look around at my surroundings and my gaze lands on the sign overhead.
“What is this? Where have you brought me? Is this revenge for the ballet class?” My eyes narrow, my lips pucker, and my nostrils flare.
He claps his arm around my shoulders and says, “That’s the exact kind of grit needed to make it out here.”
“Out here? Where are we?”
“This is the boondocks, babe. I can get you the geographical coordinates if you’d like.
It’s called the End of the World Enduro.
Basically, it’s a week-long attempt to survive off the land.
Started as a family, er, a father-son survival thing.
Then it was Cain and me competing to see who could finish first.”
“Could you define survival thing?”
“My father threw me into it when I was about twelve. Almost died the first time. I’ve been coming back ever since,” he says as if it’s no big deal.
“You almost died,” I repeat.
He nods and picks up some of the gear. “You up for this?”
“I still don’t know what this is.”
“Wherever I go, you go, right?” His tone is rather blasé, like this is a trivial detail.
“It’s my job to follow my student for the remaining weeks of the program, but I imagined a guy like you would own an estate or a penthouse apartment. We’d go to the gym, maybe a few meetings, and—”
“Live in the lap of luxury? Not going to lie, I own a few things that stand in contrast to the cabin where I grew up, but this is the real deal. Something I do once a year. You in?”
I puff an exhale. People of all ages and dressed in various shades of camouflage and tactical gear mill around. They each have backpacks similar to Connor’s. Clouds blanket the sky, the air is thick with anticipation, and the hum of energy makes the hair on the back of my neck lift.
Connor winks at me. “Remember, you’re my fiancée. We’ll be in this together.”
“I don’t have anything to prove.”
He’s quiet for a long moment as if thinking about what I said, sifting it through the rough childhood with his father, the rivalry with his brother, and his need to be the king of the mountain.
“I don’t either. Except to you,” he says after a beat.
“Me?” I ask, not filtering my surprise.
“That I’m more than the bad-boy brute you met that first day at Blancbourg.”
I could tell him that I’ve already seen sides of him that have delighted and astounded me. Instead, I play along. “Okay, Mr. Wolfe, let’s see what you’ve got.”
“The End of the World Enduro is a challenge for survivalist types and people who want to prove that they can do hard things. Really hard things, like being set loose in the woods without anything but the barest basics.”
I shake my head, not fully understanding, but Andrew’s comment about the Enduro now makes sense.
“Imagine the world with no airplanes, cars, or technology. No electricity or running water. No modern conveniences. No money. How would we survive? It wouldn’t be with football wins or good manners.”
“Good manners are always essential.”
He nudges me with his shoulder. “So how would we survive? By sheer grit, by knowledge, by skills.”
“And you have these things?”
“Never leave home without ‘em.”
“And for some reason, you thought it would be a good idea to drag me into this? You look at me and think I’m a suitable companion to survive in the wilderness for a week? Are there bears? Wolves? Dangerous creatures in the forest? Are guinea pigs going to come after me?”
He cracks a smile and pulls me close, kissing the top of my head. “You have me.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” I survey the surroundings.
“Cat, when you look at me, what do you see?”
I guppy my mouth, not prepared to answer that question.
He turns his hands up and says, “I know, I know. A devastatingly handsome gentleman. A prize specimen. A hunk who’s both intelligent and generous. Please stop. You’re being too kind.” He mock laughs at his facetious brag.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I mutter, but he’s not wrong.
“Do you trust me?” Gripping my upper arms, he holds my gaze.
The answer comes without hesitation. “Yes, I do.”
He starts walking down a trail edged with long grass. I have no choice but to follow or try to find civilization.
“Well, you know everything I said is true. I am amazing,” he says when I catch up.
He is, but I’m not going to admit that he checks off all of those boxes and more.
But right now is not the opportune time for me to disappear into the wilderness. The school is in trouble and the stress of it has been causing pressure in my chest that’s getting hard to ignore.
I’d like to say my heart is all aflutter from Connor and our kiss, but the reality is, my life is a mess.
Before I can think more about that, we arrive at a clearing where loads of people gather, outfitted with survival gear like tools strapped to their belts, big boots, and all manner of bags and water skins.
Someone whistles for attention. “Okay, everyone, you came here to prove that you can survive the end of the world. That you have what it takes. Sharpen your knives and your senses. When you hear the drums, you may disperse.”
I imagine there to be the pop of a starting gun or something to signal the start, like at a foot race. Instead, everyone falls silent. Maybe they’re saying prayers. I am.
My pulse thrums with uncertainty. What am I getting myself into? If I leave Connor now, that’s acquiescing to the fact that I no longer have a job at Blancbourg.
He shifts and then helps me to my feet. “Let’s go.”
Instead of the drums, all I can hear is the hammering in my chest.
“First things first. Water. Shelter. Those are the basics.”
“Food?” I ask.
“That’ll come later.”
A sense of uncertainty settles over me as the woods close at my back.
I follow Connor for the next hour, gradually forgetting the clutter in my head about Blancbourg and my visa and imagining we’re on a regular hike.
The rises and dips along the mountain ridge afford breathtaking views.
If it weren’t for the challenge looming ahead, it would be peaceful here.
Finally, Connor stops and asks me to wait by a fallen tree. He comes back a few minutes later with a container of water.
Parched, I take a long sip. Then belatedly ask, “Is it safe to drink?”
“Of course,” he says. “I wouldn’t put you in danger.”
“Except to exact revenge for my pranks.”
He barely cracks a smile. “I’d never let anything happen to you.
And to answer your question from earlier, this wasn’t planned to get revenge for the ballet class.
I do this challenge so I don’t forget where I came from and to keep up on my skills, like how to build a fire without a match.
” He winks. “You never know when it could come in handy.”
He’s lit a blaze under me, that’s for sure. But that blaze can just as quickly turn to anger. “If you knew about this, why didn’t you tell me? Were you mentally preparing? Afraid I’d quit? What about the sleeping arrangements?”
“My sleeping bag is big enough for both of us. Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm.”
“Connor—” It comes out like a whine and I cut myself off. Early on, he told me his strength is endurance.
Yeah, well, so is mine, hotshot!
We find a shady spot and sit side by side on the ground.
“If I get eaten by a bear or—”
Connor kisses the top of my head. Then he whispers, “It’s the wolves you have to watch out for.”
Yeah, I know.