Chapter Twenty-Five
Twenty-Five
Tobin sipped her coffee from the deck, watching mist roll over the water from the coastal forest. It was just before five a.m., and she hadn’t slept—her shift had ended an hour ago, but she was still too wired to sleep.
They’d rescued a hiker who’d fallen into a crevice and fractured his leg.
Thankfully, he hadn’t been hiking alone.
One friend had stayed behind to keep him conscious and hydrated, while the other had hiked back to find cell service and call for help.
All told, the whole mission took less than two hours from the time he fell to the moment Jada secured him onto the stretcher inside the chopper.
Tobin never could sleep very well after a mission.
But, she had been sleeping better, despite last night’s mission.
And she knew that was because of Grier. Both because of the absolutely genius magnesium lotion Grier had given her after her anxiety attack, and because of the presence of Grier herself.
Tobin slept like the dead when Grier was in her bed.
Which was another reason she didn’t feel like crawling into her bed this morning—it was empty.
She didn’t want to dwell on that, though. She’d sleep tonight.
She had no plans today—just a few travel logistics to confirm for her upcoming trip to Iceland.
She needed to reach out to Njáll and Dagny, the siblings she’d befriended—and basically been adopted by—during her previous trips to Iceland for flight training.
This time, she’d be staying with them and their mother while she and Njáll attended their training course.
Dagny had also offered to work her artistry on Tobin’s arm, completing a long-awaited portion of her tattoo sleeve in the open space above the phoenix.
Tobin was excited to travel again. But something tugged at the edge of her mind—a discomfort, an uncertainty.
And it felt an awful lot like Grier.
She was nervous to be away from Grier. And that feeling did not settle well in her body.
She was just about to text the woman in question when her phone started to buzz in her hand. LoLo’s face appeared on the screen. Tobin swiped to connect the FaceTime call, and soon LoLo’s gruff expression filled the frame from the palm of her hand.
“Good, you’re up,” LoLo said.
Tobin couldn’t resist edging her response with sarcasm—it was early, even by LoLo’s standards; the woman had been rising with the roosters since the dawn of time.
“Good morning, LoLo. I’m so glad you called before the rest of the world has had a chance to blink their bleary eyes.”
“Your sarcasm is unbecoming, child.” LoLo looked at her, unimpressed.
Tobin smirked. It wouldn’t do her any good to provoke her—if LoLo was calling this early, she had an agenda.
“What’s up, LoLo? Everything good?” Tobin heard the concern in her voice before she felt it in her body.
Maybe she’d jumped to conclusions… LoLo was built like a house, but she wasn’t immortal.
Tobin reluctantly accepted that her grandmother wouldn’t be around forever.
But it was a thought she kept buried in the furthest recesses of her mind and not her first instinct whenever LoLo called.
She couldn’t live with the constant fear of losing LoLo. So, she chose to ignore her humanity until the time when it confronted her—and not the other way around.
“Yes, of course it is. Why wouldn’t it be?” LoLo responded, resolute as ever. Her obstinance in the face of her age was a point of contention in every conversation that might—in any way—imply she was growing feeble or weak. Heaven forbid anyone show her concern.
Tobin raised a hand in mock surrender, placating her matriarch. Definitely an agenda.
“I think you should come for a visit,” LoLo continued. “How does today sound?”
Tobin didn’t even pause before answering. “Uhhh… If you were trying to calm my fears about something bad going on, you’re failing miserably.”
Tobin stared her screen as LoLo scowled. “I’m fine. It’s you I want to talk about. I’ll see you at one o’clock.” LoLo nodded, as if Tobin’s response had been self-evident. “Come hungry.”
The call ended before Tobin could reply.
“I always do,” she muttered anyway. Then, to no one in particular, “I guess I’m going to the orchard today.”
She opened her phone again, to send the text she’d been planning to send to Grier before LoLo interjected.
TOBIN—5:11 a.m.
I’ve been ordered to the orchard today.
Wish me luck.
She heard the distinctive sounds of cabinets opening and closing, and turned to look through the large window to see Harrow making breakfast. Tobin joined her, plopping onto one of the stools and sliding her mug across the counter for Harrow to refill.
“Tough night?” Harrow asked, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow.
“No, but I think I have a tough day ahead.” She raised her eyes to meet Harrow’s, who was watching her while filling both their mugs from the coffee pot—without spilling a drop, thanks to years of diner shifts that paid her way through school.
“LoLo just called and basically summoned me to the orchard this afternoon.”
Harrow cackled. Literally. She cackled.
The hairs on Tobin’s arms stood up. Her neck prickled. Her hackles rose.
What was she missing? Harrow obviously knew something she didn’t. She stared at her sister, incredulous, waiting for her to regain her composure and kindly explain what in the actual hell was going on.
Harrow managed to rein it in, finally looking at Tobin— sincerely confused. “You seriously don’t know why she wants to talk to you?”
Tobin shook her head. She was flummoxed. Her phone buzzed and she clicked it open, desperate for some of Grier’s grounding sanity to distract her from the chaos of her morning.
GRIER—5:23 a.m.
Oh, good luck! Elodie is formidable! But you
are her weakness—I’m sure all will be fine.
Tobin felt a little calmer just having communicated with Grier—knowing she was out there, steady and supportive.
GRIER—5:24 a.m.
Let me know when you get back in town. Are
we still on for tomorrow night? You still
won’t tell me what we are doing?
The smile that tugged at her lips was genuine, if a little stifled.
She was finally taking Grier to see the fireflies.
She couldn’t wait to see the look on her face as the sun set and the forest began to flicker with light.
She planned to have a picnic in the same clearing where they’d gone mushroom hunting, and settle into each other as dusk closed in, watching the light show cradled in each other’s arms.
“Tobin.”
It was Harrow’s turn to look at her sister with incredulity, interrupting her digression into the conversation and pending plans with Grier. “She wants to talk to you about Grier.”
Tobin scoffed, blacking her phone after she typed her response. “Grier? Why?”
LoLo had never been assertive with Tobin’s previous girlfriends. Which, honestly, was a feat because Elodie Maes had an opinion about everything.
Granted, Tobin had deliberately avoided bringing girlfriends home after her “Blur” days.
Was that what this was about? Was LoLo stepping in now, sensing that Grier could hurt her like Talia had? Did LoLo feel responsible for that, for not stepping in before the relationship imploded in the aftermath of her accident?
No. Not even Eddie or Harrow had predicted what happened with Talia. There hadn’t been any writing on the wall to translate— just an accident, and the carnage in its wake.
Harrow reached across the expanse of countertop, placing a warm, comforting hand over Tobin’s. “I’m just gonna let LoLo explain that one herself.”
Tobin felt her jaw drop. Seriously? Harrow was just going to leave her hanging?
Judging by the smug grin on Harrow’s lips as she gathered her keys and briefcase—then winked at her on the way out the door— yes, Harrow absolutely was going to leave her hanging.
Apparently Girl Code held no significance in this house anymore.
Tobin’s brain offered no reprieve from the multitude of scenarios she played on loop for the rest of the morning. Even the flight over offered no distractions. She arrived at LoLo’s on edge, and fidgeted while she helped her grandmother clean up their late lunch.
She dried the last plate and placed it in the cupboard, then turned to find LoLo already holding a tumbler of bourbon in one hand and a glass of iced tea in the other. She handed the tea to Tobin and gestured toward the front porch—the site of all her most serious conversations.
Tobin grabbed the glass of iced tea in silence and walked through the screen door, settling into one of the Adirondack chairs. She recalled the familiar scenario from several months ago, when she sat here, heartsick and confused, wondering if she should confront her feelings for Grier.
Now, it seemed, LoLo had more to say on the subject.
They sat in silence for long minutes. Tobin’s knee was bouncing restlessly, her nerves unsettled and growing worse by the minute.
It appeared that LoLo was going to draw this out.
Which—what?—LoLo was one of the most direct people she knew.
It was probably—no, definitely—one of the reasons she was so attracted to it in Grier.
She’d grown up with that type of modeling.
Of course she’d find it attractive in a partner.
“I like her,” LoLo stated, casually. Without pretense.
Tobin forced a deep breath out through her pinched lips. Finally.
She didn’t look at LoLo, though. She could feel the weight of a but hovering just behind her words. She didn’t want to see the look on her face when it was finally voiced.
But LoLo didn’t continue.
“Thanks?” Tobin finally caved. She needed to expedite this conversation before her tapping heel hammered a hole in the porch floor.
“She’s good stock.”
Like she’s meant for breeding?
“Yeah, I guess.” Could this be any more awkward?
“Don’t downplay, Tobin.” LoLo’s voice was firm and insistent. “Grier is good people. She’s motivated. She’s reliable. She’s confident— but humble. She’s kind.”