Chapter 3 #2
He hadn’t been thrilled when she’d told him three days ago that she was going to St. Petersburg in Russia to sightsee.
He’d wanted to protest, tell her it wasn’t a good idea, but she’d been so excited to see The Hermitage, The Peter and Paul Fortress, Palace Square at the Winter Palace, Peterhof Palace, to shop on Nevsky Avenue, and visit the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.
Her message this morning was full of pictures of her adventures the day before. She’d signed up with a private tour company and had spent the day with two other couples, visiting half the sights on her “must see” list.
Seeing Alaska’s smiling face as she posed in front of various churches had made Brick’s morning, despite his wariness about the trip.
He was keenly aware that his old friend thought she was invisible.
That she blended into the background. As far as he was concerned, she was wrong.
Brick would choose someone with her loyalty and passion for life over a pretentious, perfectly made up woman any day.
He’d learned over the years that “average”—at least by Alaska’s definition—tended to be much more satisfying in the long run than shiny and sparkling.
To him, Alaska stood out from the crowd. He could only hope she never stood out to the wrong sort as she traveled the world.
Today, she was supposed to head the thirty or so kilometers from the center of St. Petersburg to see the Peterhof Palace. Afterward, the plan was to swing by the Peter and Paul Fortress, which was the resting place of several Russian czars.
Brick had told her to message him when she returned to her hotel room. She’d agreed, but not before teasing him that he was paranoid and overprotective.
She wasn’t wrong. He was definitely concerned for her safety pretty much at all times. But he couldn’t blame his protective nature when he opened his email first thing every morning, eagerly awaiting her emails.
Even though they were a world apart, Brick thought about Alaska constantly.
He knew she rarely dated. She insisted her looks were “boring”—brown hair, brown eyes, average height at five-eight, average build leaning toward curvy.
But her laugh, her personality, her kindness, her genuine curiosity about the world around her…
all of those things made her more notable than she realized.
When he recalled their childhood, he remembered a girl who never minded getting dirty, laughing hysterically and tagging along when he suggested something not-quite legal…
like letting the air out of the principal’s tires late at night.
Brick couldn’t really remember what his childhood had been like before her.
Their relationship had evolved during those years.
From War in their neighborhood, to marathon video-game sessions, to cheering in the stands at his baseball games, to listening when he bitched about his girlfriends.
When he’d wanted to buy his then-girlfriend a huge bouquet of flowers in eleventh grade, and was short twenty bucks, Alaska had been the one to lend him the money.
They’d gone years without communicating at all. And now, even though they emailed and messaged more than they ever had in the past, Brick missed her terribly.
Having her with him in the hospital in Germany had changed things for Brick.
Changed the way he thought of her. She was his friend, yes…
but she was so much more now. She’d dropped everything—including her job—to get to him when he’d needed her most. Had lied to gain entrance to his room. Whatever it took to get to his side.
No one else had ever done something so selfless for him before…beyond the five men who’d died in the same explosion that had almost taken his own life.
Alaska was special. And while it was hard to believe he could miss someone he still barely knew in certain ways…there it was.
Mutt’s tail began to thump on the wooden boards, and Brick looked up to see Stone coming toward him.
“Good morning,” his friend called out.
“Morning,” Brick returned. “Coffee’s inside if you want a cup.”
The seven owners of The Refuge had their own small cabins. They were set away from the rentals, surrounding the property on all sides. While they needed their privacy and space, they were all welcome at each other’s homes anytime.
“Thanks,” Stone said, giving him a chin lift and heading inside. He returned a minute later with his own cup of coffee. “It’s gonna be a pretty day today,” he said. “I overheard some of the guests saying they might want to go on a hike. Feel like going with?”
Brick nodded. “Sure thing.” They all took turns showing the guests around if they wanted an escort.
Since The Refuge had several hundred acres, the last thing they wanted was anyone getting lost. They’d spent significant time clearing and marking the trails, but there were some beautiful spots that weren’t on the trails that Brick and the others loved to show off.
“We figured it would be good to get the guests out while the vet’s here with Melba.”
Brick winced. Melba was their resident cow.
She was a sweetheart. Loved people. Loved being scratched under her chin.
If allowed, she’d follow the guests around the property, rubbing her head against them and being an adorable pest. But one thing she did not like was a visit from the veterinarian.
The sounds she made when she was being given an exam made it seem as if she were being tortured.
The last thing their guests needed was to hear something that resembled a woman being taken apart one limb at a time.
Anything they could do to prevent a flashback was a good thing.
“Right, so a long hike it is,” Brick said with a smile.
Stone took the chair next to him and they sat in a comfortable silence for a while.
“We’re booked solid for the next several months, right?” Brick asked.
Stone nodded. “Yeah. If reservations continue the way they are, the entire year will be booked within a few more weeks.”
Brick was pleased, especially considering it was only spring.
“And before you ask,” Stone said, “we’re keeping the thirteenth cabin open for emergencies.”
Brick nodded in satisfaction. They’d all decided from the start to always have a cabin open for those who needed an immediate place to stay. For POWs who’d recently been released, or anyone who needed an emergency place to heal.
“Although Becky did accidentally book it for a few different weeks later this summer,” Stone said with a sigh.
Brick merely shook his head. They’d had a hell of a time finding someone competent who could answer phones, deal with customers, and who knew his or her way around a few simple computer programs. He’d thought it would be the easiest position to fill, but in the three years they’d been operating, they’d had almost twenty people in the job.
Some didn’t like the isolation, others felt nervous around the guests, considering some of their backgrounds.
And some had flat-out lied about their abilities to multitask and get shit done.
The guy they’d had before Becky was the absolute worst when it came to dealing with guests. He had the personality of a rock. It had been a disaster.
“I’m assuming everything got straightened out.”
“Yup,” Stone said. “Although, Pipe made her cry.”
Brick frowned.
“He wasn’t even that mean,” Stone assured him. “He just kind of growled a bit and frowned at her, and Becky crumbled like a house of cards. But she did call everyone she’d booked into the cabin to apologize, and owned up to her mistake.”
“Were they pissed?” Brick asked.
Stone shrugged. “Some, yeah. But most understood and simply picked other dates to come. Helped that we gave them a twenty-percent discount.”
Brick was sure it did. The Refuge wasn’t cheap. While POWs were invited to stay free of charge, others paid a considerable price for the rest and relaxation they found here.
“Good. Anything else going on other than Melba’s imminent breakdown and Becky’s fuck-up?”
“Nope.”
Brick nodded again, relieved. Even though they were all co-owners of The Refuge, it kind of felt like his baby.
It had been his idea, after all. “You good?” he asked his friend.
They didn’t talk about their personal demons a lot, but they all knew each other’s triggers.
Stone, like the rest of them, had some days that were harder than others.
“Yeah,” his friend said quietly.
“The anniversary’s coming up,” Brick said.
“Five years. Sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago we were drug through the streets and thrown into that cell, and other times it feels like yesterday.”
“I know,” Brick commiserated. He felt exactly the same way. On his bad days, he swore he could hear Mad Dog’s voice, only to run outside and see a guest he didn’t know standing there.
The two friends sat in silence for several minutes longer before Stone threw back his head and swallowed the rest of his coffee.
He headed inside to return the mug, and when he stepped back out, gave Brick a chin lift before wandering off…
probably to the lodge, to make sure breakfast was ready for their guests and everyone was happy.
Brick continued to sit, staring off into the trees behind his cabin, his thoughts turning back to Alaska.
She should be back from her tour by now, since there was a nine-hour time difference between The Refuge and St. Petersburg.
By the time he returned from the hike with the guests, he hoped to have another email with pictures from her day.
Standing, he took the time to pet Mutt, then entered his house. He needed to change into his hiking boots and different pants. Staying busy was the best way to keep his mind occupied. It would keep his demons at bay…and would get his mind off worrying about Alaska.