Chapter Eight
Bodhi
I am sitting on my back deck watching it pour rain. It’s been coming down heavily for a while now. I keep looking over at the cabin, hoping to see Olivia get back soon. I feel like a fucking asshole for driving away. I’m worried that she’s running again.
When thunder rumbles in the sky, I sigh and pick up my phone. I call her parents first because I know they will answer.
“Hey, Bodhi,” June says happily.
“Hey, Mrs. Monroe. Have you seen Olivia around?”
“Not since yesterday. Why?” she asks.
“Just wondering,” I say. “Let me know if you see her.”
I end the call and go to Kate’s contact next. I will know right away if Kate has seen her because she will cuss me for driving away.
“Hey, Bodhi,” she says simply.
“Hey. Have you seen Olivia?”
“No. Rhett said you went after her after she left the station,” she says. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I…”
“Don’t fucking lie to me,” she snaps.
“I’ll fix this,” I say, ending the call as I jump up and go inside. I find my boots before grabbing my keys to go out and look for Olivia.
I start by driving into town and looking for her car. When I don’t see her, I turn down Highway 16 and drive toward where I parted ways with her earlier today.
“Fuck,” I shout when I see that her car is in the same spot, but the hood is up.
When I get out, it’s pouring, but I still jog over to see if she is in the car.
As I get closer, I can see now that the car is stuck.
She wedged some sticks under the back tire to get traction.
It looks like she was nearly out. When I walk around to the front of the car, the gaping hole in the block explains it.
Fuck, she walked back…
I go back to the truck, but this time I call Rhett. As the phone rings, I start to assume the worst. By the time he answers, I am fucking terrified. “Hey, man. What’s…”
“I fucked up, man,” I say, fighting back emotion.
“What happened?” he asks. “Where are you?”
“Out on Highway 16. I’m by the Davidson farm, parked behind Olivia’s car. She got stuck, and it looks like she ended up throwing a rod.”
“Oh, hell. Is she okay?” he asks.
“I don’t know,” I say, trying not to cry.
“What the fuck do you mean?” Rhett asks. “Where is she? You went after her, right?”
“I did,” I say. “I… she ended up yelling at me and said she wasn’t Mom and I don’t have to save her just because I couldn’t save Mom.
I felt bad and drove back into town. I didn’t think…
Rhett, she’s not here. She had to have walked back, but it’s fucking pouring.
What if she’s hurt? I fucking left her…”
“I’ll call Luke and Kate. We will check down the road this way; you just keep driving down that road and look for her. How long has it been since she left her?”
“Uh… Three hours,” I say.
“Okay, the rain would have slowed her down so she could be a few miles down by now, or she’s in town,” he says. “I’ll send Dad and Jeramy out your way, too, just to make sure.”
“Okay,” I say. “If she’s…”
“Don’t assume the worst, Bodhi,” he tells me. “She is right. She is not your mother. She’s not dead, nor is she going to be anytime soon. Just find her and think of a really good fucking way to apologize.”
“I almost kissed her,” I say. “Everything was fine… She leaned in, and I freaked out. She got mad at me, and I don’t blame her.”
“Find her first, and start over. Earn her trust and take things at her pace,” he says. “Go on. I’ll let you know if we find her.”
“Thanks,” I say, ending the call. I pull onto the road and start driving slowly, trying to spot Olivia through the downpour of rain.
More than two hours go by, and I’m still creeping down the road. When the rain gets too heavy for me to see, I stop. I don’t want to miss her, and I might if I can’t see the side of the road.
I come upon an abandoned barn, and I stop.
Olivia is a smart woman. If it’s raining and this is the only place to keep dry, that’s where I’d go, so maybe she did, too.
I pull off on the shoulder and get out. As I start toward the barn, I can make out a fresh trail where someone has laid the tall grass down by walking through here.
I step into that same path and follow it to the barn.
By the time I step out of the rain, I am soaked from head to toe.
“Fancy seeing you here,” Olivia mutters. I snap my head, and she looks soaked to the bone and cold.