Chapter 2
Chapter
Two
Nell folded the flaps over the last box and ran packing tape across the seam. Ryder came through the kitchen doorway as she finished writing the room on top.
“Last one?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“I feel like that deserves a ceremony.”
“We had one yesterday,” Nell said with a grin.
“That was for graduation. This is the closing of the final box.”
Blaze appeared behind him. “Just take it to the trailer.”
Ryder lifted the box. “Blaze doesn’t respect milestones.”
Nell laughed as Ryder carried the last box out the front door. All but one final chair had been taken downstairs already. Pale rectangles marked the places where the sofa, desk, bed, and armchair had stood. Blaze crossed the empty living room and lifted the last small chair.
She was so grateful that Ryder and Blaze had offered to help her move.
After Stella and Blaze had found each other on mate.com, Nell had always envied their beautiful relationship.
Nell remembered when Stella was pregnant with Rory.
Stella’s work shoes had gotten wet so she couldn’t wear them to work the next day.
Blaze bought Stella a new pair of shoes, brought them to the diner, and changed her shoes for her in the middle of the dining room.
Nell had always wanted what Stella and Blaze had, but she still hadn’t found her fated mate.
Nell picked up her laptop bag and the suitcase she’d packed for the first few days. Outside, Blaze fitted the last small chair into the trailer and pulled the strap tight. He tested it and closed the doors.
“I’ve learned three things today,” Ryder said. “Packing tape disappears when you need it, every box of books is heavier than the label admits, and Blaze has no interest in our moving-company logo.”
“We don’t have a moving company,” Blaze said.
“That attitude is why we don’t have a logo.”
Blaze shook his head, but he was smiling when he walked toward the passenger door of the Suburban.
Ryder stood with her beside her car. “When are you coming back up?”
Nell looked at him. “I haven’t left yet.”
“I can come down for lunch next weekend.”
“You’d make the drive for lunch?”
“Portland food is world famous.”
Nell smiled. “Let me get through the first week.”
Ryder tossed the Suburban keys in the air and then caught them. “Call if you need to stop.”
He went around the front of the Suburban and got in.
Blaze was already in the passenger seat, ready to be tortured by Ryder’s taste in podcasts.
Nell followed the trailer down Pine Street and through Fate Mountain village.
Familiar houses gave way to the businesses along Main Street, and a few minutes later Ryder turned toward the highway.
The road narrowed as they left Fate Mountain behind. Houses thinned out, then disappeared between stretches of pasture and forest. Soon, all she saw was trees, pastures, and an occasional gravel road disappearing into the hills.
The highway widened as they descended the mountain. Traffic grew heavier, and Nell had to pay closer attention to merges, exits, and the changing speed of the vehicles ahead. When they entered Portland, stores and apartment buildings crowded closer to the road.
A dark cargo van pulled in behind Nell. It reminded her of the van the traffickers had used to abduct her from the trail. For an instant, she was back inside it, watching the doors close her in as the drugs sent her into darkness.
Her pulse jumped and she tightened her hands on the wheel. She was fine. She was in her own car. Ryder and Blaze were ahead of her. At the next light, the van turned away and she let out a relieved breath.
Ryder turned onto the street that ran behind Nell’s apartment building and pulled into the rear parking lot.
Nell followed him in. The three-story brick building filled most of the block, with tall windows facing the street.
A short set of steps led to the front entrance, while the back opened directly onto the parking area.
Nell parked in her assigned space while Ryder left the Suburban and trailer near the rear door.
He came over as she got out. “How was the drive?”
“Hard in places.”
He took her suitcase from the back seat while she carried her laptop bag and purse. Nell unlocked the rear door and led Ryder and Blaze into the enclosed stairwell. The rear stairs brought them to the second floor. They walked down the hall to Nell’s apartment where she unlocked the door.
The entry opened to the living room and the galley kitchen. Nell crossed to the tall street-facing windows and looked out at the traffic below. She then turned toward the room and considered where her things should go.
“Sofa there,” she said. “Table and desk by the windows. The chair can go by the sofa.”
They returned to the lot and began unloading.
Ryder and Blaze handled the heaviest furniture while Nell carried smaller pieces.
When the trailer was empty, Ryder opened the hardware packet for her bed while Nell matched the bolts to the frame.
Blaze held the side rail steady as they assembled the bed against the wall she’d chosen.
Blaze took a picture of the room. “Stella wants proof we didn’t leave you with the mattress on the floor. ”
They then ordered pizza from a place around the corner and ate at Nell’s table with unopened boxes lining the walls.
“Stella says it looks like a nice place,” Blaze said. “She thinks you’ll be happy here.”
“I think so too.” Nell smiled and reached for another slice.
They talked about where the remaining boxes should go and whether Ryder and Blaze did in fact have a moving company that needed a logo.
“Thank you,” Nell said. “Both of you. I wouldn’t have been able to make this move without you.”
Blaze stood and drew her into a firm hug. “Call if you need anything.”
“I will.”
He released her. “I’ll be in the Suburban.”
Ryder remained at the table. “It’ll look great once you have it all unpacked,” he said.
“I think so too.”
“I wish I could stay and help.”
“Blaze is waiting.” Nell met his eyes, an unexpected pain gripping her chest. “I’m going to miss you.”
His mouth tightened before he answered. “I’m going to miss you more.”
Near her door, Ryder opened his arms and Nell stepped into them. She held him around the waist, and he rested his cheek against her hair. Letting go felt impossible.
“I’ll see you soon,” he said.
Neither of them moved.
“You have to go,” she finally said, tears threatening to fall.
“Yeah.” He kissed her cheek and let her go.
Ryder opened the door and stopped at the threshold, giving her one last look and a final goodbye.
“Bye, Ryder,” she said, before closing the door behind him. She rested her palm against the wood, the tear finally falling. Moving away from her best friend was proving far harder than expected.