Page 47 of Signed With Love

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been an asshole the last two weeks. Now you are talking about bad decisions, and when I bring up the wedding, you get pissed. Did you push Claire away afterward?”

How the fuck she reached that conclusion is beyond me. I try a diversion. “We aren’t talking about my relationship. What about you? Why aren’t you telling Finn how you really feel?”

“Oh, come on, really?” She picks up a stick beside her and throws it at me. “Nice subject change. I can’t believe Claire told you that.”

“She didn’t. I saw you at the wedding when he was dancing with another girl.” She wasn’t able to keep the longing off her face, and it was something I saw Chadwick catch. That is a messy triangle right there, and I’m not going to get into it.

“Perhaps we are both messes where relationships are concerned. But there won’t be anything more between me and Finn. He still loves his wife. Let’s leave it be.”

“Agreed.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Claire

It’s beautiful up here. Jamison was right. The setting sun reflecting off the lake and the mountains stretching in the distance is breathtaking. I see why Jamison feels better thousands of feet above the world. After I find him and demand that conversation together, I’ll have him fly me up here himself.

We land on the north side of the mountain with only a few hours or so of daylight left. The space is wide enough for Finn to easily land, but there are miles of area for our search team to cover.

Dad turns over his shoulder and begins signing, Chadwick found the crash site, but since we can’t land any closer to it, we have to hike up. We will spread the teams out in all directions, so regardless of what way Jamison and Rylee hike down, we will find them.

I nod, then work to unbuckle the harness. I don’t hesitate to climb from the plane and start the journey up the mountain. A sharp tug on my arm brings me to a stop. My brows lower as Finn steps in front of me. We don’t have time for his concerns. We need to start the search now.

He holds a walkie-talkie to his mouth and keeps his other hand up for me to pause. I have no idea what I’m doing up here, and I shouldn’t even be trying. But my irrational mind doesn’t care. I have to help.

Dad walks up and waves his hand. We are just checking in with Chadwick and Thorne. The team is spread out across the base of the mountain. Finn is keeping everyone coordinated, so give him a moment.

I appreciate Dad being here. With his help, I won’t be in the dark about what’s happening around us.

Finn continues to discuss something over the walkie-talkie, so I stare out toward the mountain. It’s early summer now. The temperature hasn’t been above forty today, and that was when the sun was high. It’s only going to drop as the sun sets.

I’m worried about them. Do they have supplies to survive in the harsh weather? Are they hurt? Bleeding and cold while lost out there? I’m scared for them. My mind does nothing but craft up horrid scenarios now that we’ve slowed down for a moment. I need movement and purpose again. I need to hike up this mountain and find my friends.

Finn waves a hand, telling us to follow. He’s dressed in the same outerwear as I’m in. The bright yellow is a stark contrast to the rich greens and browns of the pine trees. The snow and twigs of the forest floor bend beneath my boots as I start up the mountain. I keep close to Finn and Dad as we dive deeper into the forest and hike higher up the base of the mountain. The air is fresh, tinged with the pine and wild with the brisk air. I recall back to when Jamison wanted to bring me to Denali. I ended up not wanting to fly, so we spent the entire afternoon searching for treasures his mother had hidden when he was a child. I get lost in thoughts of Jamison as the pounding in my heart increases. I keep pace with Dad and Finn with ease, thankful for my workouts.

We do this until Finn determines it’s time for us to turn back. We haven’t crossed anything but a few animals. Occasionally, Finn would speak into his walkie-talkie and Dad would sign to me, No one has seen them yet. Each shake of his head was a sharp stab to the chest.

I’m not ready to give up tonight, but Dad reminds me I’m in no place to argue with the professional search and rescue that’s leading us. Finn is very detailed with his tracking of our search progress on the map, so I’m certain we are going to find them. I have hope.

We walk back to the plane. The sun sets low by the time we take flight again, the stars dotting the late evening sky. Rylee and Jamison are still out there.

The plane ride is short. Finn lands in a small strip of land in a nearby village. The village is tiny, but the inn has one room to shelter us from the harsh winds tonight. Something Jamison and Rylee won’t have. I swallow the knot in my throat and step down from the plane.

Finn unloads our stuff and hands me a couple bags to carry. He treats me as part of the team and hasn’t given me a hard time since he realized I could hold my own on the mountain. I never asked him to slow down, never complained when things got tough on our hike.

We trudge through the town, simple buildings lining the road with a few streetlights illuminating the way. Finn leads us to the inn, and the moment we are inside, the crisp wind doesn’t batter away at us anymore.

I settle on the end of the bed while the pale yellow lamplight settles across the space. Finn has passed around some dinner, something pre-packaged he pulled from a supply bag. I glance around the room. It isn’t much—a table with a couple of chairs, a bed, and couch. More than most would have, and it’s more than Jamison has tonight.

I swipe a rampant tear from my cheek, the tears I’ve kept at bay since Dad’s text came this morning. I’ve been keeping focused on the rescue to ensure those tears stay hidden. I wanted to be strong for Jamison. Brave enough to bring him home.

I wipe another tear as I watch Dad and Finn talk over a map at the table. They’ve been chatting while laying out the path for tomorrow. I eat quickly to reserve my energy, then lie back and close my eyes. Dreams of winds whipping against the mountains has me tossing and turning late into the night.

???

We are up, dressed, and ready to search at first light. Eventually, Dad had crashed on the couch, and Finn took up the armchair in the corner. It was a restless sleep for all of us. The moment the sun breaks the horizon, it no longer matters. We leave the inn after grabbing a quick bite to eat and take off for the mountains again.

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