Page 30 of Timber Ridge

“New job?” Kane’s shoulders tense, and a shadow passes over his eyes, making me wonder if my leaving will affect him.

“Yes, I took a promotion to be a testing coordinator. It pays better than teaching, and honestly, I’m tired of people’s games.” I’m mostly tired of the favoritism and being overlooked and ignored when positions open in my school.

“I like games,” Hailey says.

Kane ruffles her hair, which was nicely braided this morning, and now looks like a nest for birds. “You also like spaghetti, so let’s eat.”

Dinner passes in a blur, Hailey recounting every step we took on our trek. “We found the Devil’s Club.” She frowns. “Tommy found it, and Lucas found Old Grizzletoe’s paw print. We even stopped by the burned cabin. Will Grandpa be sad?”

I’m immediately brought back to the panic and then the guilt. My stomach tightens, and the acid rises to my throat. Although Kane repeatedly reminds me that the fire isn’t my fault, I still hold myself responsible.

“Grandpa will understand,” Kane says. “The thing about living in a place like this is nothing is forever.” He looks at Hailey. “If you’re finished, you can go play for a while.”

Hailey skips off to the living room to play with her dolls.

Waiting until Hailey is out of earshot, I say, “The cabin has been around for a long time. Surely, your dad will be sad to lose all the memories it held.”

“My father left the island after my mother passed.” Kane sighs. “He’s been traveling for months. I’m sure he’s afraid to come home to the emptiness. He won’t be bothered. Everything he loved is already gone.”

I ache for Kane. “Not everything. You guys are still here. He’ll come home, eventually. Probably sooner than you think. He’s got a new grandson.”

He shrugs, the movement a subtle shift in his posture. “We'll see,” he replies, his tone carrying a hint of resignation.

Later, while Kane fights Hailey to bathe and get ready for bed, I borrow his computer to order some clothes from Amazon. There isn’t Prime Delivery here, but I’ll make do with what I have for the time being. I have a closet with some of Eliza’s clothes, my flannel PJs, and the gift Theresa brought to school today.

“Did you order what you need?” Kane asks when he returns, looking exhausted. He pulls two wine glasses from an upper cupboard and takes a bottle of cabernet from a nearby rack. “You should let me pay for those since I technically burned down your home.”

“While I appreciate the offer, you have a boat to pay for, and I can afford to get my clothes.” It warms me that he is willing to pay for what I lost in the fire. While I don’t want to admit it out loud, I am grateful that I didn’t create the situation that burned down the cabin. How does one recover from that? The guilt would be immeasurable.

He hands me a glass and takes a seat on the couch. “Join me?”

“Sure.” I’m happy to join him for a glass of wine. It will give me time to get to know him better, to get accustomed to this town. “So, tell me, why didn’t the cabin have solar power or indoor plumbing?” It appears that many places have modern amenities, and some don’t. I’m curious as to why some buildings have moved into the twenty-first century and some remain in the dark ages.

“There are too many trees, so the sun can’t get past the canopy to charge the panels, and the cabin was built long before indoor plumbing was a thing. This house sits atop the ridge, so I get plenty of sun. As for the water here, I get much of what’s in the house from the lake, which gets replenished yearly with snowfall. For waste, I have a septic system. My house is a modern marvel compared to most.”

“That makes sense.” He shifts on the leather sofa so he’s facing me, and I immediately want to run to the bathroom to fix my hair or put on lip gloss. Though we’ve been together all evening, this seems more intimate. There was dinner and now there’s wine. With Hailey in bed, it’s just the two of us, and it almost seems like a date. I let go of that thought and remind myself that this isn’t that.

“I bet it was all a shock when you arrived at the cabin. Eliza didn’t describe it accurately.”

I take a sip and savor the smoothness. “She left out a few details, but she said it had everything I needed, and that wasn’t a lie. At first, I imagined I’d hate it, but I was game to try.”

“And?”

“I actually liked the rustic vibe of the place. It’s life-affirming to know you don’t need all the bells and whistles to survive.”

His eyes widen, and he looks at me, as if searching for deception in my words. “Most women spend a week here and then bolt as fast as they can in the other direction.”

“Hailey’s mom stayed longer, didn’t she?” His shoulders slump forward, and guilt washes over me for bringing it up, but I’m curious about them. What was she like? What did he see in her? Why would she leave a man like Kane? I wave my hand in the air. “It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s okay. Amanda came here as part of a Save the Whales campaign. We hooked up a few times, and then she was gone. I had no illusion that she’d stay, but then she showed up a few months later, pregnant. I wanted to do right by her and Hailey, and I proposed.” He shakes his head and looks into the distance as if replaying a scene. “She said no. She didn’t want to be married to anyone.” He looks at me and shrugs. “I thought that since we had a child together, she’d stay, but she wasn’t interested in any of that ‘domestic stuff,’ as she called it. She wanted the wind in her hair and the sand between her toes. She wanted Alaska today and Galapagos the next month.” His tone is nonchalant, but there's a hint of sadness underlying his words. And I wonder if he’s sad for himself or Hailey?

“What did your family think?”

“Honestly?”

“If you’re willing to share.”

He chuckles. “They thought I should have kept my dick in my pants, but they all love Hailey, so they’re glad I didn’t. At least my mom got to spend time with a grandchild before she died.”

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