Page 4 of Rescued

Not responding is the answer I needed. Not responding is the honesty that should’ve forced me to move on.

She loved her fiancé. I misread whatever was happening and that’s that. There’s no need to go embarrassing myself years later with a reintroduction. God, she’s probably got a couple of kids by now, a rock on her finger, and a big house out in San Diego. She doesn’t need me complicating things.

Then again, driving by her mother’s cabin wouldn’t be the worst thing. Maybe I could catch a glimpse or run into her outside. That’s natural. We’re in the same town. People bump into each other all the time.

Bumping into her could give me closure… more closure…actualclosure. How could it not? Seeing her with her husbandand her family should be the kick in the ass I need to move on…right?

Either way, I’m clinging to that option as though it’s a foregone conclusion. What other choice do I have?

When Mrs. Robinson has pulled out onto the street, I back out of the spot in front of the bar and leave the flashing neon lights behind. It’s only seven p.m. so I convince myself that a drive is in order to clear my head.

Though I know deep down exactly where I’m going. Moose River Avenue is beautiful this time of day.

Chapter Three

Kelly

I stare down at the envelope in front of me, heaving for air. I have no idea why I’m having a panic attack. It’s paper. There’s not a murderer after me. Still, though, it’s more than I can handle.

The envelope is post marked from Kuwait nearly ten years ago. The corners are worn and frayed, tinged with yellow and gray. The ink on the front of the envelope is black and faded and the postage in the corner isn’t the sticker kind, rather it’s a stamp that looks like it was sent straight from the post office.

I hold the note to my face and breathe in the scent, wondering if it still smells like the man I remember, but there’s no hint of leather or spice on the paper. Instead, there’s a floral scent that reminds me more of my mother.

Why did she keep this from me?

I drag in a deep breath and let it out with a heavy sigh. I never told her how I felt about Gentry. There was no reason to. I was engaged and then married. Maybe she got the letter, slid it into the back of an album, and forgot.

No. I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen. For some reason, my mother kept this from me, and I’ll never know why.

The phone rings and I pick it up right away. It’s my friend Jovie. She’s been in crisis for a while now. I should see what’s up.

“Hey.”

“Where did you say you were?”

I laugh. “What? Who wants to know?”

“Not John, I promise, though I’m wondering if he’s staying out of your hair now.”

“So far, so good, but we’ll see how long that lasts. He got weird when I threatened the restraining order in California.” I pause. “Anyway… I’m in Rugged Mountain.” Jovie was my first friend when we moved out to San Diego. She works at the same auditing firm. We work from home most days, but after chatting online for a few months, we decided to meet up for coffee. Since then, we made our own office at the local coffee shop. I think we do more chatting than auditing, but part of any successful team is keeping up morale, so I say we’re winning.

“Well, I want to go out there.”

“Why? It’s a middle of nowhere small town. There’s not much happening.”

I can almost hear her shrug. “You talk about how great it is all the time. I could use a great town to hang in for a while. Something small. I need to disappear.”

“You sound like you’ve committed a crime.”

She laughs way too loud, sort of making me believe she may have actually committed a crime. “No. I just need a break. A real one. I need to go somewhere old-fashioned, ya know? Where I can rent a cabin, pluck the feathers from my own turkey, cut down my own Christmas tree, and get lost.”

“No context for this life altering change?”

She sighs. “I broke up with Wyatt.”

“Shit. I’m so sorry. What happened?”

I can see her rolling her eyes from hundreds of miles away. “I put pressure on him about the wedding and he bailed. So… that’s it. I’m done. I need a restart, something new. Do you think anyone is hiring out there right now?”

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