Page 2 of Her Mountain Man Recluse

2

LILA

“You’ve gotto be kidding me,” I mutter, the wind battering my car as I follow the twisting path through the mountains. It was supposed to be a sunny weekend here in Crave County—this storm rolled in out of the blue. Knowing my luck, it’s probably following me. It sure feels like I have a gray cloud hanging over me these days.

I drive as slowly as possible, wincing at the torrents of snow that swirl outside my window. Shadowy trees are shaking from side to side all around me, and I can barely see where I’m going. The path climbs higher and higher, and finally, I pull over on a snowy bank by the roadside, not daring to drive any farther. After a few minutes of waiting for the storm to calm, my best friend’s name flashes up on my phone, and I swallow hard as I answer it.

“Lila? Are you okay?”

Audrey’s voice is like a warm hug, but I have to jam the phone to my ear to hear her over the weather outside.

“I’m okay,” I tell her. “Did you get my text?”

“Yeah, that’s why I’m calling! I was worried. That’s what happens when your best friend sends a vague message about running away to live in the mountains…”

Despite everything, I smile. “All I said was I’ve rented a vacation cabin for two nights.”

She sighs. “I hate the thought of you all alone, feeling miserable in some freezing cabin in the middle of nowhere. Is this because of the video, Lila? Is that why you’re going?”

My throat tightens. “Partly.”

Audrey makes an angry noise in her throat. “Those internet trolls…they’re horrible! You should take some of them to the mountains with you and throw them off the top.”

“Not a bad idea.” I try to laugh, but thinking about the video makes my stomach churn, and I quickly change the subject. “It’s not just the video. This year is off to a crappy start and I need a break from it all. Just for a couple of days.”

“You’re sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

I bite my lip. Part of me would love my best friend to be here, but she has her own life back in Denver, and I can’t expect her to drop everything to follow me into the mountains while I sulk.

“Thanks, but I’ll be fine. Honest.”

“Okay, but I’m just a phone call away if you need me. Say the word and I’ll drive to…wherever the heck you are…where are you?”

“The cabin is on Cherry Mountain, near a town called Cherry Hollow.”

Audrey sniffs. “Never heard of it.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I ask, suppressing a grin. My best friend is a city girl through and through. If something is located more than a mile outside Denver’s city limits, she’s not interested.

“Anyway, I better get going,” I say. “I’m still ages away from the cabin and I want to get there before this storm gets any worse.”

“Okay, well drive safe. Have fun. Oh, and no scrolling through comments on that video! Promise?”

I suck in a breath. “Promise.”

We say our goodbyes, and I drive onward, thinking of Audrey. My best friend is the only good thing in my life right now, and I’m more grateful than she knows. She’s my rock, and I don’t know what I would have done without her these past few weeks.

Everything started going wrong on January 1st. The company I worked for decided to ‘streamline their process’ for the new year. Turns out this meant replacing all their remote customer service reps like me with an AI chatbot called Greg. I was laid off along with a bunch of my colleagues, and I’m still bitter as heck.

Screw you, Greg.

Losing my job also meant losing my apartment. I was already struggling to pay my rent, and the bills piled up fast. I have to be out by the end of January, which means moving back to my parents’ house in Colorado Springs. The idea doesn’t exactly thrill me. My mom and I never had a great relationship. She always has something negative to say about my body, my clothes, my hair, the way I sit, stand, breathe. I can almost hear her now, talking to my dad like I’m not in the room, muttering about me in that fake-concerned voice she always uses.

“She’s definitely gained weight, hasn’t she, Andrew?”

“Oh, Andrew, look at the way Lila’s slouching.”

“Her double chin isn’t very flattering, is it, Andrew?”

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