Page 3 of Wandering Closer

“Nice to meet you, Lily. I’m Thoren and you’ve obviously met my sidekick, Shadow,” I say, letting her hand drop slowly. “What made you decide to move here?”

Her sapphire eyes shutter as her gaze darts away, and she fidgets with her hair. “I’ve always dreamed of getting out of the city. I hit a point in my career where I could do it, so I did.” Her voice is quieter, more reserved, and I hate that I made her shut down. I want to know the real reason, not the clear lie she just told me, but that would be an overstep, so I change the subject instead.

“Let’s get you set up with everything you need to make the most of your time here.” I walk behind the desk, grabbing one of the ‘Bigfoot Vacations Here’ totes we sell. “I’m going to fill you up,” I mumble out as my cheeks immediately heat, registeringwhat I just said. “Umm, not like that.. Sorry… I meant this bag.. I’m sorry.” Running my hand down my face, I take a deep breath, trying not to die of embarrassment.

Her awkward giggle is cute as she talks to my dog, “Is your daddy stumbling over his words? Yes, he is. It’s okay though, we’re all human.” She snorts, then immediately covers her mouth with her hands. “Sorry. That was embarrassing. It’s just, she’s obviously not human.” She points down at Shadow, her cheeks flushing again.

Apparently, I’m not the only one affected and fumbling with my words. “I’m putting a few pamphlets in here. They’ll have pictures and descriptions of the local wildlife and plants. There’s two maps I’m adding as well,” I say as I continue filling up the tote. “A pocket guidebook, a compass, and I’ll even throw in the holy grail.”

I head back to my desk, grabbing my carefully curated list. “It’s my personal list of everything I carry in my backpack when I go hiking. On the bottom is a list of the apps I have on my phone, and emergency numbers to know. Be careful because you won’t always have service. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and this list has been finely tuned over the years,” I can’t help but brag. I love my job and I love spending time in the woods even more.

Lily’s fingers graze over mine as she takes the list from me, and I swear I feel a jolt of electricity run through my body. “Wow, this is extensive. I guess I have some more shopping to do.” She grabs the bag I have outstretched, “Thank you, Thoren.”

“You’re welcome, Lily. If you ever need anything else, feel free to come back,” I try to prolong the inevitable.

She leans down again, giving Shadow a kiss and some chin scratches. “See you two around.”

With that, she’s out the door and I feel the loss of her immediately. I should have asked for her number, or at leastinvited her to the group hikes I lead monthly. I shoot off a text to Jake, partly to brag and partly to get advice.

Thoren :

You missed out today, a beautiful new girl came in and spent half an hour with me.

I may have been the awkward lanky kid in school, but I have filled out since then. Unfortunately, I am still awkward in person until I get to know someone. Something about Lily has me intrigued, even though I know spending time with her would be a huge mistake.

Jake :

Did you have to tie her up to make her stay? That’s usually more of my thing…

Thoren :

I hate you. She said she just moved here - city girl type. The most mesmerizing blue eyes with dark brown hair. Total killer.

Jake :

Not all city girls are the same dude. How hot are we talking? Like enough for me to stalk around town looking for her?

Thoren :

I said beautiful, not hot. Short, petite, olive skin. Rendered me speechless.

Jake :

Damn I swear I better get a knockout when I’m stuck there tomorrow or I’m quitting.

Thoren :

Sure thing buddy, beers this weekend?

Jake :

If you come out with me, you bet.

I’m not one to judge, but Jake has a reputation for getting around. Aside from college, I have never been a ‘bar on the weekend’ kind of guy, so he knows that’s likely a no from me. We have been best friends since we were kids, but we are total opposites. I’ve always wanted stable relationships and a family, while he has enjoyed the playboy life. I’m a little more rugged around the edges, while Jake is the quintessential bad boy. Somehow, our friendship just works. We are both park rangers, however, he is only part-time until he can make his furniture business a full-time gig. He is a true woodworking master and makes stunning handcrafted items.

No surprise, not a single other person came into the town shop today. I close up at four and head to our large office. I have a meeting with the search and rescue (SAR) team and our volunteers, so I’m bringing Shadow to help calm my nerves. It’s my first meeting being in charge, and we need to plan out training scenarios, schedule who will be available for the next eight weeks, as well as discuss my expectations for the group until a new department head is found. While I have been a volunteer member since I turned sixteen, and am familiar with these woods and zones, this is still not my specialty.

At five, I glance around our conference room, sizing up the numbers we have. Four full-time employees, five volunteer firefighters, and twelve citizen volunteers. Not terrible numbers, and within that group, we have two nurses. For the next hour, we run through schedules, plan out future dates for three training exercises, and discuss how we can work best as a team throughthis transition period. Around an hour later, we all start packing up and heading out, Shadow posted by the door demanding her goodbye pets from everyone.

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