Page 28 of No More Love Songs

CHAPTER EIGHT

SKYLAR

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I feel both exhaustedand completely rejuvenated when I get back to my suite. Physically, I’m wiped out. Mentally, I’m about there with my body. But emotionally I feel a calm I haven’t felt in a while. It’s not restful. It’s more like a calm before the storm but in the best possible way. Like I know change is coming, and it’s going to be amazing. And, I’m ready for it.

Between the moss stain on my pants, the dirt under my nails and the random bits of nature I keep finding in my hair, it’s all the reminder I need that it’s time for me to meet with some running water.

I swear the water is crisper and clearer here, and the shower leaves me feeling a new sense of clarity, not to mention clean in my skin, and at ease in my previously tired, tense muscles.

I’m just about to step onto the balcony to enjoy the balmy air and stunning sunset while I brush my hair and try to return some order to my long mane when I hear a knock at the door.

“Time for pizza already?” I call out on my way to open it.

“Not yet.” Ari grins back at me from the other side. “Dad just wanted me to check on you to make sure you’re settling in okay your first evening here.”

“That was nice of him.” I step inside and gesture for her to come in. “Did you want to hang out a bit?”

“Don’t mind if I do.” She takes an exaggerated step inside, and I notice two of their dogs following close behind.

I step into the hall to look for the third. “Aren’t you missing one?” I ask when I can’t spot the German Shepherd.

“Jack went with Dad.” Ari huffs, apparently slighted by the act. “He’s the favorite right now.”

“Jack?” I close the door and start for the balcony again. I’m happy for the company, but I’m not missing out on that view.

“Our German Shephard,” she explains, following me outside. “She used to belong to some woman who stayed here at the lodge two years ago, but she was being totally neglected. When the chick left for the day and locked Jack out onto the balcony without shade or water in the middle of July, Dad got pissed, busted two of the bars out of the railing and hoisted me up there. It took some treats and a lot of sweet-talking, but I finally managed to get her through the opening and down to where Dad could catch her.”

“You guys dognapped Jack from a guest?” I’m as impressed as I’m entertained.

“We use the word ‘rescue’,” she corrects with a sheepish grin. “But yeah. The lady was pissed, but Dad just insisted Jack must have gotten desperate and busted free. It was just the second floor, she could easily have made the jump and taken off.”

“And the lady believed your father?”

“Yep.” Ari nods. “Didn’t really have a choice. Dad didn’t exactly hold back about how mistreated he thought Jack was. Pretty sure he mentioned she was lucky the dog ran away because he was on the verge of calling animal control to report her.” She smirks. “That may have been the thing that shut her up in the end.”

I chuckle. “May have.” I rest my arms on the railing and fold my hands. The sky is magical this evening. “So that’s the story of Jack,” I muse, thinking over everything she just shared with me. “It’s quite the tale.”

Ari comes to stand beside me, matching my pose. “Might as well be, it’s the only one she came with. Other than her breed and her gender, we don’t know much else about her. Vet guessed at her age, so she’s somewhere between five and seven now, but that’s all we know about her.” From the corner of my eye, I can see her study the skyline like she’s not completely sure she understands what I find so fascinating. “Sky holds more color here than in the city,” she observes after a moment.

“It does,” I agree. “I like seeing it without the rows up rooftops too.”

She nods. “Dad took me with him on a work trip to New York last year. I went a bunch when I was little, before he got the lodge and stopped taking gigs he had to travel for, but it wasn’t until the last time I was there that I noticed how crowded the sky feels with all those buildings blocking it.” She laughs at the absurdity. “I mean, the sky is limitless. Leave it to humans to find a way to shrink it down to less than what it is.”

“We do seem to have a talent for doing just that, don’t we?” I sigh, feeling the last of the tension I collected over the last weeks melt away at last. “Of course, we’re prone to doing the exact opposite too. Taking something meaningless and small and building it up into some insanity that isn’t remotely based in reality anymore.”

“Is that what fame feels like?”

I turn my head to look at her. “I see you have your dad’s keen skills of perception.”

She shrugs. “Happened by default. He spends so much time with only me, I had to fill in for grown up conversation long before my time. It’s cool though. I’m the only one of my friends who can say they’re best buds with their dad, you know?”

“It’s pretty special, what you two have.” I smile, closing my eyes to the warm glow still lingering from the sun. “And yes, fame is a ridiculous, man-made beast. Once it swallows you whole, it’s nearly impossible to separate yourself from it.”

“You seem to have figured out how.”

When I open my eyes again, she’s flipped herself around, resting her back and elbows against the railing now.

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