Page 20 of One More Truth
I turn on my phone flashlight and do my best not to look like I’m storming off because of what Eric and Allan said. I just need a moment to collect myself, to focus on the woman I love and nothing else.
I head deeper into the forest. The crackle and pop of the campfire becomes a faint noise in the background as if playing an accompaniment to the night sounds—the occasional rustle of dead leaves on the ground and the steady chirping of insects. The men’s voices carry but not loud enough for me to make out what they’re saying.
I enter a clearing overlooking the valley and park my ass on a boulder. Above me, billions of stars sparkle in the dark sky. Jess’s and my conversation from a few weeks ago about The Great Cock constellation slips into my thoughts, and my lips twitch into a smile. “Are you watching the stars, Jess, and thinking about it too?” The murmured words mingle with the cool night air.
The news about Savannah Townsend living in a small mountainous town in Oregon was in Tuesday’s newspaper, but other than Zara, no one has said anything about it to Jess or me. She’s an introvert and hasn’t spoken to a lot of people since moving to Maple Ridge, but she has been seen in enough places to be recognized from the photo. Yoga class. The Veterans Center. The grocery store. Theresa’s wedding. The library. Or even walking along Main Street.
All it takes is a few people to tell their friends or coworkers they’ve seen her, and for those people to tell someone else. And before long, too many people will know where she’s living.
If people respect her privacy and don’t judge her like Jess fears will happen, her location being revealed is no big deal. But that won’t be the case. There will be people, like the idiots at the campfire, who will judge her and twist the truth to fit their narrative. I have no idea what to do about that.
For the first time since I’ve been away on a Warriors trip, I don’t want to be here. I want to be with the woman I love.
I have no idea how long I’ve been staring at the stars when I hear the crunch of hiking boots stepping on the undergrowth. My stalker isn’t trying to be stealthy.
I glance over my shoulder. A flashlight—probably from a phone—moves toward me, the beam focused on the ground.
“You’re losing your touch if you actually want to be left alone,” Garrett says, humor lightly warping his otherwise neutral tone. “You were too easy to track.”
“That, or you really are part wolf like I suspected when we were kids,” I deadpan.
Garrett chuckles, the sound barely heard over the steady chirp of night insects. He sits on the boulder next to mine. “How’re you doing?” The humor in his tone has flatlined.
“It’s not me you have to worry about.” I turn my attention to the valley and pine trees in the bright glow of the almost full moon.
“I’m worried about both you and Jess. I’m not so worried about those two jerks. Or at least I don’t think you’re gonna throw them off the mountain.”
I rub my hand down my face. “Believe me, it is tempting. None of what they were saying surprises me. It’s not news that some people think Jess was guilty of her husband’s murder. Like it’s not news that some people think the moon landing was faked or believe thousands of other conspiracy theories. I just don’t know what to do about it.”
“I’m not sure there is anything you can do. Jess has been through a lot, but despite all of that, she’s still standing. She’s still strong. She’s probably stronger than any woman I know.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. But even steel has its breaking point.”
A heavy silence falls between us, the night sounds filling in our gap in the conversation. “Is she starting up therapy again?” Garrett asks after a long moment.
“She had an appointment this morning with Robyn.” Thank Christ for that. “Hopefully it will help Jess cope with the current situation.”
“There’s also a chance what those guys said doesn’t echo the sentiments of anyone in town. And if it does, they’ll keep their opinions to themselves.”
I smirk. “You really believe that?”
Garrett huffs out a hard breath. “Maybe it’s just wishful thinking. But until we know if that’s the case, it won’t do us much good dwelling on it. That won’t solve the problem.”
“I just like being prepared.” It’s what we did in the Marines. It’s what I do with my job. I anticipate problems I might have to deal with and have a contingency plan.
“I know you do. But sometimes it’s too easy to get caught up in the maybes and forget to live in the here and now. Remember, you and Jess aren’t in this alone. She has friends who believe in her and who will stand by her, no matter what.”
I nod and go back to staring at the stars.
“Have you told her you love her?”
I’m quiet for a moment, half ready to brush off the question and not answer it. I’m not particularly interested in laying out my emotions raw. But this is Garrett, my brother. I might not always agree with his opinions, but I do trust him. “Yes. But she’s not there yet. Or maybe she’ll never be there.”
“What happens if she never gets there?”
I flash him a one-sided grin he probably can’t see even in the moonlight. “Luckily you’re not a romance writer.”
“Hey, I have a romance storyline threading through my series.” He might not say it, but the implieddumbassis there in his tone.
