Page 13 of Mountain Grump
And what it reveals… is mountains.
Actual snowcapped mountains.
It’s June. It’s already hot back home.
What used to be my home.
But here… Here it feels magical.
I blink away what I hope will be the last tears of the day, and focus my eyes on the distant peaks. They’re miles away. Miles and Miles. But it feels like they’re mine.
Like they belong to me, as much as this land does now.
And… it’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen.
“I get it now, Uncle Jack,” I whisper into the vastness beyond. “I get why you kept this place a secret.”
Chapter 7
Ethan
A raven screamsat me from overhead.
“I know,” I sigh as I tell her.
She screams again, then floats over the treetops, out of view.
I watch the spot where she disappeared, betting she’d like some ribbon too.
My hands are shoved into my pockets, clutching the ruined fabric. And the urge to toss the pieces into the sky, offering them up as an apology, is strong.
Strong enough that I clench my jaw and stomp my boots harder than necessary as I continue through the woods.
Tilda was breaking the law.
It is my job to uphold the law.
Somewhere in my mind, nineteen-year-old Ethan is swinging his leg, trying to kick me in the ass, muttering something aboutpretty girlsandacting like a total fucking loser.
I narrow my eyes—at nothing—picturing my young, naive self.
You don’t know shit,I tell my younger self.Just you fucking wait.
My phone vibrates in my cargo pocket, and I finally release my grip on the ribbon bits to pull it free.
Heaving out a breath, I answer. “Sister.”
“Brother. Whatcha up to?”
I look at the forest surrounding me.
I’m far from any of the hiking paths. Far from where I parked my truck on the service road.
Far from any reasonable answer.
I’m here because I was curious. Wanted to see if Jack was finally back.
Jack.
