Page 8 of Lock and Key

“Promise me that you’ll at least consider venturing out once to do something that doesn’t involve getting groceries,” she begged.

I took in a deep breath.

It had been two months.

Maybe it was time. What would be the harm?

“Okay,” I said. “I promise I’ll figure out something to do and go out at least once over the next week or so.”

“Really?”

There was such an overwhelming sense of excitement in her tone. I was so lucky to have her in my life. “Really,” I returned. “Now, tell me what’s been going on at school this week.”

Waverly groaned. Then, she went on to tell me all about her week.

While she did that, I couldn’t say that I wasn’t at least a bit distracted. Once I saw my neighbor swinging that ax, I had to put in a whole lot more effort to focus on my friend’s words.

I didn’t feel too bad about it, though. Because if she knew that was the case, Waverly would have been cheering me on, urging me to have some fun with a guy like that.

TWO

Dakota

The cold air bit at the tip of my nose as the snow crunched beneath my boots.

At any other time in my life, the thought of what I was experiencing right now would have sent me running in the opposite direction, but today, it didn’t.

I didn’t know why, but there was something that felt so good about being in this moment now.

Waverly had been right.

Maybe I thought I’d been doing what was necessary for me when I kept myself to myself in my cabin, but this was so much better.

And while it might not have been quite what she had in mind when she urged me to get out, I was confident that she’d be proud of me for making the effort that I did.

More than that, she’d be relieved to know that getting out had helped me. What was strange was that until I’d taken her advice and gotten out of the cabin for a little while, I hadn’t realized just how much it was affecting my mood.

Granted, I’d had quite a few moments where I’d felt at peace or even a little happy, and I’d told my best friend that was the case, but deep down, I hadn’t realized just how much I was fooling myself.

Who would have thought that it’d take an afternoon of snowshoeing to show me just how miserable I’d been feeling?

Now that I’d gotten in some time outdoors and found it all to be surprisingly enjoyable, I decided I was going to make this part of my regular routine. Truthfully, I had to do something. Not only had my mood been seriously affected by staying indoors, but I also had to admit that it wasn’t a good idea for me to continue to sit inside baking and eating all the time, either.

I’d drowned my sorrows in baked goods and sugary treats for long enough. It was fine to do that for a little bit—we all needed time to lick our wounds—but now it was time to really start making the effort to take care of myself.

And while I didn’t expect I’d give up baking completely, daily exercise and getting outdoors was one way to put myself first.

I already felt much more energized. My spirit felt lifted, and my mood was much better than it had been when I left my cabin a couple of hours ago.

Now that I was on my way back and could see my cabin in the distance, I was considering how I’d spend the rest of my day.

Up first, a hot bath.

I hadn’t done anything particularly strenuous, but it had been a while since I’d gotten any kind of real workout. I figured it might be best to soak my muscles.

Afterward, I was going to heat up some of the chili I’d made yesterday and curl up on the couch with a blanket and my remote.

I closed the distance between myself and my cabin, and on my journey back home, I had to pass by my neighbor’s cabin. Immediately, thoughts of him filtered into my mind. I didn’t know if it was because something about my walk today had helped to change or heal something inside me, but I started to wonder why I couldn’t bring myself to make the effort in another area of my life.

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