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Chapter Nine

T hey fished the rest of the afternoon. Amanda caught two fish and Kasey five. He showed her how to clean them and cooked them on the tabletop stove, sauteing mixed vegetables and making stir-fried rice to finish off the meal. The sun set long before they ate.

Amanda went back to town to freshen up one last time while he drove to an all-night truck stop the other way on the highway and took a shower. He’d invited her to go with him, but when he admitted he wasn’t certain of the amenities they had for women, she decided to go back to the restaurant she’d stopped at on her way this morning.

Kasey had the fire roaring when Amanda returned close to midnight.

Edward rushed over to her. She patted his head as soon as she exited her car.

In the glow of the fire and solar lanterns, Kasey made out her rosy cheeks from the sun and wind today. She’d untangled her short hair, changed clothes, and smelled like cake again. He wanted to lick her skin to learn if she tasted as good as she smelled.

Whoa. We’re just friends. It was just that he couldn’t dismiss how much fun they’d shared today.

“S’more time.” He picked up the sticks he’d shaved down to use for roasting the marshmallows.

“My ex loved s’mores.”

Kasey snatched up the bag with the graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate bars. “What happened with you two?”

She took in a deep breath, giving him the idea she didn’t want to go into it. Yet, she said, “We wanted different things. We met my freshman year. He was a senior and had already signed on to be a naval officer. We married at the end of my second semester. His job is extremely important to him. He travels nonstop. I got tired of being married to someone who was never around. Don’t misunderstand me, he’s amazing. I’m simply not sure if I loved him.”

He waited for her to continue.

“No, that’s not it. I loved him. I still love him.”

“What aren’t you saying?” He set the bag down, and Edward sniffed it. Then Kasey skewered a large marshmallow onto a stick and handed it to her.

Amanda held it to the fire. “I married so young, I’m not sure if I married him for love or if I thought I needed a husband.”

“Needed?” He heated another marshmallow.

“I’d just lost my folks and moved to college where I knew no one. I felt very alone. Barry is a hero kind of guy. He wanted to take care of me. His family accepted me and are the nicest people on the planet. It was just ... This is going to sound terrible.”

Kasey squinted at her. “Please say something terrible because it sounds like the guy is perfect.”

She sadly smiled. “Since he was gone so much, when he was home, he tried to make everything perfect. Which made everything too easy.”

“You got bored?” He jammed the end of his stick into the ground to keep it upright while he opened the box of graham crackers and a chocolate bar. He handed one of each to Amanda and threw a cracker to Edward. The dog caught it midair.

“Not bored.” She stacked the cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow, then another cracker on top, making a s’more sandwich. “I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”

“Bad sex?”

She shook her head. “No. No problems there.”

“We’re back to him being perfect,” he said in an annoyed tone.

“In our too-easy life, something felt missing. That’s all.”

He respected the fact she didn’t speak ill of her ex. He was trying to do the same with Harper.

She took a bite of her s’more and started to lower her hand. A gooey, white marshmallow string stretched from her lips to the s’more until she broke it with her finger. Tempted to lean over and suck the marshmallow off her finger, or her lips, he looked away and ate of bite of his treat.

She sat back in the lawn chair. “These are better than I remember.”

“Everything is better when you’re camping.”

“I detect a theme.” She laughed.

“Like I said, camping relaxes me.” He finished off his s’more. “Even as a kid, I had trouble being still. Mom said I didn’t climb the walls, I jumped them. At the age of two, I climbed up onto the countertop and hopped off pretending to be Spiderman.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Mom thought so.” He shrugged. “I was diagnosed with ADHD early on. I get restless. Jumpy. I bore easily. That’s one reason I love working on my show. Going to different locations and doing different things provides the variety I crave.”

“Are you sure? Some people find comfort in doing the same thing. Like the way you relentlessly flung that fishing rod today.”

“Each cast was a possibility for something different. I enjoy not knowing what I’m going to encounter or what’s going to happen.” He paused. “After the shooting incident, I couldn’t stop the whole thing from playing in my head. Then and now, my mind races at times, and I can’t stay still.”

“Understandable. You did well at Tiny’s and at book club.”

“I guess. Although, I moved a lot at Tiny’s. And at book club, I was busy talking. The truth is I prefer to be moving. I prefer for everything around me to be moving. I like the energy of things moving. It helps me focus better.”

“I understand. I’ve studied ADHD. I was a psych major and got a master’s in counseling. My question to you is, is this the way you want to be? I’m sure you know of medications you can take to help—” She looked down and didn’t finish her sentence.

He frowned. “Were you going to say they could help me live a normal life?”

She glanced up, looking offended. “No. There’s no definition of a normal life.” Now she sounded perturbed. “I was going to say help your brain slow down. Probably every person on Earth needs something to help us through each day.”

“What do you need?”

Her demeanor returned to cordial. “I do things to calm my nerves. Forms of meditation like yoga, visualization, prayer, etcetera. I try to meditate at least an hour a day. I’ll do anything to quiet my mind. I’ve tried meds to help with my anxiety but didn’t like how they made me feel. What have you tried?”

“I took medicine as a kid, but stopped when I got to high school. I exercise a lot, wear myself out so I sleep.” A flash from the trees caught his attention. Fireflies were like tiny spotlights blinking on and off, maneuvering in and out of the grass, behind and in front of trees and bushes.

He rose and held out a hand to Amanda. “Come with me.”

She put her hand in his and stood. Her hand was cool and slightly sticky. He linked their fingers and tugged her away from the fire and the lights until they were in a dark spot. “Do you see the fireflies?”

“I do.” He could hear the smile in Amanda’s words. Edward nosed his head between them.

“When you’re ready, look up.” Kasey gazed at the night sky. Stars popped out of the darkness. The longer he stared, the more stars he saw, and the brighter they became.

“Oh, it’s beautiful.” Her awed words were like a whispered prayer.

He knew about the meteor shower tonight and was grateful the clouds subsided earlier.

A shooting star catapulted across the sky. “Do you see it?”

~

A manda stood next to Kasey, craning her neck to view the show being put on in the sky. She remembered the nights she’d sat in the car waiting for her parents and staring at the moon and stars. “It’s pink. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Tonight, we’re in the path of a meteor shower.”

“Now I get camping,” she conceded.

His hand squeezed hers. “Yeah, it’s amazing what you can see away from the city lights.”

“How do you know so much about celestial things.”

“Harper.”

She was sorry she’d asked. Then another star streaked across the sky. “There.”

“Blue this time.” His deep voice vibrated through her. She was somehow more aware of him. Maybe because he’d opened up to her and shared about his ADHD.

She kept her eyes on the sky. The stars resembled shining diamonds.

They stood holding hands as they looked this way and that, both excited and engrossed. After the longest time, he led her back to their campsite, Edward behind them. When they got close to their spot, the fire and the solar lanterns lent enough light for her to make out two creatures in the water.

She stopped. “What are those?”

“Raccoons.”

“What are they doing?” She let go of his hand and hid behind him, creeped out by how the raccoons resembled tiny people.

“Eating. Hope you didn’t want another s’more.” He pointed to the graham cracker box, chocolate wrappers, and marshmallow bag that had been torn to pieces.

“Eating in the water?”

“They like to wet their food.”

She shivered in revulsion. “How do you know that?”

“I was a forest ranger. I’ve met my share of raccoons.”

In a flash of movement and barking, Edward sprinted toward the water. The raccoon scurried off in the opposite direction.

Amanda sat at the foot of the chaise chair. She began picking up the shredded boxes and paper, stuffing them into the plastic bag.

Edward returned to Kasey’s side. He scratched between the dog’s ears. “Good boy.”

“Thank you, Edward,” she added.

“If you’re going to leave at daybreak, you better sleep.” He helped her finish picking up and put a couple more logs on the fire. “You want to use the tent?”

“And be level with everything creepy and crawly?”

“The truck or your car, then?”

“Too stuffy.”

He turned off the lanterns, adjusted the backrest on the chaise lower, and plopped down on the chair with her, his back against the backrest. “You can join me and sleep out here.” He patted the seat beside him.

She slid backward and reclined next to him. His body heat instantly warmed her. She hadn’t realized how cold she was. She nestled closer to him until her head rested on his shoulder. He felt strong and solid. “Was this your plan all along?”

“Yeah, I knew you’d be unreasonable and requested the low temperature so you’d have no alternative than to snuggle with me.”

“Thought so.” She yawned. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Thank you for coming.” Kasey sat forward an inch and snagged the plaid blanket thrown over the back of the chair. He spread it over them. “Now sleep. I won’t let any raccoons eat your face off.”

She nervously laughed as she slapped his chest. “Don’t joke about that.”

He chuckled.

Edward jumped up and settled at the foot of the chair, his head on her shins.

Being this close to Kasey, her body against his, she could feel his every breath. She concentrated on matching her breathing to his. Her mind hushed. Peace descended as his breathing turned deep and steady. In no time, he quietly snored.

Edward raised his head one last time before he lowered it and closed his eyes.

She wanted to lift her head and watch Kasey, see him relaxed. But she didn’t, afraid she’d wake him. She remained motionless and relished the comfort of being next to him. Their hearts synced.

“One person caring about another represents life’s greatest value.” ~ Jim Rohn

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