When the tow truck arrived at the raft rental shop for the BMW, Lily opened the passenger door and hesitated. It was a bench seat, and it was easy to guess where she’d get stuck. However, since the back seats were crammed full of tools, it seemed her only option—unless she fancied a ride in the BMW being towed.
She settled herself onto the middle of the bench. When Ethan hopped in, Molly leaped across her to settle into the driver’s seat. Lily laughed and dragged the puppy onto her lap.
Exhaustion settled deep into her bones as she stared out the front window. “So, what do you think the chances are the poachers have found us?”
Ethan was quiet for a moment, thinking. “They do know what we’re driving.”
She’d expected him to deny it, to use his magical lawyer-talk to explain it away. Instead, his answer sent more fears whirring through her brain. She automatically petted Molly, but instead of a soothing cuddle, the dachshund wriggled onto her back and attacked her hand with sharp puppy teeth.
“Do you still think the raft was an accident, then?” she asked.
The crease between his eyebrows formed. She’d seen it enough times by now to notice it wasn’t straight. It kind of looked like a lightning bolt.
“If it was, then the timing was a strange coincidence.”
They sat in a tired silence as the tow truck driver winched the BMW onto the platform. New possibilities mounded on top of her earlier fears. Finally, Ethan spoke.
“So, this is your first trip, huh?”
She cringed. She supposed they had to address her confession at some point. Why not now? “Pretty much. I always wanted to travel like my gran and Auntie Marilyn. I was going to start right after high school, but then things got in the way.”
“Like what?”
“Family stuff, I guess. My mum was working full time and always getting sick. My useless older brothers were still living at home and not helping her out much, so I started picking up their slack. And then there was my gran. She needed more help. She was the reason I finally came on this trip.”
“How so?”
“The last time I visited her, she told me one of her many travel stories. She’s nothing like my mum. The apple couldn’t have fallen farther.” She sighed as a sense of longing settled over her. “Her nickname for me had always been Rapunzel.”
“Because of the long hair?”
“Because I’ve been locked away, living in a bubble for twenty-six years. When I told Gran how much I was going to miss her stories, she made me promise to get away for a while and figure out what I want to do with my life.” Lily would have promised her the moon to keep her happy in her last days. “Then I went to make us some tea. When I came back, she was gone. I realize she probably hadn’t meant it to be her dying wish, but how could I not do it after that?”
Ethan shifted to face her. “So you’re doing all this in her memory?”
“No. I’m doing this for myself. It was just the push I needed to finally take action, to change my life, to be more outgoing, brave, adventurous.” She ducked her head. “I never actually told you I was some intrepid traveler. I just never denied it. Maybe I thought, if I put on airs, it would force me to be that person.”
“I don’t think you needed to pretend,” he said. “You’ve never been anywhere, yet you’ve come here on your own, hopped into a strange man’s car, been up for every adventure I’ve thrown at you, and you still haven’t run away. I think you’re brave as hell.” He bumped her with his shoulder. “Brave or stupid.”
She nudged him back. “Considering you’re the strange man, I’d say it’s a little of column A and a little of column B.”
“Hey. Need I remind you that you tried to kiss this man?”
She slapped her forehead. “I didn’t try to kiss you.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell your mom.”
“Ha-ha. Very funny.”
The door opened, and the truck shook as the tow truck driver slid behind the wheel.
Molly scrambled to her feet and gave him a bark. Get out of my truck.
Ethan put on his seatbelt. “Thanks for coming so quickly. We’ve had quite the day.”
“No problem.” He threw the truck into drive and pulled out of the rental shop’s parking lot. “You’re lucky. I was about to clock out. You’re my last pickup of the day.”
“Well, we appreciate it,” Lily said.
Without glancing away from the road, he held out a bag of something that looked like leather. “Jerky?”
Mystery food kept in the truck of a random man? She knew what her mother would say, but her stomach gave a resounding “Absolutely!” growl. It certainly wouldn’t be the riskiest thing she’d done that day.
“Sure. Thank you.”
Ethan passed with a wave, but Molly whined, offended that no one offered her any. With a sigh, she turned her back on Lily and crawled onto Ethan’s lap as if to say I think I’ve proved my point.
Lily took a piece and tore off a bite. She worked her jaw until it felt like it would fall off. Finally, she choked down the meat. It tasted like heaven. But she figured just about anything would taste like a five-star meal at the moment.
Ethan leaned forward to look down the bench. “What’s the car shop here in town like?”
“Don’t worry,” the man said. “I’m taking you to Sam’s Garage. He’s the best in the area, and that’s not just because he’s the only shop around. He’ll be able to fix you up in no time. Sam loves cars. Cars and marionberry pie,” he rambled on. “Never misses marionberry pie night at Peggy’s Pub. Best pie in the state. Sam’s words, not mine, but he should know because—”
“Sam loves marionberry pie?” Lily offered.
“That’s right.” He scratched his thick beard. “You ever been to Peggy’s Pub?”
“No,” she said. “We only got here today. But I’ve never heard of a marionberry.”
“That’s because they’re a hybrid from right here in Oregon. They’re like a blackberry but sweeter and juicier. If you have the chance, try the marionberry pie. You won’t regret it, because—”
“It’s the best pie in the state?”
“You’re a good listener. Not like my Marianne.”
As he went on to describe the inner workings of his marriage, she did her best to pay attention, but the next thing she knew, the truck came to a sudden stop, and her head rolled off Ethan’s shoulder.
She jerked awake and blinked around the cab. Ethan’s head rested against the dirty passenger window; he’d dozed off too. She gave him a nudge, and he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.
“Here we are,” the driver announced and hopped out.
As she slid out after Ethan, she found she was even stiffer now than she had been before. She couldn’t move without groaning. While the tow truck driver unloaded the car, they walked across the gravel parking lot toward the shop.
She stretched out her neck muscles. “How long do you think they’ll take to change four tires?”
“Not long,” Ethan said. “An hour, if they can get us in right away.”
As Molly stopped to relieve herself near a stack of tires, Lily took in their very green surroundings. It was like no one thought to chop down any trees when they built the sleepy little town, but maybe that’s what made Shady Cove so shady.
“Well, it’s a quaint area. I can think of worse places to be stuck in.”
“I can think of worse people to be stuck with.”
She narrowed an eye. “Ethan Summers, are you flirting with me? You should know, I’m just not in that place in my life right now,” she parroted the line he’d fed her during their hike.
“Ha-ha. Very funny.”
Grinning at him, she walked up to the shop’s door and yanked on the handle. It didn’t budge. She jiggled it again before peering through the window. The place was dark. Stepping back, she finally noticed the Closed sign.
“He’s not open today!” the tow truck driver called from across the lot.
Ethan gestured at his BMW. “You said he’d get us fixed up in no time.”
“Not today, he won’t. He took off early. It’s marionberry pie night.”
“So?”
“Marionberry pie.” He spoke slowly, like that explained everything. “I told you he never misses it. Try to keep up, would you?”
Ethan’s shoulders sagged. “So, what are we supposed to do?”
“You city boys are so impatient. Think everything’s gotta happen on your schedule.” The driver tossed Ethan the BMW’s keys and thrust his chin up the road. “There’s a lodge about a mile away that accepts pets. You can grab your stuff out of the car. When you’re done, slip the keys into the drop box by the door.”
The truck’s rusty door squeaked as he opened it and climbed behind the wheel.
Ethan took a step after him. “Wait. You can’t even give us a lift?”
The guy chuckled and slammed the door shut. “I’m not a taxi.”
“But you brought us here,” Lily argued, not sure if she could take even ten more steps without collapsing.
“I brought the car here. You just came with it. Besides, I’m already late.”
Ethan ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “For what?”
“Marionberry pie. You’re not a quick one, are you?” Then to Lily he added, “You could do better.”
He laughed and pulled away so quickly that gravel spat out from beneath the tires. Ethan and Lily shared a look before watching him peel out onto the road.
“That must be some pie,” she said.
He fidgeted with the keys as they headed for the BMW. “This is not exactly the trip I had planned for you.”
While he popped the boot and pulled out their bags, she looked around them, at the leaves rustling in the wind and the clear blue afternoon sky. She inhaled the fresh air. Some of that jerky had given her a little energy, because she drew back her shoulders and reminded herself of Step Two: Go with the Flow.
“Come on. Let’s think of this as an opportunity for a new experience.” She slipped her camera bag over one shoulder.
Shutting the boot, Ethan popped the handles up on their suitcases. “There’s my brave adventurer.”
She half-rolled and half-dragged her suitcase through the gravel, focusing on the ground so she didn’t have to meet his eye. “Yeah. So brave that I didn’t even tell my mum I was leaving. Instead, I left a note.”
“Why didn’t you tell her about the vacation?”
“Because I was afraid I’d let her talk me out of it. I’ve gotten so used to everyone else making decisions for me, telling me what to do. I was kind of hoping this trip would help me find myself, figure out what I really wanted, as cliché as it sounds.”
He dropped the keys through the after-hours slot, and they started walking in the direction the tow truck driver had indicated. Molly raced ahead, tugging on her leash until she practically choked herself. Come on! The pie is this way.
“Have you ever tried talking to your mom and telling her how you feel?” he asked.
She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’m afraid it will break her heart. She’s just scared, partly about something happening to me, but I also think she’s a little scared for herself too.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s been left by a lot of people in her life. Her dad was never around. Her mum—my late gran—was a free spirit. I don’t think she was a stable presence in her life when she was a kid. Then there’s my aunt, Marilyn. She moved to America when she was in her twenties. And my dad left when I was only three.”
“I’m sorry about your father.”
“Thanks.” She lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. It’s not like she remembered her dad. “I reckon my mum’s afraid that I’ll leave her too. And I don’t want to hurt her. I just …”
“Want to live your own life?” He read her mind. “Trust me. I get that. But you can’t draw water from an empty well. Think of this vacation as a chance to refill your well so you can go home and have something to draw from. And I promise to do my best to give you the adventure you deserve. I’m at your disposal.”
Lily watched him closely. “You’re not going to tell me I need to smarten up and stop being a people pleaser?”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “It sounds like you have enough people telling you what to do. As a lawyer, I’ve met a lot of interesting people. It takes all kinds to make the world go round. You just need to be the best you you can be. Not someone else’s version of you.”
She could see the lodge up ahead. It looked like a big log cabin with a peaked front and stonework at the base. A wall of windows rose up the facade to the peak like a triangle. Through them, she spotted cozy chairs and a sofa in front of a stone fireplace.
The sight made her feet cry out in relief, but Molly suddenly veered off the shoulder, dragging Ethan onto a patch of grass.
As the pup explored, Lily considered Ethan’s words. “‘The best me.’ I like that.” It certainly sounded easier than transforming her personality while on holiday. “But who is that?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I’d like to find out.”
As he held her gaze a moment longer, she knew something had changed on that river. Until now, he’d been holding her at bay—except for the vague flirting. However, the softness in his expression invited her in. Was he in a new place now?
It felt as though the river had changed her, too, like it had washed away her inhibitions. Maybe Old Lily, the Lily who would never have a fling with a man she’d just met, had sunk with the boat. Her gran had always told her how short life was, and the river had proven that to her.
Ethan abandoned his suitcase and took a step toward her. His hand came to rest on her hip, attention dipping to her lips. She arched against him, leaning in, and …
Vroom.
Her hair stirred as a car raced by. They wrenched apart and spun to face it.
A dark sedan, dark windows, a purple sticker on the bumper. It disappeared around the next bend as fast as it had come.
Ethan exhaled. “That was close.”
“No kidding.” With a hand to her chest, she took another step away from the road. “If Molly hadn’t dragged us over, I’m not sure we’d be in one piece right now.”
Molly glanced up from chasing her tail. That was my plan all along.
“Let’s hurry and get to the lodge before the day can do any more damage to us.” He jiggled the leash and started down the road again, this time a little faster.
Lily stared in the direction the car had gone, wondering about all this “bad luck” they were having. Were they the world’s unluckiest travelers, or was there more to it than that?
Her stomach growled, and she put her worries aside for later. After all, she couldn’t think on an empty stomach. “I’m Hank Marvin.”
He threw her a funny look. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ethan.”
She snorted. “It’s cockney rhyming slang for starving.”
“We can go to Peggy’s Pub after we check in.”
“Lovely,” she said. “I suddenly fancy a marionberry pie.”