• 25 •

“Back-to-school shopping season is almost here,” moaned Rachel, accepting a latte from Tiffany as the three women settled in at Tiffany's house for their weekly session. The era of the spitting espresso machine was behind them and Tiff had become a true barista. Rachel took a sip of her latte and sighed. “Taste bud heaven.”

“It's my latest invention: white chocolate and caramel,” said Tiff.

“You were so right to keep that espresso maker,” said Rachel. Hey, she could admit when she was wrong.

Tiff beamed. “I'm good.”

“I thought Grandma had come through with the clothes,” said Jess, bringing them back to the subject of back-to-school spending.

“Only for Claire. So I have David to outfit, plus we have to get all the usual school supplies.”

“I remember that,” said Jess. “It adds up in a hurry. Have you budgeted how much you're going to spend?”

“Yes, but let me tell you, I'm finding it scary to budget when the income flow is so low.”

“No jobs on the horizon?” asked Jess.

Rachel shook her head sadly. “I biked over to the school district office again yesterday and I checked the Web site this morning. Nothing.”

“If you need help I'm sure I could come up with a few dollars,” offered Jess.

As if she had any extra money. “I'll be okay,” said Rachel. “At least I've got some kids lined up to tutor. That plus subbing should get me through for a while.”

“I bet Chad would help you if you really needed it,” said Tiffany.

“The king of the cheap date? I don't think so. Anyway, I wouldn't ask him. It wouldn't be right.”

“I don't see why not. After all, he did spend a fortune taking you guys to the fair,” argued Tiffany.

“And I suspect he paid for it big time.” Rachel shook her head. “No, I'd rather depend on myself than a man, anyway. That way I know I have someone I really can count on.”

“He seems pretty dependable so far,” said Jess. “Did I see him out there mowing your lawn this morning?”

Rachel grinned. “We bartered.”

“Yeah?” Jess's eyes took on a lascivious twinkle, making Rachel's cheeks turn pink. “What did you barter?”

“I'm making him dinner tonight,” said Rachel.

Jess took a thoughtful drink of her latte. “Do you have any idea how much longer he's going to be hanging out at his friend's cabin?”

Good question. So far Chad showed no signs of leaving. “I don't know.”

“Do you think he doesn't have any other place to go?” asked Tiffany. “I mean maybe all he has is this rental house. Maybe he's barely making it.”

Hearing someone else voice her suspicion was a little unnerving. “I don't know,” said Rachel. Every time the subject of jobs and money came up Chad stayed vague.

Jess frowned. “Is this getting serious between you two?”

“I … don't know.”

“How do you feel about him?” Jess persisted.

“That I do know. I can't imagine my life without him.”

“Can he afford you?” asked Tiff bluntly.

“He's not penniless. He has the rental house, and I know he sells real estate.”

“Did he ever tell you who he works for?” asked Jess.

“Well, no. But I never asked,” Rachel said. “I know he goes to the city a lot.” She saw Tiffany and Jess exchange worried looks. “He's not a scammer if that's what you're thinking.” He couldn't be. She'd met his sister, for crying out loud.

“It just seems odd that he's so secretive,” said Jess.

“Maybe he's really rich,” said Tiffany. “And he doesn't want you to know cuz he wants to be sure you like him for him.”

“A man who's kind, hot, and rich? Do they ever make them that way?” asked Rachel.

“I wouldn't get your hopes up,” Jess agreed. “He's probably just uncomfortable talking about money. A lot of people are.”

“Well, I guess when the time's right he'll show me his balance sheet,” Rachel said with a shrug. “Right now we're just dating.”

She wanted it to be more in the worst kind of way, but she wasn't going to push for more. She wasn't in a hurry anyway, she told herself. There was no need to rush. She'd been there, done that. Anyway, she had plenty of other good things in her life to keep her busy, she reminded herself.

And as school approached, she got busier, signing the kids up for their activities, meeting the students she'd be tutoring and their parents, and blogging.

Her site was starting to get a lot of hits and she was fast learning that it took a quite a bit of effort to find new helpful information and money management tips and post them. But it made her feel good to know she was helping other women who were struggling with financial challenges.

“Who knows? Maybe you can find a way to make this pay,” said Jess when the subject of the blog came up again.

They were sitting on the public dock, helping Rachel celebrate the first day of school and enjoying the unusually warm fall day.

“I don't know how I'd do that,” said Rachel, gazing out at a couple of ducks crossing the lake.

“You could let people advertise on your site,” suggested Tiffany.

Rachel dipped a foot in the cool water. “Gosh, I wouldn't know where to begin.”

Tiffany snapped her fingers. “You could write a book!”

“A book?”

“Why not?” said Tiffany. “You're putting up all these tips and stuff. Turn ’em into a book. How hard can it be?”

“I'm no expert.”

“I don't know that you have to be an expert,” Jess said.

Tiffany gave a lock of blonde hair a thoughtful twirl. “You could talk about how we started our club and what we've learned so far and all the things we're doing to save money.”

“The neighborhood school clothes swap you hosted last week is a great example,” added Jess.

Rachel couldn't help smiling at that. Even Claire, who had returned from New York determined to be picky, had come away with a treasured outfit.

“There are all kinds of online sites for self-publishing now,” Jess continued, warming to the subject.

“It's a thought,” said Rachel. “Speaking of saving money, Chad and I were hiking on Green Mountain with the kids last weekend. The huckleberries are almost ready to pick.”

Tiffany stopped twirling her hair. “That's where the bears are, isn't it?”

“Lions and tigers and bears. Oh, my!” teased Jess.

“Nothing's going to get us,” Rachel assured Tiffany. “If we see a bear, Jess and I will throw ourselves in front of you.”

“That'll only work if we see one before it sees us,” Tiffany retorted with a frown.

“I can go any day next week,” said Jess, ignoring her. “I'm done at the gym so my mornings are free. And my income's been slashed in half, so the more free food I get the better.”

“Does Michael have any leads?” Tiffany asked, bringing up the subject Rachel had been afraid to touch.

Jess shook her head sadly and stared into her mug. “I need another mocha.”

Tiffany grabbed her thermos and Rachel put an arm around Jess. “He'll find something.”

Jess's normally sunny expression was dark. “We never dreamed it would take this long. His severance money is disappearing and our medical runs out the end of the year. If only we'd had a chunk of money in savings. We'd still be unemployed, but at least we'd have a cushion. I tell you, sometimes I feel like a walking example of what not to do.”

“Things will turn around. You'll see,” Tiffany said, and freshened their mugs with more of her latest latte creation. “Look at us. Things are starting to pick up in Planning and Development. Brian says that means things are probably going to start picking up all over.”

Jess heaved a shaky sigh. “Sorry. I guess it's all starting to get to me. Michael isn't sleeping well. He tosses and turns half the night.”

Which meant that Jess probably wasn't sleeping well either. For the first time, Rachel saw beyond the makeup to the circles under her friend's teary eyes. “Something will happen to turn things around, I just know it.” Actually, she didn't know it, but surely wanting it badly enough for her friend counted nearly as much.

“I don't know how to help him,” Jess confessed. “Other than trying to be positive and cut corners at every turn.” Her shoulders slumped. “My father was right. I should have finished college. At least I could have been a music teacher.”

“Yes, because teaching is such a steady profession,” Rachel said with a frown.

“I wish there was something we could do to help,” said Tiffany.

“You just did.” Jess grabbed a napkin and blew her nose. “Just being able to talk helps. Thanks for listening.”

“Hey, you should put this in your book, too,” Tiffany said to Rachel as if writing a book was a settled matter. “Having a money support group with your friends is about more than money. It's the only way to get through hard stuff.”

“That's for sure,” said Jess.

They were right, thought Rachel. Brainstorming ideas for making extra income, working together to save money, and encouraging each other hadn't necessarily kept the wolf from the door, but it was helping them all feel like they could face him if he got in.

“Speaking of doing things with friends,” said Jess, “when do we want to go huckleberry-picking?”

Tiffany's smiled dropped. “I need another muffin.”

“I don't know about this,” said Tiffany as Rachel pulled her mini-van into the parking lot at the foot of Green Mountain on a Friday morning.

“No bears are going to get us,” Rachel assured her for the third time since they'd gotten into the car. “Too many people come here to hike and mountain bike. The bears make themselves scarce.”

“The only time you have to worry is when you come up on one with her cub,” put in Jess.

“Well, how do you know we won't find some mother and her baby out for a stroll?” Tiffany fretted. “Don't bears love berries?”

“Instead of thinking about bears, think about that wild huckleberry jam we're going to be making for our families and friends and the pies and the huckleberry pancakes we'll get to eat,” suggested Rachel. “And think of the money we'll save.”

“If we live,” Tiffany muttered, but she grabbed her pan and the big Tupperware bowl Rachel had brought and got out of the van.

The parking lot at the head of the hiking trails was old and rutted. At one end a large map mounted behind glass and posted under a rustic little cedar roof showed hikers where to find various trails among the fir and alder and bushes. The women didn't have to follow the main trail very far before spotting the berry bushes. The things branched out on all sides.

“Wow,” breathed Jess, taking it all in. “It's a berry goldmine. Free food, here I come.” And with that she left the beaten trail and charged into the thick of the bushes. Rachel took her Tupper-ware bowl and followed after.

Tiffany lingered on the trail and began to pick the more sparse offering from a nearby bush.

“You have to blaze new trail to find the bushes that haven't been picked,” Rachel told her.

Tiffany took a tentative step.

“Oh, come on, will you?” Rachel said in disgust. “Nothing's going to get you. Do you see any bears?”

“Of course not,” snapped Tiffany. “They sneak up on you.”

“No, they don't. That's lions and there are no lions here.”

“I've heard there are cougars though,” Jess said.

Thank you, Jess. Rachel frowned at her, then said to Tiffany, “Get out here and quit being such a weenie.”

Tiffany scowled and marched through the underbrush to join them. “Okay, fine. But if we get eaten, don't blame me.”

“At least we'll all go together,” quipped Jess. “And think of the free food we're getting.” She started singing, “Food, Glorious Food” from Oliver! which distracted Tiffany enough to help her get into the spirit of the adventure and start picking.

Ten minutes later, though, Tiff had a fresh observation. “These berries are so small. It's going to take forever to fill up my pail.”

“Good things take time,” Rachel said.

That shut her up for a few more minutes. Meanwhile, Jess had slowly wandered off. “Where's Jess?” Tiff asked, panicked.

Rachel looked around and frowned. “I thought we decided we were going to stick together. Jess!”

“Over here,” came Jess's disembodied voice. “I've hit the mother lode.”

“Come on,” Rachel said, starting off in search of Jess.

“We're getting farther from the trail,” protested Tiffany.

“We won't lose it.”

“How do you know? Did you bring a compass?”

“We're heading straight one direction. To get back all we have to do is turn and retrace our steps,” Rachel said patiently. Honestly, what did Tiff think she was, an idiot?

“This is not a good idea,” Tiffany whimpered, following behind.

A second later Rachel heard an “oomph” followed by the snapping of twigs. This was quickly followed by an emphatic “shit!” She turned to see Tiffany picking herself up and looking like a thunder-cloud. “What happened?” As if she couldn't tell. Actually, she was surprised she hadn't been the first one to go down.

“I tripped over a branch.” Tiffany picked up her pail, which was now empty. “And I spilled my berries,” she groaned.

“Oh, well. You didn't have that many anyway,” Rachel informed her.

“Thanks.”

“Are you two coming?” Jess called.

“We're on our way,” Rachel called back.

“I don't see why we have to go so far into the woods,” Tiffany complained behind her.

Rachel turned and frowned at her. “Because that's part of the adventure. Come on, now. Try to make this fun, will you?”

“All right, all right. I hope my mother-in-law appreciates her Christmas present. That's all I've got to say.”

“Homemade blackberry and huckleberry jams and syrups? She'll think you're a saint.”

“That would be a change.”

Now Jess was in sight. She held up her big soup pot and tipped it so Rachel could see how many berries she'd already gotten. The pan was already a quarter filled.

“Wow, you've made great progress,” Rachel praised her.

“I'd made progress, too, till I fell,” Tiffany grumbled.

“You fell?” Jess asked.

She had enough concern in her voice to encourage Tiffany to display her scratched arms. “Look at this.”

“Well, that's no fun,” said Jess.

“Don't give her sympathy,” Rachel said in disgust. “You'll just enable her.”

Tiff tossed her head and marched to a bush on the other side of Jess.

Rachel and Jess looked at each other and laughed.

“What's so funny?” Tiffany demanded.

“You,” said Rachel. “You'd think, the way you're behaving, that we dragged you to the ends of the earth. I swear, I feel like I've got Claire with me.”

“Well, you did drag us to the ends of the earth,” Tiffany snapped.

“At least you're with your friends,” Jess said comfortingly.

“That will make me feel so much better when we're getting torn limb from limb,” said Tiffany, grabbing a branch and pulling a handful of berries off of it.

“Listen,” said Rachel. “You hear that?”

“What?” Tiffany looked over her shoulder.

“Voices,” teased Jess in sepulchral tones. “We are not alone.”

“People are hiking up the trail,” said Rachel. “See? You're not really in the wilds.”

“Wild enough,” grumbled Tiffany, but she gamely kept picking.

Oh, well, thought Rachel, we can't all be nature girls.

But as Tiffany's pot began to fill with berries she got more into the spirit of the outing and even strayed as far as three feet away from Rachel's side. Progress, indeed.

It was a perfect September day, and the morning sun fell warmly on Rachel's shoulders, lulling her into a sense of peacefulness. The air smelled so fresh! She took a deep breath, filling her lungs. So what if she was on a shoestring budget? The point was, she was living, really living. She was in love and her children were healthy and she had her friends. And saving money was becoming an adventure.

She was so busy musing on the wonderful turn her life had taken that she didn't hear the crashing in the underbrush until Tiffany screeched.

“Bear!” cried Tiffany. She threw her pot over her shoulder and bolted, starting a female stampede.

She pushed into Jess and Jess's big pot of berries went flying as well. Jess didn't stop to mourn. Her eyes were the size of CDs as Tiffany swept her forward. The two of them collided with Rachel, who was still taking in the whole drama—the screaming friends, the lost harvest, the black shape bounding toward them. Down they all went like the Three Stooges in drag.

Tiffany scrambled up, heedless of the branches scratching at her, still screaming like a banshee, and bolted off in a direction that Rachel was sure wouldn't lead them back to the trail. Jess hauled Rachel up and was ready to follow.

Too late. The animal was upon them. It burst forth from the underbrush and Rachel's heart stopped. Jess let out a shriek.

And the big, slobbery, overjoyed black lab jumped up on Jess, ready to play, and knocked her back down on top of a huckleberry bush.

“Moose!” called a male voice.

“Moose,” muttered Rachel. “That is not a bear.” She reached down and hauled Jess back to her feet.

“Oh, my God,” panted Jess. “I almost had a heart attack.”

Now two young guys wearing jeans and University of Washington Huskies sweatshirts came running up. “Sorry,” said the one wearing glasses. “Did he scare you?”

“Well, our friend is still running,” said Jess.

The spectacled guy grabbed the dog by the collar and snapped a leash on it. “Sorry. He saw a squirrel.”

“Just so he didn't see a bear,” said Jess. “We'd better go find Tiff,” she said to Rachel.

After apologizing again and helping the women find their now empty pans, the invaders moved off, and Rachel and Jess went in search of Tiffany.

“Tiff! It wasn't a bear,” called Rachel.

“I don't care,” Tiffany's voice echoed back to them. “I'm done.”

They exchanged glances. “I guess we are, too,” Rachel said with a sigh.

“Let's stay a little longer and see if we can recoup our losses,” Jess suggested. “She'll wait at the van.”

Jess was right. It would be stupid to abort the mission simply because one of them was a wimp. “Hey Tiff, wait at the van,” Rachel called. “We'll be there in a little bit.”

“Fine. Don't blame me if you get eaten,” Tiffany called back. “And just for the record, neither one of you jumped in front of me and the bear like you said you would.”

Jess rolled her eyes.

“I'm not sharing my berries with her,” Rachel said as they started picking again. “She who doesn't work doesn't eat.”

“You're a mean one, Mrs. Grinch,” crooned Jess.

“That's right, and proud of it,” Rachel said with a smile.

They picked on for another forty minutes with no sign of a bear. Or a dog. Or any human life. It was now afternoon and Rachel realized she was beginning to overheat. “My tongue feels like cotton,” she said. “I guess we should have brought some water.”

“Probably,” agreed Jess. “But then we'd have to go potty out here in the woods and I'm not a potty in the woods kind of girl. Come to think of it, neither is Tiff. And I just realized, she's locked out of your van.”

“Yes, but there's a restroom at the trail head.”

“She'll have to be really desperate to use it,” said Jess. “But no more talk of restrooms. This is giving my bladder ideas.”

Come to think of it, Rachel was feeling the need of the restroom. “We'd better head back,” she decided. “I want to make sure I'm home in plenty of time to beat the school bus.”

“I think we've got enough berries for a few gift jars anyway,” said Jess. Rachel started in the direction of the trail.

“Wait a minute,” said Jess. “Where are you going?”

“To the trail?”

“Well, it's not that way.”

“Yes, it is.”

Jess pointed in a different direction. “We need to go that way.”

“That's not going to take us there,” Rachel insisted. “I'm positive.”

Jess shrugged. “All right. Have it your way.”

“Trust me,” said Rachel. “I know what I'm doing.” Twenty minutes later, she said, “All right. We're lost.”

“Great,” said Jess irritably. “Now I really do have to go to the bathroom.”

“I'm sorry,” Rachel said humbly. “I don't know how I could have gotten turned around.”

“It probably happened when we were running from the dog,” said Jess.

YOU were running from the dog, thought Rachel, but she wisely kept her mouth shut. No sense pointing that out. If she did, Jess might feel the need to point out that she was the one who had gotten them lost. “So, what way do you think we should go?”

Jess shook her head and looked around. All they could see for miles were baby pines, scrubby alders, rhododendrons, and huckleberry bushes. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Rachel heaved a sigh. “Let's try this way.”

So, off they went. This way didn't work any better than that way had.

“God help me. I'm going to have to go to the bathroom in the woods,” groaned Jess.

“Just so we don't wind up having to sleep in the woods,” said Rachel.

“Don't even joke about things like that,” Jess said with a shudder. “I have a gig tonight.”

And Rachel had to be home for her children. She checked her watch. At the rate she was going she'd be lucky to get home in time to make dinner let alone be there for them when they got out of school. And she had a student coming for a tutoring session at five. Never mind getting back by five. Would they get back at all? She was hot from hiking and dying of thirst and Jess was probably ready to kill her.

She suddenly wanted to cry. “I'm such a big know-it-all. I should have listened to you.” Why did she always think she was right even when she was wrong?

Jess gave her a hug. “You're not a know-it-all. You're a teacher, a born leader, and we love you for it.”

“Does that mean that if we are stranded out here and never found that you won't eat me?”

Jess grinned. “I don't like to make rash promises. Come on, let's try going this direction.”

“I should have brought a compass,” Rachel moaned, falling in step behind Jess. What kind of teacher went into the woods without a compass? One who hadn't meant to stray so far from the trail or run from a bear that turned out to be a dog. Oh, well, live and learn. Hopefully.

Another ten minutes of walking didn't seem to bring them any closer.

“Now what?” Rachel asked Jess.

“Scream for help?”

Of course. Why hadn't she thought of that? “Great idea.” Tiff was at the van. They could follow the sound of her voice and find their way back.

“Tiffany!” they both screamed.

No answer.

They looked at each other. Rachel saw her own panic reflected in Jess's eyes.

“Tiffany! Tiffany!”

Maybe a bear got her. “Tiffany!” Rachel screeched.

Finally a faint voice echoed back. “Rachel?”

“We're lost,” called Rachel. “Keep hollering.”

It was a moment before they heard anything, but then they heard her again. “Stay put. I'm coming in.”

“No!” they both screamed.

“It's okay,” Tiff's disembodied voice assured them.

Rachel collapsed on a stump and hugged her pot of berries. “We're doomed.”

“Tiff, just stay put,” called Jess, “or we'll all be lost.”

“No, we won't,” hollered Tiffany.

Jess fell onto another stump. “I don't believe this.” She heaved a sigh. “And now I'm going to have to suffer a fate worse than death.” She set down her pot and wandered off between the clumps of bushes.

“Where are you going?” cried Rachel in a panic.

“Nature calls,” Jess said over her shoulder. A moment later she disappeared behind a shield of rhododendrons and huckleberry bushes.

Rachel heaved a sigh and hugged her pot. They weren't that far from civilization. Someone would find them. Someday.

Jess was emerging from her sylvan restroom, her face a picture of disgust when they heard a crashing in the underbrush. Rachel jumped up, clutching her pan like treasure, her heart racing. Another moment and a black, four-legged form bounded into sight. Moose.

A moment later the two college boys appeared, followed by Tiffany. Saved. They were saved!

“I brought help,” said Tiffany.

“Thank God,” said Jess, coming up behind Rachel. “We've been wandering for hours. Why didn't you answer when we first called?” she demanded of Tiffany.

Tiffany blushed. “Well, it was so nice and warm. I stretched out on the hood of a car and fell asleep. These guys actually heard you.” She smiled at one of the rescuers. From the way he was looking back at her, Rachel suspected he would have carried her into the woods on his shoulders if she'd asked him to. “Good thing they woke me up,” she added.

“We knew right where to find you,” said the one with glasses. “Didn't we, Moose?”

The dog wagged its tail and barked.

“Just so you know how to get us out of here,” said Rachel.

“No prob,” said their bespectacled hero. “Come on, Moose.” The dog bounded off into the huckleberry bushes and the humans followed at a more sedate pace. Moose's daddy pointed to Jess's pot. “That's a pretty good haul. What are you gonna do with all those?”

“Make jam,” said Jess. “If you give me your address I'll save a jar for you.”

“Sweet. My name's Ted, by the way. This is Mark.”

As they made their way to the parking lot it quickly became apparent that Tiffany had already told the guys all their names and pretty much shared their entire life stories.

“Your blog sounds awesome,” Ted said to Rachel. “I'm gonna have my girlfriend check it out.”

It took them less than fifteen minutes to hike back to the parking lot … and the restroom, which Rachel used as soon as she had thanked their rescuers.

Ted and Jess were exchanging information when she rejoined the group. “Here's my number and my dad's e-mail,” he said to Jess. “He's in HR at Microsoft. You should have your son give him a call.”

“How cool is that?” crowed Tiffany as they waved good-bye to Ted and Mark.

“Very cool,” admitted Jess.

Even more cool, thought Rachel as she checked her watch, was the fact that it looked like she'd actually make it home in plenty of time to meet her children when they got off the bus.

“I can hardly wait to go home and drink a gallon of ice water,” said Jess once they were back in the minivan.

“I just hope we're done picking berries for the year,” Tiffany said from the backseat.

Picking? Who had been doing most of the picking? In fact, who was responsible for the fact that they'd lost their first harvest and had to start picking again? That was it. Berries be damned. Rachel was going to bean Tiff with her pot. She glared at Tiff's reflection in the rearview mirror.

“Don't do it,” said Jess, reading her mind. “We have no place to hide the body.”

Tiffany looked from one to the other, irritated and perplexed. “What?”

“Never mind. Just be glad we're letting you live another day,” said Rachel. But she'd be doing it without any of their precious huckleberries.