A beat-up four-wheel drive vehicle of some kind inched into the campsite. Roberta almost told the driver he was in the wrong place when her breath caught. The driver was Garrett.
He leaned out the window. “Hop in.”
The immaculate interior contrasted radically with the exterior, which had apparently seen more than a few mountain adventures.
“Like it?” He grinned.
As Roberta ran her hand along the plush seat, her attention drifted to a large dent on the hood of the vehicle. “This thing looks like you drove it over a cliff.”
Garrett’s smile faded. “It’s been rolled a couple of times when I was off-roading, but I’m a safe driver. I never take unnecessary chances.”
Roberta hadn’t meant to question his driving ability. She rested one hand on his forearm, then almost forgot what she was going to say at the odd squishy feel of the hair under her palm. She yanked her hand back, and he stared down at his arm, as if she’d left some foreign substance on his skin.
“That’s not what I meant,” she stammered. “I trust you. It’s just …” She shook her head. “Never mind. We’d better get going. I’m sure you’re going into serious withdrawal without your sunglasses.”
Saying it out loud made her realize she did trust him, not merely that he wouldn’t do something foolish and get them killed on the road, but really trusted him. For anything.
Upon their arrival at the mall, Roberta led him to her favorite department store and straight to the sunglasses. Within seconds, she spotted the perfect pair, almost identical to the ones she broke.
“Here, try these.”
He put them on without looking in the mirror, wiggled them, then nodded. “Yeah, they feel fine.”
“Aren’t you even going to look at yourself?”
He shrugged his shoulders, removed them from his face, and read the tag. “What for? They fit right, they’re a good quality name brand, and they offer a good level of UV protection.”
“Don’t you want to know what you look like in them?”
He slipped them back on and scrunched up his cheeks as if feeling them on his face, which raised the glasses up along the bridge of his nose, then let them drop. “No.”
Roberta couldn’t believe her eyes. She found it difficult to believe he could be so handsome in sunglasses he hadn’t even bothered to see on his face.
He took them off and started to walk toward the cashier when Roberta stopped him.
“Hold on a sec,” she said. “Let me see those.”
He handed them to her without thinking. Roberta turned and proceeded to the cashier.
“Robbie? Where are you going?”
“I broke your other ones, so I’m paying.”
“You don’t have to do that.” He held out his hand to take them back, but she didn’t cooperate.
“I broke them, I replace them.”
Since she was unemployed, Roberta cringed at the price. But knowing Garrett worked outside all day, every day, he needed to have good quality sunglasses. She suspected the ones she broke were equally as costly.
While waiting for him to unlock the car door, she removed the price tag. He opened the door and held it for her, but instead of settling in, she handed him the new sunglasses. “You’d better take them now, before I sit on them or something.”
After thanking her politely, he slid them on, nodded, and walked around to the driver’s side.
“Do you mind if we make a quick stop at my place? Since we’re already halfway there, I’d like to check my plants and take in my mail. I live in Coquitlam, not far from Lougheed Mall.”
“Just tell me where to go.”
She directed him to her small rented duplex.
It felt strange to be back. Although nothing had changed, she remembered the state she’d been in when she left. Even though it had been only a week, she felt like she’d done a year’s worth of maturing in the short space of time. She stood in the middle of the living room, staring, feeling oddly out of place.
Garrett followed Robbie inside, closing the door behind him. He left his brand-new sunglasses on the coffee table as he checked the place out. The furniture, while sparse, was well-chosen, comfortable, and well-matched. “Nice place.” He honestly liked it. It suited her. Clean, neat, practical. “You live alone, right?”
“Yes, I do. Is it that obvious?”
“You have one couch, one painting, and everything you have matches everything else.”
She smiled in reply, warming his insides.
He followed her into the kitchen, where she flooded some plants that were sitting in the sink. “I left on such short notice I didn’t ask anyone to house-sit, so I left my plants like this and hoped for the best. Looks like they’re going to live.”
While she fussed with her plants, a rainbow reflection caught Garrett’s attention. He expected to see a prism or crystal ornament hanging by the window, but the window was bare. He followed the path of the light with his eyes to discover the source was on the table. His stomach clenched when he saw it was an engagement ring.
He whistled between his teeth when he held it up and turned it to catch the light. “What a rock,” he mumbled. Even though he’d never priced engagement rings, any fool could see this one cost a small fortune. He would never be able to afford a ring like this as a park ranger, perhaps not even after he graduated and found a better paying job.
Robbie sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Yes, it’s very expensive. I didn’t pick it out, but I did have it appraised for insurance purposes. That ring is worth more than my car. After I found out the value, I was afraid to wear it.”
After a comment like that, Garrett didn’t feel right holding another man’s ring, whether she was wearing it or not. He laid it quickly on the table and turned away, but then Roberta picked it up. She tossed it in the air, caught it, then threw it carelessly onto the counter. Garrett cringed when it landed, tinkling as it slid until it hit the tile wall and stopped.
He’d almost expected her to get all teary-eyed again, but instead, she stared blankly out the window. “For all the money spent on that gorgeous ring, it’s worth nothing to me. All it represents is a hollow promise that’s been broken into a million worthless pieces. To be given a ring a fraction of that value with a sincere commitment of love and trust and loyalty would be worth far more than all the gold and diamonds in the world.”
Garrett couldn’t have said it better, so he said nothing.
Robbie ran her fingers through her hair, stared at her open palm, then grimaced. “I’d feel awkward saying this to anyone else except you, but I think you’ve already seen me at my worst. I need a real shower, not the quarter-a-minute kind. Would you mind if I basked in the luxury of my own shower while we’re here? I think I have some magazines or something if you want to read. I promise to hurry.”
“Your couch looks softer than those wooden picnic benches. Don’t rush on my account.”
To prove his point, Garrett sauntered into the living room, lazed back on the couch, and linked his fingers behind his head. “Wake me when you’re done.” He winked as she appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.
Roberta quickly laid her clean clothes on her bed, then locked herself in the bathroom. She’d always considered the shower to be a place of quiet contemplation, and she’d never appreciated it more than today.
Despite the heartache of a week ago, and though it had been a rough ride, she thanked God for the final result. God was faithful through it all, even though she hadn’t been. She’d pushed God aside and ignored Him when she thought she was pursuing her own happiness. God knew better. God knew Mike and what would have been in store for her had she stuck with him. It had been a tremendous slap in the face, but she now appreciated seeing Mike’s true colors before it was too late.
When she’d felt all but deserted, God put Garrett in her path. He’d taught her a lot about herself, and for that she’d always be grateful. She’d have to do something special for him before their holiday ended, because she’d likely never see him again. The realization made her strangely sad.
Having the burden of Mike’s betrayal lifted almost made her sing the last song she’d sung with Garrett at the lakeside, a song of reverence and respect for God’s enduring love. However, her singing, especially in the shower, was far from professional caliber. God wouldn’t mind, but she thought Garrett might. In fact, if she started singing unaccompanied, knowing the way Garrett so readily appeared to help her when he thought she needed it, he would probably think she was in pain and break down the bathroom door and embarrass them both. She’d embarrassed herself in front of him enough in the past week to last a lifetime.
She had just turned off the water when she heard the doorbell. She scrambled out of the shower to grab her towel and hurry through the adjoining door to her bedroom when she heard the creak of the front door opening. Instantly she relaxed, grateful not to have to hurry. Whoever it was, Garrett could either tell them to make themselves comfortable, or if it was a salesman, send him away.
Her hand froze on the towel bar when she heard an angry voice.
“Where’s Robbie?”
Mike. She sucked in a deep breath and yanked the towel down.
Garrett answered, pointedly polite. “My name’s Garrett. You must be Mike.”
“Yeah, Garrett,” he sneered, spitting out Garrett’s name. “What are you doing here? Where’s Robbie?”
Garrett used the same overly pleasant tone as when he was handling a difficult camper. “She’s busy, and I’m waiting for her. Can I help you with something?”
Roberta didn’t bother with her dripping hair. She frantically tried to dry herself as quickly as possible, scurrying to her bed to collect her clothes.
“I need to talk to her. I want to make a deal.”
She didn’t like the sound of Mike’s voice, an irritated tone she’d heard only once, when he was very, very angry. She’d never been so grateful for Garrett’s presence, although she didn’t want Garrett any more involved in her personal problems than he already was.
Garrett replied, pleasant again, but firm. “I don’t think she wants to talk to you.”
“That’s too bad. I’m going to talk to her, whether she wants to hear it or not.”
“Well, Mike, I beg to differ. I think you should go. By the way, Friend, have you been drinking? Or anything else that we don’t want to talk about?”
“Look, Pal, that’s none of your business. Where has Robbie been for the past week? With you?”
Garrett’s voice lost its pleasant edge. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
The conversation continued to heat up. Roberta wanted Mike gone, and she wanted him gone now. She tried to slip on her underthings.
“I’m her fiancé. I make it my business.”
Roberta stood on one leg, trying to force one damp foot through the leg opening of her shorts, and nearly fell on the floor at Mike’s words. As usual, he made it his business when he wanted something. The selfish creep. She bounced on the bed, then shoved both feet in while sitting and stood to fumble with the zipper.
Garrett’s voice dropped to a low, even pitch. “You’re not her fiancé anymore.”
Mike made a choked laughing sound, not that it sounded like he thought Garrett’s reply was funny. “Well, well. Surprise, surprise. How long has this been going on? Are you the reason she’s been holding back on me? Hmm, Garrett?”
Roberta’s hand froze, and she managed to yank the zipper up with a jerk, nearly catching her fingers. Couldn’t Mike understand that she wouldn’t sleep with him, or with Garrett either, because she had morals, something Mike obviously knew nothing about.
“That’s enough. Let me show you to the door.”
“I’m not leaving without my ring!” Mike shouted.
“You’re leaving. Now.”
She couldn’t believe the angry sound of Garrett’s voice, and she couldn’t believe Mike wasn’t long gone. Robbie pulled her T-shirt over her head, soaking the neck opening with her dripping hair, then nearly choked herself as it got stuck.
“If she’s ready to play by my rules, then I’ll think about giving her back her job.”
“Why, you … She’d never …”
Roberta nearly lost her lunch. She tried to ram her hand through the sleeve opening and missed. She didn’t need or want her job back, and she wanted Mike out of her house and out of her life forever. She didn’t know how she could ever have thought she loved Mike, and even less how she could have considered marrying him.
She needed to put a stop to the ugly scene in the living room. Fully dressed at last, she started for the bedroom door just as she heard the sickening thud of a fist finding its mark. She couldn’t tell who hit whom. Although Mike deserved it, she couldn’t see Garrett throwing the first punch.
Just as she ran down the hall in bare feet, she heard cursing as Mike hit the sidewalk, a rustling of her bushes, hopefully the rosebush, followed by the slam of her front door.
“What’s going on in here?” she called frantically as she skidded to a halt. Garrett stood, his back to her, leaning with his palms pressed at shoulder height against the door.
“Garrett! Say something!”
“You had a visitor.”
She waited.
Slowly, he turned to face her with a slightly crooked smile. “He’s gone now.” One eye was already starting to swell shut.
Roberta covered her mouth with her hands. “Oh, Garrett!” she gasped.
He winced at the same time as he grinned.
“Oh, Garrett, I’m so sorry! Does it hurt?”
“Am I expected to be brave or truthful?”
Roberta cringed. Turning toward the kitchen, she called over her shoulder as she started to run, “Let me get you some ice. Sit down.”
Instead of sitting, he followed her into the kitchen. She guided him to one of the chairs before she dumped some ice into a plastic bag, then covered it with a clean dish towel and gently pressed it to his eye.
When he flinched at the contact, Roberta nearly cried. She twined the fingers of her other hand through the hair at the back of his head to steady him, and maintained the pressure with the compress.
He raised his hand to push it away, but she shook her head.
“It’s not that bad, really,” he complained.
“Quit trying to be valiant. I know Mike works out at the gym.” Garrett flinched again when she moved the compress as the ice melted and shifted. “Don’t move,” she whispered hoarsely.
Obeying her command, he stiffened, not moving a muscle, until she removed the cloth to reshape it.
“Am I all better?”
“Hush,” she choked out, still trying to assimilate what she’d heard. Mike had let her know in no uncertain terms what he thought when she turned down his advances, but he had never resorted to violence or threats in the past. After his performance today, she didn’t think it wise to take the chance. Date rape really happened, and she had no intention of becoming another statistic.
She raised the compress to reapply it, but before she could, Garrett grasped her wrist.
“It’s okay, Robbie, I don’t think any more ice would make a difference. What’s done is done.”
“I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
He gave her such a sad smile she had to bite her bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “I should have seen it coming. Now forget about it. We’d better go get those groceries, or else we’ll have to face the wrath of two very hungry campers when we’re late with their supper.”
All she could do was nod.
On their way out the door, Garrett picked up his sunglasses off the table and very gingerly placed them on his face.
Roberta couldn’t help but stare. The large sunglasses managed to hide most of the swelling, but she could see some discoloration already starting below the lower part of the frame.
For the first time since they were alone together, Garrett remained silent. Overcome with guilt about everything that had happened to him because of her, she found herself doing what Garrett had done up until now. Chattering. Endlessly. She talked about her neighborhood as they drove away, her family, her perception of her camping experience. It warmed her heart when he smiled at her admission of how out of her league she was when she first arrived and how much she’d learned. She asked him questions about his studies, his future career plans, and about what in the world a wildlife biologist would do, especially in the winter when there weren’t any campers to harass.
He outright laughed at that, doing strange things to her insides.
Garrett never removed the sunglasses the entire time they shopped. Quickly filling their list, Roberta insisted on paying as Garrett packed. Knowing they wouldn’t have time to cook a decent meal by the time they returned, Roberta bought a bucket of chicken, and they headed back to the campground.
Garrett couldn’t believe Molly and Gwen’s reactions as they pulled into the campsite. He’d expected them to be anxious for supper, but they’d nearly pounced on poor Robbie, complaining bitterly about starvation, until they saw the bucket of chicken in her hands.
Except for the food, they hadn’t been missed. While eating, Molly and Gwen described their day of searching the campground for the group of rangers they’d played football with. Disappointed at not being able to find them, Molly and Gwen gave up and went to the beach, where they had been pleasantly surprised to find the same group of rangers, off duty. They’d had a wonderful time.
Garrett remained in the background as the women ate, listening to them chattering away. Fortunately, no one paid attention to him. On the drive back, when Robbie wasn’t looking, he’d snuck a peek at his eye in the rearview mirror, and it looked worse than it felt, if that was possible. Almost swollen shut, every time he blinked, the mere contact of his upper and lower eyelids against each other created such pressure that he saw stars all over again. He’d developed a pounding ache all through the left side of his face, and even though it left him with no depth perception, he kept his left eye shut. With the sunglasses on, hopefully no one would notice.
Not wanting to cause a scene or embarrass Robbie, he slunk into the hammock once he finished his supper, where no one would pay any attention to him.
He made no effort to help them build their campfire or light the lantern as sunset approached. He linked his fingers behind his head and crossed his ankles in the hammock, pretending to be asleep. He’d never had a black eye before, and he wondered how long it would throb like this, making him also wonder if he’d be able to sleep tonight. The day changed into nightfall, and still he stayed in the hammock, silent. With darkness came the chill of the night air, but he didn’t want to leave the haven of his hammock. He’d have to take off his sunglasses sooner or later, and although he knew it was unrealistic, he thought if he waited long enough, maybe they wouldn’t notice.
Knowing they wouldn’t ignore him forever, he was still caught off guard when Gwen called him. “Wake up, Garrett, or you won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
He didn’t answer, hoping she’d leave him alone, and that no one would notice the hammock trembling because he was shivering. He mentally kicked himself for not changing into long pants when he had the chance.
“Garrett!” Gwen called, this time from above him. He looked up at her and grinned, hoping that she couldn’t see his face in the dark shadow of the hammock. “Are you sick or something? You didn’t eat any marshmallows. I didn’t know there were so many in one bag.”
“Oh, I must have fallen asleep,” he mumbled.
“Are you still wearing those things after dark? Are you nuts? Let me see them. These are the new ones Robbie got you, right?” Before he realized what she was doing, Gwen reached down and pulled the sunglasses off his face. He couldn’t protest without causing a scene, so he painted a grin on his face, hoping she wouldn’t look at him. He’d managed to hide his face all evening, first with the sunglasses and then under cover of darkness. If his face remained enough in the shadow of the hammock, their secret would be safe for awhile longer.
“Aren’t you cold? I’ve got a jacket on and I’m by the fire. Are you avoiding us for some reason?”
He was. But he wouldn’t admit it, especially to his sister.
“If you don’t get out of there, I’m going to dump you.”
He didn’t need this attention. “You’d better not.”
Without warning, she grabbed one side of the hammock and lifted it up. Caught off guard, his arms shot out to the sides in a reflex action. He grabbed the edges of the hammock to keep from falling out. Gwen let it go, causing the hammock to rock back and forth violently. His head pounded from the sudden movement, and it felt like something stabbed him in the eye. Completely forgetting himself, he sat up with a jolt. “Knock it off, Gwen!”
She never replied. Her eyes opened wider than he’d ever seen. She gasped and leaned closer to him. “What happened to you?”
Three pairs of eyes stared at his face. Robbie visibly paled. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. He bared his teeth in what was probably the phoniest smile of his life, the mere movement making his face hurt. Mustering his dignity, he rose from the hammock and seated himself at the empty lawn chair by the fire.
“Would you believe me if I said I had an accident with a big tree?”
No one spoke. Gwen shook her head.
“I had a disagreement with Smokey the Bear?”
Robbie broke the silence. “It’s my fault,” she squeaked out in a tiny little voice.
Garrett cringed as she continued.
“Garrett and Mike had a bit of an altercation.”
Molly gasped. “Mike? When did you see Mike?”
“He kind of showed up when we stopped by my house.”
Molly’s eyes opened wider, if it was possible. “You had a fight? A fistfight? You?”
Garrett couldn’t help himself. He smiled, despite the pain the movement caused in his face. “It wasn’t exactly a fistfight, Molly.” Although, after the shock of Mike plowing him in the face, he’d been very angry. Instead of striking back, he’d picked Mike up by the scruff of his neck. Exhibiting great restraint, he’d thrown Mike, arms and legs flailing, outside into the bushes before slamming the door. He didn’t know how he hadn’t hit Mike back, but after the fact, he was grateful for the grace God gave him not to lower himself to Mike’s level.
Molly walked to him, leaning forward to get a better look at his face. “Well, I hope you flattened the little creep!”
“Molly!!!” Robbie gasped as she ran to his side.
Garrett grinned. “We’ll just say I escorted him out the front door against his will.”
He raised his hands to the fire, leaning forward to warm himself, signaling his wish to change the subject. As always, Gwen knew he had no intention of discussing it, and she led the conversation into tall tales and bad jokes.
Midnight came quickly. Garrett crawled into his pup tent and the women retired into the camper for the night.