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Several towns and villages in Alaska fit that description. She crosschecked them with the width of the road—it was narrow—and the landscape—spruce trees. Lila wasn’t at the end of a highway, or so far north that trees didn’t grow there, as in Nome.
Of the locations still on the list, one name stood out to Molly.
Firelight Ridge, deep in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Lila was a romantic. That name would draw her like a magnet. It probably meant that they saw a lot of wildfires in those mountains, but Lila would have pictured a flickering hearth and cozy slippers.
If she was making her own decisions.
Firelight Ridge had a road that was only passable in the summer. The rest of the year, the only way to reach it was by plane. Small planes only, since they didn’t have a real airport. It wasn’t the kind of place you could go for just a weekend, then get back to work on Monday. It took two whole days just to get there, assuming the weather cooperated. Which meant Molly had to have a showdown with her boss.
Four days later, she finally got some face time with the senior partner she answered to, Lloyd Bentley. By then, she was itching to get on a plane to Alaska. Every hour that passed, she got more worried about Lila. Why on earth would she disappear into an impassable mountain range without telling any of her friends?
Her impatience probably showed. “I need a week off. I can work remotely. I don’t have any court appearances that someone else can’t handle.”
“What about the Brant divorce?” Bentley scanned through her formal written request. “There’s a deposition on Tuesday, right?”
He’d homed in on the one item on her schedule that she couldn’t work around. “I already talked to all parties involved. There’s no problem in rescheduling.”
“You didn’t talk to me.”
“I thought you’d want me to make sure everyone else was okay with it before I bothered you.” For sure, the hardest part of Molly’s job was making nice with the senior partners.
“Is this a family emergency? A medical issue?”
“Potential emergency, and not exactly family.” Under his eagle eye, she gave in. “A friend, but she’s the closest thing I have to a family. Believe me, I wouldn’t make this request if it wasn’t extremely important.”
“Why do you call it a potential emergency?”
“It might be, but I’m not entirely sure yet. I’m trying to be accurate. But in any case, I have some accrued vacation time. I’l just use the time now, whether or not it turns out to be an emergency.”
“We already have three junior partners out. I’m afraid you’ll have to find another time to take your vacation with your friend.”
Molly bit down on her tongue. Take a moment. Regroup. Don’t say something you’ll regret.
“I can’t express how important this is to me. I promise I wouldn’t be asking if it weren’t.”
“I’m sorry, but?—”
Molly interrupted, knowing she was taking a chance. “For three years I’ve given every drop of blood, sweat and tears to this firm. You know how hard I work. I don’t have a husband or kids or anything to distract me. But I do have a friend who might need me. All I’m asking for is a week. One week. Of my own accrued vacation time.”
Finally he seemed to soften. “Of course this firm appreciates you and your hard work. If it were a spouse or a child in need, or even a parent, maybe I could consider it. But a friend…I’m sorry.”
What did the man have against friends? Even so, Molly saw an opening and held up a hand. “What if the person in need was me?”
“Do you have a medical issue?”
“No. But I need to make sure my friend is okay. I won’t be much use to anyone unless I do. Consider it a workplace productivity issue.”
A smile flitted across his face, reminding her of a shark flashing its teeth. “Are you threatening to bill fewer hours unless you get your way?”
“Of course not. I bill more hours than any other junior partner. Isn’t that a reason to keep me happy?”
“That’s what your paycheck and all those bonuses are supposed to do.”
She pounced. “Then keep my next bonus. And give me a week.”
Standoff. Stare-down. For a moment she thought she had him. Then came a slow shake of his head. “No.”
