“We just talk. She’ll want some time just with me, but I think it would be good if you joined the conversation for a while if you’re willing.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Dinner was delicious. The steaks were perfectly cooked and exploding with flavor. Bart stacked so much stuff on top of his potato that it was hardly visible, and he kept adding as he went. The sun was heading for the Canadian Rockies, a lovely evening light on Summer Lake. It was still warm, but a chill would be dropping on them soon. The dogs had returned to the woods. Molly had a fire waiting to be lit and a bottle of cognac for the late evening. She was as happy as she ever got.
“So where do you provision?”
“Fred Meyer in Omak.”
“Got a list?”
“Yup.”
“So what’s the internet business?”
“Maybe that’s for another day.”
“Okay, then, he does have secrets.”
“It’s possible.”
“Do you think I’m going to find out about the secret business before or after I get to visit your outpost?”
“That assumes you find out both.”
“I’m pretty determined.”
“Good luck with that.”
He was smiling. Her mind was whirring.
The flames from the campfire were shooting three feet in the air, the warmth of the fire combating the chill from falling temperatures on the lake. They’d both slipped on overshirts. The sun was behind the Rockies, red and gold colors reflecting on the lake. Molly had just poured two tumblers of cognac.
“Can I ask some questions about your outpost in the wild?”
“I think you’re going to anyway.”
“So, is it a cabin?”
“Yes.”
“How big?”
“Small. The woodshed is bigger than the cabin.”
“It takes a lot of wood to heat a cabin for five months in the winter.”
“I chop wood two hours a day eight months a year.”
“Do you have a chainsaw?”
“Yes.”
“So you’re not a purist?”
“No, and never was. I’m not against modern conveniences if they make life better. It’s about living alone in a beautiful place.”
“So you transport gas.”
