One thing he feels certain of, though, is that those wolves are coming back to check the rest of the wreck. With no effective weapons, they’re sitting ducks. Sure, they could grab some scrap metal and hope for the best, but two of them against a pack with some broken rebar isn’t going to land the odds in their favor.
The wolves aren’t the only thing he’s worried about. It’s the scent of dinner wafting around and attracting polar bears. Fucking Oliver and his need to adventure in one of the most remote parts of Alaska is biting them all in the ass right now. They wouldn’t have to worry about any of that in some of the bigger cities further south. If his brother were here right now, Theo would have knocked him out already if the crash didn’t do that for him. It’s misplaced anger, and he knows it. Oliverdidn’t cause the plane to go down but that doesn’t stop him from assigning blame anyway.
* * *
It’s a risk to leave the wreckage, and they both know it. He’s just glad she agreed and they aren’t back there trying to build an actual fort out of metal scraps instead of one made of blankets.
Their trek so far is mostly silent, with only the sound of their boots crunching hardened snow and their packs shifting against their backs with scavenged supplies. They aren’t suited for this. Neither of them have the footwear or gear for it. The only reason they haven’t frozen yet is due to the coats they found in the scattered luggage, bought with Alaskan vacations in mind.
They struggle their way through deep powder, one foot in front of the other, leaving the plane behind them and heading in the direction it was going before it slid to a stop.
“So, what do you do for work?” He’s making conversation to avoid letting his thoughts run wild with useless worst-case scenarios. “I dunno much about you yet.”
“Massage therapist.”
The urge to run with this information wins, and he grins at her, rolling his shoulders. “Do you wanna?”
“No.”
“But I’ve got a crick in my neck…”
“You get one more try.”
He goes quiet.
She raises a brow. “Come on, let’s hear it.”
“Nope. I’m saving it for later.”
“Smart. Don’t waste it.” She shakes her head with an amused roll of her eyes. “This massage thing is new. Before that, it wasnothing. Well, not nothing, but for a while it was….you’ll think it’s weird.”
“Try me.”
“My ex, the second one, runs a small zoo. So when we got married, I sort of did that, too. I ran the place with him. Played the loving wife while he played with alligators all day. Apparently, I’m talented at conforming myself to someone else’s life.”
“A zoo? Really?”
“Really. The divorce is recent. I don’t have many skills. Before I met Finn, I wasted half my life in another bad marriage that was worse in different ways. Now, it almost feels too late.”
“It’s never too late. You don’t have one foot in the grave yet.”
She shrugs. “Yet. I’ll have to decide soon. Alimony only pays for so much, and I don’t want to depend on him anymore. Every time I cash a check, it’s just a reminder that that part of my life isn’t over. I wish it was. I was hoping that coming here would…show me the way. Make things clear somehow. Gwen says I’m looking for something in all the wrong places, so I may as well start looking in Alaska. It’s not working out quite like I hoped so far.”
He’s curious what caused her divorce. Her first husband died, but her second marriage is a mystery beyond the zoo life. He can’t imagine having someone like her and not fighting with everything he’s got to keep her, which is a crazy thought when he’s known her for all of a few days. It’s not like he’s got any sort of grasp on how she would rank as a partner.
She seems kind, though. Patient. A little lost, just like he feels.
It’s not his place to ask, but he’s been doing a lot of shoving his nose where it doesn’t belong lately. “What happened with you and him. If you ah, you know, don’t mind me asking.”
“Not supposed to talk about the ex on a date,” she teases, pursing her lips.
He rolls his eyes. “This is a pretty shit date if that’s what’s going on.”
“What, you don’t enjoy being in life-threatening situations with someone you just met? Spoil sport.” He levels her with a pointed stare, and she sighs. “He couldn’t handle all the baggage I brought with me from the first marriage. Not that it was his fault. It wasn’t. It was mine. The foundation wasn’t very solid for us to begin with. The rest is another story. Maybe we save it for our next trade?”
“Alright. That’s fair. Is this a thing now? Story for a story?”
“Why not, and now you owe me one.” It’s a light comment that sounds like she wouldn’t push to collect on that if he doesn’t want to contribute again, but he already knows he’ll participate. “But for now, what do you do for a living? Farming, or something else, too?”
