Page 46 of North

“Just…call Ham, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“And Seel? Whatever’s going on…be careful.”

What? “I’m fine, Jake. Really.”

Then she hung up and dialed Ham. Because yes, she had his number in her contacts, just in case…

Well, just in case someday North didn’t come home.

Ham answered before the first ring ended. “Where are you?”

Oh, apparently he had her contact information too.

Josephine walked over with her promised cup of tea. Selah sat down in the desk chair. “I don’t know. Some small town.”

“Dryden,” Josephine said and Selah repeated it.

“It’s on the Wenatchee River.”

She looked up as James walked back into the kitchen.

“Listen. North is looking for you.”

There it was again, the heat, the warmth. “I’m safe.”

“He’s…I don’t know where he is. Off the grid somewhere. His phone’s gone dark. Listen, get to York’s house. It’s not far from you.”

“York?”

“He’s a friend.”

“If he’s in Leavenworth, the roads are blocked,” Josephine said.

“Did you hear that?”

“Yeah,” Ham said.

“Where does this York live?” James asked, his fingers on the rim of his teacup. He said it softly, so she repeated it for Ham.

“About thirty miles north of Wenatchee, in a little town called Shelly. I can send you a pin. Hang on a second.”

The pin came through with a notification signal, and she opened her maps app. Looked like about an hour, maybe two, away. “Got it.”

“You sure you can get there?” Ham asked.

“She’ll get there.” James walked over to the phone and looked over her shoulder at the map. “Don’t worry.”

Silence on the other side. “Um, Selah, do you have me on speaker?”

“Yeah, I’m here with my friend James and the B&B hostess, Josephine.”

“Hello,” said Josephine.

James rolled his eyes.

“Selah, take me off⁠—”