Chapter 14
Claire
I was a terrible,terrible person.
I hesitated at the entrance to the room that had once been locked. The room that had piqued my interest since first arriving. It was still dark inside, but enough light from the kitchen cast into the space to reveal several stacked boxes, folded-up medical equipment, and what could have been a sink in the far corner. There were no windows in this room. It was too small to be a bedroom but too big for a little house’s closet.
The air held a musty smell of disuse, with a lingering smell of disinfectant and a hint of something softer, like fabric softener or perfume.
My thumb brushed absentmindedly along my lips as I stared into the room. I warred with myself, my insides twisting withguilt but also with drive. What was this thing that pushed me so hard for truths and answers? Why couldn’t I let things lie? This curse afflicted me even worse if the truths were held from me. There was this primeval need in me to get to the bottom of everything and know everything, no matter the cost to those around me.
This had to stop.
I pictured Levi’s face when he talked about his art. I saw his features twisted with concern as he found me on the trail. I remembered the gentleness of his fingers as he removed my clothing and tended to my leg.
He was agoodman. He was suffering. He was alone.
And I knew a little bit about loneliness.
“Poor man,” I whispered, my head dropping to the doorframe.
I couldn’t do it. As much as I was desperate to explore the hidden stories of his past, to learn more about the woman who used to live here, I couldn’t. The hurt was too raw in his features. Anything I could learn needed to come from him in his own time.
I pulled the door shut. It was locked again when I turned the handle to check.
“This is for the best,” I told myself in the same tone a mother might tell her child as she moved the cookies to a higher shelf.
I paced the room, testing my leg, and it felt fine. The heavy clouds outside blocked out much of the light, and when I went to the window, enough snow had fallen to blanket the surrounding area. It was beautiful but wild and intimidating.
“Shoot!” I remembered too late that my dad was waiting tohear back from me. It had been so many hours he was probably in a state of panic.
I whined and stomped my foot as I watched the falling fat flakes stack outside.
I slid my boots back on and winced when I discovered a blister. Tugging on my heaviest parka and winter hat, I grabbed my phone and took a bracing breath.
As carefully as possible, I made my way up to the main house. I was so not ready to see Levi again.
His footprints had already disappeared from only a few minutes ago in the fast-falling snow. The lights illuminated his cabin like a beacon, but there were no signs of him through any of the windows facing this way. Hopefully, he wouldn’t see me creeping up toward his house. Most likely, he was washing away today’s adventures.
Not that anybody was thinking about him in the shower.
When I reached the Wi-Fi zone, I sent a series of rapid-fire texts at the same time as several worried ones arrived.
“Dad, I’m back at the cabin. The weather is getting crazy. I might not be able to go to the main house for a couple of days. But I am totally fine. Love you.”
We messaged for a few more minutes as the snow came down in fat flakes that blurred my vision and had me wiping the screen continuously. I bounced on my feet to keep warm, and when my exposed fingers started to go numb, I ended the conversation. The snow fell so thick I could hardly see my cabin anymore. I glanced back one more time to Levi’s place.
I made my way carefully back to my place and went straight back to warming my hands in front of the fire.
That was it. No more curiosity, no more distractions. Just finish the article and remember why the work I did mattered.
Levi
“Now, what the hell is she doing?” I glared out the upstairs bathroom window, wiping away the condensation from my scalding shower to see better.
Ripley whined from her bathroom burrow of blankets. Yes, she had a blanket burrow for each room. She was truly living a charmed, albeit codependent, life.
Claire trudged toward the Big Cabin, at least wearing a heavy coat and hat this time.
