12
GWEN
Delilah was waiting for me, so I tried to get ready as quickly as possible.
I could’ve asked Simone to do my makeup, since the night would end with mine and Sebastian’s maybe-date. She would’ve done a much better job. Also would’ve pestered me to talk about my feelings. Which I had no interest in.
After scurrying past Simone in the living room, I clipped on Honey’s leash. She hadn’t gotten her walk yesterday. I knew she was craving it.
Once I broke through the pine trees after a half hour, the view of town had my heart rate softer, my mind quieter, and my body warm with comfort. No matter the icy wind that slithered past my balaclava and leather gloves.
Even if I didn’t get away with what I’d done, this place was worth it.
A quarter mile ahead, tucked between conifers and snow doused mountains, a dozen buildings perched with pride. The ones in the heart of town matched the natural aesthetic of the ranch. Only a story high, two log domes crouched low in the valley. The rec center and the cafeteria, built to feed well over athousand residents. There was something poetic about those log structures next to the new buildings. The roots of the ranch that had watched so many women come, heal, and go to lay down roots of their own.
At a glance, the stone apartments, the new builds, lacked the character and charm of the original structures. But a careful eye would catch the fairy lights that twinkled around one apartment balcony and the Edison bulbs that illuminated another.
All the hand painted suncatchers that dangled from the windows of the daycare, and the paper flyers that fluttered on the gym doors, saying,Volunteers needed for Light Up Night Decorations!compensated for the boring brick. The women of Rhiannon’s Ranch, the community, gave this place charm a construction crew could only dream of.
The buildings were only that. Buildings.
We were the warmth that brought them to life.
But we were dominoes.
Simone had nearly fallen the other night. I’d caught her before we all crashed down.
It was the right thing. I had done the right thing.
Once inside the cafeteria, I scanned for Delilah. At a little past noon, half the damn town was in here for lunch. Delilah may have been swallowed in the crowd somewhere.
This was one of my favorite parts of the ranch. The ceiling came to a point in the center of the room, a circle of windows framing it. During the warmer months, they let in more light than the white hanging globe lights, spaced every few feet apart.
Cafeteria tables, like those used in a school, took up most of the floor space. Buffet bars framed the exterior walls, featuring soda fountains on either end. To feed over a thousand people at a time, buffets were a necessity.
“Gwen, right?” Someone said behind me, tapping my shoulder.
I turned around. Delilah looked better today. The dusting of foundation over her blue eyes covered the bruise. Her dark circles were still visible if I squinted, but a light smile brightened the rest of her features.
“Right,” I said. “Rhiannon told me I’d find you here.”
“She told me the same.” Glancing past me at the buffets, she tucked her arms against her chest. “Are you hungry? Did you come to eat?”
“No, actually, I’m supposed to show you around.” I gestured to the buffet. “What about you? Have you eaten?”
“I did, yeah. Surprisingly good for cafeteria food.”
“Except for meatloaf day,” I said, wincing. “Always skip meatloaf day.”
She chuckled. “Noted.”
“You ready for the tour, then?”
“Excited for it. I almost got lost walking here from the apartment this morning.”
Together, we started for the double glass doors. I held one open for her. “Which one are you in?”
“B, I think.” She tugged her jacket in closer as we stepped out into the cold. After two feet forward, Honey sidestepped her, spinning to look at her. Delilah gasped, pressing her hand over her heart. She laughed and squatted to greet her. “Where did you come from?”
