Page 37 of Statler

Both scenarios had sucked, because none of those people had ever stuck around for very long.

The exception had been in the early days of Holden, when he’d come back to town full of life, and had set his sights on her.

Long before he’d…changed.

He’d been fun and gregarious, the life of the party, and he’d formed a social circle of which she’d been made a part.

A quiet part. But still she’d engaged with townsfolk for pretty much the first time; joining in for get-togethers. Which was how she’d become actual friends with Granny Edith.

Thank God for that woman.

Granny remained, to this day, the only one who didn’t give a hoot about Eliza’s parentage. The loving woman listened, she shared, she commiserated, and was the only one to whom Eliza opened up about what she suspected was happening at the factory, and what she wanted for her own future.

In return, Eliza—who spent every Sunday in the older woman’s kitchen—helped Granny with tasks her arthritic hands no longer wanted to perform, and kept her company when she would have been completely alone after the death of her husband five years back.

It was a win-win situation.

But none of that needed to occupy Eliza’s brain today.

Today was for her.

She pulled into the obscure turn-out that no one—at least that she knew of—gave a second thought about, and parked her car. Removing her large tote bag, she locked her vehicle and drew in a huge lungful of fresh air.

Free.

She was liberated for the entire day, and she felt more alive than she had since the last time she was here.

Was it because of…?

Nope. She had to stop thinking about Statler; letting him take up space in her head. There was no place for him in any part of her brain for this hike.

He’d be front and center in her creative imaginings, soon enough.

Walk, Eliza. Walk.

Briskly—putting thoughts of him aside at least for now—she headed for the woods, following the path she knew almost as well as the one by the cottages. After all, she’d been determined to keep her activities hidden from anyone who might happen by, so she’d been using this remote access more and more.

There was certainly no need to tempt fate. If she got sloppy, and someone reported to her father that they’d seen her vehicle at the cottages where she had no business being? Well, that would ruin everything.

Eliza sucked in another cleansing breath.

No negativity today.

When she came to the fork that joined her path to the main branch, she could readily see that Statler and his crew had been using it. The ground was far more churned up than any other time she’d been here.

Statler had told her that he and his people normally went for a run every morning, and now she knew this was one of their routes.

In just over a quarter mile, her path veered to the right, off the larger trail that the newcomers had been using, but it was pretty well concealed.

On purpose.

Still, Statler and his group seemed perceptive; more so than most people with whom she came in contact, so she was going to take extra precautions, disguising her egress even more so they wouldn’t find her secret place.

Her mother had known about it when she was alive. She’d actually encouraged Eliza to make use of the remote location.

Holden, too, had knowledge of it, and also felt it was a good outlet for her underappreciated talents. But the only person currently in Eliza’s life who knew of her special spot, was Granny.

And there were no worries there. The woman, as always, was her greatest cheerleader.