Page 23 of Easy, Tiger

"They wanted stability. Fair enough, considering how things turned out."

Nolan swivels slightly, giving me his full attention. "Did they support you when things went wrong?"

"No, they care a lot about reputation and appearances. When the scandal hit, they distanced themselves immediately. Said I brought it on myself by refusing to play corporate politics. I haven't spoken to them in months. I think I've been searching for a place that feels like home for a long time, honestly, even before everything fell apart."

"What happened exactly with your career?"

The words stick in my throat for a moment. I've rehearsed this story so many times, but somehow it feels different sharing it with him under the stars.

"Someone doctored my illustrations for a major conservation publication. Painted it as though I'd falsified anatomical details to support fabricated research." My voice stays even, though my hands clench in my lap. "The evidence was convincing enough that nobody questioned it. Lost every client overnight."

"Jesus."

"While you may think losing the work was the hardest part, it was actually witnessing people I'd collaborated with for years quickly treat me like a fraud. Ten years of building trust, gone in a weekend."

"Did you ever find out who did it?"

"Suspected someone, but could never prove it. Doesn't matter now anyway. Red Pine's my last shot at rebuilding something that matters."

"Their loss is our gain."

The simple statement hits with an impact that leaves me breathless. "You say that like you mean it."

"I do." His face reflects starlight when he turns toward me. "This place changes people. Gives them room to become who they're supposed to be."

"Is that what happened to you?"

"Still figuring that out."

Something in his tone suggests layers beneath the surface, stories he's unready to share. We sit in comfortable silence, peering up at clouds as they wander across the constellations.

"Tell me more about growing up here," I say eventually.

"Learned to track animals before I could tie my shoes. Spent summers camping in the backcountry, winters helping with firewood and repairs. My father knows every trail and every hidden stream, along with all the places where wildlife gathers. Made me understand that we're only visitors in their territory."

"That's a beautiful way to see it."

"Only way that makes sense."

The night air flows with a wisp of pine and woodsmoke from someone's distant fireplace. Above us, the Milky Way stretches across the sky like scattered diamonds on black velvet.

"I've never felt more at home anywhere," I admit.

"Red Pine has that effect on people."

"I meant here, right now."

We let the honest, vulnerable truth sit between us. Nolan's hand finds mine on the bench, his fingers warm and calloused from years of dedicated work.

"I'm glad you stayed."

The temperature chills as clouds glide across the stars, and I tug my jacket closer. The evening feels suspended between seasons, the day's lingering warmth surrendering rapidly to a biting mountain chill.

"Getting cold," Nolan observes, though he doesn't seem affected by the colder temperature.

"A little, but I hate for this to end."

Standing, he extends his hand to help me up from the log bench. "Come on. I'll walk you home before you freeze."