Page 6 of Love in the Time of Wildfires

“To catch?”

“No, just to study. I want to see one in the wild, as they’re one of my favorites. They’re endangered and a bit elusive to find. And I thought maybe if you could suggest some places I could hike—”

“No.”

Her delicate brow pushed together. “No, you haven’t seen them, or no, you won’t give me some hiking suggestions?”

It wasn’t that Logan was purposely being difficult—Okay, maybe he was being a little difficult, but he didn’t want to become his neighbor’s tour guide, nor did he want to be responsible for her wandering all over the surrounding forests and getting herself lost. Plus, there were dangerous animals like mountain lions and bears and strange men. Even a wildlife behaviorist might not fare well if the animal was mad enough. It wasn’t worth it looking for some fox who didn’t want to be found anyway. He could relate, wanting to be more elusive with every passing day. “When I’m out there, I’m busy doing a job. Not looking for animals. I can’t help you.” And just to smooth things over, because he didn’t like seeing her face fall, he added, “Thanks for the cookies,” though he didn’t know why he said it because he wasn’t thankful at all.

He shut the door on her disappointment, dumping the cookies right in the trash.

Chapter Four

Three weeks later, River took a work break at her usual spot, a secluded bench tucked away on the museum grounds. She was often visited by a gutsy ground squirrel who was always interested in whatever River ate. Today, it was baby carrots, pita chips, and hummus. “Hi, Goldie. How’s it going?”

The small squirrel gave a tiny squeak, climbing up the bench and perching on a nearby armrest. It studied the snacks intently with shiny black eyes, its chest moving quickly as though ready to sprint away. As with many conservationists, River was against feeding any wild animals, as it could be more damaging than helpful. Goldie, though, was the one exception, because she couldn’t resist the cute face or how the small rodent would sometimes paw at the air.

Carefully glancing around so as not to get caught, River broke off a small piece from one of the pita chips. “You remember our deal, right? You keep this between us, and you’ll tell me if you ever see a fox.” Sure, it was odd making deals with squirrels, but this was the closest thing River had to a friend currently. Turns out, making meaningful friendships as an adult wasn’t easy.

Her coworkers were friendly enough, but they hadn’t reached that comfortable stage beyond acquaintance yet. River still felt like a newcomer who was fumbling her way through the day. Unlike at her old job at the San Diego Zoo, no one was asking her to join any after-work activities or share lunches yet.

Normally, it didn’t bother her much because she was the one choosing to explore her independence. Except today was her birthday. While she’d been swamped with birthday phone calls, texts, and social media greetings from family and old friends, she remained feeling alone. Regret at leaving everyone behind was hitting her hard today.

Anyway, it didn’t matter. She was being a baby. At least there was Goldie, and she’d swing by some local bakery after work to buy a cupcake for herself, and then watch a favorite comfort show or something.

“What kind of cupcake do you think I should buy? Don’t say peanut butter because that’s my least favorite and not everything needs to be nuts.” River offered another small chip to Goldie.

A crack from a twig made her jump, and her head spun in that direction hoping it was a fox rather than one of her coworkers. Instead, it was the man River never expected to see at work.

Logan.

“Hey, I know you!” She’d recognize that serious brow anywhere, even though it’d been a few weeks since they’d last chatted. Lately, it’d been quiet next door. She wondered if he’d even been there but, truth be told, she didn’t want to continually bump into him anyway. Logan made her nervous, like she had ants crawling up her spine. Neither of their encounters went well, so she was fine not having another.

She had talked about her new neighbors with her sister, Mimi, soon after moving in.

“I’ve only met a few of them. The ones downstairs are really nice. They seem to be the ones to go to when I need the building chisme. Although now I’m also afraid of them gossiping about me.”

Mimi had chuckled. “You’re just unhappy to have some competition.”

“Hey! I don’t gossip that much.” At least she never did so in order to be mean, but Mimi made it easy to laugh over things, and she enjoyed sharing such a moment. “My next-door neighbor is an absolute old man who hates me.”

“I refuse to believe that. Is he a grouchy grandpa or something?”

“Grouchy? Yes. Grandpa? I doubt it. He’s only thirty-five but also old. Not sure how he pulled that one off.”

“Ay, mocosa! I’m thirty-five!”

River giggled. “I didn’t mean it like that. You’re a young thirty-five, and he’s definitely an old thirty-five.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? Just wait until you’re thirty-five and then see who’s laughing. It’ll be here before you know it.”

“Well, anyway, I don’t think we’re going to be the type of neighbors who borrow sugar from each other.” Especially since borrowing sugar reminded her about accidentally screwing up those peace-offering cookies. She’d been so involved in watching some reality show while baking she couldn’t remember what she’d already done, trying to fix it by adding extra stuff. Her chocolate chip cookies came out flat, but they at least appeared edible. She’d been so eager to make nice and ask him about foxes that she hadn’t tried one first. It wasn’t until after returning to her apartment that River realized they were, in fact, not edible. If he didn’t hate her before, he had to despise her after those cookies.

As much as she preferred to never interact with the guy again, it was difficult when he appeared at her place of work. They stared at each other. Her hand frozen while holding a chip—caught in the act. Goldie flicked her tail nervously before jumping from the bench and racing away.

Those unusual gray eyes studied her. River didn’t enjoy the intensity of his stare but she didn’t flinch, refusing to cower for anyone, especially a man with a stern brow who was always annoyed with her.

“Were you talking to that chipmunk?”