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“Are you okay?”

“Fine.”

He doesn’t remove his hand for another minute. By the time we start losing altitude, he’s easing back into his seat like it never happened.

A ribbon of frozen water sparkles as it hugs a clearing dotted with a dozen buildings. We zero in on a strip of earth beyond the village and rush toward the ground. I squeeze my eyes shut before we hit the runway. The plane bounces, and I yelp as it makes steady contact and rattles along until we eventually stop. I open them on tall grass, low shrubs, a few trees, and a small blue shed.

“You good?” Nick asks.

“Yeah.” I nod, marveling that places this remote still exist. “People live out here?”

“It’s mostly four families, around thirty people, I guess.”

Nick’s already unloading the cargo by the time I manage to unshackle myself, and he does it fast, like he wants this over with. I get out and go to take a photo and find my phone has zero signal. Totally off-grid. Not even my mother can reach me here.

Two pickup trucks come barreling down the runway toward us. I gravitate over to Nick in case they’re not who we’re expecting. I’ve seen Deliverance.

They park beside the plane, and a young guy leans his elbow out of the window. Thick forearms, bed hair that hasn’t met a mirror, and the easy grin of a man who has never been told no.

“Nick. Haven’t seen you in an age, man.” He gets out and strides toward us.

“Damon.” Nick deposits the cooler on the stack, and they hug.

“Good to see you.” Damon slaps him on the back and laughs. Two guys get out of the other truck. The older one nods and says nothing. The younger one hangs by the tailgate with his sleeves pulled down over his hands, watching me too closely. “You remember Adam and Jake?”

“Hey.” Nick half waves to the other two. “Sorry it’s taken so long to come out. I’ve been neglecting my duties.”

“Hey, no bother. Understand the last few years have been tough.” Damon peers around Nick and lifts his chin. “And who do we have here?”

I stay where I am, which takes some doing.

“This is Ellery.” Nick slides his arm across my shoulders, and I feel like I’ve been claimed. So much for keeping his distance. I’m grateful because I’m not so sure about these guys. But also, what the hell? I’m not property. My feminist streak fights with my damsel instincts, and the two of them duke it out while I stand there, very much enjoying Nick’s arm despite myself.

I’ll unpack the politics of it later. Possibly never.

“Ellery,” Damon repeats my name like he’s memorizing how to say it. He looks at Nick, then me, and the corner of his mouth curls. “Huh. Marthe sending you out with a helper now?”

“Something like that.” Nick’s tone is light but his arm doesn’t move. “She needs the hours.”

“I’m sure she does.” Damon winks at me, and there’s a joke happening that I’m clearly the punchline of, which would bother me more if I weren’t busy being aware of every point of contact between Nick’s side and mine. “Well. Welcome to the edge of the map, Ellery. Not many outsiders make it this far.”

“I get that impression.” I find my voice, and to my relief, it comes out steady. “Is the wink for me, or do you have something in your eye?”

Damon throws his head back and laughs. “Oh, I like her.” He slaps his work gloves at Nick’s chest. “Where’d you find this one?”

“She found us.” Nick finally lets his arm drop.

I’m annoyed at how much I miss the weight of it.

“Come on. Let’s get this unloaded while we’ve got daylight on our side.”

The men load up the trucks with all the coolers. I watch them work, wondering what’s inside. They’re speedy and efficient. Only Jake stops to catch his breath once, and Damon and Adam carry two at a time. I guess you’ve got to be fit to live out here.

“Would you mind hanging out with Jake while I talk to Damon and Adam?” Nick asks as they’re finishing up. “Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Sure.”

I don’t know how Jake feels about that. Poor kid, having to babysit the girl.