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She looked down at her boots. Her weight had been an issue too. Her once size sixteen frame had shriveled down to a six. The ones who didn’t know how deep her depression had been complimented her on her thinner figure, but the ones closest to her knew how sickly she looked.
“Thanks, Blake. I’m hoping the change of scenery will continue to help me.”
He smiled down at her, and emotion struck her momentarily speechless. He reminded her a lot of Jon. Of course, there were differences, but they had the same hazel eyes and dark hair. Blake’s had a little bit of silver through it, given the fact he was nearing forty, but it looked good on him.
“Come on, I’ll show you the town while we head home.” He took her bags and led her to his vehicle.
Home.
Poppy hadn’t known what a home was for the past two years.
Once her bags were in the back and they were both in the cab, she prayed again that she made the right choice.
“So, how have you been?” She knew he asked the question simply to be polite. They had been talking nearly every day for years, and he knew how horrible her time without Jon had been. They had only seen each other a handful of times since his death, but after the first year of obligatory holiday visits, Blake stopped coming around. He might not admit it, but Poppy knew it had been hard for him to be around when everything reminded him of Jon too.
“Better than I was.” She had no need to sugarcoat anything with Blake. Over their many conversations, she hadn’t held anything back. Not her feelings, not her fears of what the future held, not anything. Poppy didn’t know why it didn’t feel strange telling him her innermost thoughts, but the truth of it was, if Blake hadn’t been there, she didn’t know where she would be in life right now.
“Well, you look like you’re doing better.” He cut a glance to her and smiled. “The last image I had of you was at Christmas, over a year after Jon passed…” His voice changed an octave, and Poppy knew it was still just as hard for him. “You weren’t looking so good. All skin and bones. I asked Mom about you, and she said the same thing. They were so worried about you.Iwas so worried about you.”
Poppy cleared her throat and looked out the passenger window. “Yeah, well, it had been a really hard time for me. I’m getting better now.” She felt his hand cover hers and looked down at it. His hand seemed to swallow hers whole.
Comfort seeped from him, and she wished it would move into her body, but all she felt was the same emptiness that followed her of late. After a moment, he pulled his hand away and placed it back on the steering wheel. They sat in silence, but not the uncomfortable kind that made someone itchy.
Black spruce trees and evergreens were on either side of them, hugging the road in an almost intimate embrace. It took thirty minutes for them to reach the center of town.
“Welcome to Blithe, population 14,589.” Blake started pointing out the major structures of the town. Grocery store, hardware, and post office were lined up side by side. It appeared to be a quaint little place.
“That’s my office.” Blake pointed to a small wildlife preserve building to the left.
“Do you enjoy your work?” A smile came over his face, and Poppy couldn’t help her own smile from surfacing. She liked seeing him happy.
“I love it. Being a wildlife biologist gives me the chance to be free amongst the animals. The scenery changes every day, and I learn something new all the time.” He made a left and continued up a steep incline for about half a mile before the road evened out.
They drove for another twenty minutes before he pulled onto an unpaved road. His cabin came into view through a break in the trees. It was small but gorgeous, with big picture windows and a wraparound porch.
“Wow, Blake, it’s stunning. The pictures you emailed me don’t do it justice.”
“Thank you.” He pulled the SUV right up to the front steps and cut the engine. For several moments, they sat there. Neither of them spoke, and the only sound that filled the interior was that of the cooling engine.
“I have to admit I’m still surprised you wanted to come to Blithe.” His voice sounded deep and low. Poppy could tell in her peripheral vision that he turned toward her in his seat and watched her, but she didn’t turn her gaze from the front of the cabin.
“Why do you say that?” She did turn in her seat to look at him then. He didn’t answer for several moments, and Poppy took that time to take him in. Where Jon’s dark hair had been on the longer side, Blake had his cut short, so it fell across his forehead. He sported a five o’clock shadow, and she idly wondered if the men in Alaska grew beards to stay warm.
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “You left everything behind to come live in the sticks.” He looked at her then. “Although I do see the appeal, but it’s not for everyone.”
She smiled in return.
Blake was a big man and filled the interior of the spacious vehicle to capacity. That had been another difference between Blake and his brother. Jon had been a few inches taller than her. He had been just perfect; they had been perfect for each other.
Taking a deep breath, Poppy blew it out slowly and faced the house once again. “There were a few times I thought about not coming. I mean, there are places a hell of a lot closer than Alaska that I could run away to.” Blake chuckled, and she went on. “I just…” Poppy rubbed her eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted. “I just wanted to get away from Ohio, from my family, and from our friends. Everywhere I looked, I saw Jon, and I knew I would never be able to heal, be happy, or move forward.”
“Listen, Poppy, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I don’t want you here, because hell,” he said the last word on a ragged breath. “I’ll be honest, talking to you all those times after Johnny died helped me get through a lot of shit.” He ran his hand over the back of his neck, and Poppy was struck with the memory of every time Jon used to do that same mannerism when he appeared uncomfortable.
“Anyway, enough talk about this in the car before we freeze our asses off.” Blake’s grin was all straight, white teeth.
In that moment, nothing sounded better.
Chapter 3
