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He pulls the seatbelt on and tilts his head in my direction. “You alright? You were really out of it.”
I lick my dry lips. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry if it took you a while to wake me up. I didn’t sleep much last night.”
Or any night for the past three years.
I’ve been living off of coffee, anxiety, and the stress of my job for so long that I’m not sure I even remember how to be a functional adult.
Still, I have hope that it’s not always going to be like this.
I have, after all, spent the past few months gluing myself back together and figuring out my next move.
Being at Savannah’s felt good, particularly when I realized how stifled I felt. But I knew I couldn’t hide in her apartment forever.
After weeks of moping around in my ratty old pajamas and eating soggy cereal and ice cream over the sink, it’s time for me to start facing the outside world.
And with plenty of vacation days saved up, and nothing else to do with my time, I know that Savannah is right.
I do need a change of pace and scenery.
Which is why I’m hoping the Four Elements Ranch in Montana is exactly what the doctor ordered. Apparently, this ranch is a very unusual one.
According to Savannah, the owner of the ranch serves his guests personally.
And the ranch has a therapist and a psychiatrist who work with guests who need them and to overcome whatever they need to overcome.
I was quite intrigued. The on-site therapist, it definitely made it easier for me to decide to experience this unique therapeutic retreat for myself, up close and personal.
But still, I have my doubts.
With a sigh, I squeeze my eyes shut and roll back my shoulders.
The captain’s voice comes on, low and soothing, but I can’t make out what he says.
It isn’t until the plane begins to shift and descend that my eyes fly open, and I stare at the other side of the aisle.
People are shifting anxiously in their seats. My stomach drops.
Finally, the plane touches the ground with a shudder. I hear the familiar screeching sound and brace myself for the plane to come to a halt.
When it does, a thin sheen of sweat covers my forehead, and I can’t deny how relieved I am. I never liked this part of flying.
Shortly after, the seatbelt sign blinks off, and several people get out of their seats at once.
Luckily, my neighbor isn’t one of them.
I study the people who retrieve their luggage from the overhead compartments. Then I fish my phone out of my pocket and take it off of airplane mode.
Predictably, several messages come in at once, all of them from a furious and pushy Trevor demanding to know where I am.
With a roll of my eyes, I ignore them all, pull up my contacts, and dial Savanna’s number.
“Hey. How was the flight?”
“I slept through most of it,” I reply. “The good news is that it’s been a while since I’ve slept that deeply. The bad news is that I’m pretty sure I pulled something in my neck.”
Savannah chuckles. “You always think you’ve pulled something. Just put a heat pack or an ice pack on it when you get there.”
“That’s if they have them.” I shove my hair out of my face and peer out the window at the relatively empty runway, where the plane is still idling. “Remind me again why we thought it was a good idea for me to go to a ranch of all places.”
