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“Your flight’s been cancelled,” Celeste said. “Weather problems. It sounds like they’re cancelling a bunch of flights because of a storm coming in. You may not get out of there for a few days. Should I get you a hotel near the airport?”
“Yes, please book me something,” I said into the phone.
“Will do,” Celeste said. “But honey, why the sudden change of heart?” She spoke casually but I knew she was dying to know what had happened to make me want to leave.
“I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Let me know if I can help, okay?” Celeste asked, softly. “I thought you really liked him.”
She knew me too well.
“We can talk when I get home,” I said.
“Okay, just don’t do anything rash,” Celeste said. “I know you’ve been hurt but maybe giving Atticus a chance isn’t a bad thing.”
“Celeste, please,” I whispered, close to tears.
“All right, I’m sorry. I’ll get you a hotel and call you back.”
“Thank you.” I hung up and placed the phone on the seat next to me, glancing at it warily, as if were about to bite me.
“Did your flight get cancelled?” Thad asked.
I nodded. “Celeste says they’re canceling a bunch of flights because of weather. She’s getting me a hotel, so it’s fine.” I’d order room service and a bottle of wine. Who cared about my diet or that I’d be filming in a few weeks. I needed to numb the pain.
The thought of never seeing Atticus or Scout again made mychest ache so badly I thought I might suffocate. Could a person die of a broken heart?
What if I stayed and gave in to my feelings? What if I believed that someone meant what they said? What if he stayed instead of leaving me?
I wanted Atticus. And Scout.
“Would you rather come back to Bluefern with us?” Rafferty asked kindly. “Stay until the storm passes and the weather warms up.”
“Isn’t that in April?” I swallowed the lump in my throat. They were being so nice to me, which made my conflicting emotions even more unbearable.
“Good point,” Rafferty said.
“We can put you up in one of the cabins,” Thad said. “If you’d rather stay there than with Atticus. I can run you into Bozeman any time you want.”
“No, thank you. I’ll just stay at the airport so I can catch the first available flight,” I said.
“It’s not our place to poke our noses into your life,” Thad said. “But is there anything we can do to help?”
I stared out the window at the frosted terrain. Yellow grasses grew alongside a frozen creek. In the distance, cloaked in brilliant snow, the Rocky Mountains rose sharply toward the vast sky. Wintry sunlight, low on the horizon, cast long shadows across the snow-blanketed valley.
There was no place as beautiful. Not to me. No matter the season. My soul had ached for it. Ached for the family who had helped raise me, despite being torn from them.
What was I doing? Why was I walking away from the land I called home? The man I’d loved all my life?
“You guys are sweet,” I said, fighting tears. “But I have to get back. That’s all.”
“Sure, we understand,” Rafferty said.
“Totally,” Thad said. “But, you know, if there’s anything you need, please let us know.”
Just then Thad’s built-in tablet on his dashboard lit up and an automated voice said: "Text from Mama to Slurfpig Chat. Do you want to hear it now?"
Thad shouted no.
