Page 65 of Fly with Me

“Motherfucking Jesus goddamn Christ.” Olive pulled Stella back and leaped to her feet. She had to clutch at her sternum to prevent her galloping heart from jumping out of her chest.

“Oh my god,” Stella said. “That was a surprise.”

“A surprise? It’s a fucking anaconda.”

Stella actually took a step toward the demon slithering over their perfect picnic.

“It’s a garter snake. Not poisonous. It’ll go away so we can get your blanket and the stuff packed.”

“I’m burning that blanket,” Olive said, speech still a challenge through her heaving breaths.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, the snake decided it had accomplished its purpose of fuckblocking a horny bisexual and decided to find another unsuspecting victim. Reptilian asshole.

The moment was more than ruined, more like atomic-bomb-level torpedoed, so Olive and Stella packed up the picnic and headed back down the mountain.

“I should’ve known better. I’ve never gotten along well with nature,” Olive said without thinking as she slammed the Prius door. “I’m sorry I freaked out.”

“A snake crawling on anyone’s leg would freak them out. You didn’t know it wasn’t venomous. But what do you mean you don’t get along with nature? You have national park stickers all over your laptop. I thought hiking was your favorite thing?”

“What?” Olive scrunched her still trembling fingers in her hair. “No. I—uh… it’s a long story. My brother wanted to visit all the national parks.” Olive rubbed a spot of tension in the center of her forehead. “And he can’t now, so kind of like the race, I was doing it for him. I go visit the park and take photos for him.”

Olive decided not to mention that her extended “road trip vacation” from work last year had been the result of a mild mental breakdown after dealing with shit with her family and losing it at work one day. Her boss had told her to take some time off to “heal,” and she’d been granted several weeks of FMLA. Driving to the parks was the only thing she could make herself do. Since nothing else she should be doing for Jake worked, she could at least check some things off his list. Most national parks were theoretically drivable, and Olive had had nothing but time.

“Visiting the national parks was on the same list you mentioned before?”

Olive nodded, a lifting sensation forming inside her chest at the idea of Stella remembering the things she said. “To be honest, I tend to have disasters whenever nature’s involved.”

“Disasters?”

“Yeah. Murphy’s my last name. And well, Murphy’s Law is an apt description of how things with nature tend to go for me. It’s like I’m cursed.”

“Like what?”

Olive ticked the minor catastrophes off on her fingers. “Sprayed by a skunk, almost pushed off a mountain by a goat, stung by a bee, pooped on by several birds—which I maintain isn’t good luck no matter what superstitions say—uh… oh, and attacked by a squirrel. And now I guess, slithered on by a snake.”

“Can we go back to the squirrel story because—”

“No.” Olive gave a tiny shudder, remembering how the snake had felt on her leg.

“Well, then what’s your ideal vacation, Olive ‘Murphy’s Law’ Murphy?”

“I don’t know really. Exploring new cities? Countryside is nice, but with French wine in my hand rather than bear repellent or an emergency first aid kit. I’d like to see all the cities I’ve read about. All the art I’ve studied.”

“Where?”

“Everywhere? Europe, Asia, Australia, South America. I’ve priced out elaborate cruises across the Atlantic to try to get me to Italy. Been saving up. But the timing was never right. I love art and architecture—I took this amazing class on ancient and classic architecture during my art degree. Oh, I’m dying to go to Egypt. The pyramids and Cairo. The temples in Luxor. But I really would like to travel. I just…”

Planes. Fear. One of the other many ways Olive had failed herself during her more than thirty years on the planet.

“It’s nice to hear you talk about this. I can tell you have a passion for it.” Stella reached and swept stray hairs away from Olive’s eyes. “I think you’ll get there someday.”

Olive turned to Stella and blinked twice. Had anyone ever looked at her like this? With such… something. Olive couldn’t easily define whatever emotion was twinkling in Stella’s eyes. But whatever it was, it pushed away all memories of the snake.

Chapter 23

Gus yanked the leash forward. Olive had spent the last two days rehashing the hike in her mind. Stupid snake. It was like she was going through Stella withdrawal. Her dreams had been utterly depraved lately, so full of everything she’d wished she’d had the opportunity to do on that mountain.

“Gus, no.” The cold snap last night meant her hands were almost numb as she gripped the hand loop harder to keep Gus from attacking the bunny peeking out from behind a tree. Maryland fall was entirely unpredictable. She should have worn her heaviest coat. A gust of wind blew down the sidewalk, stinging her cheeks. Gus sped up as they turned to the sidewalk.