Page 123 of Into the Storm

ChapterForty-Four

It was strange to be driving back to the park. It had only been three weeks, and she used to do this drive often, but now it felt unreal.

She had four new tires, a new side panel and gas tank, but otherwise, her SUV was the same.

She itched for the day when life would feel normal again.

She felt a fluttering in her belly, and not for the first time, she wondered if that was the baby wiggling inside her. At fifteen weeks, it was still too early to feel movement for a first child, but not completely impossible. The fetus was now the size of an apple, and she was definitely starting to show.

This was a good reminder that there would never be a return to normal for her. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

She opened the gate. After a moment’s hesitation, she pulled out her phone and dialed Jae. When he didn’t answer, she left a message. “Hey. I just wanted to give you the heads-up that I’m heading to the lodge. First to drop off things in the Baldwin cabin, then I’m heading up to the site to record the damage. I guess I’m feeling superstitious because I had the urge to call you at the gate. I promise, I won’t do that every time moving forward…but maybe for the next little while.”

She set her phone back on the console and drove through the gate, then closed it behind her again.

She felt silly making the call, but also, it was like a phantom that would haunt her if she hadn’t. An OCD tick.

She needed a successful number of trips down Lake Olympus Road before it would feel normal to not check in at the gate.

Jae had been her fairy godfather before. Best to keep him in the loop.

It had been at least three days since the last rain, and the air was unseasonably warm, alleviating any black ice fears she might have.

But still, tension knotted her shoulders as she drove. It was impossible to escape thoughts of the last time she’d been on this road and what had awaited her at the end of the drive.

She needed to get over this fear. She loved this lodge and forest and refused to give it up. Besides, she had to work here.

She’d learned a few days ago that Jeb’s heir planned to sell his lakeside cabin, and George had asked her if she was interested in buying it. It was extremely rare for inholding parcels to come on the market, and when they did, the park tried to purchase them if possible. Jeb, however, had specifically stated in his will that the property was not to be sold to any government agency. Audrey had no idea if such a directive could be upheld, but there was no reason to believe his niece wouldn’t follow it.

A lakeside cabin on Lake Olympus would be out of her price range, but Xavier said he had savings and wanted to think about it. The idea of owning a cabin as old as the lodge had a certain appeal, but it still seemed wild to consider it.

At last, she reached the lakeside, and instead of turning right at the fork and going straight to the Baldwins’ cabin, she took a left and went all the way to the end of the road to take a look at Jeb’s property.

She got out of her vehicle and approached the cabin, noting again all the “NO TRESPASSING” signs and feeling like she was doing something wrong here, even though Jeb was gone and the niece who inherited knew people would be viewing the property.

She circled the cabin to the lakefront side and climbed up the porch steps to look out at the water.

It was sunny and chilly, with patches of blue sky amid white and gray clouds. The calm water offered a near-mirror reflection of green tree-covered hillside with blue sky and clouds. An upside-down vision of the world.

It was serene and achingly beautiful, and she knew exactly why Jeb had loved his small sanctuary on the water so much.

She pulled out her phone and snapped a photo of the water and hillside, then texted it to Xavier.

He responded almost immediately.

Xavier: Beautiful. Where are you?

Audrey: On Jeb’s porch.

Xavier: Wish I was there with you. You okay?

Audrey: I think so. It was weird driving here, but I felt like I needed to do it alone. I’m going to have to return to my job at some point.

Xavier: I get that. You returning the camping gear to the Baldwins?

Audrey: Yeah. Then I’m going to record the damage to the site. Get it over with so I can enjoy my leave when you get home.

Xavier: On that note… They released me early, and I’m on Highway 101 right now. I was heading to your place to surprise you. I’ll keep going. Meet me at the gate?