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Daphne answered with a tentative “Hello?”
“Hey!” Chris said. “It’s me.”
The knot in her stomach tightened. That breezy tone warned of bad news.
He was going to say he wouldn’t make it. Something had come up, maybe an audition for a real job.
“Daphne? Did I lose you?”
“No, I’m here.”
A soft chuckle. “Good. I know your cell service is wonky, but I’ve got four solid bars here. Maybe you should get another provider?”
“It’s been good lately.” She paused. “Wait? Where are you?”
Another chuckle, this one a bit forced. “Close to you, I hope. That’s kinda the problem. I’m lost.”
“What? You’re in Whitehorse?”
“Outside it. On your road. At least, that’s what the signpost said, but it’s a dirt road and I haven’t seen anything in miles. There aren’t even any houses.”
“You—” Daphne put him on speaker and scrambled to open her email. “You’re supposed to be on the midnight flight. I’m picking you up.”
“Surprise!” Another chuckle, this one still a bit forced. “I caught an earlier flight and rented a car to surprise you. Except all I have is your street address, and the GPS swears it doesn’t exist. I got to the right road, and, man, what are they thinking, renting out little cars at the airport? These are mountains! Dirt roads and mountains! I nearly went into the ditch, and then there was a moose just standing in the road. Did you know there are moose here?”
Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. “Yes. Yes, there are.”
“Well, someone needs to train them to stay off the road.”
“Tell me where you are, and I’ll come get you.”
“Uh…”
“Look around. What do you see?”
“Trees.”
She shook her head. “What’s the last thing you passed.”
“Trees. And a moose. Maybe if I just keep going?”
“It’s a long road, and it’s only going to get worse. Can you add me as a friend so I can track your location?”
“Oh! Right! Hold on.” A few seconds passed. “There. Do you see me?”
“I do. Stay where you are. Don’t get out of the car. There are grizzlies.”
“What?”
“I’m kidding. Well, not about there being grizzlies. I have one that visits the yard every now and then. Mostly it’s just black bears, lynx, coyotes, foxes, and porcupines. Oh, and I saw a wolf last week.”
“I’ll… stay in my car.”
CHRIS
Chris did not stay in his car. He couldn’t, not with this spectacular view. He’d pulled over halfway down a mountainside. Perched on the hood of his rental car, he could see the valley stretched out for miles. Endless green in so many shades that his mind boggled.
He took a deep breath. Crisp clean air flooded his lungs. It smelled different here. Tasted different, if that made any sense. He’d noticed it as soon as he’d left the tiny Whitehorse airport.
