Page 86 of Buried in the Woods Below

We both know that won’t happen, but it’s a pleasant fiction.

She pulls me into a tight hug, squeezing until my ribs protest. “I’d really like that.”

I don’t trust myself to respond. Instead, I turn back to my packing, blinking back the tears as I zip up my bag.

A knock on the doorframe startles me. I twist around, and Eric stands there, leaning against the wood with a heavy smile. For a moment, my eyes flick between him and Olivia—my best friend and my…something.

“We should probably get going,” he says. His voice is steady, but there’s something tilted in his expression. His Patagonia jacket is zipped up against the cold, and his hands are shoved into his jeans pockets, but it’s his eyes that hold me. Like he wants to say more.

I hesitate.

“Lake’s getting real choppy,” he adds. “Another storm’s rolling in.”

I nod, gripping the strap of my bag like it might keep me together. “Give me a second. I’ll meet you at the dock.”

He gives me a sympathetic nod and exits.

Olivia bites her lip. “Well, I guess this is it. Sorry I can’t ride over to Wayzata with you, but my editor is on my ass to look at his changes.”

“No problem. Emma and Penelope will be plenty of company.”

We both laugh. Olivia and I hug one last time before I throw my bag over my shoulder and step out, wondering if this is the last time I’ll see her.

Outside, the wind rips across the water, sending black waves rolling in sharp, unpredictable patterns. Storm clouds march across the sky, casting everything in an unnatural darkness. Trees bow under the force of the wind, creaking like old bones.

In the distance, I see Wayzata, steady, like a beacon. I think of Carlos, and I wonder if he’s still thinking about me.

I pull out my phone and dial. He answers. Static fills the line.

“Hey, it’s me,” I say softly, hoping that’s enough.

“Hey Charl—” he says, his voice heavy.

“I wanted to let you know I’m heading back to Wayzata now. I’ve decided to leave Big Island and stay with my mom in town tonight. Then head back to Chicago in the morning.”

“Oh.” He pauses. Static. “Okay.”

I hesitate. “But I was wondering if you would have breakfast with me at Benny’s before I leave. We could start over?”

A long silence. I hear my heart beating.

“I’d like that.”

The signal sputters.

“Can you hear me?” I ask.

“Bar—ly.”

“I’ll see you at nine?”

“Okay. See y— th_n.” The call drops.

Still, I smile. Just the idea of sitting across from Carlos, sipping coffee without looking over my shoulder, steadies me. He’s a reminder that I used to have a life, a normal one. I could almost reach for it again.

But then I see Eric, and I’m flushed with what I’m leaving behind.

At the dock, he grips the console as the boat bucks against the black water. When I get closer, I hear him cursing under his breath.