Page 17 of Here & Now

Five

Bree set off down the bike path with a specific destination in mind. As a child, her grandparents had often taken her to Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, and she was compelled to revisit it.

Along the way, she stopped twice, to buy a bottle of water at a small convenience store and for a tortoise crossing the path. Upon entering the refuge, she rode down a gravel trail to an overlook. She stopped and got off the bike.

She climbed the wooden staircase of the observation tower until she reached the top. From there, she saw the tops of the trees that lined a wide canal and housed a wide variety of birds. She recalled her grandparents listing off their names: snowy egret, white ibis, roseate spoonbill. She spotted several of them wading in the water below, along with others she couldn’t remember the names of.

If her grandparents had been there, they would have known, and her heart clenched at the thought of it. She watched the birds until the overlook became too crowded, and then she went back down.

In the past, they’d spend two to three hours exploring the refuge, but it wasn’t the same on her own. She hopped on the bike and rode back the way she’d come. Zane had said she could keep the bike as long as she wanted, but she didn’t want to take advantage of his generosity.

He’d given it to her as a form of apology, but he had nothing to apologize for. His love life was none of her business, and he was free to do whatever he wanted to in the privacy of his own home. She was the one at fault, not him.

When she returned to the shop, she opened the door, and a bell announced her arrival. Zane was talking to some customers, but he looked at her and smiled. Then he held up his index finger, indicating she should wait.

She wandered around the shop, which contained a variety of sporting goods, including clothing, fishing gear, and merchandise bearing the shop’s logo. Above the counter was a chalkboard listing the costs for bike and kayak rentals, fishing trips, and dolphin cruises.

“How was the ride?” he said as he came up behind her.

She spun around, and he was standing so close she could smell his cologne. It reminded her of Florida, warm and welcoming.

“The ride was good, mostly.”

“Mostly?”

To avoid bringing up her sad memories, she said, “The trail was too crowded for my liking.”

He nodded. “I prefer to ride in the early morning or evening instead.”

“So, do you own this shop or just work here?”

“You’re looking at the proud owner, along with my friend Marco. He went home for lunch, or I should say, a lunch date.”

“No lunch date for you?”

He grinned. “Why, are you asking?”

“No! I just assumed…”

He shook his head. “Somebody has to stay and run the shop.”

“I know you’re busy, so I won’t keep you. I just wanted to say thanks again for the use of the bike.”

“My pleasure.”

For some reason, she was hesitant to leave, and then an idea struck her. “Since you wouldn’t let me pay, at least let me buy a T-shirt with the shop’s logo on it.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to. I’ll wear it while I’m here and be like a walking billboard for you.”

He chuckled as she turned away and started rummaging through the nearest rack of T-shirts.

“Those are men’s sizes; the women’s section is over here.”

She followed him to the other side of the store, admiring the view as they went. He stopped at a rack of brightly colored shirts and started sifting through them. “Here you go. I think this color would look good on you.”

He handed her a coral T-shirt in size small, and she smiled, thinking she would have chosen it herself. “How did you know my size?”