I Hope You Find Me (25 page)

I knew as I neared Fin’s cabin that both the
men were inside, since I could hear their conversation through the
open front door. My feet crunched along the dirt and tiny rocks
until I stepped onto Fin’s wooden deck. Zoey’s nails clicked to a
stop just before the door, she already knew she wasn’t allowed
inside Fin’s place, so she sat down against the wall and looked up
at me curiously before closing her eyes for a nap.

Their voices had stilled when I stepped onto
the porch but I announced my arrival anyway. “Hello?” I popped my
head into the main room, and waited for my eyes to adjust to the
darker space.

“She remembers we exist after all,” Fin’s
animated voice said, from the far corner.

I stepped into the room. They had moved the
smaller chairs that had been near the couch to the other side of
the cabin, so that they were facing the windows that overlooked the
pier. And the trail.

“Ah, so you saw me coming.” I smiled at them.
Connor lifted his hand up to his face quickly, and then slammed it
down hard on his thigh. Something in his grip glinted in the
sunlight.

“Are you...drinking?” I asked as I moved
closer.

Fin waved a bottle at me, half-full of an
amber-colored liquid. “Course we are. What else is there to do?” He
chuckled and Connor snorted.

“You’re doing shots...before lunch?” I was
standing between their chairs when Connor raised his hand out to
Fin, who eagerly filled his shot glass, before taking a swig
directly from the bottle. Connor laughed and pointed at Fin.

“So, who’s going to take care of you boys
when you fall on your faces, drunk?” I put my hands on my hips and
acted annoyed with them. Truth was, I was happy to see them
bonding, even if it was most likely because they were upset with
me.

“Oh, no. We’ve got that covered, baby.” Fin
winked at me. Connor snorted again.

“Really?” I cocked an eyebrow at him, and
crossed my arms at my chest. “Do tell,” I said, sweetly.

“We’re gonna take care of each other. Cuz
Connor’s my next-door neighbor now.” Fin slapped Connor’s arm, and
took another long swig from the half-empty bottle.

“Yup,” Connor laughed, downing his shot.
“Another! Keep them coming, brother.”

“What do you mean, neighbor?” I asked, but
both men ignored me.

I sighed, no longer pretending to be upset
with them. “You know what, fine. Drink yourselves into a coma, I
don’t care.” I stomped out the front door so fast that I startled
Zoey awake.

I heard Fin chuckle after Connor said, “Coma
sounds nice, don’t ya think?”

Not sure where else to go at that moment, I
walked back to my cabin and plopped down onto the sofa and leaned
into the pillows. I was too edgy to sit still, so I went into the
kitchen and began peeling an orange. Halfway through the task, I
slammed it down onto the counter, ignoring the gooey puddle that
oozed from the smashed fruit. I went up the stairs, taking two at a
time. After I looked down the hall, I saw Connor’s door standing
ajar, and peered in to see the bed neatly made. As I slowly crossed
the threshold into the room I realized all of his things were gone.
He wasn’t joking, he had moved out.

The bed sagged around me as I sat on the edge
of the mattress and looked out the window at the pine trees that
filled the entire view. While I stared absentmindedly into the
forest, a shadow of some kind seemed out of place. I focused on the
dark shape standing a few yards inside the tree line. It looked
like a person. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and
my arms broke out in goose bumps. I blinked slowly, certain that
when I opened my eyes, the figure would be gone, but it was still
there several seconds later. I moved off the bed and approached the
window carefully, not breaking my gaze from the person in the
trees. With my nose almost touching the glass, and the lacy
curtains tickling my cheeks, the figure took several small steps
forward into a patch of sunlight that had filtered through the tree
tops.

Matt stood alone in the low brush and looked
up at the second floor of the cabin, his hands casually stuffed
into his coat pockets, a baseball cap turned backwards on top of
his head...and smiled at me.

***

By the time I flung open the front door and
sprinted off the porch steps, he was long gone. I walked back
inside and closed up the front door, locking it on purpose for the
first time since arriving. Zoey sensed my anxiety and ran around me
in circles as I rushed back up the stairs to grab my coat, before I
bolted out the front door again, jogging up the trail towards the
main lodge. There was no point in telling Fin or Connor that Matt
was watching me. I doubted they could even walk in a straight line
at that point.

I hiked up the trail so fast that a small
sheen of sweat had broken out on my forehead. I stripped my coat
off, and tossed it over my shoulder as I walked. The forest around
me was still and quiet, but I could hear the sounds of people up
ahead. Sure enough, when I hit the fork in the trail I stumbled
into Skip.

“Hey there, Riley,” he said, with a big smile
crinkling the deep wrinkles around his eyes into little rainbow
shapes.

I panted a hello and moved my coat from one
shoulder to the other. “Sorry, but have you seen Matt come through
here?” I asked him, slightly out of breath.

“Matt? I haven’t seen him since he took off
this morning. Why, is everything okay?” He looked at me warily and
his smile faded into a frown.

“Oh yes, of course. I just thought I saw him
by the cabins. I’m sure I’ll find him with the others.” I tried to
smile up at him.

“Okay.” He looked up and down the trail
before asking, “How about I come with you?” He smiled at me while
we followed the pathway back up to the main building. “I was just
checking out the suites. This is a pretty great place.”

I nodded in agreement. “It’s sort of perfect.
I hope we can keep it that way.” I looked up at his face, and the
wrinkles around his eyes deepened into trenches when he
grinned.

“I hope so too,” he said.

We talked along the path and Skip told me how
he ran into Jacks at a gas station on the outskirts of the northern
part of the county. Kris, the young and quiet girl, and Winchester,
the neat accountant, were both with him.

“How did you meet up with the others?” I
asked.

“Well, we went back and forth in the City for
a while, following your messages.” He paused to bend over and
re-tie his shoe before continuing. “And we stumbled upon Matt and
the others at the hotel.”

“I’m sorry. For sending you all over like
that. It made sense at the time, leaving messages. But I guess it
wasn’t the best way to go about it.” I waited for him to pull his
sock up and readjust his pant leg before we started walking
again.

“Nonsense. Don’t apologize. It’s not like any
of us had anything better to do. Plus, it had a happy ending, after
all, right?” His hiking shoes were worn and dirty, broken in. But
his clothing all seemed new which wasn’t surprising...most of us
had raided a store or two in the last few months.

“So, what did you do before...well, before
this?” I asked him, to change the subject.

“Me, I was a coach. High school weight
training, and a little football.” He stopped abruptly and threw an
invisible football through the air, making me laugh. I had almost
forgotten why I was walking back to the lodge until I saw the
buildings come into view.

“Thanks for walking with us.” I gestured down
at Zoey, who was wagging her tail at Skip. “She likes you,” I said,
with a laugh when he patted his chest and Zoey pawed at him with
her front feet.

“Ah, I miss my dog,” he said sadly. “Roger
passed just before my wife and daughter.” He paused before looking
at me fondly. “She was about your age I’d guess…you know, you
remind me of her a bit.” A far-away look spread across his
face.

“I’m sorry.” I hung my head low, suddenly
feeling guilty for having Zoey, and finding someone like Connor and
then getting Jacks back in my life.

“You’re a lucky girl, Riley. Don’t forget
that.” He flashed a genuine smile at me, before patting my shoulder
and walking off towards the lodge patio.

I watched Skip’s back as he walked away. I
sure didn’t feel lucky and I was starting to wonder if I was
cursed...maybe we all were.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I found Jacks in the hotel lobby speaking
with Skip. Kris was sitting in a nearby chair, a small backpack
between her feet. She still had the hood of her dark sweatshirt
pulled up over her head and she looked tired and a little nervous.
Winchester came in the front door, rolling a large black Coach
suitcase out behind him. He nodded to me as he passed through the
room and took the stairs to the second floor. I could hear each
thump of the suitcase as the heavy bag hit step after step.

“Winchester is staying up here?” I asked
Jacks.

“Nope. Ana.”

I was beyond thrilled when he went on to tell
me that Ana had announced the cabins were too far of a walk for her
and that she would be taking one of the large hotel-style rooms in
the main building. This was great news for me since I was pretty
certain we had nothing in common and I didn’t relish the idea of
having her as a neighbor.

“Bobby said he’s staying up here too, and
since Alan follows him and Matt everywhere, I’m guessing he’ll be
somewhere close.” Skip said.

“What about you?” I asked him.

“Me, if it’s okay with you, I’d love to take
a room in one of those cabins.”

“Of course! There’s plenty of room down
there...and each cabin has three bedrooms.” I smiled at him, and he
seemed to relax a bit.

“Kris,” Jacks turned to face the teenager,
“Where do you want to stay?”

She shrugged her shoulders just as Ana came
in from the front with a set of more Coach travel bags in her arms
and pushed past us to the stairway. I doubt she was entirely out of
earshot before Kris spoke for the first time.

“Not here.” She said sarcastically.

“Hon, you’re welcome to bunk with me, but I
warn ya, I snore.” Skip laughed.

“Yeah, I know.” She retorted.

“Which is why I’ll stay with Jacks.”
Winchester said with a soft laugh as he walked into the room.

“Well, Kris, you can stay with me and Zoey if
you want. Seems like I have an extra room available now.” I grinned
at her.

She surprised me by smiling faintly back and
saying, “Okay, sure.”

“Well, that’s settled then. Now everyone has
a place.” I smiled at the small group. “Who needs help with their
stuff?”

Winchester pointed upstairs. “She’s the only
one that has an actual set of suitcases.” We laughed.

“I’ll show you the way, if you’re ready?” I
started walking through the lobby as Jacks snuck up behind me.

He whispered over my shoulder into my ear,
“Just remember, I’ll be right next door…in case you need me.”

I didn’t say anything, just nodded and opened
the back door. I stood aside while everyone filed out onto the
porch. Zoey ran into the grass and rubbed her snout along the
ground. Kris laughed and tossed a thick twig across the lawn for
the dog to chase. It seemed Kris could smile after-all.

***

I avoided Fin’s cabin, even though the front
door was still open and the sounds of drunken laughter could be
heard from far up the trail. Zoey ran ahead of us down the path,
excited to have people around her again. Skip took a cabin right
smack in the middle, number four, and we waved at him as he
retreated inside to unpack his things. Jacks was true to his word,
and claimed cabin number six, right next door to me. Kris and I
hovered at the door for a moment while Jacks and Winchester walked
through the lower half of the cabin. The interior wasn’t exactly
the same as ours but the same pieces of furniture were inside, only
arranged in a slightly different fashion, opening up the living
area more, and filling up the walls with seating and tables. The
kitchen had the same glass cabinets but I could see that the colors
of the dishes were more muted...full of greys, slate blues and
darker greens. For the first time, I realized each cabin had a
slightly different color scheme. The sofa pillows were similar to
the dishes with the exception of a few bright orange and yellow
patterns.

I told the two men that I’d be next door,
getting Kris settled in, but that they could come over when they
finished exploring their cabin. After Kris quietly followed me
next-door, I caught her watching me as I closed the door and peered
out the window, and she asked why it had been locked.

“Oh, force of habit, I guess.” I smiled at
her, not wanting to explain that I had seen Matt watching me from
the woods earlier that morning.

She stood awkwardly in the living room, so I
walked into the kitchen and pulled out some snacks and glasses for
water. After I had neatly displayed everything on the counter in
colorful bowls she wandered over and sat on a stool. She seemed
tiny, lost in herself, as she picked at the nuts and granola and
cut pieces of fruit while she sipped her water slowly.

We ate in silence for a bit, until I told her
about the deer. She perked up, and said she might go for a walk
later, and try and spot it herself, and I warned her to stay off
the lake, since the ice wasn’t solid enough to walk across it.
Fifteen minutes of small talk later we heard Jacks knock on the
front door. Zoey barked at him, but was already wagging her tail
before I had a chance to open the door.

Winchester and Skip were standing on the
front porch steps, looking at the view, talking about the weather.
Jacks smiled and leaned seductively against the door frame, and
said in an exaggerated western movie accent, “Howdy, neighbor.”