by Hayleigh Sol
For a moment, my brain hiccupped on the “girlfriend” label. Did it count at a time like this? Didn’t matter, there were more pressing concerns here.
“Are you Maya Stoker?”
I gulped. “Yes, that’s me.”
Please don’t let this go on my permanent record.
The ranger smiled. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ranger Leighton and we’ve been looking for you, Ms. Stoker.”
An older man in a sheriff’s uniform joined our happy group and introduced himself as Sheriff Carver. The park ranger gripped a handheld radio near her mouth and informed whoever was on the other end, “We got her, you can come on back.”
Would someone please hurry up and tell us what this is all about so I can start really freaking out?! Luka squeezed my hand and I was somewhat mollified to have him standing by my side.
“We got a call from, uh”—the ranger checked her paperwork—“Anna Stoker. Your mother, right?” I nodded. “She was a little worried she hadn’t been able to reach you for a few days, said you were up here alone”—a not–so–subtle glance at Luka—“and asked us to check on you.”
The breath I’d been holding released and the tightness in my shoulders released. “Oh God, I’m so sorry about this. She’s a major worrier, my mom. I talked to her last week, told her everything was fine. I can’t believe she dragged all of you into her paranoia.”
The sheriff had his hands on his hips, resting above a very serious looking utility belt. “Sir, could you tell us who you are?”
This was so mortifying. Luka gave his name and explained that we were old friends who happened to run into each other. The sheriff and the ranger watched both of us as I rushed to back up his story, inanely adding that we hadn’t seen each other since we were seventeen and, what a small world, were coincidentally staying in this same campground. I was an idiot.
“And which campsite is yours?”
Luka pointed in the general direction and supplied his space number. By this point, the other park ranger had returned from wherever he’d been and stood back from the group, heroically trying to smother a grin.
The sheriff continued looking stern. “Well, ma’am, I’d suggest you check in with your family at some point today—”
“Of course, Sir. I’m so sorry, again, for all the trouble.”
Ranger Leighton cracked a smile now, evidently having decided this was a neurotic–mother situation instead of a campground–kidnapper one. She was jotting notes on her clipboard, ever so slightly shaking her head. At the ridiculousness of having to document this call, I was certain.
“I swear, I’m going to strangle her,” I muttered, then realized there were three law enforcement officers present. “I mean, not strangle strangle, just—”
At last, Sheriff Carver smiled, chuckling as he held up a hand. “It’s okay, I feel the same way about my own dear mother from time to time.”
Luka and I thanked them, I apologized another dozen times probably, and their parade of official vehicles headed off. When my eyes met Luka’s, he burst out laughing.
“I really am, I’m going to kill her.”
Mommy Dearest should consider herself lucky that he talked me out of committing matricide and even had me laughing over my fears that the po–po had been here because of last night’s trespassing shenanigan. When he tried to convince me it was sweet that she’d been so worried, I drew the line.
Frustrated that this was delaying our day, I grabbed my phone charger and back we went to The Forks. I told Luka he didn’t need to come with me—I wasn’t sure I wanted him to hear the choice words I had for my mother—but he suggested we grab what we wanted for the day and leave once I’d finished my come–to–Jesus phone call. He didn’t call it that, of course, but that’s how I thought of it.
Jill was surprised to see us again, directing me to an exterior outlet I plugged my phone into while Luka moseyed inside to chat with her husband behind the bar. When it powered on, the phone screen filled with texts and I had nine missed calls. All from my mother.
Instead of listening to the messages, I scrolled through the texts and found some from my friends and one from Evan, asking me to call him. Nothing urgent, he’d said, just a chat before I went back to the office. I sent him a reply that cell reception was nonexistent the majority of the time here and my phone was barely alive at the moment, but I’d call as soon as I could. Then, I went outside and dialed my frantic mother.
Chapter 23
“Maya! Oh, thank God. I’ve been so worried, I called the sheriff, I just didn’t know what to do and—”
“Mom.” Her breathless ramble had become impossible to understand as she started crying. “Mom, I’m fine. Why did you call the sheriff’s office?”
She attempted to answer but sobs and sniffles continued to punctuate her speech. I sighed, a touch frustrated I couldn’t launch into the tough talk I’d planned to have with her.
“Take some breaths, Mom. Calm down, everything’s alright.”
As she got her emotions under control, she shouted to my father in the background that I was safe and alive. Then, she demanded to know where I’d been and why I hadn’t been in touch.
“There’s no cell service where I’m staying, remember? I warned you I wouldn’t be able to talk or text very often.”
“But it’s been over a week, Maya. Are you trying to say you haven’t been anywhere with reception in all this time?”
She was right that I probably could have made a greater effort, but I’d been having such a good time with Luka, finally allowing myself to enjoy a vacation. Added to that, after my last chat with Mom where she hadn’t exactly been nurturing, I hadn’t been eager to talk again.
“Mom, I just don’t don’t understand why you would call the rangers or the sheriff’s office. When I’m home, we go more than a week without talking all the time—”
“That’s because you’re always too busy working to talk to your family.” She’d emphasized “working” like it was a dirty word. “And you still haven’t told me where you were last night.”
“Last night?” How did she know I hadn’t been nestled innocently in the tent?
“Yes, the rangers went by your campsite last night and early this morning. When I called to see if you’d been found—after staying up all night, sick to death with worry—they told me your car was still there but you weren’t.”
Aw, hell. I didn’t want to admit to my mother that I’d not only been having adult sleepovers for the past week and a half, but that last night’s had involved trespassing with my bed buddy.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Mom. Maybe the rangers had more important things to do than checking on someone’s adult daughter and they only told you they’d been by.” Yep, I was totally throwing the park rangers under the bus and I did not feel an ounce of guilt about it. Okay, maybe a little. But it wasn’t like my mother was going to confront them about whether or not they’d done as she’d asked.
Oh, sweet Jesus, what if she does?
“Or maybe they came by while I was in the restroom—”
“Have you been spending a lot of time in the bathroom, honey? Are you still having those problems?”
“No, actually that’s been much better. What I was trying to say is that the rangers might’ve checked on me while I wasn’t in the campsite, like, on a walk or something.” Crap, I hadn’t been specific enough and now she was going to demand the real explanation. I wished I could pace off some of my irritation, but I was trapped by my charging phone.
“Mom, the point is, I’ve been perfectly safe up here. Like we’ve always been safe the many, many times we’ve camped here.”
“It’s just that you’re all alone.” She sniffled again, her voice wobbling like being here by myself was akin to a terminal illness. This was ridiculous.
“There’s nothing wrong with being here alone. I’m a gro
wn woman, capable of taking care of myself. Why can’t you see that?”
“Well, excuse me for caring, Miss Independent. I’ll let you get back to your safe and capable vacation now.”
Great, she was going the unappreciated–martyr route. “Mom—”
“No, it’s fine. Maybe you can find it in your busy schedule to send your father a text when you get home.”
And with that, she hung up. I should call her back, apologize for upsetting her. But, dammit, she’d upset me too. No matter how many times I reiterated that I didn’t need a man in my life to function or make everything right, she was never going to believe it.
I had to accept that my own mother didn’t think I could take care of myself and, I suspected, she’d never believed I could run a successful business. That hurt. But we can’t always change a person’s perception of us, even when everything we do and are should. Sitting at one of the picnic tables, I toyed with the idea of texting my friends for some moral support. A shadow fell across the table and my slumped body.
“Hey.” Luka was there, looking patient and understanding, and I felt lighter. “Rough phone call?” He sat across from me, watching me fidget with my phone.
“Little bit.”
“But she knows you’re okay now; I’m sure that’s all she really needed.” I shrugged my shoulders, still looking down at the aged and weathered wood. “Can I ask…”
His hesitation had me meeting his gaze. He was obviously being careful about selecting his next words.
“Well, has your relationship with your mom always been like this? You said she’s a worrier, but calling the authorities seems like a bit of a jump. I mean, you’re not exactly sixteen and staying out past curfew, right?”
With a sigh and a weariness I felt in my bones, I tried to explain how different my mother and I were, how I’d always felt closer to my indomitable grandmother. When I was younger, I’d even been more like Gram.
“Over the years, I’ve come to realize that Mom’s happiest taking care of everyone around her. It’s an admirable quality and there’ve been plenty of times that I’ve been grateful for the attention, but…” Did I want to admit this to him? Was I even positive it was true? “I don’t know, the way she’s been talking about this situation with Brad lately, I…it feels like she thinks I should just turn everything over to him and not worry my pretty little head over anything to do with running my own business.”
Luka nodded slowly, his brow wrinkled as he processed.
“And now this, freaking out about me camping solo—well, not so solo lately.” I smiled at him a bit, trying to lighten the mood. For both of us. “Does she really think I’m incapable of taking a vacation without a chaperone? Sorry, it’s just hard to see yourself through your parent’s eyes and realize what a low opinion they have of you.”
“Babe, isn’t it possible she just loves you so much that she wants to be certain you’re safe and happy? I don’t think a lot of people go on vacation, let alone camping, on their own—”
“You did.”
“Yes, but I still don’t think it’s very common and, let’s face it, you are a woman. That always carries more risk. Not because you can’t do things for yourself, but simply on the grounds of your size and strength against a predator. Animal or human.”
Even though I didn’t like it, I knew what he was saying was true. It’s why women had to be hypervigilant in dark parking lots, why we carried pepper spray or took self–defense classes.
“As for the stuff with your company, maybe your mom’s only concerned about your stress level and she thinks sharing some of the responsibilities will make things easier for you.”
“It doesn’t sound that way, though. You haven’t heard her gush over Brad, how he must know what he’s doing because ‘he drives that expensive car’. Uggh, like a gas–guzzling, high–emissions luxury SUV is something to be proud of. Did you know they’re the second biggest contributor to the global rise in carbon dioxide emissions?”
“Hmm, now I’m feeling pretty bad about my own vehicle.” He did look concerned, which made me feel, well, good. Listened to. When I’d had this conversation with Brad before he bought his new beast, he’d laughed it off like he had the poor squirrel I’d unintentionally run over.
“At least yours is a hybrid.” Which was what I’d tried to talk Brad into buying. When he’d ignored me two years ago and bought the SUV he drove now, the environmentalist in me died a little. He had all the justifications for not looking at an electric or hybrid vehicle: charging stations were too few and far between, he needed the power of a combustion engine, blah blah blah. Funny, though, I was seeing electric charging stations everywhere I went these days and Brad never was one to take a long road trip. He also didn’t haul anything so I don’t know why he thought he needed all that space or horsepower.
“I do plan to go all electric on my next one.” Luka’s earnestness was sweet. I didn’t want to be a hardass, but Greta Thunberg was my idol. She was a teenager, but she wasn’t cowed by politicians and she didn’t back down from her message. If everyone cared about the future of the planet even half as much as she did, we might actually accomplish something.
Sitting up and leaning over the table, I kissed Luka and the mouth. “I want to go electric on my next car, too. Maybe we’ll buy them together.” He returned my smile. “I mean, at the same time.”
“So…your mom’s a big Brad fan, huh?” I nodded. “She knows you two aren’t together, though, right?” Another nod. Luka was turning something over in his mind. “Well, without really knowing her, I still say she could be coming from a loving place. Parents always say they want to see their children happy. They just think they know the best ways to make that happen.”
Huffing out a laugh, I had to agree with the likelihood of what he was saying. My tongue clicked against the roof of my mouth. “Why do you have to go and be all sensible and nice about her? You know, she had that sheriff looking at you like you were an evil daughter abductor. You could’ve been in real trouble.”
He chuckled. “Come on, you have to admit that whole scene was a little funny.” His hand squeezed mine and I was able to see the humor now that I had some distance. “Especially with you convinced they were there to nab us for sleeping on the beach.”
I stuck my tongue out at the teasing gleam in his eye but he had us both laughing, some of the ache from my conversation with Mom blowing away with the breeze off the lake.
“Are you really not going to tell me?” With all that had happened this morning, I’d forgotten Luka was hiding a mystery from me. Once we’d had quiet reading time on the beach at Willow Cove, the memory had slammed into me and I’d been trying to seduce, wheedle, or charm it out of him since.
First, by facetiously pouting my lower lip and batting my eyelashes. When that only made him laugh and kiss my cheek, I’d gotten serious. Taking my time reapplying sunblock to his back, I dragged my fingertips over his warm skin, dipping them under the waistband of his shorts, all while whispering the naughty things I’d do to him if we were alone on this beach right now. Then I asked him about the naughty things he’d like to do to me.
His aloof game was strong, I’d give him that. He managed to keep a placid look on his face but the huskiness in his voice and the way he shifted to adjust his shorts proved he wasn’t as unaffected as he pretended.
Still, he wouldn’t spill his secret and that only made my speculations grow wilder. Sexy word–game time was over. I was a woman on a mission.
“You found a pirate’s buried treasure at Pop’s Beach and you’re splitting it with me?”
Luka shook his head. “I was with you the whole time we were there. And I don’t think pirates ever made it to central California.”
“You don’t know that.”
“And it’s Alex’s Beach.” Raised eyebrows accompanied his smirk. “Got any other guesses?”
Hmmm, thinking…
>
“You got me a puppy?” My voice got all high and squeaky in my excitement over the idea of a wriggly little ball of fluff.
He laughed and shook his head again. “When and where would I have gotten a puppy? And why?”
“Uhh, because it’s a puppy.”
“That can’t be your guess.”
My huff was exasperated. “I give up. I have no idea what your supersecret plans are.”
“Good. Now, tell me more about these naughty plans of yours.” He leaned his chin on a palm and tried to bat his lashes at me. Though they were long and, doubtless, the envy of every woman he’d ever met, he was abysmal at working them, which cracked me up.
“How about this? I’ll tell you my absolute favorite thing we’ve done so far, sex–u–ally”—I drew the word out, then paused for effect as his eyes widened—“if you swim across the cove and take a flying leap. From the rope swing, of course.”
Luka grinned, glanced across the water, and nodded once. “Challenge accepted. But…” Oh boy, here it came. “If I tell you what we’re doing tonight, you have to jump too.”
“Puh–lease, what is this, Titanic? ‘I jump, you jump’. Thanks, Jack, but I’ll just stay here safe and dry on my door–raft while you freeze down there in the water.”
He laughed aloud at that, which made me stupidly proud of myself and I stared at his beautiful face. Luka was funnier than me and he made it seem so effortless. Making him laugh, being the cause of that addictive grin of his, was a real victory.
“Okay, okay, what if you swim over there with me, stand in line, then decide if you want to give it a go. I’ll tell you about tonight while we wait for our turn.”
Hmmm, intriguing proposition. I could just wait until later to discover his secret but I really wanted to know now. I’d never been great about delayed gratification.
And, I was smart enough to see what he was doing. I’d mentioned what a ‘fraidy–cat I was being about the rope swing and, like some metaphor for everything else in my life I was filled with self–doubt about, he was trying to get me back on the rope.
