Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 186555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 933(@200wpm)___ 746(@250wpm)___ 622(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 186555 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 933(@200wpm)___ 746(@250wpm)___ 622(@300wpm)
His brief story perked me up as he started moving along the rods, marking them with the silver color. “Do you have more than one brother?”
“Three. Two older, one younger. It got us out of the house and out of trouble,” he said in a strange tone that told me there was more to it than that.
“Where do they all live?”
“Colorado Springs, Juneau, and Boulder,” he answered.
Yet none of them, including his dad, ever came over. Colorado Springs and Boulder weren’t exactly down the street, but they weren’t that far either. The one in Alaska was the only exception, at least I thought.
Like he could read my mind, he kept talking. “They don’t come down here much. No reason to. We meet up a couple times a year, or they used to come visit when I was in Florida. Everybody liked visiting when I was there, mostly for the theme parks.”
No reason to? Even though his not-exactly-dad-of-the-year father was only an hour away? And where was his mom? “Why didn’t you take Amos and move up closer to where one of them lives?”
He kept on marking away. “Amos grew up here. Living on base wasn’t for me when I had to, and I don’t miss living in big cities. And when I applied to become a game warden, they opened the office in Durango. I don’t believe in fate, but it seemed like it to me.”
To me too. “Is your mom in the picture?” I asked before I could stop myself.
The Sharpie stopped moving, and I knew I didn’t imagine the gruffness in his voice when he said, “No. Last I heard she passed away a few years ago.”
Last he heard. That wasn’t loaded. “I’m really sorry.”
Even though Rhodes was looking down, he still shook his head. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I don’t lose sleep over her.”
If that wasn’t some deep fury, I didn’t know what was.
And he must have surprised himself because he glanced up and frowned. “We didn’t have a good relationship.”
“I’m sorry, Rhodes. I’m sorry for asking.”
That handsome face went rigid. “Don’t. You didn’t do anything wrong.” Rhodes’s attention moved back to the tent a little too quickly, and he seemed to take another steeling breath before saying, “Let’s take it apart and do it again with the canopy, just to make sure all the numbers match up and you’ve got it.”
Someone was done talking about his parents. I already knew better than to ask people such personal questions, but I could never seem to stop myself. “Thank you,” I blurted out. “For helping me.”
“Sure” was all he replied with. His tone said it all though.
* * *
Two days later, I was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking my foot and trying my best not to feel disappointed.
But mostly failing at that.
I had been really, really looking forward to going camping.
But I knew that shit happens, and that’s exactly what had been the case. Clara had gotten a call while we’d still been at the store, just about getting ready to shut down. Her nephew had broken his arm, and he and her brother were on their way to the hospital.
I could tell Clara had been disappointed as hell in the first place from the way her shoulders had dropped and the way she’d sighed.
And on such short notice, she wouldn’t find anyone else to stay. Her dad’s daytime caretaker had plans. Her other brothers… I wasn’t sure, but I’d bet if they could have done it, she would have asked.
Then again, knowing Clara, she would rather not.
So, we made plans to make camping happen some other time. I’d offered to stay with her dad the next day if she wanted to get out of the house, but one thing led to another, and Jackie offered to stay home. We’d agreed to go on a hike tomorrow instead, even though I knew she wasn’t much of a hiker. She swore up and down she could handle it, and I wasn’t going to tell her what she could and couldn’t do. If we had to turn around, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
And that was why I found myself on a Saturday night at home, feeling just a little disappointed.
I could go camping by myself some other day….
No, I couldn’t.
A knock on the door though had me sitting up.
“Aurora?” through the window, a voice called out from downstairs.
I knew who it was and got up. “Rhodes?” I replied before taking the steps as fast as I could in my socked feet.
“It’s me,” he said just as I reached the bottom, flipping the lock and pulling the door wide.
I gave him the friendliest smile I could muster. “Hey.”
I knew he’d just gotten home not too long ago, I’d heard his truck. He’d already changed out of his uniform, settling for dark jeans and a formfitting T-shirt that I would have eyeballed him in if I could have done it sneakily. “Getting a little late to be leaving, isn’t it?” he asked.