Chapter Twenty-Three
Jake was heading toward the highway, or at least he thought he was. It was easy to be mixed up out here, especially with the combination of clouds above and heavy smoke. Once the rain started, he found he was able to breathe a little better. Aspen seemed to be moving quicker as well. Even though they were soaked, it was still warm enough out to not catch a chill.
They’d walked a mile downriver, and the fire didn’t seem to have followed south with them. Now that it was pouring, Jake hoped that it would subside enough to get away from the forest. He’d never been so afraid in his life. Each footstep was driven with the urge to survive, to make it home to Summer. When he needed motivation to keep moving, he pictured her, the sun shining down on her face as they sat on a bench in the park.
He imagined them having coffee on their new dock after they were married. It was enough to force him to lift his exhausted legs and keep them slogging forward. The rain fell heavily, and his feet were soaked, each step making a squishing sound. The constant bombardment of water was like winning the lottery as he thought about how much the state and other parts of the country needed the rain.
He whispered a desperate prayer. “Please be enough.”
When the sun had started to make its way through to the edges of the trees, Jake heard something he’d never expect in a million years. Someone was shouting his name at the top of their lungs. At first it was no more than a faint scratching at his ear. He followed the noise, changing his trajectory. Aspen’s ears perked up, and he started to run forward.
Jake tried to chase after the dog, but his legs couldn’t keep up. The voice was closer now, and he began to shout back, forcing the words out of his raw throat.
“Over here! I’m over here!”
*
“Jake! Jake!” Summer screamed as loud as she could muster. She was soaked to the bones. It had been two hours, and she didn’t want to lose track of where she was. At this point, she was ninety percent sure she’d be able to make it back to the roadblock, but every ten minutes, those odds were going down.
“Jake!” Her throat ached, burning with every shout of her fiancé’s name. She had to find him. To the north, there was a wall of smoke billowing into the sky, and it would have chased him down toward her. He had to be close, if he was still alive. She shuddered at the thought and pushed it down. He was fine. They were going to reunite, and everything was going to be okay.
“Jake!” she called and sat down on an overturned tree. The log was covered in slick moss, and she nearly fell off. “Jake…” she coughed out quietly.
Something rustled nearby in the thick forest bed. She hadn’t even considered there could be predators out here. Suddenly, Summer was petrified, her body locked up in fear. What was it? A bear? They were known to live in Vermont’s forests, and she didn’t want to encounter one on the best of days. Today, that would mean disaster.
The noises came closer, and she broke free of the fear spell, getting up and finding a large stick. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
Just as it came into view, she heard a shout from close by. The animal raced toward her, and she swung the club, stopping just short of hitting Aspen as he barreled into her. His momentum hit her like a brick, and she tumbled over the log and onto the soggy leaf-covered ground.
“Aspen!” she yelled through his obsessive face licks. “Oh my God. Where’s Jake? Where is he?” She got to her feet, and Aspen picked up what she was asking. He started forward, and she followed after the dog.
“Jake!” she shouted.
“I’m over here!” she heard back, and she started running for the voice.
Then she saw him. Soaked like a drowned rat, dirt smeared on his face, hair plastered to his head. She didn’t stop. Aspen ran to his owner and barked, and Summer smashed into his waiting arms. He kissed her all over her face and asked a million questions she couldn’t contemplate.
“You’re alive…” Summer felt her blood pressure drop, and she saw white lights dancing around her vision.
“Whoa, we have to get you to sit down,” Jake said and lowered her to another log on the ground. He sat beside her, and Aspen once again licked her face.
Relief flooded Summer’s heart. “Jake. I can’t believe we found each other.”
“What are you doing here?” His voice sounded like a stranger’s, raw and gravelly.
“I had to find you. I knew I would,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder as they sat side by side. Rain continued to pour on them, and she could honestly say this was the happiest moment of her life.
“How far are we from the road?” he asked. He must have been so tired.
“A couple of miles. It’s thick, but we can get back much sooner heading in a straight line. I was zigzagging and yelling the whole time,” Summer said.
“You’re insane, Summer,” he said, but his smile dispelled any chance of him being angry with her.
She turned and grabbed his face in her two slick palms. “Damn right I am. I’m crazy about you, Jake.”
He laughed and couldn’t stop. She joined him, and soon they were close to rolling around the damp forest floor sounding like a pair of hyenas. Aspen didn’t know what to think of them, so he barked.
“We better get out of here,” Jake said, reaching a hand down to help her up. Even now, he felt so strong, and she was happy to have him to lean on again. They’d both been so afraid, but now that she was with Jake, it felt like they could accomplish anything, starting with getting back to safety.
“Let’s go, Aspen.” Summer lifted one leg at a time, and they stalked toward the road and her family.
*
The hospital was busy, and Jake wanted nothing more than to get out of there and get home. He knew he was fine. Maybe a little too much smoke inhalation. He was more worried about Aspen, who was at the veterinarian with Hudson and Barbara at that moment.
The doctor finally reappeared. Summer was dozing in the chair, her neck craned to the side, and she sat upright in a flash at the sound of the door opening.
“Mr. Morretti? You should be in the clear. You didn’t inhale enough to cause permanent damage, nor did Ms. Phillips. I’d suggest taking it easy for a few days, and if you feel like you’re struggling breathing, come back immediately.” The middle-aged doctor scribbled a few things down onto paper stuck to a clipboard. “Any questions?”
Jake had one. “When can we leave?”
“You’re free to go,” he said with a smile and left them alone in the small room.
They left the room and met Peter in the waiting area. “Good news. The Pines is safe. The fire is under control, but they lost a lot of homes to the north. It’s still raining, and they expect precipitation for the next few days. Let’s get you two home.”
Jake was thrilled to hear it. “Any word from Hudson?”
“Aspen’s healthy as ever. They already started the drive home. Let’s go,” Peter said, and Jake felt himself well up with emotion. It had been a trying twenty-four hours, but just to know his best friend and loyal companion was okay put an end to the adrenaline rush. His legs almost gave way, but Summer was there to catch him.
“It’s okay. We’re going to him now.” Summer grabbed his hand, and they left the hospital.
He couldn’t wait to be home.
*
Summer looked in the mirror and applied a thin layer of lipstick. “Jake, the wedding is in four days, and the state’s in a mess. Maybe we should postpone it.”
“I don’t want to do that. I just want to be married.” Jake’s strong arms slid around her waist from behind, and she turned, kissing him on the cheek.
“You have a little something…” She pointed at him, and he stared into the mirror, laughing at the red lips painted onto the right side of his face.
“Thanks for that.”
“I agree. Let’s see what Mom wants to talk about. Are you ready? We were supposed to be there ten minutes ago,” she said.
“I’ve been ready for twenty minutes, babe.” Jake spun around, as if showcasing his amazing plaid-and-jeans wardrobe.
“Let’s go.” Summer’s voice still hurt a little, but it was a lot better than three days ago. The fires around the state were mostly contained at this point. She’d seen the maps, and it shocked her to see just how close they’d come to losing the Pines and their new home, as well as their businesses.
The town was quieter than it normally would be at this time of the summer. The season was winding down at the end of August. Soon kids would be back in schools across America, and most of the tourists had left when the threat of fire was looming over the whole region.
As they drove through the Pines, the town felt different, but not in a way Summer could put a finger on. The air was almost clear again; the constant smell of smoke was still there, but Summer thought it might be stuck inside her nostrils and worried she’d never smell anything else.
The turn signal blinked as they headed toward the Hive, where her mom and dad were waiting to discuss the wedding. Four days. They had four days to get ready, and Summer wasn’t sure if they could pull it off with all the delays from suppliers around their section of the country.
Summer was surprised to see the parking lot as full as it was before eight in the morning, but she was happy for her mom. At least a dozen vehicles sat in the lot, some familiar, some with out-of-state license plates.
They parked and headed inside, where Summer immediately spotted a smiling Haley behind the coffee bar. The espresso machine was hissing and blowing steam.
Barbara was at a back booth, her laptop glowing against her tired-looking face. Hudson sat opposite her, leaning back, one hand on a cup of coffee. He stood as they approached.
“Good morning, Sunshine.” Her dad gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek.
“Hudson,” Jake said, shaking her dad’s hand.
“Good morning, guys. Mom, are you okay?” Summer asked quietly as she sat down beside the woman. Barbara didn’t even seem to notice them and jumped when she looked up.
“What? Hello, you two.” The smile was forced.
Summer’s heart sank. She knew something was wrong. “What is it, Mom?”
Barbara closed her laptop with a flip of her hand. “I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Tell us what?” Jake asked, finding a seat.
“The church…” Summer noticed tears welling in her mom’s eyes as she spoke.
“What about it?” Summer asked.
Her dad took over. “It burned down. The Little Blue Church is gone. The fires hit an hour north of here, and the church was basically the border. It didn’t get a hundred yards past the property line.”
“Oh my God. How do you know?” Summer asked. She felt exhausted, and she waved down a waitress, one of the new ones, to get her a coffee. Jake made it two.
“We drove up there last night. The church wasn’t responding to emails or phone calls, and I had a bad feeling.” Her dad stretched his hand across the table and grabbed her arm. “I’m so sorry, Sunshine.”
Summer caught Jake’s gaze. Four days. They were getting married in four days, and they didn’t even have a venue. But after wondering if she was going to lose the love of her life last weekend, none of the small stuff made a difference any longer. She was here with Jake, and they had a long life ahead of them.
“The important thing is, everyone’s all right. We’re healthy and happy, and this wedding is going to happen regardless,” Summer said, sitting up straighter in her seat.
“Honey, maybe we should…” Barbara started, but Summer didn’t want to hear the rest.
“We’re getting married Saturday, as planned. I’m not waiting to marry this man.” Summer watched as Jake’s eyes softened, and a smile curled on his lips.
“And just where is this wedding going to take place?” Barbara tapped her fingernail on the tabletop in perfect rhythm.
Summer thought about the new set of keys sitting on the key ring inside her purse and smiled. “I have an idea.”