In memory of Nicole Lewanski

Karate Kid
montage.”
I laughed.
“And your cheeks are glowing,” he continued. “It must be the mountain air.”
“I think it has a lot to do with you as well.” The words slipped out before I
could stop them. I bit my lip and looked away.
“Do you mean that, Audrey?” Slowly, I turned my head back to meet his gaze.
I nodded. “I do.”
He took a step forward, his hand brushing my cheek. “I really like you,” he
said.
I looked up at him. “I like you too.”
He leaned in and kissed me. His lips were soft and warm, and I suddenly
realized how much I missed this kind of intimacy.
“I’ve wanted to do that for ages,” he said, when he broke away.
“Why didn’t you?”
“I wasn’t sure how you felt.”
We moved into each other and kissed again. I put my wine glass down and
wrapped my arms around his neck, wanting desperately to lose myself in the
moment. Then out of nowhere and without warning, I was hit by a wave of
sadness.
I pulled away.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes searching mine.
“No.” My voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t think so.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know, exactly,” I said, shaking my head again. The sadness that had
begun in the pit of my stomach was spreading through my body and growing in
intensity. “I just—” my voice caught on a sob, catching me completely off guard.
Tears rolled down my cheeks one after another, like a sudden deluge of rain
erupting from a perfectly blue sky.
“Audrey,” he said and took a step back as I wiped at my face with my hands.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m crying. It’s not you . . . you’ve been nothing
but wonderful.” I gave him a helpless look.
He sighed. “Rosie mentioned there was someone back home—someone you
were trying to forget. She said that was the reason you came all the way out here.
Is that who you’re crying about?”

---

I looked at him. “I don’t know—maybe.”
“Look, I’m not here to rush you into anything. I like you, but I’m just as
happy to be your friend. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered.
We were quiet for a few minutes. Then I reached over and took his hand.
“Just because I’m not ready right now doesn’t mean I won’t ever be.”
“I know,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze. “This kind of stuff—you can’t
set a time or date to it.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Especially when you lose someone who meant a lot to you.”
I drew in a deep breath. “I think it was the first time I was truly in love, if you
know what I mean.”
“I do.” A sad look crossed his face. “A girl broke my heart a few years back,
and I still think about it sometimes.”
“What happened?”
“Birdie’s an artist. She got a job offer in New York with an ad agency. We
tried to do the long-distance thing for a while, but she met someone else.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What happened with your guy? How did it come to an end?”
“To be honest, I don’t know if things did end with Rad—that’s his name. I
feel like we’re still unfinished business, like we’re in limbo. I suppose that’s why I
can’t seem to move on. There’s this connection between us that will probably
always be there. Even if I never see him again.”
“Like the rope between the ship and the mooring?”
“Exactly like that.”
B
EFORE
I 
KNEW
it, we were barreling our way toward spring, and I got an e-mail
from Dale with the date of their return. I was sad to be leaving this beautiful
house and especially to be parting ways with Apple, whom I adored. Still, I knew
how lucky I was to have spent the winter here. After the first hike with Gabe that
day, the anxiety about my writing had lifted, and I was churning out some decent
work. I had sent a handful of short stories to Angie, and his response was
encouraging. I didn’t want to think too much about what I would do next—
where I would live and how to pay my bills. I just hoped that my luck would
hold out and something would turn up.
One day, Gabe came over, and I could tell there was something on his mind.

---

We were lounging on the couch by the fire, with Apple bounding between us in
excited bursts, when I decided to bring it up.
“Gabe? You’ve been so quiet today. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine, Audrey,” he said. “I’ve just been thinking. You know Dale
and Graham are coming home soon.”
I nodded.
“What are you planning on doing when they’re back?”
“I suppose I should start house hunting. I’ve been careful with the money they
left me, so I should have enough to rent a place for the next few months. I was
also thinking of getting a job in town. I saw a sign posted at the veterinarian—
they’re looking for a new receptionist. Anyway, I’m thinking of applying.”
“So you want to stay here? In Delta, I mean.”
“Yeah. This town has been good for me. I can drive now, and I’m learning to
cook. I’m at least halfway through writing my first book. Plus,” I smiled, “I can
crack open a chestnut with one hand and pull the shell away clean. How many
people do you know who can manage something like that?”
A soft smile played on his lips, and I knew he was thinking back to the day we
met when he was selling chestnuts at the market.
“All in all,” I continued, “my toolbox is looking pretty healthy these days.”
“Is that so?” He raised his eyebrows, and I blushed, realizing the suggestive
nature of that line.
“Anyway,” I said quickly, “I know it sounds really cliché, but you know when
people talk about finding themselves? Well, I’m starting to get where they’re
coming from. So in answer to your question, yes, I think I’ll stay put—unless you
have another suggestion?”
“I do,” he said quietly.
“Yeah?” I looked at him, surprised.
He nodded. “Something I’ve been thinking about.”
“Okay, let’s hear it, then.”
“Well, it’s been ages since I’ve had any time off. I could do with a vacation,
and I thought—” He looked a bit embarrassed. “Well, this is where it gets really
cliché . . .”
“Go on. No stalling, Gabe.”
“I thought we could go on a road trip. Maybe head out to the West Coast.”
“A road trip,” I said slowly. My mind shot back to that rainy day when I
interviewed Rad at Callisto. I remembered how he told me his mother had
planned a road trip across the States—one she never took. I shrugged it off as

---

another strange coincidence.
“We could take turns driving,” Gabe continued. “I have a bit of money saved
up, and Alaska can wait a few months. We can get a tent, pitch it where we
want. Or stay in cheap motels—twin beds of course.” He was talking quickly
now.
“Gabe, it’s okay. You don’t have to convince me. I like the idea.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “Yeah? Really?”
“Yeah, I think it will be fun.”
He leaped to his feet. “We could visit Reno, swim in Lake Tahoe—Yosemite
has some great hiking trails. I mean, there’s so much to see and do!”
He looked almost like a kid, and I loved seeing him so animated. His
excitement was contagious, and soon I was on my feet and we were doing a
ridiculous impromptu dance around the room and laughing like children. I felt
wild and free, like a stringless kite. My heart was soaring, and in that moment, it
was like I had finally broken free from the shackles of my past. Rad, Ana, the lie
—I had stepped out of the shadow and into the light.
We stopped dancing and collapsed back onto the couch, a little out of breath.
Gabe kissed me, and this time, I didn’t pull away.
W
E
SPENT
THE
remainder of the days leading up to Graham and Dale’s return
meticulously planning our road trip. We kept finding new things we wanted to
see or do, adding detours to our already packed itinerary.
“We’re never going to make it to L.A. at this rate.”
“Does that matter?” asked Gabe.
“I suppose not.”
“Though I really do want to go to the Margaret Herrick Library,” he said.
“That’s the nerd in you talking.”
“They have the original screenplay for