Silas eventually cleared his throat and said, “Chestnut, you are incredibly agile. In fact, it’s the reason you broke your leg. Falling out of a tree. That was sad, but now you’re better and get to leave… Congrats.”
“Anyone else?” Bodie asked, his head still bent as if in prayer.
Doc stepped forward and said, “It was fun having you around, bud.”
“Best of luck,” Halo offered afterward with a salute.
Since everyone had given a word, Raven felt compelled to as well. “You made my arrival in Cedar Lake memorable, and I thank you for that.”
Bodie removed Chestnut from his crate and placed him on the ground. The rodent took a tentative step forward, testing the limits of his freedom, before wasting no time and scurrying away.
“There he goes,” Bodie said.
An unexpected melancholy swelled within Raven as she watched the squirrel pause at the edge of the forest and turn back to look at them before disappearing into the woods.
“Okay, time to get on with the day, folks,” Silas said with a clap.
As the group headed back to the cabin, laughing and talking about the day ahead, Raven couldn’t shake off the sadness. That silly but adorable moment had made her feel more like a part of Mountaintop Adventures than anything previously, and something in her knew she’d never be able to recapture it.
They still viewed Silas as their leader-in-waiting. It was apparent in how they had just deferred to him to kick off the speeches and how they still needed him to co-sign minor policies she implemented.
If she decided to stay, they’d grow to resent her. The friendliness that had been cultivated between her and Silas would also crumble.
The last reality made her chest grow tight.
“You good?” Silas asked her when they got inside. “Not too torn up about Chestnut, I hope.”
Could he read her face? Raven managed a light laugh despite her tongue feeling thick and her throat dry.
She quickly retreated to her place behind the reception desk where Libby was already parked nearby with her summer schoolwork.
For the next hour, Raven greeted clients who came in and attempted to do some administrative tasks, but she grew too distracted to be any sort of productive. Raven left her post for the restroom, pulling out her phone when she was locked inside.
The moment her best friend picked up, Raven blurted, “I’m falling for Silas.”
“Oh, okay,” Gwen said, chuckling. “I’m not going to say it’s a total surprise the way you’ve—”
“Also, I’m leaving,” Raven said.
“Wait, what?”
“I’m going to sell the business to Silas, then come home.”
“I literally thought you were about to tell me you’d decided to stay and move in with him or something,” her friend said, and it was a reasonable assumption since Raven had done it before to heartbreaking effect.
“I’m finally applying the accumulated lessons,” Raven responded.
“Isn’t this a little drastic, though? You were excited about the possibilities of Mountaintop.”
Her heart was involved now. It would spoil things. She’d known sleeping with Silas was a bad idea, that it would deepen her feelings, but she’d done it anyway.
“My mom once said that when I get really into someone, it’s like those eighties commercials that show the difference between a brain on and off drugs.”
“Okay, I’m not following,” Gwen said.
“What I’m saying is that I’ve ignored my intuition and overstayed in Cedar because of him. First to spite him, then because I liked him.” She was never supposed to be some queenpin of an outdoorsy tourism company.
“So you’re listening to your gut by leaving?” her friend asked.
