Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 77582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77582 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 388(@200wpm)___ 310(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“How do you know that?” I ask.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s always just been something I keep track of. I don’t like to miss a full moon if I can help it. It’s a good day for tapping into cosmic energy.” She lowers her voice before whispering, “I’m a little witchy, but in a nice way. I don’t talk about it much, though. People in Bad Dog can still be kind of old-fashioned about stuff like that.”
I slow as we near the end of a long row of mostly empty campsites. “Afraid you’ll get burned at the stake?”
She laughs. “Um, yeah? A little? But that could just be PTSD from my mom finding all my crystals and spell book when I was a teenager. She threw everything away and made me have a meeting with Pastor Bob. Come to find out later, Pastor Bob was way more dangerous than my moon power spells. He was having an affair with one of the girls I went to school with, while she was still in high school.”
“Gross,” I say, my lip curling. “What’s wrong with men like that? The thought of being involved with a girl that young literally turns my stomach.”
“Well, we all know you prefer older women,” Tessa says, making my focus jerk her way. She grins, adding, “I mean, Darcy is older than you are, right? Binx mentioned that Daria was thirty-four. Seeing as they’re twins, I’m assuming Darcy is the same age.”
“Yeah. She’s about a year and a half older than I am.” I swing into the empty spot across from ours so I can back into number sixty-nine. “But age doesn’t really matter to me. As long as the woman isn’t too much younger. I wouldn’t trust that someone too much younger than I am is ready for a serious commitment.”
“And you are?” Tessa asks as I angle the camper into our spot, stopping once the front of the vehicle is well out of the road.
I shift into park and shut off the engine before giving her my full attention. “Yeah, I am. With the right person.” I nod outside. “I think I can see the view. Want to check it out before we hook up and set Freya free?”
“Yeah,” she says, unbuckling her belt. “She’s probably asleep, anyway. If she weren’t, she’d be scratching at the door by now. She’s had a big day.”
“We all have,” I agree. “We can still have an early night if you want. Save the treasure scouting research for tomorrow.”
“Hell no,” she says, making me smile. “I’m wide awake. Could be the coffee from earlier, but I think it’s the excitement. If we find treasure, I’m using my half to buy a food truck. I used to think I wanted to open a restaurant, but a food truck is way better. Lower overhead, increased flexibility with location, and you can park it and take time off without paying rent. It’s the perfect low-stress food service option.”
“And what if we find enough to make us both billionaires?” I ask as we disembark, though I know the chances of that are slim to none. Even the largest of Utah’s lost treasures wouldn’t fetch that high a price. “Ever thought about what you’d do if you never had to work another day in your life?”
We start toward the back of the camper, side by side in the darkness, our eyes slowly adjusting to the dim light.
“I haven’t,” Tessa says. “But if I had all the money in the world, I think I’d still want to do something you know? And probably something with food. Life would be boring without a sense of purpose, and I love feeding people. It makes me feel useful, and important in a weird way. Food gives people comfort as well as fuel. I like being part of that comfort.”
“Same,” I say. “I know I do important work for my clients. I wouldn’t want to give that up entirely, but I would love more time outside. In my ideal world, I’d work November to April and hike and adventure May to October.”
“That sounds amazing,” she says, “I—” She breaks off, laughing as she comes to a stop just a few feet from the back of the camper. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What?” I ask.
She points at the landscape ahead of us. “There. See it?”
I squint into the distance, but all I see are dark shadows on the horizon. The stars are still out, but a few clouds have rolled in, blocking the moonlight.
“Wait for it,” Tessa says, looping her arm through mine. “The moon is about to come out from behind the clouds.”
She’s right. In a few moments, the clouds float away on the breeze, and I’m treated to my first glimpse of Buffalo Dick, silhouetted against the starry sky.