“You know The Hunger Games?” I ask excitedly. He nods, looking pretty proud of himself for finding common ground. Good lord, he’s really freaking adorable when he’s all excited like this.
“I saw the movies.”
“Oh, the books are so much better. You have to read them!”
“Alright,” he says easily.
I turn to face him more in my seat. “Did you read a lot when you were a kid?”
“Not really. Going to the library was a drive, and I would always rather be running around outside. My brother Remy, he was the reader in our family. I swear he would read a book or two a day when we were younger.”
“I was like that too,” I admit with a smile.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I answer without thinking. It’s easy to talk to this version of Griz, which is dangerous. Still, I can’t help but continue. “Tilly and I had a closet in our room that we arranged with pillows and flashlights. We used to go in there and read for hours.”
“Your own little reading nook,” he says with a smile as we turn into the feed store parking lot.
“It was more like a sanctuary. An escape from… the world.”
I almost said it was an escape from our parents, but I don’t want to admit how bad things were. They were always yelling and throwing things. Always looking for a target to take their anger out on. It feels too vulnerable, too scary to talk about.
Griz puts the truck in park, and I busy myself with studying my fingernails. A large, warm hand covers both of mine, and I startle in my seat. Looking over the console at Griz, I see his dark blue eyes tinged with sadness. I don’t have to say anything, and neither does he. We’re sharing the heaviness of this moment, even if Griz has no idea what’s going on in my head.
After a few moments of sitting in silence and holding Griz’s hand, he clears his throat.
“Did you want to come in?” he asks.
I shake my head, clearing my throat and trying to wipe away the old memories.
“I’ll stay here,” I choke out, hating how wobbly my voice sounds. “I wanted to go over the grocery list again,” I say with more confidence this time.
“Monty…”
The smooth, deep rumble of his voice laced with concern has stupid tears burning the back of my eyes. “I’m good,” I tell him in a too-chipper tone, studiously scrolling through my phone so I don’t have to look at him.
Griz stares at me for another moment, then sighs. “I’ll leave you the keys. Be right back.”
I watch him walk inside and rest my head back against the car seat. My phone rings and I pull it out to see Tilly’s name on the screen.
“Hey, how’s it going?” I answer.
“Pretty good. I was calling to see how the interview went?”
“It was good. I got the job actually so I’ll be staying in Sequoia this summer.”
“Well, that’s a bummer for me but good for you,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice.
Tilly has always been so supportive. That’s what makes avoiding her or trying to get some independence from her so hard.
“When do you start?”
“Today is my first day actually.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, it’s been pretty easy so far. We’re out running errands now.”