“I need to go.”
“Marion, don’t—” But the line had already clicked off. I called her back, but she didn’t answer. Then I opted to turn up the radio.
“Little Williams, you might want to call my brother.”
“Law?”
“Roan.”
I was already dialing his cell. “What’s going on?”
“I just tranqued a bear. Apparently, Ms. Simpson’s been feeding them.”
From his chair next to me, Abel cursed. “Is she a moron?”
“Oh, no!” Marion wailed. “Did you kill Yogi?”
“I gotta go,” Nash muttered.
My anxiety left me on the flood of an exhale. Then laughter bubbled up. “Keep feeding them, and they’ll be really annoyed when you stop.”
Abel took the phone from me. “I’ll call Roan and get Fish and Wildlife on it. You take your lunch.”
I glanced down at my watch. Only five minutes late. I pushed out of my chair and pressed a kiss to Abel’s cheek. “Thanks.”
He waved me off with a grumble, and I moved toward the front doors and sunlight. As I stepped outside, I took in a lungful of mountain air and the scent that would always mean home.
“Hey, girl,” Gretchen said with a big smile. My old classmate had a reusable shopping bag slung over her shoulder, currently stuffed full of produce.
I returned her grin. “Coming from the farmers market?”
She nodded. “Told Mom I’d make her favorite pasta primavera.”
“How’s she doing?”
Gretchen’s smile faltered for a moment. “She’s hanging in there, but her heart’s still struggling. We’re just making the most of all the days we have together.”
God, Gretchen had been through enough. Targeted the same night I was, she lived with those nightmares every day. But she never let them skew her outlook on life.
“Why don’t I bring you guys dinner next week? We can have a real catch-up,” I suggested.
Gretchen beamed. “That would be great, and Mom would love to see you.”
“Wren,” Grae called from across the street, holding up a takeout bag from the deli.
“I’d better run,” I told Gretchen. “I’m meeting that one for lunch.” I hitched a thumb in Grae’s direction.
“Have fun.”
I waved and then looked for traffic before darting across the street. I pulled my best friend into a hug. “I thought we were going to Wildfire.”
An expression passed across her face so quickly that if I hadn’t known her all my life, I likely would’ve missed it.
“Grae…”
She started walking. “I thought we could do sandwiches in the park instead.”
I hurried to catch up with her. “What’s going on?”