Out of Focus by Becky Harmon

Author:Becky Harmon [Harmon, Becky]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2023-08-17T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

TJ slammed on her brakes and hit reverse. Bailey’s Jeep was sitting in the parking lot at the Shell Point Reserve. It felt like weeks since she had seen her instead of just the days it had been. She had run through so many conversations between them in her head. Would Bailey be happy to see her?

She parked beside Bailey’s Jeep and turned the engine off. She could leave a note with her phone number on Bailey’s windshield. Or she could wait for Bailey to return. Or she could muster up the courage to go and look for her.

She jumped out of the truck before she could change her mind. She followed the main path and took the split to the left when she reached the first intersection. How far would she walk before she gave up? Her shift had already ended, but she was still in uniform. She could pretend she was there working and not let Bailey know she had stopped because she saw her vehicle.

The forest was quiet around her with only an occasional chirp from a bird or croak from a frog. The canopy of trees covered the path in sporadic clusters. Hard sun-packed earth led to soggy paths as the trail moved up and down through the forest. She was in the forest so much for work that she couldn’t remember the last time she had taken a walk on her own time.

She inhaled the musty damp smell around her as she entered another low spot. She felt the temperature drop as the sun’s access was restricted. Dodging the muddy water pooled in the tire tracks, she looked ahead to a patch of wildflowers amidst tall pine trees. This section of the forest was due for a prescribed burn soon. The pine trees no longer showed crisp black bark at their bases and the vegetation was thick. There was also an abundance of dead trees, some still standing.

She had always enjoyed playing outside as a kid. Football games with pine tree defenders or pretending to be a police officer sneaking through a forest of robbers. As an only child, she counted on her imagination to conjure the best playmates.

She crested a small hill and spotted Bailey walking in front of her. She was wearing her standard multi-pocketed pants and a long-sleeved light-colored shirt. Today she had a wide-brimmed hat perched on top of her head. Her steps were slow and she was moving her head back and forth watching both sides of the trail. Chewie stopped and turned to face TJ immediately.

Now that she found them, she wasn’t sure how to get her attention without frightening her. She squatted down to see if Chewie would approach. Her plan worked. As soon as Chewie began trotting toward her, Bailey turned.

“I can show you a great place to take photos,” she called, hoping Bailey would welcome the intrusion.

* * *

Bailey jumped a little at the sound of TJ’s voice, but it only took a second for her words to register.

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