The hum of the machine and the tickle of the vibration reminded him that he’d removed the final layer helping him remain distant from the world. Inch by inch he revealed the pale flesh that hadn’t seen the sun in months. Fluffs of brown hair fell into the sink until it was close to the face. He lathered his face up with shaving cream and began the final phase. He’d show Alexa they could find a happy medium between his world and hers.
Cleanly shaven he left the cabin and made the trek to his black Jeep. Climbing inside, he traveled two towns overs. The last thing he needed to do was run into her or be recognized by someone he knew. Tongues would be wagging, and the news of his updated look would reach her before nightfall. There were many upsides to living in a small town, but there were also downsides. The main negative had to be the gossip.
He parked in a spot on the edge of the lot and stepped out, steeling himself for the interaction to come. He’d grown used to the quiet and peace of the forest surrounding his home. His life revolved around nature, hard work, and solitude. Most weeks other than his customers the only people he saw were family members. The oldest of three boys, he remained close to his brothers, Brock and Caleb, and visited his folks at least once a month. His parents occasionally liked to drive out to his home to get away. It pleased him they’d embraced his lifestyle and saw the value in it.
Strolling into the superstore, he grabbed a cart and made a beeline toward home goods. He had a house, what he wanted to do was make it a home.
Women liked beautiful things, and by now he knew Alexa’s style. He slowly made his way through the aisle of pillows, picking out two ruffled turquoise monstrosities to toss onto the couch. A few aisles over he found a cream and turquoise rug with an Aztec theme he didn’t loathe to go in front of the sofa. He tried to remember the small touches in his mother’s home and recreate a few.
Right now it was on him to show her they could have comfort in the middle of the dense forestry. The commute would be longer, but he hoped what he had to offer her would outweigh that. The solar power he invested in and took my time setting up was now a viable source of power and the generators were ready to pick up the slack when necessary. It wasn’t the primitive place she used to turn her nose up at.
The fact that Alexa was still single after all this time felt like a sign. Sexy, intelligent, and feisty, she was a great catch. He knew he wasn’t the only man she was seeing. He knew all about her serial dating and brief engagements. It never bothered him. They hadn’t made any promises to be exclusive, and when she got serious with someone else their dalliances stopped. He knew from experience she didn’t do well being alone. The Dear John letter she sent him stung, but as time passed, he grew to appreciate her upfront honesty.
Better to cut it off cleanly, than to have her cheating on him while he remained faithful and kept her on a pedestal. He’d seen it break too many people in the service. The years he spent alone out here working the land were a necessity. He battled his demons and crawled back from the pit of darkness he fell into after his exit from the service. Being a sniper was very different from other positions in the Marines. He’d become used to the solitude and kept too busy to think on what he was required to do.
Leaving changed all of that. Out on the land, he’d come to grips with things. The sleepless nights were a thing of the past as he learned to compartmentalize his past. Working hard, simplifying, and de-cluttering his brain had worked wonders as he did the equivalent of a modern day walkabout.
Noah, a fellow marine originally from Australia, told him all about walkabouts. Descended from the Aboriginal tribe, Noah possessed an interesting view on the world and a strong spirituality that kept him grounded though the worse circumstances. Thorn had always envied him for that. The things he saw and did in the service made Thorn question the very existence of God at one point. How could God allow so much ugliness to exist? How could humans be so monstrous and capable of such vile and abhorrent things? In the end, it boiled down to free will. Without the right to choose people would merely be puppets. Good couldn’t exist without evil, so you saw both things done in the world.
He immersed himself in the words of the good book, desperate to find a deeper meaning in life. The actions he’d executed to insure the continuation of freedom and the protection of the innocent were violent but never cruel. There was no condemnation to be had for them. It took many days of soul searching, prayer, and studying the Bible to come to that peace bringing conclusion.
He made a beeline to the food items, picking up the makings for S’mores, her favorite type of champagne, and coffee creamer. Creature comforts went a long way when it came to adjusting to life off the grid. He could remember when a cup of his favorite coffee felt like a luxury when he first
started out.
On his way to the checkout aisle, he paused as a colorful bouquet of flowers caught his eyes. The bright yellow of the cheery sunflowers, pops of white baby’s breath, and dark violet sprigs of lavender contrasted with the brilliant pinks of the Zinnia and the stark white Lily. Grabbing the bundle, he fought the flow of traffic to retrieve a large blue tinted mason jar for a vase. He whistled to himself as he waited for his turn on the conveyor belt. He had a good feeling about what was to come.
As he loaded the back of his Jeep he was hopeful.
Chapter Two
Lilac
“Not that I need a real reason to go shopping, but what are we here for again?” Cece asked as they strolled down the aisle of the Walmart they’d driven an hour away to reach.
“To prepare to research the new story Peter put me on.”
“He caved? Wow, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I expected him to be a shit because he could.”
“I did too,” Lilac replied, not looking forward to her best friend’s reaction when she gave her all the details.
“So what did you do, Superwoman? Was it illegal? Did you threaten his person and now you feel embarrassed? If you keep giving me vague answers, I’ll continue to draw my own conclusion. I mean, is it a top secret thing you can’t talk to be about, or what?” Cece paused in mid-step, placed her hands on her hips, and cast shade as her eyes turned to tiny slits and her jaw ticked. The wide-neck black cable knit sweater slipped down her right shoulder, baring a swatch of caramel-colored skin.
She pursed the Cupid’s bow lips she’d painted a rich burgundy that reminded her of cabernet. Cece narrowed her light brown eyes. Even irritated she was gorgeous. Wisps of curly hair escaped the puff she’d gathered on top of her head and framed her oval-shaped face.
“Believe me, it’s nothing that covert. The piece is about living off the grid.”
Cece let out a breath and her body relaxed. “Oh. Well, in that case it makes sense you’d have to stock up. What are you going to do, camp out in the woods for an extended amount of time?” she asked as they grabbed a lantern from the outdoors section.
“Not exactly.”
“Lilac.” Her tone brokered no argument.
“I’ll be staying with Thorn Finch for a month.”
“I’m sorry, I thought you just said something incredibly stupid. Can you repeat that for your bestie?”
Lilac sighed heavily. “You heard me right.”