His Temporary Assistant

I pulled my phone out and found an email notification waiting for me. Part of me wanted to open it, but the rest of me swiped ignore and went to my social media apps. More shares of my little comic. A surprising number of people wanted me to post more.

I knew how things went in the land of the internet. People had short attention spans. So, why hadn’t they moved on yet?

I clicked the phone’s display off and tossed it on the dash. “Wake me when we get there.”

“Okay, sweetie.”

I wasn’t sure how long I hid in the oblivion of sleep. I woke to the loud slap of metal against metal. The hard whack of metal being pounded into the ground was one I was well-acquainted with. I grabbed my phone and shoved it in my back pocket before I hopped out to help her make camp.

She already had the overhang set up—which pretty much was just four posts and a piece of canvas strung between them. I was almost sure it was the same one we’d always used for cover during the rainy seasons.

I’d been the one to waterproof it with three layers of poly because I’d been tired of either getting wet outside or living in a steam bath inside our various vehicles during the summer months.

From vans to RVs, we’d had just about all of them in my life. We’d even lived out of a car for a while when I was really young. I only remembered because it was a hideous green that looked like pea soup. It even had the ham chunks, only they were rust spots.

“What do you need help with?”

“I got it. Why don’t you take a walk? There’s a stream over that way. Stretch those long legs of yours.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded as she hauled a Coleman cooler out of the back storage panel. “By the time you get back, I’ll have burgers ready.”

“Real burgers or are you a vegetarian again?”

“I’m back to eating meat. I was always hungry.”

I grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Wait.” She held up a finger and disappeared into the Airstream. She came back out with my crossbody bag, which held all my on-the-go art supplies and my notebook. “Take these. Maybe you’ll be inspired.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Come on. You used to love to sketch on the rocks all the time. I’d find you sunning on any available boulder with any scrap of paper you could find.”

I took the bag from my mother and gave her an impulsive hug. “I could use a little of that.”

She quickly gripped my shoulders and held on tighter. “I really missed you, baby.”

My eyes stung, but I pulled back. “Yeah. Me too.” Today was just a little too much from every angle. “I’ll be back in a while.”

“Just come back before dark.” I couldn’t count how many times she’d said the same thing when I went off to explore as a kid.

I wasn’t exactly dressed for exploring, but I’d been smart enough to drag out my hiking boots before Rainbow had gotten back to my apartment with supplies.

I followed the signs for the creek as the sun streamed through the trees. I heard the rush of water before I saw it. The scent of it lured me into quickening my stride.

The incline had me skipping down the path, grabbing onto a few of the trees to slow my descent. Finally, the dirt path turned into large slabs of shale and smooth water-worn rocks. The stream was running fast thanks to the storms my mother had mentioned.

But there was enough of a path for me to climb up away from the water to get a good view of the endless trees and the mountains in the distance. Of all the places we’d lived, New York had always been my favorite.

Probably why I’d finally landed in the middle of the state. I’d never quite been a city girl, but I definitely wasn’t made for rural life. Kensington Square was the best of both worlds. Close enough to a major city, but far enough away that I didn’t have to worry about crime.

This was a helluva view though. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture, then immediately opened my texts to send it to…

I stared at the contact name I’d instinctively gone for.

Not Luna.