Wash

“A sign?”

“Maybe fate threw us together again so we could become friends and work out our differences.”

“Yes, it’s a great and glorious sign from the cosmos that we’re meant to be together,” I said with a sarcastic ring. He smiled and I continued. “I’m kidding.”

“I’m not.”

My jaw set into a stern grimace. “It’s science, Jake—just a shooting star and nothing more.”

“Wow. You used to be such a romantic.”

I sucked in a deep gulp of air. “A lot about me died that day.”

He sighed. “One way or another, I’m gonna melt that ice covering your heart.”

I peered at him intently. “Instead of melting ice, how about answering another question?”

“Anything.”

“Where have you been all these years?” I asked.

“I got a job as a firefighter in Texas.”

“Yeah, Nadia told me that much,” I said. “She said you were transferred back home. That’s what you’ve always wanted to do, right? You went out there and followed your dream. I’m really happy for you for that, even if you had to ditch me to do it.”

“I’ve been working hard out there, but I missed everyone horribly—especially you.”

“This isn’t some cheesy romance novel with Fabio on the cover,” I said. “You can’t just walk into my life and think I’m gonna run back into your arms like nothing ever happened. How dare you?”

“The past is the past. Why can’t we concentrate on the present? Didn’t we both agree to come on this trip as friends?”

“The only thing I agreed to was to be cordial, and I’m doing the best I can with that.”

“I realized the fatal mistake on our wedding night, but it was too late by then. The damage had already been done. I knew you’d never forgive me after I didn’t show up at that wedding.”

“I might have, if you’d just have come to me that night. Sure, I was mad, but I wasn’t ready to lose you. If you had come to me and told me you wanted to wait, I would have been happy to do that for you, but you didn’t even include me in your decision. You just took off and disappeared for months, for years.”

“You’re rich,” he said. “If you had really wanted to find me, you could’ve easily hired a private detective.”

“Yeah, I guess I could have, but I’m not a stalker.” I ran a hand through my hair in thought. “I wished our breakup had been different so we could’ve remained friends, because losing you…well, you were my best friend, my soulmate, my intimate partner, and the closest person to me. We talked about our future so much, even what we would name our kids, where we’d live, and what our life together would be like. Jake, I was sure you were the one I’d spend the rest of my life with, but you destroyed our fairytale romance. I was all fastened into my wedding gown, happier than I’d ever been in my life, and then you were just gone. It felt like you just died, like you’d been ripped right out of my life. It was like losing a limb, and it hurt like a bitch. After that, every day was a struggle, and the pain just wouldn’t go away.”

“I’m hurting just as bad. The scene and our last phone call just plays over and over again in my mind. I’ve been haunted by it, and I’ve regretted it every day of my life.”

“Then why didn’t you pick up the damn phone, email me, or Facebook me? Hell, you could’ve texted me.”

“My head and heart fought about that for a long time, but the truth is, I couldn’t bear to face you again. I was so ashamed. Losing you was the worst heartbreak ever, and I knew I had brought it upon myself.”

“I think we’re both dysfunctional right now, and I can’t really deal with it yet. Let’s just stay focused on what we came here for and cash in on this inheritance.”

He nodded and touched my hand. “I made a bed on the couch.”

“Good. We’d better get some sleep, because we’ve got a long day a

head of us. It takes about five hours to get down to the bottom of the canyon by mule.”

We’d be staying at the popular and historic Phantom Ranch, in a cabin equipped only with bunk beds, bedding, a toilet, a sink, some soap, and a few towels. Fortunately, there were showers not too far away. It was the only place to stay below the rim of the Grand Canyon, and the isolated accommodations could only be reached by hiking, rafting, or mules. We’d take the Bright Angel Trail down, eat lunch at Indian Garden, then ride along the cliffs of the Inner Gorge until we crossed the Colorado River via suspension bridge and rode up Bright Angel Canyon to the ranch. If I hadn’t been traveling with someone I loathed, it would have sounded like some grand adventure right off the pages of a Hemingway novel.

“Goodnight,” I said.