“Huh?” I ask, looking up. What he said sinks in, and I nod. “Oh. Yeah, that must be it.”
“Something wrong?” he asks.
“No. It’s just weird. You’d think if the sender had lunch plans with this person, he or she would know the email address,” I say. “And notice that my name is on the address.”
“You would think that woman would know she wasn’t emailing her great-nephew. There must be another Emma Griffin in the world.” He smiles and leans over to kiss my cheek. “But you’re the better one.”
The door opens and Dean looks out. “Sorry to interrupt, but Xavier has taken all the bacon and built it into a log cabin style structure on his plate. He says you two haven’t gotten to the table for breakfast, so he is declaring eminent domain and staking his claim. He’s going to systematically work his way through the food, and I think his eye is on the potatoes next.”
“We’re coming,” I say.
Sam helps me to my feet and as I start toward the door, he pulls me back into his arms.
“Hey. Are you sure you’re alright?”
I nod, forcing a smile. “Yeah. I’m fine.” I kiss him. “Now, let’s go before he declares dominion over the coffee, and I have to start preparing for war.”
Chapter Thirteen
A cold soaking rain that settled in during the late morning keeps us hunkered down in the cabin for the rest of the day, and by the next day, I’m ready to leave Feathered Nest. It won’t be forever. I’ve come to terms with the idea that I’m never going to be completely done with this place.
There was a time when that would have been painful to admit. It would have made me angry; I would have fought with everything I had against it. I didn’t want a place like this to have a hold on me. But now I see it for so much more.
I know that my parents had a tie to this town and that it meant a lot to them. In a way, I can feel them here. I don’t know the details of their time here. Maybe one day I’ll visit with my father and he can tell me more about it. Until then, I’ll remember this is where my life began. In a hospital just outside of the town, brought into the world by an incredible woman being taken care of by another woman whose path would cross mine again one day.
But this time in a completely unexpected way.
Sam comes up beside me as I stand in the gravel in front of cabin thirteen and take a last long look at the porch. At least for now.
He wraps his arm around my waist and leans down to kiss my head. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“You sure?”
“I am. Let’s go home,” I say.
We pile into the car and Xavier begins to prepare for the road trip. His preparations for a long drive are like watching a small mammal bed down for the winter. Stuffing pillows and blankets around himself, he creates a nest. From there, he puts his bag easily accessible near his feet. This bag is not for his clothes or toiletries. It is only for the trip and contains all the necessities for a drive any longer than an hour.
Paperbacks, puzzle books, snacks, and various other things ensure he’ll stay comfortable throughout the drive. Sometimes it seems as if he’s actually readying himself for the off chance the car will break down and he’ll have to attempt to survive the ravages of the wilderness with only what he brought along with him.
We haven’t yet ventured out into the wilderness far enough for him to actually encounter any ravages, but if we ever do, we can feel confident Xavier is ready to meet the challenge. Or at least to be the sole survivor.
The drive home isn’t anywhere near as eventful as the drive to Feathered Nest. We don’t make any detours and we stick to the road, with the exception of the occasional pit stop. Both Dean and Xavier are asleep when we get to Harlan. Sam pulls into the driveway of Xavier’s house, and I turn around to gently wake them up.
“Guys,” I say, alternating between jiggling Dean’s leg and tugging on Xavier’s blanket. “We’re here.”
It takes a few seconds to wake them up, then we help carry everything into the house. My own nap in the car leaves me understanding the somewhat wobbly way they walk through the house when they get inside. There’s something disorienting about traveling during the day and falling asleep in the car. It’s like coming out of a movie theater during the day. It feels as if it should be dark. The sunlight is out of place.
Dean goes through each room while Xavier makes his way into the kitchen and starts taking the drinks left over from the drive and lining them up along the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. It all has the air of ritual, but that isn’t unusual for anything involving Xavier.
“Are you going to stay around for a little bit?” he asks when he’s done.
“No. We need to get on back to Sherwood,” Sam tells him. “I need to check in with the station before it gets too late. There wasn’t too much going on there when I left, but you never know what kind of craziness is going to happen over a weekend.”
“Probably less without Emma there,” Dean teases.
I glare at him and he laughs.
“Alright, we’re going to head out. I’ll talk to you soon. If I don’t see you before then, I’ll see you when you
