Chapter 10
The campfire burned down to a bed of glowing orange embers by the time the conversation finally wound down into a peaceful, exhausted quiet. Neither Claire nor June spoke of their pain again that night. Instead, they sat side by side on the stone barrier, watching the brilliant display of stars wheeling slowly across the high-altitude sky above the jagged canyon rim. The vastness of the cosmos put their individual tragedies into a humbling, perspective-shifting scale, reminding them that life, however fragile and brief, was a magnificent gift worth fighting to preserve.
Claire eventually fell into a deep, dreamless sleep wrapped in her riding jacket beside Lily on the picnic blanket. When she woke up hours later, the eastern horizon was beginning to blush with delicate shades of rose gold and pale lavender. The morning chill was sharp, coating the metal of the motorcycles in a glistening layer of heavy mountain dew.
June was already awake, moving with quiet efficiency as he packed his camp stove away into his saddlebag. He had built a small, clean circle of rocks where the fire had been, ensuring no stray ember remained to threaten the dry forest. He looked over his shoulder when he heard Claire stir, offering a quiet, respectful nod as she helped a sleepy Lily sit up and rub the sleep from her big eyes.
“Morning, little bear,” June called out gently, tossing an apple from his rations toward the blanket. Lily caught it clumsily against her unicorn shirt with a sleepy giggle.
“Morning, Mr. Bear,” she mumbled, taking a enthusiastic bite of the crisp fruit.
Claire stood up, rolling her shoulders to work out the stiffness from sleeping on the gravel. She walked over to her motorcycle, checking the oil and the chain tension with renewed confidence. The paralyzing dread that had weighed her down for three months felt significantly lighter this morning, replaced by a quiet, steady resolve. She realized she wasn't running away anymore; she was simply riding forward toward a new beginning.
June wheeled his heavy cruiser around, positioning it at the head of the turnout facing down the western slope of the mountain pass. He strapped his helmet on, securing the heavy chin strap with a solid click, and threw his leg over the saddle. He didn't start the engine immediately; instead, he rolled forward a few yards, stopping parallel to Claire’s bike.
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“The road flattens out about twenty miles past the canyon exit,” June said, his voice muffled slightly by his thick beard as he adjusted his riding goggles. “From there, it’s a straight shot through the valley all the way to the coast. You won’t need any more maps or warnings.”
Claire straddled her bike, kickstarting the engine with a crisp, confident roar. She looked over at the massive, tattooed man who had entered their lives like a thunderstorm and stayed to help them weather it. “Thank you, June,” she said, her voice clear and steady over the idling exhaust. “For everything.”
