Page 64 of Three Steps Behind

“Oh.” She swiped at her cheeks. “Sorry. I’m sure I look lovely.”

“You are lovely,” Harper said. Inside and out.

“I’m going to duck into the ladies’ room, but it was really good seeing you. Wish it had been under different circumstances.”

“Agreed.” Harper stood and gave Susan a hug. Then she stepped back, trying to politely signal she wasn’t up for a hug from Steve, but the poor guy would have no idea why. Men in general made her curl up into herself. With the exception of Deckard. What that said about him or their relationship she didn’t know, but he was her safety net outside of God. Though God hadn’t exactly kept her safe during those hellish days.

Deck’s arm wrapped around her shoulder. “I’ve got you,” he whispered under his breath.

“So nice to meet you both,” he said.

“Likewise.” Steve shook his hand. “Harper.” He nodded.

She offered a smile. “See you two.”

Steve jiggled the sliding door along the track. It stuck more often than not and had to be jimmied shut.

Harper swiped her nose, trying—poorly—to cover the tear-filled sniffs. “I think we better stoke the fire.”

“Agreed.”

“I’ll grab the poker,” she said, turning her back to him so Deck couldn’t see her crying. Because if he did, he’d comfort her with a hug, and she was getting far too used to them. “I don’t see it,” she said, scanning the wood pile, where it usually stood. “It must be down at the lower fire pit.”

He arched a brow. “They have a second fire pit?”

“Sort of.”

“How can you sort of have another fire pit?”

“It’s kind of a permanent beach bonfire pit, if you will. It sits on the shore of the Rio Grande. You can’t see it with the slope of the hill, but it’s beautiful.”

He lifted his hands to shield his eyes from the winter sun, gazing down the direction she pointed. “I’ll come along.”

The two trekked down the steep edge of the slope. Deck reached out his hand as they hit an icy patch.

“Thanks.” She moved gingerly.

Ice cracked beneath their boots as they continued on.

The slope leveled off, and the river came rushing into view, swirling and roaring rapids with an occasional chunk of ice bobbing by.

Two blue Adirondack chairs sat around a fire pit on the beach.

“That’s so cool having the river in your backyard.” Deck slid his hands into his jacket pockets.

“Technically it’s not theirs. The river and shoreland are public property, but no one seems to enforce it, so Taylor and Nick—mainly Nick—set up camp.” She scoured the ground. “There’s the poker,” she said, spotting it in the pit, among the cooled logs. She yanked it free from the two remaining crisscross logs.

She blinked and bent over.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure. . . .” She dipped down on her haunches to get a better look. “It . . .” She squinted, leaning over the object in question. “It looks like a coin, but it has numbers on it.” Her stomach bottomed out, all warmth draining from her face.

“What’s wrong?” Deck asked by her side.

“I think it’s a cremation coin.”

“A what?”