Saltwater Secrets - Amelia Addler Page 0,64

nation had sovereignty. The occupation continued for twelve years until an international arbitration by Kaiser Wilhelm I settled the San Juan Island dispute in America’s favor.

Matthew read a plaque at the camp and chuckled to himself. San Juan was once a tinder box in the so-called Pig War of 1859, where the only casualty was…the pig.

There were only a handful of other hikers that day, so Matthew and Toast took their time walking through English Camp. Matthew liked to stop and read the signs, especially those that had historical pictures – some of the structures were still standing. They were both eerie and strangely modern at the same time.

He tried to imagine what life would have been like then – was it lonely living on this island? Were the inhabitants of San Juan as enchanted by the beauty of the island as he was now?

From English Camp, they continued on a steep hike up Young Hill. When they reached the top, he found blissful solitude. He sat with Toast for almost an hour, enjoying the view of the islands and all of the tiny boats below.

He’d completely shut off his phone so he could enjoy the peace, and it was a wise decision. When he got back to his car, he had a few text messages and two missed calls from Laura.

He read the messages – it was more of the same, with her saying that he made a huge mistake and that they were meant to be together. She accused him, once again, of throwing away their future.

It was difficult for him not to respond, but he knew it was the only option. All they’d done since she’d moved out west was fight, and if he responded now, it’d only be more fighting.

He cared about Laura and he hated to see her hurting so much – but it just wasn’t going to work between them. He couldn’t give her the life that she wanted, and she didn’t want to share a life that he wanted. He should’ve known that it wouldn’t work when she showed up initially, and he should’ve stayed strong.

But he didn’t, and it only caused more suffering on both sides. At the very least, he now knew that he tried everything he could. One day Laura might even agree with him – but probably not until she met someone new. Someone who wanted the same things that she did.

He went back home and took a shower before going to the grocery store. He wanted to make something to bring to the party at Margie’s that evening. He felt bad that Margie always did all of the cooking – even if she insisted in doing so. He offered to bring an appetizer and found a recipe online for buffalo chicken dip. It seemed easy enough that he couldn’t mess it up.

He bought all of the ingredients and was about to check out when he came across a display of fresh cut flowers. Maybe he should buy some flowers for Jade? He reasoned it would be something nice in case her side won the vote. And even if she lost – it would still be nice to have flowers, right?

But then he second-guessed himself. Should he get flowers for Morgan, too? She was a big part of the project. And what about Tiffany? He didn’t really know her well, but she seemed involved after her arrival. That would be three bouquets, though, and then it’d be weird not to get anything for Margie – she was the hostess, after all.

He spent about twenty minutes debating what to do and eventually walked away from the flowers entirely. Instead, he picked up two cards – one that said “Congratulations,” and another that said “Keep your chin up!” Both had cute dogs on them, so he suspected that Jade would appreciate either.

When he got home, he got to work right away on making the dip. Toast wandered into the kitchen, yawning but very intrigued by the smell of the food.

“You’re going to have to wait, buddy. Yours isn’t ready yet.”

Toast sat down, directly in front of the stove, and stared at him. Matthew laughed. Somehow it felt like Toast knew that he was getting something. Matthew had saved a chunk of chicken for him and planned to make it as a little treat.

Once the dip was in the oven, he got to work on Toast’s chicken. Toast tried his best to stay awake, but it took so long that he dozed