Chapter 208: She Packed the Good Chocolate

Dove took the note straight to Cal instead of letting it turn into a private disaster in her head. The handwriting was cramped, the date was recent, and the road name matched their detour, but none of that proved the closure was still in place.

The driver read it at the freight office while Thorne stood beside her and Edrik watched the doorway. Cal asked the clerk to check the latest report. Ten minutes later, they had an answer from a crew that had passed through that afternoon.

The closure had affected one entrance to the old equipment store after a fallen tree brought down a fence. The main road remained open. Vehicles were using the second driveway, farther along the same side. Cal marked it clearly on the route sheet and thanked Dove for bringing the warning.

"I’d rather check than reverse a truck full of people in the dark," he said.

"That’s exactly the sort of boring opinion I want from my driver."

They returned to the shop with the trip still possible and one fewer surprise waiting for them. The garage goods had arrived after the agreed payment, so Dove spread the new carriers and bags across the counter and began packing properly.

Their red pickup and covered larger cart would stay in the yard. Edrik kept the keys, and the small cart was booked onto Cal’s truck. Their room was paid through Day One Hundred Thirteen. Dove hung a return notice for her customers, then stood back to admire the word RETURN. She liked it enough to underline it.

Iris had agreed to wait for their second visit. The first delivery was done, nobody was hungry because Dove wanted a few days away, and she wasn’t going to spend the whole trip apologizing for enjoying herself.

Then came the food, which was where she refused to become modest. They packed rice, pasta, canned meat, beans, seasonings, snacks, and enough drinking water for the planned stretch between reliable stops. Fresh food would be bought or prepared along the way and kept in the appropriate carrier, not left in a warm bag while everyone hoped for the best.

"We are three people," Edrik said, looking at the stack.

"Two of you eat like a small football team. Don’t start pretending now."

Thorne added the bread while Edrik packed the heavy goods low in the cart. Its crooked metal strap guide caught the webbing, so Thorne shaped the edge smooth beneath his fingers. They tightened the strap and tested it without magic. Dove tugged too, then added the lighter bags. She liked that getting ready was becoming easier instead of simply giving them more to carry.

Behind the closed curtain, she moved some sound pantry supplies into her space by touch. It reduced what they had to carry openly, but it did not remove the need to plan. Things still took effort to store and retrieve, and nothing in the space turned warm food into safely chilled food by wish alone.

She kept water, a first meal, spare clothes, and the usual supplies physically available. If she was tired or asleep, her husbands still needed to reach what they used.

Thorne checked that the clothing bag was reachable if either man needed to dress after shifting back. Edrik checked his weapon and ammunition, keeping the loaded handgun and four newer matching spare rounds within reach while the older matching supply stayed packed with his gear. He put the supplies away without turning the room into an exhibition for passing customers.

They packed the charged portable power kit and lights where they could be reached. The movie player would stay with the larger cooling unit in the room, ready for another evening when they returned. Dove set their three new mugs beside the washed thermoses and packed the nine sale mugs in their divided box. One free cupboard had given them something nicer for themselves and something worth selling. Then she slipped the good chocolate into a side pocket. Thorne saw her and lifted an eyebrow.

"Emergency supplies," she said.

"For what emergency?"

"Me being unpleasant. You’ll thank me."

He kissed her temple and added the small blanket she liked against her skin. It had no impressive use beyond comfort, and that was part of why she wanted to keep it.

Once the last customer left, she packed the empty storefront. Their owned furniture stayed. As dusk settled, she brought out the postcard and the campground pictures Iris had given her. The new road booklet went beside them. She didn’t need to choose a forever home tonight, but she wanted to take the pictures rather than leave every harmless wish on a shelf until life became easy.

Edrik found her looking at a printed lake under a clear summer sky. "Still want to swim?"

"Somewhere that doesn’t have teeth coming up the drain, yes. My standards have become very specific."

"We’ll look," he said, taking the heavy bag from beside her feet. "You can tell me everything wrong with the first place we find."

It wasn’t a promise to find a perfect lake tomorrow. She believed it because he didn’t try to make it one.

They ate a large dinner before the last packing check, using the restaurant kitchen while it was open. Dove bought sandwiches for the morning so nobody could decide a fistful of crackers counted as breakfast because the truck was waiting. She paid their agreed share of the trip in ordinary goods only after Cal confirmed the departure and gave her the written receipt.

The personal shop offered another outfit while she checked what remained to buy. Dove made Sprout show her wish list instead: the two power-development books, still unbought, beside the comforts she hadn’t stopped wanting. "Will those books still be here when we get back?" she asked.

"Neither offer has a listed expiry. The practice requirements still apply."

"Good. Show me the practice they still need, then. The skirts can wait." She read before closing the display. Thorne had finally moved a shelf edge without disturbing the next one; Edrik had needed a proper rest after holding the tank. More control and longer holds were worth saving for. She wanted both men ready for the lessons before she paid for them.

Before bed, Thorne pulled her onto his lap while Edrik checked the last bag. She leaned into the warmth of his chest and let her cheek rest against him.

"I’m excited," she admitted. "And a little scared. Both."

"You can tell us if that changes," he said.

"If I stop complaining entirely, check whether I’m asleep."

Edrik looked up. "I’d check your coffee first."

She smiled at him, then reached for his hand. He crossed the room and let her pull him close enough to kiss. Tomorrow could have the road. Tonight, she wanted both of them within reach.

Outside, the district radio carried one last travel update before the evening shift changed. Cal’s route was still open, but drivers were being asked to report smoke west of the highway.