The Accountant

Chapter 18

It was a lazy Wednesday afternoon when Selena drove from Hunter's driveway into the main street. She was nervous because she didn't have a driver's license yet. She was praying no cops would notice and pull them over. They didn't drive in that big street for long, however, Hunter ordered her to turn right, into a smaller gravel road. They then rode through what seem to be a forest. Selena rolled down her window, she liked the smell of blooming flowers, trees and grasses. She also love the feel of cool, fresh, and crisp afternoon air on her face. The forest opened into a wide clearing, it looked like a huge garden because it was teeming with wildflowers and beautiful plants that she has never seen before. Butterflies flew around when the sound of their truck disturbed them. What caught Selena's eyes, though, is the lake, just a few meters from the edge of the clearing. Selena's jaw dropped in awe when she saw how beautiful and pristine the lake is. It looked like a scene from a postcard. She looked at Hunter, he was smiling. Is this his surprise for her? If it is, Selena is already loving it.

"Wait till we get closer..." Hunter said, hinting at more beautiful things to see. "Turn right. See that cabin over there? It's ours, including the land in this clearing and almost all of the land to right of the lake. The left side though is still government property." There was indeed a log cabin not too far on the right side of the lake. It is quite small but looks very charming. She immediately thought of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs', if they were real, the house in the story would probably look like that log cabin. Near the house, by the lakeside, is a narrow wooden jetty. Tied to the farthest end of the jetty was a small canoe, which seemed unmoving because of the stillness of the water.

Selena parked beside the log cabin. When she got out of the car, she noticed there was another car, a minivan, parked on the opposite side of the cabin. "Whose van is that?" She turned to ask Hunter.

"It's Lizzy's." He simply answered as he led her inside. The cabin has a small patio, there was only a small two-seater wooden bench on the far left side. "Come in, Selena." Hunter said as he opened the wooden door. It was dark inside, so Hunter turned on a switch.

"Surprise!" Selena was startled at the sudden yell of the people inside the cabin and the pop and burst of confetti from the party poppers.

The happy faces of her friends in Aspen wearing party hats greeted her. There was Lizzy, Dave, Edwin, Clara, and Carter. Even Cody, Hunter's older brother, was there. Lizzy was holding a pink birthday cake, with 'Happy birthday, dear Selena' written on it. Selena was overwhelmed with emotion, her tears started to flow as she hugged Lizzy and Clara. She couldn't talk, she was just overflowing with happiness. For the first time in seven years, Selena finally felt at home, although one person is missing.

"Can I join that group hug?" A familiar voice said. It was Molly. Selena's eyes widen in shock. Molly is here? In Aspen? Selena ran to Molly. How she missed her best friend. "Now, now, crybaby. You haven't changed a bit. You still cry at the slightest thing." Molly said, chuckling, and hugging her back.

"H-how did you get here" Selena asked between sobs.

"I scanned through your phone records, honey, I'm sorry." Hunter truly looked apologetic for invading her privacy somehow. "I know how much you missed her. I want you to be happy, so I tried to look for her phone number in your call records. Luckily, you called her often, so it was easy for me to track her. I called her and asked her to come here." Hunter said, smiling. Her Hunter. The man who has done everything to make her happy.

"And I picked her up from the station and drove her here. You're welcome." Cody chimed in as he made a slight bow.

"Thanks, Cody. Thank you, everyone. You have no idea how happy I am that you're all here today for my birthday. I thought no one knew." She looked at the faces of her friends, all smiling.