Aaron slept poorly, the unfamiliar room pressing in around him, the sound of the redwoods filling the spaces between his thoughts. He woke before dawn and stood at the window, watching the trees take shape in the grey light, and tried to prepare himself for a conversation he could not predict.
Sophie woke later, found him at the window, and did not ask if he was ready. She simply handed him a cup of coffee from the motel lobby and said, "I'll be ready in ten minutes."
He dressed in silence, the napkin map folded in his pocket, the photograph tucked inside his jacket. Outside, the town was waking slowly, the college students not yet stirring, the cafes still dark. Arcata in the early morning felt like a place that had not yet decided what kind of day it wanted to have.
