Charlie swung his suitcase to his other hand, and it hit the side of my thigh for the ten millionth time, and I barely held back a hissed curse. He was going to treat me to the biggest and most expensive steak dinner to make up for what had to be a massive bruise as soon as we got back to civilization. Champagne too. And a flaming Baked Alaska for dessert. We’d laugh as we fed spoonfuls to each other. I’d try my best not to choke him with it.

“You should ditch those,” Tuck said, stepping over a rotting log.

I snapped back to reality. “Ditch what? Our suitcases?” Charlie and I exchanged a wide-eyed look.

“Yeah,” Tuck said. “Keep a few warm pieces of clothing around your neck and ditch the rest of it. I doubt there’s anything useful in there, even if we end up having to spend the night in the woods again.”

“My shoes are in here,” I sputtered. Did he have any clue how expensive a pair of Louboutins were? “And some jewelry too. I can’t just ditch it all in the woods.”

He was quiet a moment. “Put the jewelry in your pockets, then. Leave the rest.”

“You’re talking like we’re going to be walking for days. There’s help up ahead. We saw it,” I said, and even I heard the plea in my tone.

“It’s hard to say how far ahead that smoke was. But even if we make it there before the sun sets, what’s the point of struggling for a few pairs of shoes?”

“Maybe Tuck has a point,” Charlie said, surprising me. I whipped my head toward him as he set his suitcase down. “I can easily replace all of this,” Charlie said, nodding at his luggage. I didn’t miss the small glance he then aimed at Tuck’s worn duffel bag, the message clear: unlike him. “Why waste the effort over some clothes and shoes I can just buy again? Let’s leave this stuff here.”

“But…this is a Louis Vuitton suitcase,” I said, tightening my arms around the designer luggage I was carrying, the one that seemed to get heavier by the footstep. I realized how materialistic I sounded, but the suitcase was one of the first things I’d bought after signing my record deal. I’d been so proud to walk into that store on Rodeo Drive. The luggage purchase was a tangible sign of my hard work and success. Every time I looked at it, it reminded me that I’d made it. I’d already left several of my other hard-earned designer items behind, and now I was being asked to abandon the last of them in a cold forest where rodents would probably come to nest?