He sighed, seeming to consider. Finally, he reached for his phone and scrolled through a couple of screens before handing it over. “We’ve been out of cell range for a while, but a few miles back, there was coverage enough for this to come through. Go ahead. Press play.”

It was a voice mail from Karen. I raised my eyebrows, my finger hesitating over the Play button.

“You said you wanted to know why I was angry,” Simon said. “Just listen.”

My stomach sank as the message started. Karen was British—something I hadn’t expected—her voice clear and deep with a lyrical quality that made me think I would have liked her had I met her in person. That was, until I listened to her words. That ended any trace of actual liking.

“Simon. I’m sorry I didn’t catch you in person. Listen. There’s been some stuff going on. Big stuff, really. And I know I should have talked to you sooner. It just never seemed like the time was right. We’ve been so remote, you know, with no cell service much of the time. Anyway, the thing is I’ve met someone. He’s one of the archeologists who came onto the dig last month, and well, after everything, I think he’s the one, and he says he feels the same, so we’ve decided to get married. I suppose we saw it coming, didn’t we? We both knew our relationship wasn’t going anywhere. So sorry, Simon. You deserve better than this, but, well, things happen, you know? I hope you can understand. Give my love to your family, and best of luck. I really do hope you’re well and happy.”

I lowered the phone from my ear and handed it back to Simon. “I’m really sorry, Simon.”

A group of riders approached from behind us. We moved over, scooting our bikes so we were completely out of the way. Simon leaned against the smooth bark of a birch tree, his earlier anger fully dissipated. “I shouldn’t be surprised, really,” he said. “Things have been . . . off, I guess, for so long. I just figured once she was home we might be able to work through stuff.”

“I can’t believe she broke up with you in a voice mail.”

He scoffed. “No joke.”

“And I can’t believe she didn’t tell you sooner. Dating someone is one thing, but engaged? That’s hard.”