The Simple Wild: A Novel

Calla is excited to fly with Jonah again the next morning. However, he can’t take her because he has a charter flight for hikers. They flirtatiously banter about Jonah’s beard, and Calla says she wishes she could see more of his face. Calla rides with him to Alaska Wild, where she can work on the website. Calla meets a new mother waiting to fly home. Despite George and Jonah's bad feelings about Betty, Bart, the mechanic, declares her safe. Jonah takes Betty on a solo run to check everything and, upon takeoff, experiences an engine fire and must crash land. Calla runs to the crash scene, fearing the worst. The plane is destroyed, but Jonah isn’t seriously injured.

Calla returns home with her father but is still shaken from the accident. Wren must return to the airport to meet with Federal Aviation Administration agents to investigate the crash. He tells Calla that all her mother’s belongings she left behind are still in the garage. Mabel arrives and is fraught over Jonah, but Calla assures her he’s fine and is getting stitches in his forehead. Calla enlists Mabel’s help in digging out all her mother’s items. While Mabel strings Christmas lights up, Calla debriefs Susan over the phone about the crash. Susan says that a plane crash was her greatest fear when she and Wren were together. Jonah arrives home, and Mabel rushes to him while Calla tries to restrain her excitement. Jonah invites Calla to his house to work on the airline’s website later.

Jonah's house's tidy appearance surprises Calla, who was expecting the typical grimy bachelor pad. Jonah has no internet connection or a television, but his bookshelves are filled with classic novels. She peruses his family photos, which feature his beautiful Norwegian mother and handsome pilot father. There’s also a photo of Wren and a younger Jonah without his beard, and Calla can see that he is very attractive. Jonah usually visits his mother over the holidays, but this year, he can’t because he must stay to take Wren to his treatments. Hearing this makes Calla feel guilty that she can’t do more to help. She considers prolonging her trip, asking, “if not for them, then for myself?” (240). She’s beginning to see Jonah in a different light and can feel him watching her.

Jonah takes a muscle relaxer and falls asleep 20 minutes into their work session. Bandit is out on the porch demanding to be fed, so Calla gets a can of dog food from Jonah’s pristinely organized pantry and feeds the raccoon. From under a tarp, she spots suitcase wheels and discovers that Jonah has her luggage. Filled with rage, she storms back into the house and plots revenge.

While Jonah is asleep, Calla trims his beard and cuts some of his hair. With his handsome face revealed, she stares at him for a while before writing him a note and leaving with her luggage. At home, Wren thinks Calla is acting strangely, but she is just nervous about how Jonah will react to her prank. Calla notices that Wren is coughing more frequently, though he still smokes. Calla is anxious to rush to the airport the next day before Jonah awakens. When she and Wren drive away, he emerges from his house, and Wren sees what Calla did. Calla explains that Jonah had her luggage, and Wren promises to speak with him, but Wren thinks her prank is hilarious. Wren admits that he thought her strange behavior the previous night was related to her and Jonah becoming romantically involved. Calla assures him, “I’m not falling for some sky cowboy” (255), a comment that reminds Wren of Susan.

Calla and Agnes spend the day working on the website while Calla tries to avoid seeing Jonah. She takes a call from Diana in another room, and Diana is shocked at the beard-trimming prank. When Calla proclaims Jonah is “hot,” Diana insists she hooks up with him. Jonah overhears the conversation, including the part where Calla compares him to a “Viking fitness model” (257). Jonah appears amused by Calla’s prank, including her note where she lists all his offenses. He admits to having her luggage for the entire week to prove she didn’t need her fancy clothes. He flirtatiously touches her hair and suggests that she would look nice with a shorter haircut. Calla claims his veiled retaliatory threats don’t phase her, but she knows he won’t let her have the last word in their feud. Calla claims that his beard trim should help him with women, but Jonah contends that he has no issues in his romantic life. Calla can no longer deny her attraction to Jonah after the encounter.

Bad weather grounds the flights, and Calla has some extra time at home with Wren. They watch movies together, and Calla learns his favorite actor is Julia Roberts because her laugh reminds him of Susan. Wren will always love her, but he’s thankful she found Simon. He never dated anyone else except Agnes. Their relationship didn’t work because of his lingering feelings for Susan. Before bed, Calla asks Wren to lock the door as she fears Jonah might make good on his threat to cut her hair.

The next day, when Calla gets out of the shower, she realizes Jonah swiped all her personal care items. Wrapped in a small towel, she storms into the kitchen, where Jonah is, having used his key to enter the house. He reminds her that she doesn’t need all that makeup to look good but that he’s hidden all her stuff at his house, where she can’t find it.

Calla gets dressed, and from behind her closed door, Jonah asks about Corey, and Calla explains he’s her ex-boyfriend. When she opens the door, Jonah blocks her from moving past and wraps his hands around her waist. He teases a kiss, then winds his fingers through her hair and passionately kisses her once he knows she's into it. Mabel’s calls interrupt them, and they fumble over their words to disguise the encounter. Mabel is taking Calla blueberry picking, an activity she hopes distracts her from this confusing new development.