Chapter 30
THIRTY
Isla
The rest of the day drags into one of the shittiest days of my life. Tears sting and pool in my eyes, taking everything in me not to allow them to burst every time I interact with Lucas and Josh—especially Josh since he overheard part of my argument with Travis.
He doesn’t say anything, though. He tries to crack a few jokes, and I assume he wants to make me smile. Usually, I find Josh quite charming in a boyish, brotherly way, but I wasn’t in the mood, and after a while, he stopped trying. So, I’m surprised when he returns to the office at the end of the day to drop off his paperwork since his last call was close to his home. I figured he’d give it to me tomorrow morning.
“How was your day?” I ask, attempting to smile. It’s hard, though, because with every hour that passes without Travis reaching out to me, I worry more and more I messed things up.
Travis doesn’t do drama—that much I’ve always known. Maybe after this morning, he’ll think I’m more trouble than I’m worth.
“It was okay. How are you?” Josh sets his papers on the desk and sits in the chair across from me.
He’s not asking about my day, but rather me specifically. Great, just what I need. A talk from the younger brother on why the middle brother is so grumpy.
“Long day,” I say.
“I know it’s none of my business, but it’s been bugging me all day, so I stopped to see if I could catch you before you left.”
I open my mouth to tell him he doesn’t have to get involved, but he raises his hand, so I shut my mouth.
“After Trav and Katherine broke up, he was a mess.”
I groan. “Josh, I really don’t want to hear about how heartbroken Travis was over his ex.”
He shakes his head. “No. That’s not where this is going.”
I remain quiet, allowing him to continue.
“He was a mess. Not because he was heartbroken over Katherine, but because she made him question who he was for that entire relationship. Then, when she cheated on him with a guy who was the complete opposite of him, that solidified his fear that she was right. He was screwed up because he let her make him feel like he was less than.”
My eyes narrow, and the anger I felt that day on the street when she took her digs resurfaces. “I wish I’d known all this about that woman before I met her that day on the street. I would’ve had a few choice words for her.”
“We all knew she was wrong for him the entire time they were together, but anytime anyone tried to bring it up, Travis shut it down. He’s an adult, so we stayed out of it, assuming it would run its course.” Josh leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “What happened when you ran into her?”
“We’d had a great day together in the city shopping on Ballard Street, and then she just appeared. His entire demeanor changed in an instant. I didn’t know who she was then, but it was obvious to me that she was someone .”
“As far as I know, he hasn’t seen her since they ended things, so I’m sure it threw him for a loop.”
I nod. “She made a few jabs at him, and after I heard how she was in their relationship, I understood fully how she would have undermined his confidence. But if he’s over her, then why has he been acting differently since we ran into her?” I ask.
Josh blows out a breath. “That I can’t answer. But I can tell you there is no way he’s still hung up on that woman. I’d put everything I own down on that bet. Something else must be going on. Is it possible he was just embarrassed that you heard her talk to him that way? Maybe he thinks you might feel the same way she did.”
I’m shaking my head before he finishes talking. “No way. I made it clear how much I respect the business you guys have built and how talented he is at making furniture.”
“It’s gotta be something else then.” Josh bites his lower lip and stares off.
“Then what?” My hands fly up at my sides. “Why has he been low-key avoiding me? And he’s always so tired because I think he’s up late working on that pendant for the competition. I understand him wanting to win to get the business what it needs, but it’s become an obsession since we saw her. Like he needs to win to prove something to… her.”
Josh stands from the chair. “Sounds like you have a reason to question what’s going on, but please don’t give up on him. I’ve never seen him this happy with anyone else before you came around. You’re special to him. I know you are.”
My eyes get a little misty with his words. “Thanks, Josh.”
He rounds the desk and pulls me into a hug. “Just go talk to him. I’m sure it’s nothing a conversation can’t fix.”
I nod into his chest and pull away, thinking he’s right. We need to talk this out. But first I want to go home and change and freshen up because if he’s planning to push me away, you can be sure I’m going to make it damn hard for him to do.
After I’ve had something small to eat, changed, and touched up my hair and makeup, I get in the car to drive over to Travis’s. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, it’s just a conversation. But our relationship is also the only one that’s ever mattered this much to me.
I hope Josh is right and Travis still doesn’t have feelings for Katherine. Even if I don’t end up with him, she doesn’t deserve him pining away for her when she can’t appreciate him for the amazing man he is just because of his job.
As I pull down Travis’s road, dark clouds hang high in the sky, threatening rain. I notice a small trail of white smoke rising into the sky in the distance.
The hairs on the back of my neck rise. I don’t know why. It’s not uncommon for people who live out here to have campfires or burn things in a barrel, but some instinct inside of me says that’s not it this time.
There’s been a lot of talk in the state lately about how dry it is and that the risk of forest fires has been rising exponentially, so it’s hard to believe that someone is willingly lighting recreational fires given the circumstances.
Travis’s house is still a few miles down the road, and I push down on the accelerator, increasing my speed. The closer I get to the smoke, the more my chest tightens because it’s definitely coming from Travis’s side of the street.
When I pull into his driveway, my stomach sinks.
Part of the forest behind Travis’s property is on fire, and it’s stretched over to his workshop. The back corner of the roof is on fire.
I throw the car in park, reach for my cell phone, and dial 911.
“911, what’s your emergency?” The operator answers immediately.
“There’s a forest fire.” I fly out of the car and stand beside it, the engine still running.
I don’t see Travis anywhere. Where could he be?
“Where is the fire located?” the operator asks.
I rush toward the house, giving her the address and a few more details. Maybe Travis fell asleep and doesn’t even know the fire has started. His truck is in the driveway, so he must be on the property somewhere.
I hang up, desperation to find Travis okay the only thing on my mind.
I let myself in the house, not bothering to knock. “Travis! Travis!”
He’s not in the living room or the kitchen, so I check the bedrooms and bathroom, but he’s not there. My breath grows shallow in my panic, and I stop for a minute to collect myself. I’ll be no good to him if I pass out from hyperventilation.
I hear music coming from the basement, and I run for the stairs, shouting his name.
I barrel down the stairs, and I find him working out in his home gym. The music is blasting so he can’t hear me, but he spots me in the mirror, his head tilting, and sets the weights down.
Relief rushes through my body so swiftly that I almost faint.
He turns to me, and I rush to him. “Fire!” is all I can manage to shout over the music, and it takes him a moment, but I see the moment when what I’m saying registers.
He rushes past me and up the stairs, so I follow behind.
“Where?” he shouts when he reaches the top and the music stops blasting.
“Out back.”
Travis runs to the sliding door leading to his deck, flings it open, and then steps outside. “The workshop!” A look of horror passes over his face, and then he races down the deck stairs.
By the time I reach the bottom, he’s already halfway across the backyard, racing toward the workshop.
“No Travis!” I shout, but he pays me no attention and disappears inside.