Chapter 8
8
MEMPHIS
“ I bagged two this morning.”
“What about you, Rogers?”
The sound of my last name at the end of a question pulled me out of my thoughts. I’d been fighting everything not to sit there smiling like a goof, but inside, my spirits were soaring. Hands down, last night was the best night of my life, and I couldn’t stop replaying it in my mind.
“What’s that?” I asked, looking up from my sandwich.
I was sitting on a rock near a few other guys on the logging crew, enjoying one of the ham and turkey sandwiches I’d thrown together for lunch. Mallorie had gone home around dawn to shower and change, giving me time to shower, get dressed, fill my tumbler with coffee, and make lunch.
“How soon we forget,” Dane joked.
What had I forgotten? I was truly lost.
“Deer,” Dane said. “Culling the population? Hunter here bagged two this morning.”
Hunter was one of the few remaining single guys on our smallish crew. From the start, he’d been the guy I’d been determined to beat. If he took out five deer, I’d take out six. Or seven. Or, heck, fifteen or twenty.
Oh crap. The deer. I’d gotten up early enough that I could have probably made a quick run through the woods before showering. It hadn’t even occurred to me, I’d been so caught up in Mallorie.
“Better step up your game,” Dane said.
I was falling behind. I’d committed to do something and Hunter was beating me to the punch.
Fuck. I was going to have to kill some deer, wasn’t I? Mallorie was not going to be happy about that either. In fact, I could already see the hurt in her eyes and hear that sweet voice saying, “You’re killing sweet, innocent deer?”
I was surprised to find it went straight to my heart. I couldn’t afford to let it go to my heart. Civic duty and emotions did not mix. I had a job to do.
“You can still kick his ass at this,” Dane said. “There’s a cluster of deer up near Point of View. Just head up there bright and early in the morning and get a few kills in before work.”
He was right. I’d have my truck by then. I could head out early and Mallorie would never know. I’d just tell her I had to be at the job site a couple of hours before I actually did.
No. I couldn’t lie to her. I just couldn’t do it. I’d always been honest to a fault. It was an unavoidable part of my personality.
But it wasn’t just that. Mallorie meant more to me than even I fully understood just yet. I did not want to start our relationship on a lie.
I’d have to talk to her tonight. She’d understand that I’d made a commitment. And when the next city council meeting happened and we showed up to discuss the progress we’d made, I was not going to be the guy sitting there feeling like crap for not doing my part.
Yes, Mallorie would understand. She had to. Because I wasn’t sure what I’d do if I screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to me.