Chapter 15
Chapter fifteen
Tabitha
Tabitha closed her laptop and crawled under the covers of her room at the Wilhelm Haus Inn; she felt like she could finally breathe.
After finishing dinner with Lark and Frankie, she didn’t stick around for the women to stage a front to get more information out of her.
Her past with Zac needed to stay there. And while she’d have to face him for two more excursions, that didn’t mean she had to spend her free time gabbing about what they once were.
The wound had healed—it had taken a while and had derailed her plans somewhat, but eventually she’d gotten back on track.
So then why did it feel like the scar was fresh all over again?
It had to be the shock of it all. If she’d known he was going to be her guide for the Leavenworth assignment, she could have prepared herself.
Gotten her mind right. Honed her focus. Instead, she was caught off guard, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t rebalance and succeed at keeping her job with Rock ‘n’ Ropes.
The moment Tabitha flipped off her light to get some rest—or try to get some rest—her phone pinged. It was probably Lark, sending some kind of motivational quote or something in an attempt to be uplifting. She rolled her eyes at the thought, but couldn’t help but smile as she snatched up her phone.
Angus:
Time for another weekly twin check-in!
Sup sis?
Tabitha’s smile broadened. While some cute little meme about hanging in there from her work friend would have been nice, hearing from her favorite person in the whole world was better.
Tabitha:
Not much. About to go to bed. I’m in Leavenworth for work.
Angus:
What?! No way, that place is cool.
Wait . . . Are you climbing? Like CLIMBING Climbing?
Tabitha:
I am. I did today. And will two more times this week.
Angus:
I’m so proud of you.
How did it feel? It’s been what? Two years?
Tabitha:
Closer to three.
It was good. A little scary at first but the good feelings showed up too.
She gnawed on her lower lip, debating whether to tell her twin about the other blast from the past that showed up.
Angus had been there for every major milestone.
All the minor ones too. She couldn’t ask for a more protective sibling.
Out of everyone in her life, her twin was the only person she could count on.
Surely he’d be able to talk her through this whole Zac situation.
Tabitha:
You’ll never guess who I ran into over here.
Angus:
My curiosity is piqued. Who?
Tabitha:
Do you remember Zac?
Three little dots popped up . . . and disappeared. Popped up . . . and disappeared. The pattern continued until she couldn’t take it anymore.
Tabitha:
You proofreading for grammar over there?
The buzz of an incoming call startled her and she swiped the phone screen to answer.
“Hey, sis,” Angus said with a sigh.
“Well, this is nice. It’s been a while since we’ve actually spoken on the phone.”
Angus coughed out a laugh that sounded far too anxious for her brother’s typical demeanor. “Yeah. I remember Zac. Did he remember you?”
He definitely remembered her. He’d spent the entire lead class looking at her like he was reliving everything they’d shared back then.
To be honest, she was too. Everything from when they first met down to when he disappeared.
And everything in between. Tabitha was eternally grateful she wasn’t a blusher.
“He recognized me instantly.”
“You need to stay away from him.” Tabitha couldn’t tell if Angus was playing or being serious. But instead of seeking clarification, she continued.
“That’s going to be impossible.”
“Why?”
“I’m doing a piece on a guiding company here, and he’s my guide for the entire week.”
Tabitha could feel Angus’s heartbeat through the phone.
Call it a twin thing, but she always had a pretty solid understanding of her brother’s emotions.
She wouldn’t consider herself an empath, except when it came to him.
A grinding rumbled through and she could practically see him dragging his molars together.
“Angus,” she coaxed. “Talk to me.”
“I’m worried about you,” he pushed out. “After Zac left . . . I hated seeing you so numb.”
“It wasn’t exactly a picnic on my side.” The heartbreak was her first and only. And it had been brutal. No doubt she kept her distance from love to avoid similar experiences. “But this is different. It’s for work.”
“You can’t get someone else to fill in?”
Not if she wanted to keep her job. “I really can’t.”
Another pensive sigh from her typically jolly brother.
“Look,” Tabitha began. “This is a work assignment. I’m pretty sure I can keep my past from tainting my future too much. Don’t worry about me.”
A long moment of silence and her twin finally conceded. “Fine. But be careful, ok? Keep your distance as much as possible.”
“That’ll be tough. He’s my guide, remember?”
“Right, but I mean emotionally. Leave the trip down memory lane out of the picture.”
“That’s the plan,” she assured.
“Good. Hey, I gotta go. Love you, sis.”
Tabitha smiled, despite the forlorn bent of her brother’s voice. “Love you too.”
The call ended and she snuggled deeper beneath the covers.
Angus was right, she needed to focus on the business side of her and Zac’s interactions.
Fortunately for them both, Lark would be there the whole time.
And especially now that she knew the awkward circumstance, no doubt she’d stand beside Tabitha through the worst of it.
As she drifted off, Tabitha’s last thoughts were how lucky she felt. Because not only did she have her brother’s support, Lark was quickly becoming someone else she could lean on.