CHAPTER SEVEN
Green Valley Falls could not have looked prettier.
The mid-October leaves raced each other to turn first. Every day, more brilliant golds, crimsons, and ambers made their debut, setting the trees ablaze.
Not to be outdone, the weather forecast promised perfect chilly-but-sunny days for the entire weekend.
Drake would be here any second, and excitement hung in the crisp cool air. Alex had offered to pick him up at the airport, but he’d declined, saying he didn’t want to be a bother. So thoughtful.
Daisy waddled along beside her as she paced the parking lot, waiting for his taxi to arrive.
Finally, at the crunching of gravel, she perked up, but was disappointed to see it was only Brody’s rental car approaching. He slowed, acknowledged her with a nod, and turned up the road to his cabin.
For a man recently engaged, he looked pretty grim. She didn’t have time to give it a second thought though, because a minute later, Drake’s taxi arrived.
Drake got out, and she jogged to greet him.
“Hey, babe,” he said, bending to kiss her. “I’ve missed you.”
“It’s only been like ten days,” she teased. “But yeah, I missed you too.”
Drake retrieved his suitcase and paid the cab driver. The man glanced at the money, shot Drake a dirty look, and sped off in a huff.
“I don’t think he liked your tip,” she said.
“Probably not, since I didn’t.”
“Oh.” She wondered why but didn’t ask. “I always feel so bad when they have to drive all the way out to Timbuktu. I doubt they ever get a fare back.”
He blew past the topic and glanced around. “So, this is where you live, huh?”
The question was innocent enough, but there was a subtle, judgmental undertone she didn’t care for.
“Yep. This is home. Are you tired? Hungry? We’re meeting my friends for dinner later, but I’ve got snacks.”
“I could use a beer and a bathroom,” he said, picking up his suitcase.
“I don’t have beer, but we can get some in town on the way to the restaurant.”
She led him up the path, past the office, to her cabin. He cursed twice, stumbling on the trail, seemingly out of sorts. Then again, she’d only known him for five days. Maybe this was his personality.
They dropped his stuff, and he used the restroom. Then they headed out to explore Whispering Pines. They stopped by the office, she showed off the new rec cabin, and introduced him to Daisy at the waterfront.
He said all the right things, but his tone and mannerisms belied his words. A thin layer of impatience and condescension underpinned his compliments.
“You wanna take the canoes out?” she asked. “It’s a gorgeous day for it.”
“Nah,” he said.
“Okay, well, we have time for a walk around the lake before dinner.”
“Why don’t we head into town early and grab a drink?”
“Yeah, all right.”
After stopping at the Kitchen Kart for a couple of six-packs—which seemed excessive considering Alex didn’t drink beer and he was only here for forty-eight hours—they headed to The Rusty Nail. He’d popped the top and downed a can before she pulled into the parking lot.
“I can’t believe how small the town is,” Drake said. And not in an “it’s so cute,” or “how quaint,” kind of way. It was more of a “how do you live like this?” vibe.
“You get used to it,” Alex said, pausing for a second at the door, giving him a chance to open it for her. When he didn’t make a move to do so, she pulled it open and entered ahead of him.
Was she putting too much pressure on this?
On him? Had she set her expectations too high?
They’d only spent a few days together and, really, barely knew each other.
Had jumping into a long-distance relationship been hasty?
Maybe. Maybe not. She’d use the weekend to get to know him and go from there. So far, he hadn’t scored many points.
In the time they waited for her friends to arrive, he drank two beers to her one glass of wine. They talked about his job, her ongoing remodel issues, the escaped fugitive still at large, and reminisced about their time together in New York City.
The beer seemed to loosen him up, and the jovial, easy-going Drake she’d hung out with in NYC finally emerged. Just in time for her gang to pour in.
When she made introductions, she noticed Drake’s gaze lingered on Faith’s legs a little longer than polite.
Nick didn’t miss it either and shot Drake a glare, sliding a possessive arm around Faith’s waist. When they were shown to a table, Nick pulled out a chair for Faith on the opposite side of where Drake sat.
“Can you believe they still haven’t caught this Dexter guy?” Tess asked. “Supposedly, someone saw him in Meredith. That’s one town away from here.”
“You guys need some NY detectives up here,” Drake said. “We’d find this dude in a heartbeat.”
He probably hadn’t meant to offend, but Nick’s lips pursed and his brow narrowed. As a former FBI agent and now the local sheriff, he seemed to take offense on behalf of all New Hampshire law enforcement.
“Hey,” Nick said. “Isn’t that Brody at the bar? I’m gonna go say hi. Order for me, will ya, hon?” He planted a lingering kiss on Faith’s lips.
“Oh,” Faith said, surprised. Nick didn’t normally engage in public displays of affection. “Sure, babe.”
“I suppose a kiss is better than peeing a circle around her,” Alex mumbled. Drake was on her right and didn’t hear her, but Tess, who sat to her left, heard it and laughed.
It embarrassed Alex that it was her boyfriend bringing out a jealous side of Nick. Three beers might make him more fun, but apparently less tactful too.
“I hope they catch him soon,” Alex said. “I’m getting a crap ton of cancellations because of it.” And by crap ton, she meant all of them. Brody was currently the only tenant, and he was leaving in a few days. She didn’t want Drake to know that though.
“I mean…can you blame them?” Juliet said. “Would you want to stay in a secluded cabin with a murderer in the woods nearby?”
“That’s literally how every horror movie starts,” Tess said.
“I doubt he’s actually in Meredith,” Faith said. “You know how people tend to see what they want and sometimes exaggerate.”
“In New York, he would have already shown up on facial recognition cameras,” Drake said, sipping from his fourth beer. “Do you have those here?”
The four women shook their heads. They were saved by the waitress, who’d arrived to take their orders. Alex cringed when Drake ordered another beer.
“So,” Juliet said. “What are y’all doin’ tomorrow?”
“I was planning a hike to the falls,” Alex said. “The leaves are ripening up just right for some awesome pictures. You guys wanna come?” She’d meant for it to be a couple’s thing, but all of a sudden, a support system felt welcome.
“Sorry.” “Can’t.” “Gotta work.” All three turned her down.
“Brody doesn’t look very happy.” Faith had been keeping one eye on the conversation and one on Nick and Brody. “I hope his proposal went okay.”
“That is definitely not a man celebrating an engagement,” Tess said.
They watched as Nick slapped Brody on the back and returned to the table.
“She said no?” Faith guessed.
“She was basically in bed with his boss,” Nick said.
“Oof,” Alex said. “Brutal twist.”
“Oh. It gets worse.” Nick leaned in. “He also got fired. Don’t say anything though.”
They all nodded. Faith was the only one Alex could see trying to console a stranger. But she’d do it when no one was around. Sure, Alex felt bad for him, but not enough to insert herself into his business.
She sneaked a glance at the bar. Brody had thrown down some cash, grabbed his jacket, and was heading to the exit.
The bartender’s eyes bugged in delight as he counted the money.
He looked both ways before shoving some of it into his pocket and putting the rest in the register. Must have been some tip.
Dinner went all right. Their close-knit group wasn’t used to outsiders, but her friends did their best to include Drake. Who reciprocated by drinking too much and dropping subtle, snide comments about small towns.
Apparently, three was his Goldilocks amount of beer. Stone sober, he was stiff, awkward, and grumpy. Three beers made him congenial, witty, and quite pleasant. Five, and he morphed into a bit of an asshole.
And, as she found out later that night—mid-make-out sesh—eight was when he passed out cold. So much for their romantic reunion.
The next day, he slept in while she went for a run. They cleaned up and had a late, leisurely breakfast. He seemed fine—chatty and excited for the hike. Maybe yesterday’s moodiness had been a fluke.
She threw a couple of apples, trail mix sleeves, and water bottles into a small backpack.
“How long are we going for?” he asked, watching her load the pack.
“Just the afternoon,” she said. “Always good to be prepared though. And we can’t go without this.” She held up an aerosol can.
“What’s that?”
“Bear spray. I have a horn too.”
“There are bears?” His eyes widened.
“Sometimes. It is the woods.”
He appeared to be on the verge of saying something, but clamped his mouth shut.
She drove to the trailhead and parked. “It’s so weird no one’s here,” she said. “Normally, this time of year, everyone and their dog come to see the fall foliage.”
He looked up as if just now noticing the majestic trees, trying in vain to impress him. “They are pretty,” he said. They got out. “I can’t believe how quiet it is here. It’s like a whole other world than where I come from.”
“Think you’ll ever leave the city?” Alex asked.
“No way.” He shook his head violently. “I could never.”
His underlying message, which she received loud and clear, was that if this relationship had any chance at all, she would have to uproot to New York.
She gave it a fleeting thought. Her best friend had done just that and seemed happy. Holly had been a ranger at this very park and moved to downtown Manhattan for a man.
But Holly hadn’t just purchased a fifty-acre campground. And Holly didn’t have family here in GVF.
“Well, I can’t leave my business or my grandpa.” She shrugged.
“It’s just a bunch of cabins. Is that really a business?”
Ouch. He finally caught a clue where the conversation was heading. “Hey,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry. And I guess I could think about moving here someday.”
His smile and apology melted the frost that had been icing over her heart. “And maybe someday, I could consider moving to the city,” she said, putting her arms around his neck. “Holly did it, and she loves it. It’s possible I would too.”
She relaxed into his kiss. It was nice, but different from the kisses in New York. Then again, it was hard to compete with the one-two combo of vacation and brand-new-relationship kisses.
The twelve-inch height difference made kissing tough, and once her neck was sore, she broke away. “You ready?”
“Yep. Let’s do this.”
They started up the trail. It was less than a mile, and they made it to the falls quickly. When they popped out of the trees and into the clearing, her breath caught.
“Wow,” she said. “I’ve been up here a million times, but each time it’s different. Fall is definitely my favorite season.”
He slung an arm around her shoulders. “It is very pretty. It’s also creepy quiet. I’m used to twenty-four-seven traffic noise.”
“It does feel weird with no one else here. The Grocer must really have people spooked. Pft. As if a fugitive would have time for a scenic hike.”
Behind them, someone coughed.