Chapter 26
M ac marched into the lodge and set the clipboard down on the counter harder than necessary. Beckett looked up from the computer screen, and Cord raised an eyebrow from where he sorted tackle boxes behind the counter.
"Why are you in a mood?" Cord asked.
He grunted, grabbed the coffee pot, and poured himself a cup. "The propane delivery was late. I waited around for almost two hours. Then, the guy had the balls to complain about us not having phone service up here. He knew that before the job, so I don't know what he's bitching about."
Beckett leaned back in the chair and latched his hands behind his head. "You've been an asshole for a couple of weeks."
"Three weeks. I'm counting." Cord leaned on the counter. "Which, if you don't know, was the same time as Lauren Holt left the campground."
Mac shot him a look. "Don't start."
He had a different way of running his life than his cousins. Cord had no problem using women and forgetting about them. Beckett claimed women only complicated his life, so he stayed away from them. They both believed he should forget about Lauren, but he couldn't.
"Can't blame the propane guy because we don't have phone service up here," said Beckett.
"He could've gone to the website and sent an email if he needed to change the day or time, like I told him to do. Avaline, or you would've seen it and got a message to me." He shook his head, tired of everyone's excuses.
"You need to drink it off." Beckett kicked back and put his boots on the edge of the desk. "It's getting pretty bad when you yell at a camper yesterday for asking where the trailhead was."
"He was standing in front of the fucking sign." Mac scoffed. "People don't think. They have to have everything pointed out to them. They'd never survive on the mountain by themselves."
Cord crossed his arms. "Jesus, get a drink. You're pissed off at the world, and we're the ones catching it."
Mac took a long sip of coffee, jaw tight. Neither of them had anyone else they worried about. It was easy to talk when all you had to do was take care of yourself.
Beckett met his gaze. "So talk. What's going on?"
Mac looked into his cup, wishing there was whiskey around to add to the remaining coffee. "Jetter's leaving tomorrow. Tara's coming to pick him up. He needs to get back because school starts next week."
"Damn." Beckett ran his hands through his hair. "I forgot about the kid leaving. That's hard."
"I feel for you, but that's not the main problem." Cord nodded. "Lauren Holt fucked with your head."
Mac refused to admit that Lauren's leaving without saying anything to him had pissed him off. It made him second-guess all the shit she'd told him about falling for him. Even that shouldn't have mattered because it was obvious that she wanted off the mountain.
She had fans to entertain and pictures to post and money to make.
"You miss her." Cord pushed. "Just admit it."
Beckett leaned forward. "You know, that's an easy fix, don't you? Contact her and tell her how you feel about her."
Mac scoffed. "What's that going to do? She's probably halfway to her next adventure. I'm getting ready to buckle down for winter. She lives in a world of travel and in the public eye. That's the last place I'd want to be. I live in a world of snowmobiles and bear spray."
"Damn, Mac, romanticize the mountain a little, huh?" Cord shrugged. "I'm just saying. It doesn't mean you can't try and meet her in the middle."
Avaline walked in just in time to catch the last part. "You could message her."
Mac blinked. "What?"
"You could message her on social media." She set down a stack of reservation forms. "Slide into her DMs."
Mac frowned. "Slide into what?"
"You really are out of touch, my man." Avaline laughed. "You want to slide into her direct messages. It's like texting, but through the app."
Mac opened his mouth to ask more, but the lodge door burst open and Jetter came running in, cheeks flushed, holding a cup of huckleberries.
"Look what I found." He held up the container. "There are still berries up at the ridge that are ripe."
"Nice find." Mac took in Jetter's purple fingers and lips.
No doubt, his son had eaten as many as he'd picked. Between the campers and the bears, huckleberry season was almost over.
"Can we send these to Lauren? I told her all about huckleberries, but she left before she ever got to try them. I bet she'd like to eat them."
Mac's heart sank. Caught up in his misery, he protected his son from the harsh realities of getting to know the seasonal campers and having them leave his life. But Lauren impressed his son. He talked about her often.
He crouched down, resting a hand on his son's shoulder. "The campground was only a vacation for her. She's back to living her life again, so we need to respect that."
Jetter's face fell. "She liked us. I know she did."
Mac swallowed hard. But not everyone was ready to make the mountain their home. Lauren had a world where she was comfortable, and everything was familiar. She needed electricity, cell phones, and clothing stores.
Jetter looked down at the berries. How was his son supposed to accept Lauren leaving when Mac wasn't handling it well himself?
Mac stood, trying to keep the mood light. "Don't forget you need to get your stuff together. Your mom's coming tomorrow."
Jetter nodded slowly. "Are you gonna talk to her about letting me come up and see you more in the winter?"
Mac ruffled his hair. "I will, but you have to trust that your mom and I know what's best for you at this time in your life. No matter what the answer turns out to be, it'll be a decision we make together."
Jetter nodded and walked toward the cabin, berries still in hand.
Mac followed, rolling his shoulders as the ache settled deeper. He missed Lauren, too. And he didn't know what to do about it.