25. Landon
Chapter 25
Landon
This past week was an absolute shit show. First, I kissed the woman I’d hated for the past six years. The thing was, I no longer hated her. Now that I had her side of the story, my feelings for her had changed. Dramatically. Then, because I couldn’t get my head on straight and stop thinking about said kiss, I made a rookie mistake while working and smashed my thumb with a hammer. And when Olivia helped patch me up, I almost kissed her again. If her employee hadn’t walked in when she did, I probably would’ve done more than kiss her in that tiny bathroom. And the topping on this shit show cake was the damaged roof on Olivia’s bakery. It caused a water leak that damaged a patch of newly finished drywall.
It put me out of work for the morning as we waited for the insurance adjuster to inspect the damage. By that afternoon, they’d completed their assessment, and since he was a good friend of the Sullivans, he gave Dean the go-ahead to start on repairs. The job that should’ve been wrapped with a couple hours of work was now going to require me to spend my mornings and evenings at the bakery for the rest of the week and may even spill over into next week.
I could’ve said no. Dean could’ve thrown a tarp over the damaged area of the roof and waited for a crew to get freed up. That would’ve halted progress on the reno since it was too risky to repair the damaged drywall before the roof was fixed, but I was ready to be done with this project. Plus, I never turned down work. So, although I grumbled and groaned as I worked until the sun went down the next two days, I had no one to blame but myself. When I left out of there Friday night, the job was nearly done. If I was lucky, I’d only need a day or two to wrap things up, then I’d never have to step foot in that bakery again, which was a good thing. I needed to get some distance from Olivia to get my head on straight. I couldn’t think clearly with her around. Thankfully, she wasn’t around while I repaired the roof with the help of one of Dean’s guys. The bakery had to be closed for a few days for the repairs, so there was no need for her to be there.
I hated that I’d missed seeing her smiling face first thing every morning, the dimples in her cheeks a sign of her genuine happiness. I knew what her forced smile looked like, and I hated seeing it. Her dimples barely creased, and the skin around her eyes pulled tight.
Fuck, I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about her even as I headed out to hang with friends. I had my inner tube secured in the bed of my truck with a ratchet strap and a cooler full of beer on the floorboard. It was hard to say how many hours I’d worked this week, but I was certain I’d earned a little rest and relaxation this weekend.
I pulled up next to JD’s truck and hopped out. There was a group of people already gathered around the water’s edge, dressed in swimsuits and board shorts, floats in hand. Noticing my approach, JD turned and broke away from the crowd to greet me.
“Hey, man, glad you could make it.” He took my hand and pulled me into a half hug.
“I wouldn’t miss it. I need this after the week I’ve had,” I admitted. The sound of an approaching engine sounded from behind me, and JD peered over my shoulder.
“Looks like you made it just in time. There’s the courier to take our bags up to the lake.” I eyed JD quizzically, unsure what he meant. “You did bring a bag with you, didn’t you?”
“I brought a change of clothes,” I replied, still confused.
“That’s all you brought?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“I just thought you’d at least bring a toothbrush to stay overnight,” he said with a shrug.
“What do you mean stay overnight ? I thought we were just gonna float down the river, do a little day drinking, then come back.” I didn’t sign up for an overnight trip, and I was woefully unprepared. JD chuckled and clamped a hand over my shoulder.
“You must not have seen my last text. We’re staying on the lake tonight.” I winced. He was probably right. I’d been exhausted when I got the message asking if I wanted to join him today. Once I tapped out my hasty reply and hit send, I must’ve fallen asleep and missed his reply. “Is that going to be a problem?”
“No, it’s fine. I have nothing else going on.”
“Good,” he replied with a grin, throwing an arm over my shoulder and turning me toward the crowd. There was a decent sized group of people lingering at the water’s edge, three guys and five girls. I scanned the crowd to see who was present. My gaze connected with wide brown eyes. Whatever she was saying fell away as she registered my presence. She blinked a few times as though trying to clear her vision, her mouth falling open in surprise.
Shit, not this again.
“Landon,” Olivia said, her voice breathy as though she’d inhaled my name and held it inside her before letting it out on a long breath.
“Olivia.” I returned her greeting cordially even though I was just as surprised to see her. JD didn’t mention who was coming today—or maybe he did since I hadn’t checked my messages—so I hadn’t expected to see her. I was going to have to start asking more questions when JD invited me to hang out with him. This was the second time I’d been blindsided by him throwing me and Olivia together. How would I get her out of my head when I had to spend the entire day with her?
“I didn’t know you were coming,” I offered, trying to keep my tone light and friendly. Her eyes skirted to the side where Honey stood smirking at me like she knew a secret and I didn’t. An unreadable expression flashed across Olivia’s face, but it was gone before I could analyze it.
“Yeah, um, this is one of my favorite things to do when I’m in town. At least, it used to be. I haven’t been back for so long…” Her words trailed off, and she winced. Guilt speared through my chest. I was at least partially to blame for her long absence. I’d been borderline hostile to her that day in the grocery store, my anger boiling over until I was ready to burst. But all that anger had been misplaced. Now that I no longer wore the blinders that painted my brother as the victim, I could see she wasn’t the villain. What else had I been wrong about when it came to Olivia Duprey?
We were only on the river twenty minutes before we had to stop so someone could pee. I shook my head. Already breaking the seal and we weren’t even halfway to our destination.
We all disembarked and dragged our inner tubes up onto the bank. Nobody wanted to risk getting separated so if one person stopped, we all stopped.
“I’ll be right back,” Olivia promised before slipping off to find somewhere private to relieve herself. Long minutes passed, and I began to worry. How far had she gone? Did something happen to her?
A blood-curdling scream ripped through the trees, and without hesitation, I started moving. I ignored the protests that came from behind me as several people called my name. Blood pounded in my ears as I ran in the direction the sound came from. I had no idea what I’d find when I got to her, but I wouldn’t stop until I found her.
“Olivia!” I called when I didn't see her. I stopped, glancing left and then right as my eyes searched the area.
“Help!” Her voice was close. I ran toward the sound, calling her name again. “Over here,” came her desperate plea,
Finally, a flash of hot pink caught my eye, and I ran toward it. Olivia stood perched on a low hanging tree branch, her gaze fixed on the forest floor. I approached slowly, trying to see what had her so spooked.
“Olivia,” I said softly, and her gaze shot to me. Her terrified expression relaxed as relief flooded her features. “What’s wrong?” I asked, as I neared the tree.
“S-s-snake.” Her voice trembled with terror. I moved closer, inching my way toward the base, but I still couldn’t see anything. Then I heard it. The unmistakable rattling of a snake’s tail. My eyes searched the undergrowth until I spotted it.
Fuck. It was a big one. No wonder Olivia had screamed like that. Now I had to figure out how to get her out of this tree without getting too close.
The branch she stood on looked thick and sturdy. It could easily bear her weight if she walked down it. I crept closer, trying not to disturb the rattlesnake, but the sound it made in warning gave me pause. This was as close as I could get.
“Olivia, you’re going to have to walk down this branch,” I instructed, placing my hand on the rough bark, “and let me help you down.” She nodded and released the trunk, grabbing ahold of another branch just above her head to steady herself as she made her way toward me on shaky legs. “That’s it. You’re doing great,” I offered in encouragement. Time seemed to stretch out. Though it only took her seconds to get to me, it felt like hours.
When she reached me, I noticed she only wore one flip flop, the other most likely lost in her haste to climb up the tree. I reached for her, and she hesitated, looking over her shoulder at where the snake still lurked around the base of the tree.
“I’ve got you,” I promised, and when she returned her gaze to me, the look of trust shining in the rich amber depths caused my chest to constrict. She braced her hands on my shoulders, and I gripped her waist, lifting her easily from the branch. Her body slid against mine as I lowered her to the ground.
“Thank you,” she breathed as she stared into my eyes. A riot of emotions burst in my chest at the way she looked at me.
Clearing my throat, I rasped out, “Where is your other shoe?” She pointed to a spot on the ground where the brightly colored flip flop rested, the snake’s body concealing part of it.
“You’re definitely not getting that back,” I said, and a wisp of a laugh left her lips. “You also can’t walk through the woods like that, so I’ll have to carry you.” She began to protest but was cut off when I bent and scooped her into my arms. She let out a surprised yelp and grasped for purchase around my neck, her arms squeezing me tightly. A blush crept over her cheeks, and she loosened her hold.
“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, and I chuckled.
“It’s alright.”
She drew in a deep breath and released it slowly. She was shaken up, and it took the entire walk back to the riverbank for her to stop trembling in my arms.