Chapter Seven #2
“Oh my God!” she screams the second she steps off, and Asher and I burst out laughing. “ Warren !”
I might’ve forgotten to tell her there were some updates since she was on it last and we made the cable longer.
“She sounds like she wants to kill you.” Asher chuckles.
“Oh, trust me, she does.”
I wait for the confirmation she’s made it across before I get into position and take off.
It takes less than thirty seconds before I meet her on the other side. Jake grabs me before I crash into the pole, then unhooks me from the handle.
Her conflicted expression either means she had a blast or she’s ready to push me off the mountain.
“I knew you’d scream my name,” I tease Maisie once I’m next to her. “You have fun?”
Her fingers grip around the belts of the harness as she glares. “You didn’t tell me it was a longer line.”
I scratch my cheek, holding back a grin. “Slipped my mind.”
“Mhm.”
“Ready to go again?” I ask, motioning for her to get back into position so Jake can hook her back up.
“Fine,” she breathes out the word, but I’m fairly certain she’s trying not to smile. “At least this time I know what to expect.”
She screams again, not my name this time, but it’s funny nevertheless. Jake gets a kick out of it too.
We end up going back and forth three times before calling it quits.
“What’s that?” I point to her face when we walk toward my truck.
“What?” She brushes her cheek.
“I think I saw a smile.”
“Dammit, Warren,” she says, laughing this time.
“Admit it, you had fun.” I nudge her with my elbow.
She pinches her thumb and forefinger together, leaving a tiny space between them. “Just a little.”
I smirk. “I’ll take it. Are you hungry?”
“Depends. You gonna make me eat something weird like raccoon or skunk and then not tell me until after? ”
I smack my palm to my heart. “You know me so well after seven years apart.”
She rolls her eyes, and I snicker at her inability not to grin when she does it.
Opening the passenger side door, I help her inside and then rush around to my side.
“Since I don’t have to work tomorrow, I was thinkin’ we could drive out to Marley’s Barrel House.”
Her whole face lights up. “Oh wow, I haven’t been there in ages.”
It’s an hour’s drive, but they have the best smoked barbeque and live music on Saturday nights.
“You wanna go?” I double-check before starting the engine.
“Sure, I’m hungry.”
I let her pick the music and try to think of something safe to talk about on the way.
“So tell me about your job. I dunno what you do now.”
I assume she stayed in publishing, but I never knew for sure.
“I’m a literary agent. Started my own agency last year.”
“What’s that exactly?”
She explains it to me like I’m five, which I appreciate, and I learn she represents authors so they can sell their manuscripts to publishers. She continues to talk about the specifics and what her day-to-day is like.
“Whaddya love most about being an agent?” I ask, glancing over as she grins.
“So many things, honestly. I love that I get to find rare gems of brilliant writers and help make their dreams come true. I love findin’ books I would’ve never picked up otherwise.
I love readin’ pitches and gettin’ excited for fresh material.
I love hearin’ my authors cry tears of joy when I tell ’em their book got a deal, sold to auction, or made a bestseller list. I love hearin’ their stories about how becomin’ an author changed their lives because they were stuck at meaningless jobs until they could focus on their writin’ dreams.”
She beams with each word she says, and it’s hard not to smile as she speaks.
“I also love networkin’ with other agents and learnin’ about their process and which authors they’ve signed.
The community as a whole…it’s big but small at the same time.
I love bringin’ new stories into the world and seein’ readers’ reactions to cliffhangers and plot twists.
It energizes me to get up and work each day.
It’s never boring or gets old. It brings me joy in a way nothin’ else ever did. ”
I’m stunned by her honesty and feel a wave of relief that her job makes her this happy. It would’ve been worse had she left her life behind and hated it. At the very least, she did what she set out to do and it wasn’t for nothing because she got her dream career.
“Wow, Maze. That’s…incredible. I’m so glad you got what you wanted. Sounds like you get to do somethin’ really special for others, too.”
“I do. So many people strive to work in publishin’ compared to those who actually get to, even less when it’s this level of work, so it’s a blessin’ I was able to start so early and branch out on my own.”
“You must work long hours then, huh?”
“Yeah, usually. I’m kinda obsessed with keepin’ up with the industry and makin’ sure I reply to emails in a timely manner. Readin’ through manuscripts takes me the longest. I tend to work until my stomach growls and I realize I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Maze…that’s not healthy. ”
“I know, but I love makin’ goals and being able to check ’em off my list when I finally hit ’em.
Makes it worth it. When I sold my first film rights for a debut author, I celebrated so hard, I had to take off the next day.
” She laughs. “And then to hear about the progress of a movie being made was also fun. Bringin’ art to life…
it’s not somethin’ everyone gets to experience or be a part of, so I try not to take it for granted. ”
I can’t help asking, so I do. “What does your fiancé think about you workin’ so much?”
When I briefly glance over, she visibly stiffens, and I worry she’ll tell me that’s another topic off-limits.
“He’s quite the workaholic, too,” she replies. “He’s also in publishing.”
“Oh…” I swallow hard, hating myself for needing to know more about him. “Is that how y’all met?”
“Mm-hmm,” is all she responds and it’s obvious she’s holding back, so I don’t push her on it.
Once we arrive at the restaurant, we sit across from each other in a booth and place our orders.
“So I told you about my job. Tell me more about yours.” She sips her Coke, looking up at me as she does.
“You probably know plenty about my job considerin’ not much has changed in the ranchin’ world.”
“Well…you’re like the boss now, right? Under your dad, I assume.”
I nod, grabbing my Sweet Tea and taking a drink. “I manage the ranch staff and deal with the day-to-day operations. I’m usually at the stables or out in the pasture fixin’ shit. Bodie works with me, so he helps with makin’ sure tasks get done.”
“I can’t believe how grown up he is. He must’ve been fourteen when I moved. ”
“Sounds ’bout right. Little shit went through a growth spurt and passed me up a few years ago.”
She laughs. “And he has a whole face of hair! He was a smooth-skinned baby face back then.”
That has me chuckling. “Should see his arm. It’s all tatted up.”
“ Bodie ?”
“Yep. A full sleeve. Couldn’t tell ya what they’re of because they all blend together, but I swear he gets a new one every month.”
“Wow. Bodie the badass. Who knew?”
“Don’t tell him you said that. It’ll go right to his head.”
She grins and the sight of it warms me from the inside out. “Why do I have a feelin’ he’s a bit of a player?”
“You’d be correct.” I smirk, remembering how he said he had a date the other night but had to cancel because Blythe shit all over him.
Our food arrives and we shift to small talk. Her favorite restaurants in New York and what she loves and hates about living in the city. I eat my sandwich and onion rings, nodding along but secretly dying inside that she’ll never want to leave a city that offers her much more than I ever could.
If a second chance between us became a real possibility, could I move up there for her? It’s not like the ranch can’t run without me, especially now that Bodie’s older and my parents aren’t busy raising teenagers in their house.
Back then I didn’t want to leave the only home I’d ever known or abandon my responsibilities on the ranch, especially being the oldest child. But now knowing what it feels like to lose the love of my life, my perception has changed.
Could I live in a big city?
If it meant I got my wife back…I think I could.
By the time we get back to my house, it’s after dusk. We managed to keep a flow of conversation going while we ate and on the drive back. I even had her laughing a few times until her phone rang and she told me it was Hayes calling to say good night.
I told her to go ahead and pick it up. When she explained to him that she was out with an old friend , my jaw nearly snapped in half.
I wanted to ask her why she never told him about being married, but I have a feeling she wouldn’t tell me.
We’ve had a fun evening with no fighting, so I didn’t want to ruin it.
“I actually had fun,” she says when I walk her to her car.
“You sound surprised.” I shove my hands in my pockets so I don’t reach out and touch her.
My heart’s been pounding all night at getting to be around her again. Being this close confuses my brain that she’s not mine to kiss, when I spent years pulling her toward me and spreading her lips with my tongue.
“Honestly, I am. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was a nice break from sittin’ behind my computer or thinkin’ about work. Sometimes it’s hard to turn off my brain, so I end up workin’ even when I’m not.”
“Sounds like you needed the reminder that you work to live and not live to work.”
“I know,” she whispers .
“Hopefully, you find time to have fun and live your life too?”
“Sometimes.”
Opening the driver’s side door, I stand in front of her. “Is it okay if I ask for a hug? Or is that not appropriate for an old friend ?”
“Stop it,” she says playfully, swatting my chest. “We were friends before we started datin’, so technically that wasn’t a lie.”
“Mhm.”
She can keep telling herself that, but we both know she’s full of shit.
When she opens her arms, I wrap mine around her and pull her to my chest. She settles against me, and fuck, it feels good. My chin rests on top of her head, and I inhale her shampoo. Rainforest something.
It smells heavenly.
I want to bottle it up and inject it into my veins so I never have to be without it.
“Drive safe, Maze.” I kiss the top of her head without thinking but don’t apologize for it.
“Thanks, I will.”
I feel the loss of her as soon as she steps away. Watching until she drives away, I drag my feet and force myself to go inside.
My mind’s racing too much to fall asleep, so I call Landen to give him an update.
“Fuck, I’m so in love with my wife,” I blurt the moment he picks up.
“I…” He pauses. “Is this a new revelation?”
“Not exactly, but a part of me wondered if I was holdin’ onto the Maisie I knew and if I had built her up to be somethin’ more in my head, especially since I hadn’t seen her in years.”
“And I’m guessin’ that wasn’t the case. ”
“Nope.” The girl I fell for is still there somewhere. Underneath the skirts and workaholic, my Maisie exists. She just needs a little help remembering where she came from. “My feelings for her never left and are stronger than ever.”
Though I’m trying not to show it so I don’t scare her away—at least not right away.
I recap what happened since the last time we spoke and about our seven-day deal.
“After zip linin’, we fell back into our old selves and spent the rest of the night talkin’ and laughin’. It’s like the time apart didn’t exist. Does that make me crazy?”
“Pft. No crazier than me pinin’ for a woman who spent most of the day ignorin’ my existence and would rather drive to the Franklin Rodeo alone than go with me.”
I wince. “Ooh, ouch.”
“Antonio, the kid I’m trainin’, has big heart eyes for her and she purposely goes outta her way to be extra nice to him. I swear, she does it on purpose. Meanwhile, I’m like a dog takin’ any scraps she’ll gimme.”
Barking out a laugh, I shake my head. “Woof.”
“Exactly.”
“Fuck…we’re so doomed.”