Chapter 13 Grae
GRAE
The screen door slapped against the frame as I strode back into the office.
Eddie looked up from his computer. “How was it?”
I slid my backpack off my shoulder and let it fall to the floor next to my desk. “Perfect.”
It had been one of those afternoons that reminded me why I loved this job so much. The group was small, just two families on vacation together from back east. Their kids were all middle and high school-aged and in awe of their first taste of the Pacific Northwest mountains.
They’d been interested in learning about the vegetation and animal life, and no one had lied about their fitness level. Add in the ideal weather and flowers in bloom, and you had the perfect afternoon.
Eddie leaned back in his chair. “Kind of hard to believe that we get to do this for a living, huh?”
“It really is.”
Jordan peeked out of his office and shot me a grin. “Your tip came through on the website. Twenty-five percent.”
Eddie let out a low whistle. “Damn, girl, you’re on fire.”
“They were great. If they book again, I call dibs.”
Jordan chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll request you.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I slid it out. An alert flashed from my glucose monitor. I’d tried to estimate the right combo of sugar, carbs, and fat I’d need to stay in a good range from the hike, but it wasn’t an exact science, and now I was trending down.
Jordan moved in closer. “Everything okay?”
I nodded, quickly sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Yeah, just need to eat a little something.”
He frowned. “You’ve been pushing hard lately. You need more days off?”
I fought the urge to snap at him and instead strode to the fridge and grabbed one of my mini orange juices. “I’m good. This is me managing.”
I downed the juice, then pulled peanut butter and crackers out of my desk drawer and started munching.
Jordan frowned as if he wasn’t sure he believed me.
Eddie swiped a cracker from my stack. “Come on, J-man. Grae’s a badass. We don’t need to worry about her.”
He held out his hand for a fist bump.
I grinned as I touched my knuckles to his. Eddie never treated me any differently because I had Type 1, and I loved that about him. But he also sometimes forgot that I needed to be cautious. He was a throw-caution-to-the-wind and jump-off-a-mountain sort.
He’d been that way since he lost his fiancée, Megan, in a car accident a few years ago.
He tried to live life to the fullest because he was one of the few who understood it could all be easily ripped away.
It was one of the things that bonded us.
The understanding of how fragile life was.
For some, it meant living carefully. For us, it meant living fully.
Jordan’s hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed. “Just want to make sure you’re okay.”
A little of my annoyance melted away. “I know. But I’m fine. Promise.”
He gave my shoulder one more squeeze and then headed back to his office.
“He’s such a buzzkill sometimes,” Eddie muttered.
“He meddles because he cares.”
Eddie leaned over, resting his hand on my shoulder, his eyes going comically earnest. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
I shoved him off. “Oh, shut it.”
He chuckled. “You want to go grab a beer?”
I shook my head. “I want a shower, leftover pizza, and bed.”
“Aw, man. Come on. I’ll get you fresh pizza.”
“Bribery will work another time.” Because nights out with Eddie almost always ended up going way later than intended.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
I packed up the rest of my stuff and headed for the door. I paused as I opened it, looking over my shoulder and pinning Eddie with a stare. “Make sure you get your beauty rest.”
He chuckled. “Any more beauty, and the women of Cedar Ridge will be powerless against me.”
I just shook my head as I stepped outside. It was still plenty light out, and the walk home would do my muscles good—a light stretch after the hike. I might go for a bubble bath instead of a shower.
Tourists were out in full force, heading to early dinners or enjoying the extended sunlight at the lake.
Kids laughed and screamed as they chased one another.
Even as hectic as things could get during the summer, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.
Cedar Ridge had a kind of magic I’d never experienced in any other place I’d visited, near or far.
My phone buzzed in my pocket again, and I pulled it out.
Caden
How did everything go today? Any issues?
I stared at the message. How long had it been since his name had flashed on my screen? I couldn’t even remember. Just seeing the curve of the letters had my heart rate ratcheting up. But as I read the message, I frowned. It was a simple proof of life check.
It might not make sense to some people why that grated so much.
Not until you lived through the aftermath of being diagnosed with a life-altering disease.
It was as if I was no longer anything but someone who might die from low or high blood sugar.
The people in my life couldn’t see anything but that.
It didn’t matter if I was happy or sad, just that my blood sugar was within range.
I thought about not responding and then decided that would be a jerk move. Caden was trying to help. He cared in his way, even if it wasn’t how he used to. I had to make peace with that.
Me
All good.
I slid my phone back into my pocket, heading away from downtown and into the picturesque neighborhoods surrounding it.
Craftsman cottages were painted in cheerful colors and surrounded by gardens with brightly colored blooms. The rest of my siblings lived far out of town, and that had its appeal, but I loved having a true neighborhood around me.
Turning onto my street, I caught sight of a figure jogging toward me. Each step that brought him closer had a weight settling heavier in my stomach. Rance could take a million and one jogging paths, but he just had to choose the one that led him by my house.
His pace slowed as he approached. “Hey.”
I forced a polite smile. “Hi.”
“Just getting off work?”
I nodded.
Rance jogged in place in front of me. “I’m heading home to shower and then meet Sarah, Dave, and a few others for a bite. Want to come?”
That was the group that had gotten me into this mess in the first place. We’d all been in the same wider friend group through high school. I wasn’t as close to them as I was to Wren and Maddie, but we hung out socially a fair bit. With Rance’s attention, that felt awkward now.
“I’m pretty wiped. I’m going to call it an early night.”
He frowned. “You haven’t been hanging much lately. Is it because of Caden?”
I pressed my thumbnail into the pad of my forefinger to keep my temper in check. “I’ve been working a lot. But he’s my boyfriend. I’m going to spend time with him.”
Rance’s jaw worked back and forth. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
“He’s a good guy,” I snapped. Caden might have hurt me in the past, but he would do anything for the people in his life.
“He’s a player.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. I didn’t want to think about any women who might litter Caden’s past; it hurt too much.
Rance dipped his head. “Even if you don’t want anything with me, you deserve a hell of a lot better than him. He’s going to screw with your head and then ditch you.”
Something in me snapped. I was so sick of people trying to tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. That I didn’t know what was best for my own life.
“You don’t know a damn thing about him. And the truth is, you don’t know me either. Caden’s in my life because I want him to be. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll deal. But I don’t need your opinion or anyone else’s.”
I darted around him and stormed toward my house. But something deep inside me told me I was lying to myself.
Caden Shaw had the power to ruin me. And I knew it.