Chapter 7
Phoenix
After a super-fast joint shower—where we’d both mostly behaved—and a quick breakfast, Jonas and I packed up snacks, water, and a few other things we might need for our hike and walked down to meet everyone else at the end of the lane.
Maddie was riding on Amberly’s back in a special carrier. I was happy they’d both be able to join in today. We still had to drive to the trail, but I was betting that little Miss Maddie had wanted a ride to the end of the lane on her momma’s back. And what she wanted, she usually got.
My little sister had gotten herself into a tough position in high school, but with her bravery, brains, and fierce determination, she’d graduated on time along with the rest of her class and was now taking night classes to pursue a college degree.
All while working and being a wonderful mother to Maddie.
I had a lot of respect for her. I was proud of her.
As we approached the group, I detoured over to the two of them where they stood beside James, and gave them a big hug.
“What was that for?” Amberly asked with her face squished against my shirt.
“Can’t a guy greet his baby sister and niece in the morning anymore? Sheesh,” I teased her. “Morning, James,” I added with a nod in his direction. He silently returned the nod and yawned into his hand.
“Of course, silly,” Amberly replied. “Maddie, we love Uncle Phoenix, don’t we? Tell him hello.”
“Hi, Unca Feefee. Maddie wuv too.”
I grinned and ruffled Maddie’s dark brown hair. “Aww. Unca Feefee wuvs I mean loves, his little Maddiekins so much too.” She beamed at me with her sweet toddler smile.
I glanced around the group, taking in each familiar face—and one less familiar face that tugged at my memory, but I could not place him. He, Jonas, and Brooklynn stood near a white van, and they were all talking animatedly. I assumed he was the guide, and I strode up to the three of them.
“…can’t believe it’s been so long!” Jonas was saying to the man when I walked up.
Jonas turned to me, and the way his face lit up when he saw me did weird things to my insides.
My stomach fluttered like it was full of butterflies, and my heart thumped.
He was so beautiful, no matter how he was dressed or what he was doing.
This morning, he’d gone straight for typical hiking wear, donning flint-colored convertible zip-off pants, a teal short-sleeve button-up, and brown hiking boots.
Rounding out his outfit was a tan Patagonia cap he’d had to borrow from me.
“I knew I’d end up forgetting something,” he’d said, smiling as I plopped it on his head before we’d left the house.
But his true beauty, the things that made him truly shine, came from the inside.
Last six months aside, he was one of the nicest, kindest, funniest men I knew—and hopefully would be officially dating soon, if I had any say in the matter.
It took all my restraint not to kiss him right on the lips that very moment. I knew that might make him self-conscious and would also confuse the hell out of my family. So, I just smiled and said good morning to all three of them.
“Phoenix, this is our guide, Marcus Johnson.” Jonas looked at me expectantly, as if the name should mean something to me.
“As in the Johnsons next door?” Brooklynn supplied in response to my blank expression. “We used to all hang out when we were younger…” She shrugged. “At least Jonas and I did.”
I remembered him now. He’d grown into a handsome guy. A handsome guy who was very obviously checking out Jonas.
“Oh, right,” I said, keeping my tone light and even. “You had the black Jeep with all the bumper stickers. What was that big-ass one on the back window? ‘Panty Dropper.’ Was that it?”
He turned fire-engine red all the way to the tips of his ears. “That, uh, was my brother’s doing. We had to share the Jeep until I left for college.”
“And now you’re here for the summer and leading hiking excursions?” I guessed.
Marcus nodded and stuck his hand in my direction. I squeezed a tad harder than necessary as we shook. “It’s nice to see you again, Phoenix.” He winced as he pulled his hand away. Inside my head, I smirked smugly and gave him the finger. On the outside, I just smiled neutrally.
Brooklynn eyeballed me while Jonas and Marcus started chatting again. After a particularly long, appraising look, she dragged me aside to the edge of the driveway. “Please tell me you didn’t.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Brookie.” I glanced down at my watch. “Isn’t it about time we got started?”
She crossed her arms and glared at me. “You’re giving off a weird, possessive vibe. Tell me the truth.”
I didn’t want to tell a bald-faced lie, so I just pressed my lips together in a moment of pleading the fifth. But she took my silence as the confirmation of guilt she was looking for.
“Ick factor aside, I’ll be watching you, Phoenix.”
“How is there any ick factor involved between me and—” I clamped my mouth shut.
Her brows pinched together. “The only reason I’m allowing this is that there seems to be an unusual abundance of,” she gestured to my chest, “feelings spewing from there since you arrived. I don’t know what went down with the two of you at Christmas, but you’ve both seemed off since then. Until a couple of days ago, anyway.”
She let her arms drop and took a deep breath, then doubled down on her warning, stabbing her pointer finger into my chest. “But if you hurt even one hair on Jonas’s head…
well, just don’t. I don’t want to be in a position where I have to choose between my big brother and my absolute best friend in the whole world.
Because, newsflash, you may not come out the winner, and that would be devastating.
” She glared at me once more and then stomped over to Marcus and Jonas.
Oversharing with her about my dating life was now coming back to bite me in the ass.
Brooklynn was well aware of my past habits.
She and I were close, and would often catch up over a beer while FaceTiming.
She kept me up to date on her sometimes-disastrous dating life and the latest articles she’d written, and I told her about my difficult clients and latest one-night stands.
I suspected she wondered how Jonas fit into that picture and had come to the wrong conclusion.
He was different. Special. I had no intentions of using him and moving on.
Marcus explained where we were heading for this morning’s hike, and we all piled into the van he’d arrived in and headed toward our destination—Craggy Pinnacle Trail.
A short drive later, we were parked and waiting at the entrance.
The rhododendrons were still in bloom, the reason we’d decided to start the week with this hike.
The views were spectacular, beginning right here in the thicket where we were surrounded by the fuchsia flowers.
There was a chill in the air even though it was June.
I’d always loved the crispness of the cool, fresh air of the mountains, and missed it when I was in New York.
I missed North Carolina in general lately, now more than ever as I watched a certain cutie reach over and pretend to steal Maddie’s nose.
“You know,” I said to my dad, who was my hiking buddy right now, “this trail is less than an hour round trip. We really didn’t need a hiking guide for it, just saying.”
Dad’s gaze followed the path mine made, and he chuckled.
“Your ma insisted. Besides, as soon as she got a good look at him this morning, that sealed the deal. Thinks he’s adorable.
Kinda like the pool boy of the hiking world, I suppose.
” He shifted his gaze, caught Ma’s eyes, and smiled at her.
“Though I’d say she’s setting herself up for a bit of disappointment with that one.
” He elbowed me in the side and gestured toward Marcus.
“Seems he’s got eyes for a certain young man instead.
Perhaps you should, I don’t know, drop your old dad and go walk with the kids.
Maybe one in particular, if you know what I mean. ”
“Dad, you’re about as subtle as a shark attack in a swimming pool.
” But was I really being that obvious myself in how I felt about Jonas?
I wanted him to be on board with the whole thing, and I knew we needed to sit down and talk, but I didn’t want to scare him away by coming off too strong.
I figured we could have some fun now and then talk about things and come up with a plan before the trip was over.
I’d give him time to adjust to the idea of us.
Twenty minutes later, we reached the top, stepping out of the floral thicket and onto the open hill. The wind picked up substantially out in the open like this.
“I forgot how beautiful it is up here,” Jonas whispered to me once I stepped up beside him.
We were at the edge of the viewing area, against the stone wall and facing west. As far as the eye could see were rows and rows of mountains that eventually stretched all the way into Tennessee.
It was truly a stunning display, and the experience was even more memorable sharing it with Jonas—and the rest of my family too, I supposed. Could have done without Marcus, though.
I nudged Jonas’s shoulder with mine, and he peered up at me.
“The best part is right here,” I murmured, reaching over and subtly running a finger along the inside of his wrist. His expression morphed into this sweet, almost goofy, soft look that squeezed my heart.
I was about to fully reach for his hand, audience be damned, when Marcus walked up and shoved his way between us.
“Excuse you,” I snapped at Marcus, more harshly than I’d intended to.
Jonas’s cheeks colored, and his shoulders slouched down. He loathed most types of conflict, even something as minor as this. He shimmied out of his backpack and set it on the stone. Unzipping it, he pulled out a notebook and a pen. “I’d better take some notes before we leave,” he murmured.
“Notes for what?” I asked. He hadn’t mentioned anything of the sort to me, so I was at a loss.
“For the hiking article he’s working on,” Marcus replied on Jonas’s behalf as he’d already stepped to the side and started scribbling down notes.
“Ah, right,” I said lightly, as if I knew what he was referring to.
The smile Marcus gave me made my blood pressure rise; I could practically feel my blood simmering in my veins.
It was a mix of smug and sympathetic, which meant I must truly look pathetic right now, pining after a guy who maybe didn’t feel the same way about me.
What was I thinking, acting like this after we’d had very little contact for damn half a year?
He’d reconnected with Marcus less than two hours ago, and had already thought to share with him whatever this thing was with the article?
He hadn’t mentioned anything to me, not even after we’d fucked.
And yet I wasn’t ready to give up.
Ma came over after Marcus walked away and patted my arm.
“Is everything okay, sweetie?” she asked.
I shrugged noncommittally. “You seem distracted, and that is the exact opposite of how you should feel when you’re standing where you’re standing.
Look around. Clear your mind. You’ve barely had a day off work in six months.
Whatever’s got you stressed, put it aside.
Take this time to relax.” I gave her a crooked smile, and she pinched my cheek.
“I’d take one of your shit-eating grins any day over this pathetic attempt at a smile.
” That earned her a real smile, and she nodded in satisfaction. “That’ll do.”
Marcus rounded us all up, and we made the short twenty-minute hike down the trail.
On the drive back to the house, Ma invited Marcus over for lunch.
It was the nice thing to do, I supposed, since he was still friendly with Brooklynn and Jonas, and Ma had a crush on him and all.
It seemed I was the only one who didn’t want him around any longer than necessary.
I was just going to have to suck it up and deal.