Chapter 11
D elilah sits crisscross on my too-small bed while I pack for my first ever work trip.
I didn’t tell anyone what Reid said to me at the game, I was too ashamed.
My past has hurt Lilah enough without revealing it’s reared its ugly head again now that I’m back home.
It would break her heart. Instead, I bury the pain down deep and cover it up with a ton of pink.
Lilah bounces a bit on my mattress. “Where do you get to go?”
She's so excited for me, not only to spread my wings, but to show the company I was a good hire. But mainly to get gossip about Reid. She and Livy are incorrigible and have been relentless for information. They try to fluster me at every turn to see if my crush is alive and well.
Which it is.
I hate myself for it.
His cruelty should have doused my crush with water, permanently extinguishing my long-held flame. Instead, it hid beneath a pile of flickering embers and every time he was marginally nice to me these past two days, the embers stoked hotter.
Seriously, I hate myself. Not my whole self, but definitely my lady bits. They disagree that he was a dick—instead, they want his dick.
The man mortified me, in public, at a child’s sporting event. It’s not anything worse or different than I’ve heard over the years—it usually slides off my back like water on a duck, but coming from him broke me.
If I was reading a romance novel, I'd want to see some heavy groveling from the hero to get back in the heroine’s good graces. But I know too well that hurt people, hurt other people. I also know that alcohol fuels regrettable behavior.
What he did and said wasn’t right, not in the slightest. But I'm adult enough, and empathetic enough, to recognize how extremely hard it was for him to be at the game in the first place.
Let alone getting cornered by some girl from his past, throwing his reputation in his face.
And I'm positive she said something to him about his face, based on how he cringed away from her.
I caught him at a horrible time and popped off trying to be sassy. I'm not making excuses for him or blaming myself for his bad behavior. But I have to work with this man. Very closely might I add, for the foreseeable future, and I'd like it to be a bearable experience.
Call me a pushover, but I’ve always been quick to forgive. I’ve done and said things in my life that I immediately regretted. Things that stemmed directly from my own pain. Things that I wish I'd been forgiven for. I’m willing to give him the second chance I was never afforded.
The fact that he's Greek god level gorgeous is neither here nor there.
I’m so pathetic.
“We're going to Elk Springs.” Her look of nonrecognition matches the one I had. “It’s like three hours West of here, we have to go through several passes.”
“Good thing you have a big strong man to chauffeur you!” She flutters her eyelashes.
She laughs when a ball of socks hits her in the face. “You know, I expect this from Liv, but not from my own sister.”
“Oh, shut up. It sounds amazing, Izzy. I think this will be good for you. Plus, it gets you away from town.”
She’s right, I am looking forward to spending less time in town.
The tradeoff is that I have to spend that time with Grump-a-saurus Rex.
As I pack my panties and bras, my mind wanders, and I question whether Reid is a boxers or a briefs man.
I picture Reid in black boxer briefs that hug his massive thighs and the ass I love to stare at. Those Wranglers he wears…drool.
Delilah’s talking and I haven’t heard a word she’s said. I shake myself from my reverie and give her a smile and a nod. As I zip my duffle bag closed, Lilah kisses me atop my head and bids me a good night. I'm equally nervous and excited to hit the road tomorrow.
I didn’t want Reid to come to the trailer park, so I told him I'd meet him at Bean & Brew Wednesday morning. He ordered me a dirty chai on his apology tour Monday, but lord knows it’s not his preferred drink, so I order mine and a black coffee for him.
His truck pulls into an open spot and before he can hop out, I round the hood and knock on the window for him to unlock my door.
He leans over the console to push the passenger door open for me. I climb inside and put the drinks in the cup holders. Now hands free, I tuck my duffle at my feet and shut my door. I turn to him with a polite “good morning” and offer him my token of ceasefire.
Blinking several times in shock, Reid wearily asks, “You didn’t poison it or anything, right?”
I just shrug and smile. He looks terrified and it’s hilarious.
I watch his throat bob as he swallows his sludge, and I swear my ass cheeks clench. I wish my body wasn’t a fucking traitor and would tamp down the visceral reaction he provokes.
I looked at the Elk Creek property on the rental website, so I have an idea of what I’m walking into. I have no idea what repairs it needs, but I'm excited about redesigning the space.
Focused on the road, I take advantage of Reid’s silence and set up my seat.
I toe off my cowboy boots and wedge them behind my bag.
I pull a fluffy pink blanket from my duffle that took up more space than my clothes and toiletries combined.
I tuck it around my legs and hips until it feels just right.
Complete with my sketchbook and pencil bag, I’ve created a perfect drawing station on my lap.
Reid’s been sneaking glances while I created my nest. I take a sip of my dirty chai— sweet nectar of life —and ask, “What?”
He frowns and continues to face forward. I return my drink to the safety of the cup holder and in a move that I can only describe as “I have a death wish,” poke my index finger into his cheek. His beard is pokey against my fingertip, but I dig it in just a little bit.
He slaps my hand away, and I realize too late that I poked the mottled side of his face. I didn’t even notice. Shit. He’s going to be pissed.
As I yank my hand back, I see the faintest dimple in his cheek when the side of his mouth tips up a fraction. He has a dimple…a fucking dimple. I can’t handle the swoon. I store that little nugget of joy away for a rainy day.
I wait for him to snap at me, but it never comes. Instead, he takes in my nest and huffs a laugh. Again, I ask, “What?” with a laugh of my own. He shakes his head but answers me.
“Didn’t peg you for a passenger princess.”
Feigning snobbery, I stick my nose in the air and say, “You will call me Your Majesty, you peasant.”
He laughs. A full belly laugh. It’s incredible. There's a human beneath his impenetrable shell. I’m not sure my heart will survive it.
I wake to the truck door slamming. Oops. I get sleepy in the car, so sue me! Reid doesn’t know that I'm awake, so I admire his ass as he climbs the porch steps to unlock the rental property.
The Elk Springs property is just outside of town proper.
From the map I know it isn't far off the intrastate highway—convenient, but private. Elk Springs is a “blink and you miss it” kind of town, so I wonder if most of the guests are passing through, or if this is a destination. With a name like Elk Springs, and in this mountain range, I can only assume it’s primarily a hunting lodge.
With my duffle slung over my shoulder, I follow Reid into the cabin.
I stop immediately inside the doorway and am overwhelmed by dead animals.
Creatures crowd the walls and tabletops, and a fucking bear stands in the corner near the fireplace.
The website photos must’ve been outdated because I was not expecting this.
I’ve seen taxidermy before, but in small doses.
Like, an elk head here, a quail there. But this is next level.
Personally, I think it should all go, and we gut the place and start over. I need to remember that the target audience is in fact, hunters. It will be a fun challenge to balance history and authenticity with modern changes and less clutter.
It’s after lunchtime, Reid must have driven straight through since I was sleeping.
My stomach burns from only having caffeine this morning.
I go to find Reid when he rounds the corner from what must be the kitchen, with a plate stacked with PB&J’s.
He pulls up short, not expecting me to be standing here.
He just says “lunch,” lifts the plate slightly, and places it on the dining table, already set with bottles of water and paper towel napkins.
“How did you…?”
“Don’t like eating out all the time. Keep a cooler in the bed of the truck and a stock of essentials.”
Sitting across from him, I say, “Thank you.” I’m taken aback and genuinely thankful.
The afternoon falls away as Reid putters around doing small repairs and preventative maintenance.
I watch him go back and forth through the cabin, never once acknowledging me.
I busy myself brainstorming and sketching like my life depends on it.
I’ve always enjoyed drawing, but it feels so freaking good to have an outlet for my creativity.
The ideas flow out of my pen like music notes from a composer.
Dinner is much the same as lunch, except I prepare it. Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches will have to do. We eat in companionable silence. After I clear the plates, Reid mumbles, “thank you,” and it’s the happiest I’ve felt all week.
I'm still unsure how to navigate our working relationship, so I say goodnight to Reid and go to my bedroom without a second glance. I hear him enter the room beside mine not long after I settle into bed. I stare at the ceiling for what feels like hours.
The air is electrified, with Reid laying mere feet away from me. Just drywall and insulation between us. I’ve said it before, and I'll say it again. This is going to be a long six months.