Chapter 22
Their first zip-lining group of the day canceled last minute so Ryan, Mark, and Ethan seized the opportunity to walk the property together, finalizing the course for the upcoming Adrenaline Rush. They’d held the team-based obstacle race for the first time last summer as part of the grand opening for Off-the-Grid, and it had been such a success they’d decided to make it an annual event.
“I think we should add a mud obstacle this year,” Ethan said, leading the way down the path toward the stream.
“You really want to make a mud pit out here?” Mark asked.
Ethan shrugged. “Simple enough to fill it in afterward.”
Ryan lunged upward to grab an overhead branch, swinging for a moment before jumping back onto the trail. “You got a spot in mind?”
“Maybe the field behind the ropes course.”
“Yo, we paid Artful Blooms to reseed that field for us a couple of months ago. Not a good investment to dig it up.”
“Oh yeah.” Ethan looked thoughtful.
“Could use the area behind the second zip-line platform,” Mark suggested.
“That might be perfect,” Ethan said. “It’s mostly mulch, and it tends to get muddy anyway.”
“I like it,” Ryan said. “We definitely need to switch some things up this year, keep the course interesting and unpredictable.”
“I agree,” Ethan said.
They spent the next hour walking and talking, coming up with new ideas and deciding which bits of last year’s race they could repeat. They headed back toward the main building just in time to get ready for their next zip-lining group.
“So you’re really going to let Emma move to Georgia next week?” Ethan asked, smiling like a cocky bastard.
“Let her? It’s not my job to tell her what she can and can’t do.”
“No, but don’t you think you guys ought to have a chat? You know, about feelings and all that mushy shit?”
Ryan wanted to punch the cocky grin right off Ethan’s face. “Feelings?”
“Bro, you can’t just let her walk away without fighting for her.”
Ryan tripped over a tree root and almost fell flat on his face. “Of course I can. This thing between us was always short term. It’s just casual.”
“Just casual, huh?” Ethan glanced at Mark. “You hear this shit?”
“Seem to recall having the same conversation with you not so long ago,” Mark commented drily.
“That’s true,” Ethan said. He turned to Ryan, his expression gone serious. “There are photos on Gabby’s phone of Emma in a wedding dress.”
Ryan damn near fell on his face again. “Say what now?”
Emma spentSaturday evening finishing up the summer landscaping at Off-the-Grid. She’d brought in several lavender asters to brighten up the walkway area and the flower bed beneath the sign. They were hardy and should flower on and off all summer long.
The guys needed low-maintenance, especially after she left town. Another wave of homesickness hit her as she imagined someone else here tending their landscaping, adding new flowers to the bed she’d built.
But no matter. They were just flowers, after all.
She’d just finished up and put her tools back in her car when she spotted Trent headed down the path toward the ropes course, cell phone in hand. She jogged after him. “Hey, Trent.”
He turned, swiping a lock of hair out of his eyes with a smile. “Hi, Emma.”
“How’s it going? You made any plans for the summer?”
“Iris is going to LA to try her luck. There are a lot of opportunities there, DJ’ing and music and all that.” He looked over at Emma, a defiant look in his eyes. “I might go with her.”
“Have you talked about it with Ryan or your parents?” she asked cautiously, knowing Ryan would hate this idea. His parents would, too.
“I mentioned it to Ryan. He’s not a fan,” Trent said with a shrug.
“Well, you’re old enough to make your own decisions, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to some advice, too.”
“Guess not.”
“I’ve had a lot of people giving me their advice about my move to Georgia,” she said. They had reached the ropes course. Since Trent didn’t seem to be working at the moment, they sat side by side in a couple of the tires that were part of the obstacle course. She kicked her feet, swinging gently back and forth. “You want to know the truth?”
“Sure.” He kicked off next to her and swung.
“I don’t really want to go.”
“No?” He turned to look at her.
She shook her head. “I dreamed about it for so long, but now that I’m doing it, I don’t know…it doesn’t feel right.”
“So you’re dropping out like I did?” He was grinning now.
“Actually, no. I talked it over with Ryan and decided I have to go, at least for a semester. You’re never too old for advice, you know.” She nudged at him playfully as he swung past.
“The truth is, I don’t really know what I want out of life,” Trent said. “I’m just, I don’t know…restless.”
“I hear you. You’re a free agent right now. You can go anywhere and do anything you want. But if you always go chasing after the next shiny thing to catch your eye, someday you might end up regretting the people and opportunities you left behind.”
“You don’t think I should go to LA.”
She laughed. “I didn’t say that. But why do you want to go? Just because of Iris? Do you really think there are DJ opportunities there for someone your age that aren’t here in Haven?”
“It sounds exciting,” he said. “And yeah, I do think there are a lot of opportunities. I mean, with Hollywood and everything. How could I pass that up?”
“There are also a lot of people vying for those opportunities. And it’s crazy expensive to live out there. How are you going to support yourselves while you look for work?”
Trent didn’t say anything, just swung back and forth, staring at the ground.
“We’re opposites right now, you and me,” she said thoughtfully. “You want to leave your family behind and head off in search of adventure, which is exactly what I thought I wanted to do. And right now I’d give anything to stay home with you guys.”
“Because of my brother?”
She smiled over at Trent again. “You’re awfully wise for eighteen. Yes, your brother is a big part of it.”
“You love him?” Trent asked.
“Yeah,” she said softly. “I do.”
“Does he know?”
It was her turn to shrug. Had Ryan overhead what she said when she jumped yesterday? If he had, he hadn’t let on. “Do you love Iris?”
“Yeah,” he said fervently.
Ah, young love. “Well, Trent, I think you have to follow your heart. Don’t let Ryan or anyone else guilt you into doing what they think is best for you.”
“Then I should go to LA.”
“I said follow your heart, not follow the girl,” she said with a laugh. “You have to really listen to what it’s telling you, and don’t make your decision tonight. Think on it.”
“Ryan and my parents really want me to go back to college.”
“Yeah, and it’s not a bad idea. Take it from someone who’s learned the hard way, it’s a lot harder to go back to school at twenty-seven than when you’re fresh out of high school. Getting an education now will provide you with so many more opportunities later on.”
“You’re easy to talk to,” Trent said thoughtfully.
Emma felt something warm and light fill her chest. “Thanks. So are you.”
Ryan stormeddown the path toward Off-the-Grid’s main building. His chest felt like it might burst, so many emotions churned inside it. Hurt. Fear. Anger. He’d been passing by the ropes course when he heard Emma and Trent talking. He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but he couldn’t help overhearing her encourage Trent to go running off to LA, which was about the worst idea ever.
And then she’d said she loved him.
He’d almost convinced himself he hadn’t heard her whisper those words yesterday as they jumped at the bluffs. But she had. And then she’d told Trent she didn’t want to go to Georgia anymore. And fuck. Hadn’t Ethan told him just that morning he’d seen pictures of Emma in a wedding dress on Gabby’s phone?
She was about to give up her spot in landscape design school for him, the spot she’d worked so damn hard to earn. He couldn’t let that happen.
Because dammit…she meant too much to him. She was one of the most important people in his life, and he’d never forgive himself if she derailed her dreams and her future because of him. He swung at the nearest tree, swearing a blue streak as its rough bark bruised and scraped his knuckles.
He couldn’t seem to catch his breath, and there was something in his eyes, goddammit. He swiped at the dampness on his cheeks furiously with his good hand as he continued his wild march through the forest, headed for his bike.
He clenched his jaw, forcing back the hurt so that anger took over. Trent was going to chase his good-for-nothing girlfriend to LA, and Emma had encouraged him to do it. The kid had no money saved up, no job waiting. It was a recipe for disaster.
Dammit. It was exactly the kind of thing Ryan would have done at eighteen. Which was exactly why it was such a terrible idea. And now, thanks to Emma, he’d have to work even harder to get Trent to see reason.
How dare she butt into his and Trent’s business like that? This should have stayed between him and his brother. He definitely shouldn’t go over to Emma’s place spoiling for a fight, which was exactly why he was going to do just that.
Because this thing between them had to end. Tonight.
Emma heardthe bike coming and went to her front window. She watched as Ryan pulled into her driveway and sat, his face expressionless, staring at her front door.
He looked…hurt. Maybe even angry.
She opened the door. “Is everything okay?” she asked, motioning him to come in.
He got off the bike and stood facing her. “No.”
A feeling of dread coiled in her stomach. “What’s happened?”
“I overheard you and Trent earlier.” He spoke without emotion, his expression hidden behind his mirrored sunglasses.
What had he overhead? Oh God, she’d told Trent she loved him… “Oh. Okay?—”
“Don’t.” He put a hand up to stop her. “I can’t believe you told him it was okay to go to LA.”
Oh, that’s what he was all bent out of shape about? She scowled at him. “You must not have listened very well because that’s not what I said, and not nearly all we talked about.”
“You know how I feel about this, Emma. He’s eighteen, for Christ’s sake. He’s not even old enough to drink a beer, and you think it would be okay for him to take off across the country with this woman he hasn’t even introduced us to?”
“You can’t stop him any more than I can. The best thing you can do right now is to support him.”
“That’s bullshit,” he growled. “He needs some sense knocked into that thick skull of his before he makes a huge mistake.”
“Ryan,” she said, her voice gone soft, “why are we arguing about this?”
“Because…” He paused a moment, looking uncertain. “Because you shouldn’t have meddled in my family business with Trent.”
Ouch. She took an involuntary step backward. She didn’t know how to respond because she wasn’t sorry for a single word she’d said to Trent. “Excuse me?”
Ryan met her gaze, but instead of warmth and laughter, she saw only cold, hard anger reflected in his eyes. “You heard me.”
“Yeah, I did.” She folded her arms over her chest and glared up at him. “And I think you’re the one overstepping here, Ryan, if you think you have the right to tell me who I can and can’t have a friendly conversation with.”
“You should have backed me up.”
She stepped forward and jabbed a finger against his chest. “You honestly think I don’t have your back? Don’t be such an ass.”
“We let this go too far, Emma. I never meant to end up here.” He looked down at the handlebars of his bike. “But it’s done. It ends tonight.”
She flinched, as hurt mixed with anger inside her, swelling into a big ball of emotion in her chest. “Just like that? We had our first fight so now you’re breaking up with me?”
“We always said we’d go back to being just friends when the time came. And the time is now.” His voice sounded flat, distant. Cold.
“That’s just…what the actual fuck, Ryan?” She didn’t know whether to cry or punch him.
“What did you expect?” he asked, looking genuinely confused.
“Too much, I guess.” Tears pricked behind her eyes, and she blinked them back, desperate to hold on to her anger until he had gone.
“Well, there you go.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, pinning her in that dark, angry gaze. “You wanted me to help you be a little bit bad, right, Emma? You wanted a hot fling with a guy like me, but I’m not?—”
“Stop right there,” she cut him off. “Fuck you, Ryan. Good-bye.”