“Her kids miss Lara, you know?” He sounds so petulant.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I snap back.
“We all miss Lara.”
God, is he making this my fault? I moved away with Lara. They were so upset they had no choice but to start fucking? Emotion gathers in my throat. I won't break down in front of Mark. “We need to go now,” I say, stepping toward the driveway. “Lara's going to be home from school soon.”
Numb with sadness and disbelief, I get in the back seat of the BMW Mark borrowed from a dealer in De Clair.
“You’ve got a special location on the lake,” Josh says as we get back on Bearclaw Pass. He talks about Mark and I expanding the retreat if we acquired one of the neighboring properties.
Does he think Mark’s my partner? Why wouldn’t he? I’d think the same if I saw the way he’s taking control of the rebuilding.
Half-listening, I open my texts with Brady. The last time we texted was when I told him to come over to show me the video footage from the B&B camera.
That night was going so well until I told him about Mark coming to stay with us. I felt like I had to say something. What if he saw Mark and I having dinner with Lara at Pines Diner? Or heard through the grapevine my ex was staying with us?
I felt like I had to explain to him where Mark and I stand. The marriage is over, but he’s still a crucial part of our lives.
But should he be?
I don’t trust him. I haven’t trusted him since the cheating. I thought I could have a relationship with him for Lara’s sake, and the obvious benefits I receive from his support, even while not trusting him.
Then I end up wondering why I don’t feel safe. Why I feel so damn lonely.
We hit the curvy stretch of Bearclaw Pass. At the risk of nausea, I focus on the phone’s screen.Sorry if this is out of the blue. (blue sky emoji). I was wondering if you’d be interested in getting a drink at Winkles Saloon tomorrow night?
Mildly nauseous, I put the phone down and shut my eyes. I picture Brady at my house the other night. He looked good in that ivory Henley. It felt natural having dinner with him and Mom and Lara. Everyone was comfortable. No one was walking on eggshells and watching what they said so they didn’t seem stupid or poor.
My shoulders soften. I sink into the back seat and let my mind drift to the way he looks at me with those hazel eyes like he wants to make mad love then cuddle me to sleep. Like I’m his.
I wake up five minutes before the morning alarm goes off. The sky is lightening. I feel myself breaking into a smile. Brady and I have a date tonight. A sort of date? He texted back less than an hour after I asked if he wanted to go out for a drink. That constitutes interest, right?
I was so pumped about the date that I didn’t feel the need to explain to Mark why he and Lara would be having a daddy-daughter night. I take this as proof I didn’t ask Brady out because I was bitter about Mark and Gabriella.
Well, maybe I am bitter, and maybe it did motivate me to ask out Brady. But I’m happy with the result.
A message flashes on my phone. Text from Mom, of course. I open it and words jump out at me. “Tabitha and Ollie. “Camping.” “Fire at the B&B.”
I shoot out of bed and press dial on Mom’s icon.
“Honey, did you get my message?” Mom’s voice comes over the speaker.
I throw the phone on the bed and pull a pair of jeans from the closet. “Yes. What happened?”
“Cousin Tabitha and her boyfriend, Ollie, the guy who takes care of Bearclaw Pass, decided to go camping on the B&B property. You said they could.”
“Yeah. I told them it was fine.” I button my jeans and pull socks from the drawer.
“They took your car, and someone set fire to it. I’m afraid it’s another arson.”
Panic overrides my ability to make sense of anything. “I take it they're okay?”
“Tabitha says she and Ollie were completely asleep. But Ollie, being a worker at the Pass, was able to take swift action and get the right people there fast.”
My mouth is bone dry. Brady must be fighting the fire. This would be his day off, but those guys still have to respond even when they’re off duty. And Brady has the special wildland fire training. “Do you have any idea about the extent of the fire? What about the firemen? Is Brady there? Do you know?”
“I haven’t heard anything like that."
