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“Because I’m engaged!Damn it,” she groaned covering her face with her hands.
“You’reengaged?” he shouted at her.
“Yes, now can we please just go?” she stated and luckily, she didn’t get any arguments.
Chapter 6
“Paige slow down before you fall,” Joel called up to her as she climbed.
“I’m a big girl Joel. I can handle a bit of a climb,” she stated angry with herself for giving into the carnal feelings when she shouldn’t have. In a little over two days, she’d managed to mess up her entire life again. If Aaron found out that she’d slept with Joel, he’d never forgive her or if he did, it would only be because he still needed her money to fund his research.
“I just don’t want to have to carry you down if you break your leg. Easy Paige…move to your left that rock doesn’t look safe.”
“Thanks,” she said when the rock she grasped began to crumble. A few more steps and she was at the top. She tossed the rope aside and waited for him to begin his climb. Once he was beside her, she coiled his rope up and put it in the pack but before she could pick it up, he took it and began to walk.
“So, you’re engaged?” he asked after three quarters a mile of silence as they wound their way up to the cavern.
“Joel, I really don’t want to discuss this with you. I’m sorry but I can’t.”
“Seems strange that you wouldn’t mention to anyone that you’re engaged. Then again, I bet you didn’t even know Kendra was pregnant, did you?”
“What I do or don’t know about my family is my business Joel and since you’re technically not part of that family you don’t get a say in any of it. Why don’t we simply forget everything that happened in here including my little slip about my engagement? I don’t want a fuss or tons of questions especially since I’m planning on going home as soon as I get you back.”
“You’re not even going to spend five minutes with your family? To stick around for Kendra, the girl who’d been your best friend since you could walk, to have your nephew?”
“I can’t. I have to get home.”
“Paige you are home.”
“No, I’m not, my home is in Maine on the beach and I need to get back to it. This place stopped being home when I left ten years ago. Now what do you say we shut up and start climbing down?”
“Whatever you say Miss Brighton,” he mocked taking the pack off to unfurl the ropes. “Let me go first that way I can guide you down easily. I’m not about to let you fall off the side of this cliff and have your father kill me.”
“Whatever, just go.”
She watched as he began to descend, and her mind kept flashing back to the first time they’d made this trek. She’d been thirteen and Joel had said pretty much the exact same thing to her as they went down. Her trip down was easy thanks to him holding the rope steady as she repelled down. The sun was up by now and the walk to the Jeep was peaceful, the countryside glowing in the rays.
She slid behind the steering wheel and turned the key ecstatic when it started immediately, and a warm blast of air hit them.
“Ready to go home?” she asked glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
“More than you know,” he replied as he settled back into the seat and closed his eyes.
The drive took her another hour and she was glad to see that most of the crowd had disbursed likely taking their loved ones home for hot baths and sleep, two things she’d kill for about now. She covered the yawn she’d felt coming on and shook her head slightly to clear out the bugs.
“Need me to drive there Paige?” Joel inquired startling her.
“Nope, we’re here, aren’t we?”
“So, we are…” he stated as she cut the engine and hopped out. He caught up to her as she rounded the corner and stopped her, “Paige, thank you. I honestly had forgotten about that shaft leading up to the tunnels and if you hadn’t…”
“Well, I did so you’re welcome and let’s call it even shall we? You saved my dad’s life four years ago and now I saved yours,” she said letting his thanks slide past her. She didn’t need it and she didn’t want it. All it would do was cause more problems than she already had.
“Why don’t you head on in? I’ll be right behind you. I just need to grab something from the Jeep,” she lied as she checked the message from Caleb regarding the helicopter being ready to take her home.
“No way, I’m not going in there without you and risking your father having a heart attack thinking that I somehow got out, but you didn’t. We go in together or not at all,” he said taking her arm and pulling her towards the center of the complex.
“Fine…” She sighed knowing he was half-right. If she didn’t go in and at least say goodbye, no one would let her off the hook and she had to go, any more time spent here, and she’d likely spill everything and then she’d never be able to leave.
