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You should think these things through, Jacqueline.Or:Haven’t we taught you better than to go off on a whim like that?Or:You’re always the one to jump into something before you know what the consequences are.
Geez. I’ve tried. I’malwaystrying. And trying is exhausting.
Regardless, it’s too late now to avoid this situation. I need to just get through this week and back to where I’m comfortable. The next time Mari comes up with one of her hairbrained schemes, I need to stay as far away from it as I possibly can.
“I think I’ve got a quarter in my pocket I could offer you for your thoughts.” Emma takes a seat on the ground beside me. Our shoulders touch as if we were childhood friends.
“I’m pretty sure my thoughts aren’t even worth a dime.” My words come out a little drier than I intend.
She leans into me, nudging me as if I’m talking nonsense—another more than familiar gesture. “Try me. I’m a good listener.”
My eyes betray me, flitting over to where Luca sits, but I catch myself and look directly at Emma. She hadn’t missed a thing. At least she doesn’t give me any grief about it. In fact, she has the sweetest smile with dimples in each cheek, and I can’t help but have an immediate fondness for her. “Have you ever done something rash and immediately regretted it?”
She throws her head back and laughs once. Then, she sweeps her dark brown braid over one shoulder and pins me with a challenging stare. “I’d love for you to tell me one person who hasn’t. In truth, I’d bet you a hundred bucks you can’t.”
I wave my hand in a wide motion around the fire. Slowly, though, so people don’t get alerted. “Oh, all my coworkers. They seem to be pretty darn perfect. Self-assured. In the boardroom, out of the boardroom, putting up tents, riding horses. Heck, it doesn’t really matter. They’re all justgoodat it. And then look. Your husband melds right in, and so does he.”
She furrows her brows. “Aren’t you the one who organized this event?”
I heave a deep breath. “And therein lies my regret.”
“You could have picked a retreat at a bed and breakfast or a five-star hotel in the city. Anything more upscale than this.”
“You’re right, I could have. But I was angry at the time. I was sick of being put into the girl’s place at work, and my friend—bless her snarky little soul—got me to book it after a couple of drinks.” I pick up a stick, start breaking pieces off, and throw them into the fire.
“So, before you booked it, what got your craw?”
“Huh?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
“Sorry.” Emma picks up another stick, starts peeling away the bark. “What were you upset about when you decided to book the cattle drive. Can I ask?”
“Oh.” I scoff. “It’s funny, really. Or not. I was upset about my boss asking me to coordinate the team outing. That’s what I mean about the girl’s stuff in the office. It seems so stereotypical that amaleboss would ask hisfemaleemployee to do all the planning work for the team fun.”
“And what’s so bad about doing that? Sounds kind of fun to me.” She lifts a shoulder.
“I am not fun coordinator. It really doesn’t come natural to me. And every time the boss needs something extra, or out of the office, planned, I’m the one that has to do it. They never ask Eddie or Nathan or Sean. It’s always Jack.” I lower my voice when my boss Geoffrey looks across the fire at me. “Or maybe it’s ‘Jack, can you take meeting notes?’ as if I’m the team secretary.”
“I see.” Emma tosses a stick into the fire. I’ll admit, I’ve never been in a corporate environment. I was born and raised here in New Mexico. A country girl. I went to college, but I didn’t go for anything more than a business degree so that I could come back here and help with the ranch. Basic accounting, taxes, and such. And then I met Wyatt, and the rest is history.”
She spreads her arms and looks up at the stars. “To me, there’s not a better office on the planet. And I plan most of the ‘fun,’ I guess you’d call it, around the ranch.”
I open my mouth and close it again. “That’s different. You’rerunningthe business.”
“Let me ask you this.” She purses her lips and takes an audible breath. “Have you directly mentioned your frustration to your boss?”
Biting my lip, I let out a long exhale. “I haven’t, but that’s beside the point.”
“Is it?”
It’s a good question, but I don’t feel like it’s my place to correct everyone’s view of women in LivFit. There’s no purpose in harping on it, at least for tonight. Instead, I ask, “What about Luca? How did he end up here?”
“That, love, is not my story to tell, but he and Wyatt were college buddies. He joined us on the ranch about a year and a half ago. And I tell you what, he is a totally different person since he left Cali. He may have been well on his way to a heart attack before that.” She tosses the last bit of her stick into the fire.
I swivel my head over to look at Emma. “He’s from Cali?” He mentioned the city, but I assumed Albuquerque or maybe Denver.
“Yup.” She glances at the man in question. “There’s often a whole lot more under all the denim and the boots that you’ll see out here in the desert. Don’t be so quick to judge.” She pats my knee and stands up. “I’m heading for bed. I suggest you go rest up too.”
The others around us peel off and crawl into their tents, so I do the same. I take about twenty minutes to get comfortable enough to settle, and still, my mind races for a long time after. The voices around camp die down and the only sound is insects chirping in the night. It’s disturbingly quiet, but it feels almost like the sounds they pipe in during the relaxation massage at the Golden Orchid spa down the street from my townhouse.
