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Ollie
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TWENTY-SIX
BEN
“What the hell was I thinking?”
In what universe is joining Kirsten and Travis in the middle of nowhere a good idea? Easy answer… I have no fucking clue. But it’s too late to turn back now.
After a few hours on site at the library, my phone dinged with a text from Kirsten.
Sparkles
Travis wants to leave my house by 5. You can ride with us or drive my car.
A second text came through with the address of where we’re headed. Still in Stone Bay, but outside the main part of town. The map showed it on the outskirts, in the southern mountains.
After breakfast, I pulled John aside and explained the situation. At first, he was confused as to why I was involved with the matter. Once I shared who Kirsten was to me, it took a little less convincing. With our part of the project nearing the end, he gave me the go-ahead to leave with the promise to update him.
An hour before the rest of the crew called it a day, I went back to the inn, packed my duffel, and headed to Kirsten’s house. Hyper-focused as we loaded the vehicles, I didn’t allow myself to think about what would happen when we arrived at our destination.
But now… the farther we drive, the more I question my decision. And my sanity.
Travis throws on his blinker, so I do the same in Kirsten’s car behind them. We turn off the main highway and onto a two-lane road with tall evergreens lining either side. Our tires eat up several miles before we turn again. Slowing our speed, we drive deeper into the forest. The broad canopy of thick evergreens shadows the road, the fading sunlight barely lighting the way. Snow-capped mountains peek through the trees moments before a brown sign labeledBay Cliff Mountain Rangeappears on the side of the road.
When Travis flips his blinker on this time, we turn onto a gravel drive. He slows to a crawl and stops beside a post with a keypad. Punching in a code, he waits a few seconds, then hits the gas. I follow him through a large gate that closes after I pass.
Thick forestry lines the gravel drive as we trudge forward. After almost a quarter mile, the trees thin and Travis slows down. A large A-frame cabin comes into view as Travis steers right and parks his truck under a wide carport off to the side. Parking next to him, I cut the engine, hop out, and take a better look.
Not bad. Maybe two or three bedrooms.
I can do this.
Moving to the back of the SUV, I open the hatch and reach for my duffel bag. Kirsten climbs out of the pickup with a blanket fashioned into a baby sling on her chest. Twigs and pine needles crunch beneath her feet as she closes the distance between us.
“Hey,” she mumbles, a perfunctory smile in place.
My gaze drops to the sleeping kitten in the blanket nuzzled to her chest. The smallest yet longest blip of time passes as my vision blurs and fantasies of the future flash in my mind.
A two-story bungalow with clapboard and shaker siding stained a rich brown. Large windows on the east and west sides of the house, so we never miss a sunrise or sunset. A large porch that extends out to a vast yard with a tree house and playset. The bubbling creek mingled with young, sweet giggles and pleas to be pushed on the swings.
Then the daydream bends and shifts, an invisible thread slowly wrapping itself around my heart and cinching.
Lazy days beneath fluffy blankets, our limbs tangled for hours. Skin on skin, fingers gentle and leisure one minute, then bruising and greedy the next. Desperate kisses and unbridled moans as hips rock and fists tug hair. Whispered confessions ofI need youandI crave youandI love you.
And it is the last thought that snaps me out of my heart-pounding daydream.
After an audible swallow, I choke out, “Hey,” and haul the duffel over my shoulder. Shifting my attention from Kirsten to the cabin, I blow out a low whistle. “If this is what he calls a cabin, the ones I’ve stayed in must be outhouses.”
Kirsten inches closer, her arm grazing mine as we study the A-frame that appears to be more windows and roof than wood frame. It takes everything in me to keep my eyes on the cabin, to not snake my arm around her waist and tuck her into my side.
