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Could have fooled me. "I'm not trying to cause her any trouble. I just want to get the twenty dollars she owes for camping."
Clover shakes her head and digs through the running belt around her waist. She pulls out two tens and hands them to me. "I'll cover it for her."
I should be happy to get the money, but I have the oddest urge to run after Dani — is her name really Dandelion? —and insist she give me the money herself.
I want to make sure she understands the severity of what she did. Not just that she didn't pay, but that she didn't register her name for the site. If something had happened to her, we'd have no record of her ever having been there. No way to even know where to begin to look for her.
"Fine. Just… Tell her she can't stay at campsites without paying, okay?"
"Sure," Clover says. "Now about your training schedule…"
"I've actually got to get to work and I've got a long run back to my truck. Maybe we can talk about this some other time?"
Clover fishes a card out of her running belt and hands it over. "Call me anytime. I always love to hear how other athletes are approaching training. If you need any coaching…"
Ah, she's looking for more clients. I take her card with no intention of calling. "Thanks. I really do need to go."
"Mind if I run with you? I've always been a road or track runner myself. I'd like to test my skills out here."
"Sure. Just don't be offended if I leave you behind. I need to get to work."
"No problem. Lead the way."
I take off at an easy jog, since I've been still for so long, and increase my pace a bit at a time. To my consternation, Clover is with me at every step.
She follows me all the way to the trailhead where I parked my truck before the sun was up. I walk around it, letting my heart rate slow. I'm actually more winded than usual and I'm going to need a longer cool-down.
I might have increased my usual pace to get away from Clover.
Not that it worked.
"I didn't get your name," she calls, jogging in place at the edge of the parking area.
It would be rude to ignore her and I don't do rude. I'm the face of the park system. I'm supposed to be polite to everyone, and she did pay her sister's campsite fee. Unfortunately, I'm not in the mood to be friendly.
I'm still annoyed that Dani isn't a tourist. Which means she's likely to abuse my park resources again. Nobody learns a lesson when someone pays the fee for them.
"Grant," I grit out. "Grant Holiday."
"Nice to meet you, Grant. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."
That stops me in my tracks. "Why? Why would you see me around?"
She gestures to the surrounding forest. "On the trails here or at the house. You're a friend of Dani's, so you'll be around."
I stare at her, thoroughly confused. "I'm not a friend of Dani's. I just wanted her to pay the camping fee."
Clover's brow pinches. "Dani's never met a stranger, Grant. She makes friends everywhere she goes. If she knows your name, she considers you a friend. Come by anytime."
I snort and open my mouth to argue, but Clover's already spun on her heel and taken off back up the trail. I go back to walking laps around my truck, shaking out my arms as I go. They feel oddly tingly. My whole body does.
I can't picture Dani making friends with anyone. She's all snark and barbs and rule breaking.
Shaking my head, I climb into my truck and start the engine.
If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that Dani Weston and I will never be friends.
CHAPTER FIVE
