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“So, you did like him.”
Beth forced a nod. “He got me down off the car. At first, I thought he’d dance with me. Instead, he practically dragged me back to his car.”
Vivien put down her cinnamon roll. “That’s probably the best thing you could have had happen to you that night, Beth.”
“I can see that now—but not then.” She swallowed. “He forced me into the car and said he was taking me home. I was drunk. I…uh…kissed him.”
Vivie gasped. “What? How did we not know this?”
“You can’t stop there,” Courtney said. “Then what?”
Beth lifted a shoulder. “He dodged my first attempt, but on the second one, he kissed me back.”
“Oh.” Vivien’s mouth gaped open, and she looked at Courtney. “While you were drunk?”
“Don’t worry—then he pushed me away. Told me he didn’t want to kiss me. I was mortified.”
Vivien put a hand on Beth’s arm. “He was looking out for you.”
“I don’t remember much else. He took me home. I don’t even know what stupid, idiotic things I might have said to him. I was embarrassed and humiliated. Then Dylan showed up at the house and saw us. I didn’t tell him it was my fault. He was furious. Grayson and I stayed away from each other after that.” She rubbed her fingertips in the fog on her glass. “He and Dylan didn’t hang out much from that night on. Then graduation—and he was gone.”
“Oh, Beth,” Courtney said. “I mean, I get that was awful back then, but you see it differently now, don’t you?”
She stared at the floor. “I felt so…rejected. Rejected by my mom. Rejected by Grayson. I didn’t want to face him again. And now he’s back and he’s standing between me and this job. What am I going to do?”
“I think you know what you need to do,” Courtney said. “You need to find a way to overcome the past.”
“You don’t have a real choice,” Vivien said. “You’ve been talking about working at that camp since you started doing kayak lessons and volunteering there.” She picked at her cinnamon roll. “You’ve wanted this job more than I’ve ever seen you want anything else.”
Beth met Vivien’s bright blue gaze, and she let the words settle over her. She could do this—she could do her job and let Grayson do his. And by the end of summer, he’d go on his way, and she’d have secured her position at the camp permanently.
four
The instant Grayson’seyes opened that morning, Beth’s words prodded him.I’m going to find a way.
Grayson stared at the ceiling of the barn apartment, as he had most of the night. How had he only been in Deep Haven twenty-four hours? And how was he suddenly tangled up in all this mess?
He’d been caught off guard the day before, but he shouldn’t have to give up his summer job—and subsequently, his future ranch—because he’d be working with her.
Like Dylan said, they were adults. They could steer clear of each other. She didn’t have to find a way. They already had one.
He scrambled from the bed to the bare wood floor. The mattress sat on a rustic log bed built into the end wall. The studio apartment included a kitchenette with a two-burner stove.
Before diving into his day, he needed coffee, because he had a full morning figuring out exactly what the story was on the buckskin bronc, Tally, the gentle bay, Remington, and the sorrel powerhouse, Maverick. He tugged on his jeans, T-shirt, and boots.
He checked his phone for any new messages from the bank. Nothing. He knew he shouldn’t expect anything over a holiday weekend, but all the possibilities had sprouted an unexpected hope inside him. He needed to know he was pre-approved for the loan.
A quick search through the cupboards revealed a few food staples. He set up the four-cup coffeepot and hit the button, hoping that was enough to fuel his day.
“Knock, knock.” The words preceded a light tap on the door. Noah.
“Come in,” Grayson answered. He pulled a second cup from the cupboard. “You’re just in time.” He filled both cups and handed one to Noah. “I hope you like it black. It’s all I’ve got.”
Noah smiled. “This is good.” He took a sip. “Beth is on board.”
Grayson nearly choked on his coffee. “Really?”
“I know you were concerned with her feelings about the two of you working together, but when pressed, she said it’d be fine.”
