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I catch his eyes wandering down my body, and it makes my stomach flutter.Damn, how long has it been since a look made me do that?I swallow, trying to regain my focus. I vaguely remember him talking about teaching kids how to mountain bike. “The bike clinics?”
“You remember that?” The corner of his lip pulls up as he fights another smile. Without an audience he has to play a role for, he seems flattered, almost bashful. It’s fucking adorable. I’m suddenly glad our first real opportunity to talk is here, away from people I suspect don’t know this side of him.
“I remember.”
“It’s related to the bike clinics, yeah.”
The bartender sets a beer in front of me, and I take a sip to wet my dry mouth. “So, you have two full-time jobs?”
“Most everyone in the valley does. There aren’t many salary positions available and one hourly job doesn’t pay the bills.” A hint of red creeps into his cheeks. I hope he doesn’t think I care about what kinds of jobs he has, or worse, his education. If I hadn’t grown up riding with Axel, filming him along the way and establishing ourselves as sort of a package deal, I’m not sure where I’d be today.
“If it’s so hard to make a living there, why do you stay?”
“I was born and raised there. Can’t imagine living anywhere else.” He gives a little shrug.
“Have you ever tried?” As soon as the words are out, I panic, wondering if they came across as negative. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to read into them.
“Yeah, actually. I did a few semesters of college in California years ago, and I learned I wasn’t cut out to be a student or exist in a place where the only silence comes in the form of noise-canceling headphones.”
The way he wrinkles his nose makes me chuckle. “You don’t like the ocean?”
“I do. The best part about California was learning to surf, which is probably why I didn’t make the best student. But I’m a mountain guy, through and through.”
“You’re tethered to Katah Vista, then?”
“For now. Maybe not forever, but if the outdoors is a part of you that’s one of the few places I’ve found where you’re truly surrounded by it.”
I’ve traveled enough to know that’s not true, but I understand the sentiment. Having spent a week there last month I know it’s a special place, mainly because of the rugged beauty of the landscape. “So, Katah Vista is the best place to be, even if you have to work several jobs?”
“Especially then.” His eyes light up as he talks about his hometown. “If you’re willing to work a few jobs to live where you’re happy it means you don’t take that place for granted.”
I feel myself nodding in agreement as the bartender sets our plates in front of us. “What’s the other job, then?” I pop a fry in my mouth.
“It might be building a mountain bike park. Carter, the owner of the Katah Vista resort, thinks adding one will bring people in over the summer.”
“I’m sure it would. The park here keeps the chairs spinning all summer. I didn’t realize you built trailsandtaught people how to ride. How do you even have time for the spa thing?”
He finishes chewing with a tiny shake of his head. “I don’t build trails. I help maintain them with the forest service, but I’ve never built one. I’m not even sure what my role would be if Carter decides to move forward with this idea. Right now, I’m just here to meet with a guy who’s done this sort of thing before so we can better understand what it would take.”
“Jackson Parker?”
Blake cocks his head to the side. “Yeah. How…?”
“There’s some overlap between mountain biking and motocross. We sometimes film in the same areas so I end up meeting a lot of the riders. I’m actually here visiting Jackson myself. I scored a lift ticket off him so I could ride the bike park for a few days.”
“They have motocross trails on the mountain?” His brows rise to his hairline, and I bite back another laugh. He’s sogenuine. It’s refreshing.
“Nothing motorized on the mountain.” I bump his leg under the bar, causing his eyes to dart briefly to mine. The trace of heat in them sends my pulse racing, but I force myself not to lean toward him. We are in pubic, and if my first impression is correct, he’s not out. “Mountain bikes are a hell of a lot lighter than dirt bikes, and it’s a nice change to ride something that doesn’t weigh twice as much as I do. Plus, I needed a break from the guys. I love what I do and who I work with, but sometimes you need some space.”
“I get that.” The soft tone of his voice makes me think he really does.
“Yeah?” I can’t stop the coy smile that tugs at my lip.
“Yeah. Although, now that I’m on a break from my little bubble, I’m realizing how much I like living in it.”
“What do you mean?” I take a bite of my burger in an attempt to reign in my flirting.
“Well, sitting here—before you got here—I realized how much I like knowing people everywhere I go. It beats sitting alone for dinner.”
