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He gives me a small nod, frowning, then reaches for different bowls to fill his plate up. I’d love nothing more than to sit with him, enjoy small talk, but if I don’t get to my therapy now, I’ll never get it done tonight, and I don’t want to miss it. I change into a pair of sweatpants and sweatshirt, then grab tennis shoes before pushing out the front door.
After being in the warmth of my house, the chill on my skin as I step out onto the porch feels great. I take in the fresh air and rub my hands together before heading in the direction of the barn.
I come to a halt about ten feet away from the guest house when I catch sight of the bright light shining from under a tree. Sydney is crouched over, writing aggressively into a notebook, and I casually walk over to her. What could she possibly need to be writing right now?
My eyes glance over her shoulder, trying to take in the words she’s writing, but none of it is making sense to me. It looks like there’s something about a barn on the page, but under her light, it could be my eyes playing tricks on me. I clear my throat, causing her to yelp in surprise and slam the notebook shut on her lap, then she turns to look at me.
“Jesus,” she mutters as she lifts from her spot on the ground. “Can’t someone get some privacy?” I watch as she fidgets with the notebook, her eyes darting around the area and trying not to look into mine. What could be making her so nervous right now?
Maybe it’s me. I have been rather rude to her since she showed up, but that’s only because of the way my heart stutters when she’s near. It’s not a feeling I’m used to, not since Renee, and I’m not sure how to handle it — so I use my anger as a clutch.
“Maybe if you were inside you would have that,” I grind out. Instead of having a stare down with her, which only makes me want to get lost in her eyes, I turn away and head in the direction of the barn.
Chapter 6
Sydney
As soon as Brent’s shadowy figure disappears down the hill, I put my notebook in my bag and hurry after him. What could he possibly need to do right now? I don’t have anything better to do with my time than try to be nosy, and it could be beneficial to the information I’m required to bring in to Heath. The air is chilly as I follow Brent’s path, causing me to tighten the jacket I’m wearing around me further.
Soon enough it’s going to be snowing and I’m not entirely sure what I’ll be able to do around here once it does. Maybe I’ll miss the worst of the snow, if I can time my visits just right. There’s a dim light on in the barn a few yards away and the door is wide open, letting me see into the room clearly.
Brent bends down to pick something up, lifting it high into the air before putting it back down and repeating the motion. I take the chance and inch closer to the space and nearly lose my footing when he pulls the sweatshirt he’s wearing over his head. There’s nothing but muscle, something I was already certain about after seeing him around the ranch, but this is not what I was expecting.
His biceps are large and round, begging me to trail my tongue over the sharp ridges of them, but I stay rooted to my spot. If he catches me out here, I’m not entirely sure how he would react — considering how he’s been with me since I got here, I can’t imagine it would be good. My gaze follows each of his movements as he maneuvers around the large space, picking up different workout equipment and testing it out.
It isn’t until he gets to the leg workouts that his face turns a bright shade of red and he winces at the action. I blow out a rough breath and shake my head — I’m not sure what Heath expected me to find here, but there’s nothing valuable here worth writing down. I’ve made a few notes, mainly having to do with the barn that burned down, but that’s about all I’ve got.
What could Heath possibly need with this place?
Before Brent can catch me ogling him, I carefully retrace my steps back up to the tree and head into the guest house. I may not be standing there watching him anymore, but the image of his body shining with sweat is bound to stay front and center in my mind.
The last thing I need to worry about is some schoolgirl crush though, especially when the guy isn’t too fond of me in the first place. I can appreciate an attractive man without jumping him the first chance I get, I’ll just have to keep my cool the rest of the time I’m here. If that’s even possible.
Now would be a good time to get in touch with Justine, so I grab my phone that I left on the charger and find her contact. It’s not too late yet, but the line rings until it goes straight to voicemail. I’m sure she’ll call back. Maybe she’s been spending more time with Cyle after everything she told me about him, and I’d rather not ruin their alone time.
She hasn’t said much else to me since coming to my office a few months ago, but I also haven’t had much time to give her a call and check in — which makes me the worst friend in the universe. I type out a quick text, letting her know to call me when she gets the chance, then sit my phone next to me with the volume up. The sound of the wind hitting against the wind chimes outside the house, along with the fuzzy blanket I have draped over myself, has my eyes falling shut slowly.
The blare of my phone has me jolting awake, wiggling my fingers around the bed until I find my phone buried under the blanket, and I catch Justine’s name on the screen. I answer breathlessly while wiping the sleep from my eyes — that nap was needed far more than I thought it was.
“Justine,” I rasp out, sleep still evident in my voice.
“Hey, Syd, what’s up?” Her sniffles on the other end wake me up completely and I sit straighter in the bed.
“What’s going on?”
She sighs into the line while a muffled voice speaks in the background. Her words are barely recognizable as she talks to whoever it is, the only indication that she placed her hand over the speaker, and I chew on the inside of my cheek. Are things not going well between her and Cyle like I had thought? I run a hand through my hair, suddenly nervous that she’s been needing me and I haven’t been there.
“Sorry,” she says softly into the line. “What’s up?”
“Is everything okay?”
“As good as it can be, but I’d rather talk more about you. I’m assuming you called for a reason?” There’s an edge to her voice that I’m not used to and it catches me off guard, but maybe she needs the distraction, so I think back to what I called her for.
“Oh, uh, I wanted to check in on you since I haven’t been able to talk much, and needed to vent about something. But, we don’t have to do that right now if you aren’t up for it, you sound tired.” She sounds more upset than tired, like she’s giving up, but I’m not about to say that aloud until Justine tells me herself.
“No,” Justine says quickly into the phone. “Please, talk to me. Give me whatever juicy details you got.”
I chuckle forcefully, not entirely certain she should be worrying about me right now, but give in to it. If this is what she needs, then I’ll give it to her. “I wouldn’t say it’s juicy, but it’s something.”
