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Owls hooted, and frogs croaked. Okay. She had this. Nothing harmful. Just the wildlife along the lake. She took one step after another until she found the dirt trail that led to Zach’s place.
A rustling came from the woods behind her, and she froze.
Not again.
Three deer stepped onto the dirt path. Their tails flicked, and their ears rotated to catch the slightest sound.
A tiny fawn emerged from the woods and sidled up to the mama on wobbly legs. So small and precious. Crystal stood still. The moon shone on the baby’s spotted coat, and its eyes reflected the light from her phone. The deer didn’t seem startled, just curious.
She watched until they slipped back into the woods.
Her tight muscles relaxed, and her chest expanded. Such beautiful creatures. Maybe the forest wasn’t as scary as Zach made it seem.
At last, she reached his place. The house was lit up, which meant he might be home.
She approached with her flashlight pointed to the ground to avoid tripping. Her heart thumped so fast and loud she was sure he’d hear it from inside.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Zach took a swig of beer and leaned against the kitchen wall. The sound of Crystal’s strangled voice when she’d told him to leave reverberated in his head. After the ordeal they’d been through, she couldn’t even come out of the tent to tell him she was all right?
He’d gone out on a limb and shared his deepest secret with her. He scoffed at the literal thought because he had been standing on a branch mere hours ago, spilling his guts. Damn it, he’d let her in. She’d pierced a hole in his shield and then dismissed him. Time to put his armor back on. He’d let himself get too close to her. They had no future together, and he needed his campground back.
A beam of light flashed in the woods. Someone was approaching. He flipped on the porch light and stepped out. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, Crystal.”
His stomach vaulted. “What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you in private.”
She must if she’d come on foot through the woods in the dark as scared as she was of the wild animals.
“All right. Come in.”
She entered the house, and he shut the door. He steeled himself before turning to her, reinforcing that protective wall she had a habit of crumbling. Not this time.
He faced her. “You told me to leave, so why are you here?”
She twisted her hands. “I…uh…came to apologize.”
“For what?”
“For telling you to go away. I wanted to explain at the time, but I couldn’t.”
Her sad eyes drew him in despite his best efforts. “You could have told me through the tent whatever you came here to say.”
“Not with the microphones recording everything. I needed you to leave quickly. The longer you stood there, the more film they’d have of you on the set and Sydney—”
“Just stop.” He walked to the other side of the kitchen and made a slashing motion in the air. “I’m sick of Sydney. She doesn’t own my life or run this camp.”
“You’re wrong about that.” Crystal lowered her head. “She threatened to sue your family. If you’re seen with me again on camera, she’ll lawyer up. I feel terrible you’re in this mess, when all you’ve done is try to help me.”
She wrapped her arms around herself and rocked on her heels.
So that’s why she’d dismissed him. She’d had his family’s best interests in mind when she’d told him to leave. His anger deflated like a popped balloon, easing the tension in his rigid body.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. I’m sorry the company picked this place to film, uprooting your life.” She fingered the cuff of her sleeve. “You deserve to have your peaceful world back. I promise I’m going to get them the film they need as fast as possible so we are out of here. I’ll leave you alone now.”
