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Cam didn’t hold back his laughter now. “Man, I love you, Reese, but sometimes… Here’s some advice. Bring condoms.”
* * *
So apparently Reese was in an imaginary love triangle. Definitely imaginary, since she didn’t believe it existed. No, Cam was not in love with her. No, Grady didn’t lust after her. She vowed to stop listening to this gossip and enjoy herself as much as possible in her forced banishment. So instead, she looked through all the new samples Daria had sent over, trying to find the right outfit for her workout video. She’d also packed a box of samples for Grady’s family. She couldn’t show up with nothing.
And like Grady’s social media post, she hoped the workout video would keep her athletic line afloat. She couldn’t afford for it to go under. She had invested almost every dime she had into it. There were also other investors to keep happy. They certainly didn’t want to lose their money either. Reese was fully aware that she still had Jen to contend with. She hadn’t played all her cards yet, and in order to nullify the threat, Reese had to gain access to her old emails, something John and his team were still working on.
Reese was ready to go Thursday morning. After a quick workout and shower, she’d set her small rolling luggage and big box of samples near the front door. She’d probably packed more than she needed to, but she wanted to be ready for every situation. Between her and Cam, she’d been the planner, the organizer, the one who had everything mapped out. Cam had been more of a free spirit, the jokester, someone Reese had to keep in line.
She was everything her mother wasn’t.
The knock on her door startled her. She glanced at her watch and wondered where the time had gone. She grabbed her purse and a bottle of water for the drive. When she opened the door, Grady had a huge smile on his face.
“Ready to go?”
“You bet. I may need some help with my stuff,” she said, noticing he only had a small backpack slung over his shoulders.
Grady’s face crunched up in confusion as he stared at her bag and box. “You know we’re only going for three days, right?”
“The luggage is for me. The box is for your family. I had some samples brought over. It’s the least I could do.”
“You showing up is more than enough. My little sister is already losing her mind.”
Reese blushed a little. She was used to the fans and people adoring her, but it felt different that it was Grady’s sister. Reese wasn’t sure how to behave long term around someone who liked her that much. Would she have to worry about making a mistake? Shattering this young woman’s image of her?
“I insist on bringing something,” she said, reaching down to grab the box. He quickly took it from her, and they made their way down to his SUV. “And you’ve done so much for me already. I can’t thank you enough.”
The drive was a little over two hours. She’d been to Muskoka once before to do some scenic promotional work, but she’d never been there for relaxation—though she wasn’t sure how relaxing it would be. Meeting his family brought on anxiety she hadn’t expected. She didn’t expect Grady to parade her around like Jordy had, but meeting new people was hard for her. No, that wasn’t right. She was good at meeting them. It was maintaining a relationship afterward. Her subconscious motto had always been not to trust people because they all abandoned her. All but Cam. He’d been the only one she could ever rely on.
She was careful to keep the conversation generic for their drive. She had way too many thoughts going through her head about Cam and Grady, and she wanted to put it all aside. The weekend was her much-needed vacation, and after all the drama with Jen, a fun workout video and some time on the water was the perfect remedy.
“Muskoka is gorgeous, and I bet it’s a dream right now.”
“It is. I wish I had more time to spend out here, but that would mean spending time with my parents. I love them to death and back, but they’re always on my case about settling down. My older sister Sara is engaged. She’s getting married next summer, so hopefully that will keep them at bay for a while.”
She heard no resentment in his voice, not the way she sounded when she spoke of her own parents. “They want you to be happy.”
“I know. They were married with two kids by the time they were my age. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that story? About a million.”
He seemed so matter-of-fact that she didn’t read into it, despite Cam’s suggestion about condoms. He was so off base, and she knew it. Grady was clearly looking for friendship, or at least that’s what she told herself.
“I hope they don’t get any ideas about the two of us.”
“They probably will, but I’ve already laid out the situation.”
As they drew closer to the cottage, Reese let out a contented sigh. She loved cottage country and being able to get away from it all. She was a city girl through and through, but there was something to be said for the peaceful tranquility of the water and the loons hooting in the distance.
“Have you always had this place up here?”
“My grandparents bought it, long before the prices got ridiculous. My parents recently overhauled it with wall-to-wall renovations. My aunt used to have a stake in the place, but my parents bought her out. It’s not like she came up here all that often.”
“Did you come here often?”
“All the time. My mom is a history professor, so she’d be out here with us all summer. Dad is a cardiologist, so he didn’t have as much time. But nowadays, Mom only teaches the odd class when she wants, and that’s just about never.”
They turned off onto a gravel road and a few miles down it, the cottages came into view. They weren’t the most expensive ones in this area, but they were gorgeous, nevertheless. When Grady pulled into a long driveway, Reese could see the modern wood cottage in the distance with its high ceilings and huge windows. He parked and helped her with her box once again. They made it up the stone steps and inside.
“Mom? Dad?”
