Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots(56)
Author: Abby McDonald

“There was a kayak trip that went wrong,” I tell her quickly, even though I’m getting tired of explaining. Especially when I’ve already told her. “I called you about it, I’m sure.”

“Maybe you did.” She flicks a page. I stare at her for a moment, puzzled. It feels like she’s giving me an attitude, but I can’t think why.

“Anyway, I think I’ll skip this one.” I turn back to Ethan. “There’s going to be a ton of cleaning up to do from this party tonight.”

“I’ll just have to struggle on without you.” He grins.

“Why don’t you take one of your guy friends, Ethan?” Olivia pipes up. “Isn’t it kind of a manly thing, fishing? Guys bonding, together, out in the wild with their tackle, all Brokeback —”

“Livvy.” I sit up so fast, I get a head rush. “Weren’t you going to tell me more about that guru guy?”

“He’s not a guru; he’s a low-impact lifestyle visionary.” She frowns at me, launching into a long description of how this guy recycles everything in his life — including bodily waste. It’s gross, but at least she stops with her loaded comments about Ethan. For now.

33

I manage to keep Olivia away from the group for the rest of the day, but by the time the party gets under way, I don’t know what to do. Instead of having a good time and celebrating our success, I’m acting like a glorified babysitter: running around making sure she’s not ranting at the guests about free trade, or spilling every secret I told her, or doing anything else to mess up the calm equilibrium we’ve managed to reach in Stillwater. It’s exhausting, and the worst part is, I don’t even understand why she’s so antagonistic. Livvy used to be happy, and energetic, and upbeat; now she acts as if she has one big grudge against the whole world, and we’re all part of the corporate-industrial conspiracy to destroy the earth.

Isn’t early-morning meditation supposed to, I don’t know, make you calm and content?

“I love this decor — it’s so rustic and quaint.”

“Mmm, you’ve got to taste this potato salad!”

“And if the weather holds, we’ve booked for a kayak trip tomorrow, just like on the website!”

Despite all my tension, I can’t help but feel a warm glow of pride as I drift through the backyard, overhearing snatches of conversation from the party. Everything else in my life may be teetering on the edge of disaster, but the B and B is turning out just great. The first guests arrived on schedule — a mousy-looking couple of accountants and that family from Boston — and oohed and aahed with appropriate enthusiasm as Susie showed them around the house. Now it’s getting dark, and what must be half of Stillwater has gathered in the backyard to celebrate. We spent the afternoon setting up, and now the place is transformed, with tiny twinkle lights strung up between the trees, trestle tables covered with red-and-white-checkered cloths, and a mouthwatering array of BBQ goodies. I look around happily. Grady is piling his plate with food; Ethan is talking with some older guys; Reeve is —

With Kate.

They’re just chatting, casual, but I feel a twist of insecurity all the same. She’s wearing jeans and an embroidered shirt, looking breezy and effortless again. Reeve glances away from her for a moment, and I manage to catch his eye, but he just gives me a vague smile and turns back to her.

“Hi, everyone . . .” Susie taps her fork on the edge of the salad bowl and waits for everyone to quiet down. I grab a paper cup of soda and a plate of veggie hot dogs, settling on one of the folding chairs we’ve put up around the yard, my back to Reeve.

“Don’t worry — I won’t be long. You know what I’m like with speeches.” Susie laughs, all earlier nerves gone. “I just wanted to welcome you all to Bramble Lane and thank everyone for all their hard work.” Her curls shine golden in the fading light, and she slips an arm around Adam’s waist affectionately. “You’ve all pitched in to make this happen, and we’re both so grateful for the effort. So, I guess, just have fun!” There’s applause, and everyone surges forward to congratulate them.

“Hey.” I hear a low voice behind me and turn to find Reeve. He grins at me, mischievous. “Come on.”

“What?” I protest, but he’s already taken my hand and is leading me into the house while everybody’s attention is focused outside.

“Cute dress.” Reeve pulls me into the tiny laundry room and closes the door. He moves closer, slipping his hands around my waist. Then he kisses me.

For a moment, I let him. He smells like some kind of aftershave or deodorant, fresh and woodsy, and as he pushes me back against the dryer, my pulse picks up again with a jolt. His lips are soft but insistent, his body solid and familiar around me. I relax into his arms and kiss him back, breathless, until —

“Wait.” I remember myself, pushing him away.

He grins, pushing hair out of my eyes. “Don’t worry, nobody saw.” He leans in to kiss me again, but I plant both hands on his chest and push him back, harder.

“Reeve!”

He looks at me, confused. “What?”

I can’t believe him.

“What are you doing?”

“What do you think?” Slowly giving that smile that always melts me, he plants tiny kisses on my cheek, working his way toward my mouth. I duck under his arms and slip sideways, out of reach.

“You’re serious?” I look at him, amazed. Snatches of noise and laughter from the party outside drift in through the side window, but at last, I’m not worried about getting caught. “You bitch at me in front of our friends, ignore me all evening, and then you expect to come back, for this?”

“I was just teasing!”

“No, you were being a jerk.” I fold my arms and glare at him. After days of not telling Olivia how I feel, I’ve had enough of keeping quiet and smoothing things over.

Finally realizing something’s not right, Reeve begins to backtrack. “Hey, I’m sorry — I was just messing around at the lake.” He takes my hand. “I didn’t think you’d take it like that.”

“I took it how you said it,” I tell him, standing firm. He’s twisting his fingers through mine, but I refuse to let that melting feeling in my stomach win this time. “You can’t just act like that. It’s not right.”

He drops my hand. “Hey, you said you were cool with keeping this a secret.”