Much love XX
Brooke
As Brooke proofread an essay she’d written about female impressionists, the Darth Vader ringtone she’d assigned to Jack broke her concentration. She debated whether to answer. After yesterday, she didn’t particularly want to speak to him, but she’d be seeing him later today, so she bit the bullet and lifted the phone to her ear.
“Hi.” She’d rather have opened with, “What do you want?” or “Leave me to die of shame in peace,” but that wouldn’t be conducive to having an adult conversation, and she wanted to be able to say she’d taken the high road.
He cleared his throat. “Hey, Brooke. How are you doing?”
“Never better.” Okay, so maybe she was feeling a tad snarky.
“Good.” He cleared his throat again, sounding even less comfortable than he had in the back room of his shop yesterday. “I’ll be over an hour early this afternoon. Can we talk?”
Picking at the fraying hem of her shorts, she asked, “About what?”
“Your plan to get to Everest.”
“Oh.” Relief cut sharp. “Yeah, sure thing. I’ll be in my room or the lounge. If you can’t find me, just call.”
“Thanks.” He sighed, as if a load had been lifted from his mind. “I’ll see you soon.”
When he arrived, she was in her bedroom. She’d considered heading to the lounge for neutral ground, but had decided she’d rather keep their conversation private. If anyone overheard them, the gossip would be all over Haven Bay within an hour. Last year, when Sterling Knight made his first trip to town in the hopes of purchasing Sanctuary, everyone except Kat had been warned not to cooperate with him before he’d even left the lodge. So while Brooke would rather not be in a room that contained both Jack and a bed, here she was. She’d just have to remember to keep a healthy amount of space between them. It was strange how the thought of being near him flustered her more than it had before they’d kissed at the gym, even though they’d gone further at the New Year’s Eve party. She supposed it might be because they now knew each other on a deeper level—and he’d actually been aware of who he was kissing, which had to mean something. Didn’t it? Or was it only the presence of another man that had driven him to kiss her—some kind of weird macho competitiveness?
When he knocked, she counted to five before going to the door. She didn’t want to seem too eager.
“Jack,” she said, cracking it open. Damn, had no one informed her hormones that he was in the bad books?
“Brooke, hi.” He scraped a hand through dark hair, which stood up in untidy tufts, like he’d just rolled out of bed after a night of tossing and turning. Was it bad that she was secretly delighted to think he’d slept like crap? She had, too, and only partly because she was angry with him. The rest had everything to do with that kiss.
She opened the door wider and pointed to her desk chair. “Come in. Have a seat.”
She closed the door behind them and sat cross-legged on her bed, leaning against the wall. She didn’t speak. Call her vindictive, but she wasn’t going to do him any favors by making this easy for him.
He rubbed a hand down his pants leg. “I want to apologize for everything. I can give you a list of things I’m sorry about if it makes you feel better, but let’s just say it’s long.”
She nodded. She’d be gracious. For now. “Thank you.”
He tugged at the collar of his shirt, as if it were too tight. “If your goal of getting to Everest Base Camp means enough that you’ll put all of this behind you, then I can do the same. I wasn’t taking you as seriously as I should have done because I had reservations about your ability and commitment, but now I’m all in.” He paused. “If you want me to be.”
Her wariness faded a tiny bit. Okay, so maybe he was trying to bribe her for forgiveness, but if it meant she had his wholehearted support, perhaps it would be worth the tradeoff. After all, it wasn’t as though he really wanted to be anything more than her training buddy, right? He hadn’t suddenly developed feelings for her, or been overwhelmed by passion because he’d learned the truth. He was still him, and she was still her. He’d kissed her in the heat of the moment, and she ought not to read too much into it. The ensuing dinner invitation was damage control, and nothing else. It wouldn’t do for her to start getting romantic thoughts about him. He was her trainer. And she could keep a respectful distance and forget the past if he was willing to commit to helping her.
“Yes, I do.”
“Great.” He cracked a grin. Hell, it was sexy. Her innards fizzed in response. No, do not go getting butterflies over Jack Farrelly. “Here’s the big news. There’s a mud run obstacle course in Te Awa Tui next month.” Te Awa Tui was a neighboring town, a little bigger than Haven Bay. “That can be your first test. It has several different challenges. An army crawl, a river crossing, a wall climb, a net climb, and a few other things that change every year. If you finish that, I reckon you’re more than ready for your first multi-day hike.”
“Wait. Hold on a moment.” She needed to get her head around this. She couldn’t believe how quickly things were happening. “What about the list you gave me? Do I keep working on that?”
He shrugged. “It can’t hurt. All of those exercises will be useful, but to be honest, I gave you the list to scare some sense into you.” He grimaced. “Item number seventeen on the list of things I’m sorry for.”
His confession was like a blow to her gut, but she hid it before he could see. She should be used to being discounted, but it stung every time, like a festering scab that people kept prodding.
When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “Your main focus should be on the mud run. Bex will be able to adapt your program to get you there, and I’ll help where I can, too. Then, if you finish, I’ll take you hiking. I know some great tracks for newbies and you can buy a backpack and test it out, break your boots in properly, and really get the full experience.”
She rubbed her temples, doing her best to take this in stride. “You and me, hiking together?” she clarified. “For more than one day? And all I have to do is finish this muddy obstacle course thing?” She wasn’t sure what she thought of sharing a tent or a hut with him. Not after everything that had happened. But she could treat him like any other man. She would.
If only she could convince herself.
He nodded. “That’s right, but it’ll be harder than you might think.”
Harder, but totally doable for someone as persistent as her. Her chest lightened. If she gritted her teeth and made it through this test, she’d not only prove to Jack that she was worth his time, she’d prove to everyone that she was just as capable as them.
“I’m in, one hundred percent.” They could figure out the sleeping arrangements later. Anyway, making that kind of progress would be worth a little discomfort.
He laughed, throwing his head back. “That’s my girl.”
His casual statement gave her heart stupid ideas. She tried to contain it, but the silly organ wanted to beat out of her chest. She wasn’t his girl. He didn’t mean it that way. Did he?