She shakes her head. “You’re wrong. I tolerate you for Cooper. That’s it. That’s all this is. That’s all it will ever be.”
12
Chloe
Reasons I hate Tyler Banks:
He’s a bossy asshole
He’s a REALLY bossy asshole
He drives like a maniac when angry
The infuriating way he smiles like he knows I want to punch him but can’t because it would drag Cooper into this mess
He’s begun walking around the hotel like a nudist, refusing to put on a shirt
“Chloe, are you ready?” Vanessa enters our shared room wearing shorts and a sports bra because apparently not wearing a shirt is becoming contagious.
I set down my notebook filled with random lists. “How far is this hike?”
“Come on. It will be fun.”
We’re in Scottsdale, Arizona after having spent one night in a small town, in a hotel that was still fancier than most, and a single night and half day in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where I convinced Cooper and Nessie to go to a history museum with me.
This is our first stop with a full day and two nights in the same city since New Orleans, and I’m strangely relieved to have the consistency. While living out of a suitcase isn’t something I necessarily mind, there’s some comfort in recalling where my phone charger is plugged in and where the light switches are.
Tyler offered us—and by us, I mean Nessie because he hasn’t spoken to me since our altercation in Austin—spa passes, but with all the eating we’ve done over the past week, Nessie insisted we spend our morning hiking.
Cooper is meeting a friend and one of their teammates, Jackson, leaving it to be just Nessie and me for the first time in a week, so despite the fact being outside in the intense heat of the Arizona desert sounds less than ideal, I agreed, even with the four thirty wakeup time she insisted we had.
“Did you put on sunscreen?”
Nessie rolls her eyes. “It’s still dark out.”
I toss the bottle of sunscreen into my bag and an extra T-shirt, along with several bottles of water and some granola bars I picked up in Odessa when we were across the street from a convenience store.
We silently head out to the living room, and both of us jump when Tyler flips on the lights. “Did you feel a cold rush followed by a strange warmth?”
Nessie laughs. “You startled us. What are you doing up?”
Again, he’s shirtless, only wearing a pair of black mesh shorts and tennis shoes. I notice he wears ankle socks, and for some reason, I like this more than I should because it means he doesn’t chase every trend.
I quickly avert my gaze when he catches me staring too long at the tattoo that wraps around his shoulder. “I’m going down to the gym. Where are you two sneaking off to?”
“We’re going to hike Camelback Mountain,” Nessie tells him.
He nods. “Good idea to get an early start. It’s going to be hot today. Did you arrange a ride with the front desk already?”
“We were just going to call a Lyft.”
He frowns. “Go to the valet desk. I’ll let them know you’re on your way down. They’ll get you over there and leave you a card so you can call when you’re ready to be picked up.”
“You’re the best,” she says. “Thank you!” She takes my hand and pulls me toward the elevator that leads us to the lobby.
And just like he told us there would be, a driver is waiting to take us.
“Are you sure it’s safe to hike? It’s not even light yet.” I turn on the flashlight on my phone as more experienced hikers pass us with their bags and headlamps.
“We just have to stay on the path.”
“We don’t have to worry about it being steep or coyotes or anything?”
Nessie shakes her head. “There are too many people for coyotes, and everything I read said the path is well marked.” She fans herself. “But it’s already hot. How can it be so hot? The sun isn’t even up.”
We head forward on the trail where warning signs advise us it’s a double black diamond. “I’m going to like you by the end of this, right?”
Nessie laughs. “Come on.”
We start on built-in stairs, pointing out cacti and the rock formations that offer an entirely different beauty than what we’re used to in Florida and Washington.
“How are things going with Coop?” I ask.
She beams. It’s an automatic response that makes me stumble, the toe of my tennis shoe catching on the stair.
“You okay?” another hiker asks.
I nod. “Yeah, just clumsy.”
He appears to be twice our age, sporting a full set of hiking gear. “You guys should be careful. This isn’t an easy hike.”
I want to tell him my tripping had nothing to do with the trail and everything to do with the smile my sister gave at the mere mention of Cooper’s name. “Thanks,” I tell him. “We’ll be safe.”
He looks reluctant but nods as he continues past us.
“You really like him, don’t you?”
Nessie grins, almost sheepishly this time, like she’s embarrassed over the fact. “I always thought Cooper was too smart for me, you know?”
I shake my head because Nessie has always done well at school, she just doesn’t have much interest in computers and new technology like Coop does. “Are you kidding? He forgot his hat in New Orleans, his sunglasses in Austin, and his freaking phone charger in Odessa. It’s like he’s leaving a trail of breadcrumbs.”
Nessie giggles. “You know what I mean. And Coop’s nice and sweet and funny, but it’s kind of scary because he already knows all my worst sides and habits, and he’s still interested in me. It’s a little unnerving.” The stairs taper off, and we hike the moderate incline. “I’m trying to take things slow and make sure we do this right, but it’s kind of weird because we know each other so well. It’s not like we need the customary intro period to learn if the other person is a serial killer or hates Christmas or something else equally tragic, you know?”
“He likes you a lot,” I tell her, and rather than saying it in a way of warning to ensure she handles his feelings with care, I say it as an assurance. “You guys should go to dinner or something together.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
I shake my head. “I’ll order room service and watch a movie and pretend I’m Kevin McCallister from Home Alone.”
Nessie laughs. “You’re sure?”
“Totally.”
“How are you doing with the whole Ricky thing?”
“Ricky who?” I ask.
She looks at me and right through me, just like she’s always been able to do. Maybe it’s because people are right, and twins do have a shared connection, or maybe it’s because we’ve been so close our entire life, but Nessie’s always been able to see through all the bullshit and nonchalance I use to disguise the ugly truth. “Are you going to tell Cooper?”
I shake my head. “Cooper never liked him, and it’s over.” I shrug. “Besides, it’s not really like there’s anything to say or do.”