Page 17 of Dreams and Desires

I try to keep it together, but it’s not happening.

Tears blur my vision. Everything looks unfamiliar. Like I’ve never walked this route before.

Why does this still happen to me? Why can’t I just forget?

I think of that other night. The one I don’t talk about. The one that wrecked everything.

The guy I trusted. The lies. The way everyone believed him, not me. The way he turned it all on me.

I walk faster.

My breath stutters. My chest starts to hurt. I keep swallowing like that’ll stop the sobs, but they’re already coming.

By the time I reach the house, I’m done.

I go straight upstairs, shut the door, and slide down to the floor.

The tears don’t stop. I cry until my throat aches.

I stay there, curled up onthe floor, until I fall asleep right where I am. Exhausted. Cold. Empty.

Just done.

Chapter Six

Zade

Three days have passed since the scene with Juniper, and I still can’t shake her. It’s annoying as hell. I should be thinking about the resort—timelines, permits, projections—but every time my mind quiets down, she shows up again. That stare. The way she stood her ground like she was daring me to flinch first. It’s not attraction. It’s something else. Something sharper. And I hate that it’s stuck with me.

Today, I’m heading out to Cody Riverside Park to look at the site myself. Brian Ellis is coming, along with two cops. Apparently, that’s protocol now. Locals are making noise, and the mayor wants me to look like I’m taking it seriously. Like a couple of small-town complaints could derail a project like this.

I kill the engine and step out. The air hits different out here. Smells like pine and warm dirt. River somewhere nearby. I can hear it. Trees shift in the breeze, and a bird screeches off in the distance like it’s warning me away.

It’s stupid pretty. I’ll give it that. The kind of pretty that makes your chest feel too big for a second. I can already see it—cabins lined up neatly along the river, some sleek spa tucked into the hill, hikers sipping overpriced lattes on custom decks. People will eat it up.

Brian walks beside me, talking like we’re old friends. He’s got this jittery energy, like he wants credit for every tree we’re standing under.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?" he says. "This place is going to make us a lot of money."

I glance at him. "It’s a good site. Money’s not the question. Speed is."

He nods too quickly, already pulling out his phone like he’s going to show me blueprints I’ve already seen.

The cops trail behind us, keeping a distance, but close enough to look like they’re doing something.

I walk ahead, toward the edge of the river. Water rushes over the rocks like it’s been doing this forever. And for a second, I get it. Why people want to keep it untouched. Why someone like Juniper would get so worked up.

But sentiment doesn’t build resorts.

Money does.

"Let’s get it done," I say, more to myself than anyone else. Brian’s already on the phone anyway.

We’ve got ground to break and no time to waste.

He nods eagerly. “With the right push, we could start breaking ground by spring.”

I pause, letting my gaze sweep over the landscape again. “It’s Autumn! Spring’s too far off. We need to move more quickly. The people opposing the plans will dig in their heels the longer we wait.”

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