Page 79 of Fake Date with the Mountain Man

“It’s broken.”

“You could try the one in the men’s restroom. I’ll keep guard if you want.”

“Really?” she asks. “That’s so nice of you.”

I let her lead the way to the men’s bathroom, where we knock and holler before entering. Bonnie steps inside tentatively, confirming that the stalls are empty before turning on the hand dryer. I stand with my back to the door, keeping it propped open as I stand in the doorway to turn away any men that come along.

“You must know Emmett, right?” she hollers over the noise of the machine.

“We work together.”

She hesitates, looking down at her shirt and then up at me. “This was supposed to be our first date…sort of. A friend set us up and we’ve been texting back and forth, but this is the first time we’ve met in person. I’m sort of debating running away in shame though. I’m pretty sure I just embarrassed him in front of all his coworkers.”

“Trust me, it would take a lot more than that to embarrass Emmett,” I laugh. “I don’t think you need to worry.”

I stop short of telling her about the time that Emmett let one of the interns pay him twenty bucks to eat a mystery containerof food out of the break room fridge. The guy definitely does not embarrass easily.

The dryer clicks off and Bonnie smooths her hands over the front of her blouse.

“Does it look okay?” she asks nervously.

“You look great, good as new.”

She smiles at me like she’s trying to figure something out. When she meets up with me near the door, she thanks me for helping her out. As soon as we turn the corner, Ryan spots me. His eyes go wide as he looks from me to Bonnie. He splinters off from the group of rangers who are huddled around the barbeque with Hunter and heads straight for us.

“I see you two have met.” It’s meant to sound casual, but I can see the muscle in his jaw clench as he speaks.

“Not officially,” I say, turning to Bonnie. “I’m Marlow.”

“Bonnie,” she says as she shakes my hand gently.

When she turns back to face Ryan, there is a moment of hesitation, like she isn’t sure if they are the type of friends who hug or not. She settles on a quick sideways embrace, which lasts less than two seconds. These two have never been together – that’s abundantly clear at this moment.

“Ryan is the one who set me up with Emmett,” Bonnie tells me enthusiastically. Turning to Ryan, she asks, “Have you seen him?”

“He was over by the grill last I saw him,” Ryan says.

Bonnie trots off toward the mass of muscled men crowded around the smokey grill. Ryan and I stand there in silence, neither of us even trying to think of anything to say. I’m not sure what is left to say. Yes, I believe him about Bonnie, especially after talking to her and seeing the two of them interact. But what about the next time it happens? And believe me, there will be a next time. It’s inevitable. Between the dozens of women Ryan has already slept with and the millions more whowould probably sell their little toe for a single night with him, something like thiswillhappen again. It’s that damn smirk, the one that makes women want to blush and beg and fall at his feet. And when they do, I will never fully trust him not to stumble down with them.

Ryan opens his mouth. The first syllable of a word pops out before the ring of my phone cuts him off. I pull it out of my back pocket, just to mute it, but then I see the words above the number on the screen: Green Valley Recovery – my mom’s rehab center. My mom only ever calls from her cell phone, but this is the front desk’s number, and she never deviates from our schedule. She’s careful not to push my boundaries while we try to rebuild our relationship.

A random call from the front desk on a Saturday afternoon can mean only one thing – something is wrong.

“Sorry, I think I need to take this,” I say, stepping away from Ryan as I answer.

He rubs a hand over his face, and I think I see his lips move in a way that looks a lot like the word ‘fuck.’

Chapter 30

RYAN

Avoiding Marlow is not working. It’s been two weeks of no contact between us, but the time apart has only made me more desperate for her. I feel like I’ve been living underwater these past two weeks and Marlow is that first gulp of fresh air.

The caveman in me wants to throw her over my shoulder, march her into the woods just past the park, and fuck her senseless. But the rational human in me knows we need to talk. Yeah, my least favorite words in the whole world and I’m the one thinking them. That’s what this woman has done to me.

Marlow stands under a tree, just out of earshot from me. She’s shifting, pacing, nodding as the person on the other end of the line speaks. She makes nervous little movements, touching her hair, her mouth, her neck, and then starting all over again. And when the call is over, she looks over at me and I immediately know that something is very wrong.

Her eyes shift away from me, scanning the party and eventually landing on Hunter. She takes off in his direction, and I’m half a step behind her. Hunter stiffens when Marlow suddenly appears in front of him. The look on her face is unmistakably panic-stricken. She fidgets with the phone in her hand and sucks in a choppy breath.

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