Page 88 of Stay this Christmas
Calling her dad to the rescue had been a low spot in my dating life, and a personal high for anxiety. Not a panic attack exactly, but I’d certainly been panicking I might get attacked.
“He always liked you.”
She hesitated, and she might as well have saidUntilout loud.
“Am I going to have to watch my back when he finds out we’re dating again?”
“Are we? Dating again?”
Didn’t love the question. She trusted me enough to go into the middle of nowhere with me, but not enough to believe I wanted something more with her.
“Thought we’d cleared all that up when we specified this is our second date. You think I’d take someone I’m not dating on an overnight trip?”
Actually, strike that joke from the record. Wasn’t sure I wanted to know just what she’d imagined of my dating life in the years we’d been apart. Didn’t really want to hear that she’d seen me as some heartless Lothario with a woman in every town I’d visited. I hadn’t been a monk, but I hadn’t loved them and left them, either.
“Well,” she paused, and my heart twisted right in my ribcage. “You did take Vance Vickers on an overnight trip.”
I barked out a laugh, relief flooding my system. “World famous celebrities don’t count.”
“Speaking of Vance Vickers, do you have any leads on something more for work?”
All that relief turned cold. Did not relish telling Dr. Harper Webb the truth. “Not yet.”
I’d called a few more places, but hadn’t found anything hopeful. I was quickly running out of options.
“There’s that guiding place out of Georgetown. They look like a pretty big deal. Have you tried them?”
My hands tightened around the steering wheel, unease worming through my stomach. “You’re looking up jobs for me?”
“I was just curious what’s out there.”
I shook my head, my eyes fixed on the road. “An outfit like that probably wants someone mountain certified.”
“I thought you were.”
“I’m an indoor rock climbing instructor. That course is just a small part of getting mountain certified. I was working my way toward that in Colorado, but…”
But I’d decided to leave my mentors to come here.
Certification was only part of the problem. I’d seen the kinds of trips they offered. I’d hardly ever be home if I took a job like that. No matter how much I liked rock climbing, I couldn’t build a life and family with Harper that way. As much as it pained me, Dad was right. It was time for me to settle down and get a real job.
“Dad’s firm has an opening in the new year. I was thinking about trying that.”
“Financial planning?”
She sounded as horrified as Willa had been about my full name.
“It’s a good opportunity. Good pay. Eight to five, no travel.”
I’d thought she would have appreciated those benefits, but her silence didn’t feel like approval. She turned to look at me, leaning her cheek on the headrest. I couldn’t make out her expression in the darkness—hopefully, she couldn’t see mine.
Getting mountain certified and becoming a full-fledged mountain guide had been a great dream once but was no longer my top priority. I couldn’t leave on three- or four-day guides every week and also have something lasting with Harper. Couldn’t expect my relationships with everyone here not to suffer if I wasn’t around. I needed to be in Magnolia Ridge if I wanted my dreams of a home and family to come true.
“Is that what you want to do?”
Her question seemed to hang in the air, a word bubble I’d rather pop than answer.
“Might be worth a shot.”
