Page 5 of Off Trail Love
“What happened?” I’m so focused on figuring out why she’s treating me like a stranger that I forget Graham is standing there until he clears his throat. But I don’t look at him.
Maggie’s eyes flare as she stares me down. “Don’t play dumb, Jack-Jack.”
I raise an eyebrow, because my childhood nickname slipping out seems like a mistake, not something this new ice-queen version of Maggie would do.
“I mean…” she stammers, a faint pink appearing on her cheeks. Good. She’s still affected by me as much as I am by her.
“You were saying?” I cross my arms over my chest.
“You’re not going on this hike,” she says, surprising me.
“I take it the two of you know each other?” Graham asks, but neither of us acknowledges him.
“I’m so going on this hike.” I grin. Because if she’s going on this hike, things just got a whole lot more interesting. Maybe this mandatory hike won’t suck so much after all. Not if Maggie’s here with me.
“No.”
“Not up to you, love.” The old nickname slips out. I picked it up when we were teenagers from a show I’d watched, and she was always calling me the biggest flirt, never actually believing that I liked her. But as her eyes narrow, I wish I hadn’t saidit. I just want her to smile at me, which that nickname usually resulted in, but the look she’s giving me is worse than a frown. It’s like she’s cutting right into my soul, and not in a good way.
“Do not call me love,” she hisses, then turns to Graham. “Can we go?”
He looks at me with wide eyes, and I shrug because I’m just as confused as he is. This isn’t at all how I imagined our reunion.
“Let’s go,” he says. Without another glance in my direction, Maggie follows Graham out of the airport and to his Subaru.
CHAPTER THREE
maggie
I tryto keep my composure as Graham unlocks the back of his car. But when I turn to put my bag in the trunk, I slam into Jack. He’s filled out a lot since high school. He’s no longer the scrawny kid he used to be, and he’s got a bulk to him that makes me want to reach out and see if he has abs under his shirt.
But that would be weird, so I keep my hands to myself.
He grins at me. “Didn’t realize you wanted to touch me so badly, Mags.”
Ugh. Again with the nickname. He always was the king of nicknames, and I had the most. But is he seriously flirting? I scowl at him.
“Think we’ll be hiking buddies?” He tosses his pack into the trunk next to mine. They look so cozy. But I do not want to be cozy with Jack in any way.
“I certainly hope not.” His face falls for a half second at my words before he’s smiling at me again. He can’t be hurt. Not after what he did. But dang, his smile. It’s a little half-smile, almost a smirk, and it’s so familiar that it makes me want to lean in and talk to him for real. But no, I’m different now. Everything is different now. I’m not letting Jack into my head or heart ever again.
“Come on, it’ll be fun.” He leans in. “Want to be backseat buddies?”
I frown. Why is he still flirting with me? “Please stop calling me your buddy.” I can be civil.
“You’re right,” he says and looks down at me. His dark-brown eyes haven’t changed at all since I last saw him. I know I should look away, but I don’t want to break eye contact first. It feels like some sort of challenge, even if it is only in my head. “Buddy implies that we’re friends, that you’re one of the guys. You’re definitely not that.”
I take a step back. “What? I know we’re not friends.” Is he trying to get under my skin? “If anything, we’re enemies.”
Jack has the audacity to look surprised.
“You are not my friend,” I say. I rush around him and climb into the passenger seat. I’m running away like a child, but I don’t care. The less time I can spend around Jack, the better. Graham is already in the driver’s seat, waiting for us to stop acting like children. Jack climbs into the backseat a moment later. We start to drive and I think I’m in the clear until he leans up so his face is right next to mine.
His breath is warm against my skin as he whispers, “You want war, Williams? War is what you’ll get.”
War.Is this real life?
I’m still stewing over Jack’s declaration and it’s been almost two hours of a nearly silent car ride. Jack said he was tired and wanted to take a nap, and I haven’t been all that chatty with Graham. I feel bad. I’m usually much more personable. But I’m not in the mood.
