Page 61 of Off the Grid
Leo blinked.
And people say nature is relaxing.He snorted as a sneer passed over his lips.I can’t wait to get out of these fucking woods.
As much as he wanted to believe that last thought, he knew the sentiment was hollow—just as hollow as the void gradually expanding across his chest, empty and cold, vacant of all the warmth he’d started to grow used to. His gaze settled on their house across the lake, the windows now dark and swirling with all sorts of hidden desires. Leo pivoted, turning back to the party and the people he’d forgotten were there. He only had eyes for one person, and even though he told himself not to look, he couldn’t stop his gaze from scanning the crowd or his heart from sinking when he realized she wasn’t there. Worrying about her had become second nature—something he’d need to shake sooner rather than later, so why not start now? She was probably off with that guy Drew, someone whose biggest worry in life was the size of his 401k and how long it would be until his next promotion, someone as uncomplicated as she deserved. McKenzie was beautiful, driven, and at the precipice of achieving all her dreams. Leo was broken inside, unsure if he would ever heal. They’d never work in the real world. If this wedding was a sign of anything, it was of that. So he pushed the discomfort down and forced a smile onto his lips, sliding into the confident mask he was used to.
“Hey, John!” Leo called and marched onto the grass, leaving that house—and everything that had happened last night—three hundred yards behind him. “I’ve got two hands and nothing to do. Put me to work.”
- 22 -
McKenzie
“Oh my God, are you the surprise pastry chef?”
McKenzie looked up in time to see three giggling girls in matching silk robes spill through the side door into the kitchen.Oh, boy.“That’s me.”
“I’m Anna.”
“Casey.”
“Samantha, but you can call me Sam.”
The names were lost to McKenzie almost as soon as they were said aloud. She was too busy trying to remember a recipe for something a little nicer than vanilla cake to focus on three girls she’d never see again.
“I’m McKenzie.”
“Oh my gosh.” Girl number one stepped forward. “Alice is just so thankful you offered to help. Everything has been a disaster. We told her not to cry, it’ll just make her eyes puffy before the wedding, but, well, you spend a year planning the best day of your life, you never expect a storm to sweep through and ruin it.”
It was physically painful for McKenzie to refrain from rolling her eyes while keeping a soft smile on her lips.Isn’t it supposed to be about marrying the love of her life? Not a party?“I’m sure.”
“Oh, we’re the bridesmaids,” one of the other girls said. “Alice sent us down because she needs to decompress. She’s having a bit of a bridezilla morning.”
“Her mom is trying to calm her down,” the third girl jumped in. They all spoke with the same sort of voice, hyper, high pitched, and bubbly in a way McKenzie found incredibly grating on anyone aside from Addy or Jo.
“Anyway, we thought we’d come see if there’s anything we can do to help,” the first girl said, taking over again.
They stepped farther into the kitchen, then dispersed. One opened the refrigerator, one went through the cabinets, and one started reading the labels of all the ingredients McKenzie had already pulled from the shelves. It was her worst nightmare come to life.
“Please don’t touch that.” McKenzie stepped over to the stainless-steel island in the center of the room and reorganized the things the girl had moved. Every time she put one bag back in place, something else had been shifted. “Please, I have everything arranged—”
“I found booze!” the girl by the refrigerator cheered.
“I’ve got glasses!”
A cabinet door slammed closed, making McKenzie jolt.Three drunk bridesmaids are the last things I need right now, she sighed.All I wanted was a few hours alone in the kitchen, nothing but my thoughts and my food to keep me company. Was that so hard to ask?
“You want some champagne?” one girl offered.
McKenzie looked at the glass, and then back up. The answer must’ve been written all over her face. She’d never been very good at hiding her derision.
“Oh, right, probably not. You’re working. More for us!”
They clinked their glasses.
“So, what can we do?”
“Nothing,” McKenzie said through gritted teeth, trying to keep the frustration from leaking into her tone…and failing. She took a deep breath.
“What are you making?”
