I wouldn’t have been surprised if Jess bailed right then and there, but she lifted her glass and took another deep drink as she settled back into the booth, her eyes shut against the world for a moment. It was the first time I’d seen her relax, and something told me she could use a moment to properly relax.
My brother’s mouth twitched like he was holding back a comment. Instead, he just gave me a look that said,be nice.
“Just holler if you need anything else.”
As he walked away, I shifted my boot a little so Summit wouldn’t get stepped on.
There was no reason for this to be awkward, I decided. No reason for Jess and me to keep acting like we were kids with something to prove. We were going to be stuck working together for weeks.
Maybe it was time to stop being enemies.
I exhaled slowly. “So, today went better than I thought it would.”
She sat up and looked at me. “Were you expecting the worst?” I shrugged, and she laughed. “Me too.”
I took another sip of my beer, letting the silence stretch just long enough to feel intentional instead of awkward.
“So, how long’s it been since you’ve been out on the trails?”
She didn’t have to think about it for long. “Honestly?” She shook her head. “It’s been a lot longer than I want to admit.”
“That bad, huh?”
She rolled her eyes. “I know you probably think I’m a city girl who needs to get her hands dirty, but I used to hike all the time. I just…well, somewhere along the line, things got busy.”
“Life.”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “Something like that.”
The smile dipped off her face for a moment, and at once, I wanted it back.
Summit shifted at my feet, letting out a sleepy hum.
Jess glanced down again, the smile returning to her face. “He did better than I did.”
“He has four legs.” I chuckled. “And no fear.”
She traced the rim of her glass with her finger. “I’m glad he ended up with you.”
The unexpected comment surprised me.
“Me too,” I said.
We lapsed into silence, but for the first time, it didn’t feel like something that needed filling.
Maybe Ethan was right. Even if he hadn’t come right out and said it.
Maybe we didn’t need to be adversaries anymore? Maybe we might even be able to bridge the gap between us?
And maybe, talking like this over a few beers was a pretty good place to start.
Jess
I pushed my glass away slightly, then looked up at Preston. “That residential access point that we were talking about earlier. Do you have a better idea on how to handle it?”
“Yeah.” He blinked, like he hadn’t expected the question. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
I appreciated that he wasn’t smug or an asshole about it.
