As Krista followed him on the trail to Lake Agnes, the sneaking suspicion took hold that the sly joker had goaded her on purpose and turned himself into a punching bag. Why else would he have riled her so much one minute then been surprisingly gentle the next?
And why else would he have come up with that ridiculous eyebrow waxing comment?
What a douche thing to say.
Despite her state of turmoil, Krista fought off a smile and studied the pro swimmer with a newfound curiosity. He was keeping to a steady pace in front of her. Like all the athletes she worked with, his back, butt, and legs were solid and carved and were a reminder that, as an Olympian, he had drive and ambition and discipline.
And all he’d seen of her was a clumsy, short-tempered stress-head who’d split her pants and hid in bushes to spy on the guy she crushed on. She didn’t even want to think about how she’d cried in front of him.
Good grief.
“You must think I’m a total loser,” she blurted.
Shane slowed his pace as he glanced over his shoulder at her. “Actually, I happen to think you’re pretty kick-ass.”
“Shut up.” Krista snorted. “You’re just saying that because you’re scared I’ll burst into tears again.”
“Maybe.” A soft smile curled his lips. “But it’s true. You’ve got a kick-ass streak in you. I saw it the other night when you shouted at that poor bastard in the car park.”
She winced.Kool Krista strikez again. “Yeah, about that...”
“I was about to step in to help, but you’d sent that guy packing well enough on your own, and I figured you’d bite my head off if I came near you.”
“Wise man.” Putting Duane in his place had felt good, but seeing Lisa so upset had gotten Krista in one hell of a foul mood. “I was beyond annoyed that you caught the whole sordid show, so yeah, I probably would’ve gone for your throat, too.”
“Who was he?”
“My sister’s ex.” Krista sighed. “Lisa’s in competition with our mom for the Who Can Fall for the Most Unsuitable Man award.”
“Interesting contest. Who’s winning?”
“It’s too close to call. Mom’s on live-in partner number six. He’s a guy called Jonas, who has no job and hangs around the coffee shop she works at all day.” And, man, didn’t saying the words out loud make Jonas sound like a total loser? Which he was, but apart from the lack of employment and chronic laziness, he was harmless enough. Just...what the hell did Mom see in him? “And as for Lisa? Well, I had to threaten Duane with the police before he backed off, so that’ll tell you how she’s doing.”
Krista stopped walking. Shane had pulled out his phone to take photographs of the lake through the trees, so while he busied himself with the settings on his phone, she stretched her legs and tried, unsuccessfully, not to think about his Instagram post.
Had anyone seen it yet? She’d ask, but she couldn’t bear Shane thinking she was obsessed with Ryan. Not that she could blame him for thinking that, but she was feeling a little better now that she’d let off some steam in Shane’s direction. Whether he really had goaded her on purpose or not, being with him had helped. The jagged mountains, the meadow flowers, and the sound of spruce trees waving in the wind had also helped. Her mood had brightened, and the shock of seeing Ryan and Zoey together had receded.
For sure, she was still pissed at Ryan for not telling her about Zoey, but she was even more pissed at herself because the clues that Ryan wasn’t into her as much as she was into him had always been there. Only, she’d chosen to ignore them.
Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Shane was right.
Who knew he’d be so perceptive?
Krista watched him again as he took more photos of the landscape, tapping buttons on his phone. What was he doing? Adjusting the light and focus? He was so immersed, so absorbed, so thorough.That’s the kind of mentality you need to succeed. That kind of mentality that gets you to the top of your game.
The kind that she’d been missing lately.
“So, anyway, that night with Deranged Duane?” she said, feeling the need to give Shane some context to her behavior so he didn’t think her completely cuckoo. “Thing is, Lisa likes to party. She has a couple of cocktails and flirts with any guy who takes her fancy. Duane being one such guy. I warned her that hisattentionswere bordering on stalker territory, but she didn’t listen. Not until she tried to end it andhedidn’t listen.” Krista puffed out her cheeks, the worry for her sister coming to the surface. “It’s not like Lisa is defenseless or helpless. It’s just...”
As Shane continued to take photos of the wildflowers along the edge of the track, Krista tried to find the right words to explain how she felt about Lisa’s love life without coming across as either bitchy or jealous.
“You see, Lisa and I live together,” she continued. “A couple years ago, we had enough of Mom’s boyfriends moving in and out, so we found a place downtown. Lisa was twenty-two and I was twenty-four, so it felt right to move out anyway, and I think Mom was secretly pleased. We all get on a lot better now, so that’s something.”
Leaning against a tree, Krista took the weight off her tired legs.
“I really love our new home,” she continued, “and I love my sister. I just wish she didn’t bring guys back all the time. But at least when she does, I can keep an eye on who she’s with, eh? I don’t mind looking out for her. I mean, she’s my sister, right? But sometimes...” She trailed off.
