Adrian nods.
“I thought it would make things easier,” I reply, chuckling at the irony. “I didn’t want to deal with my mother asking a million questions or playing matchmaker, or worse, trying to get us back together. But I never considered that Mira would be here, or that she’d be sleeping in our fucking room.”
“Oof. That’s a tough break,” Adrian says, stamping out his cigarette. “But if you like this girl you have to consider her feelings too. I mean, if Vanessa was here with another guy, pretend or not, I’d be losing my shit.”
I drag my hand down my face. “I want to tell her. Hell, I’ve tried to tell her. But at this point I doubt she’d believe anything I said.”
“If it helps, Vanessa and I will back you up,” Adrian assures me.
“I appreciate that,” I say, watching as the purples and golds fade into an inky darkness over the mountaintops. It’s beautiful and I wish I could be sharing this moment with Mira, moving that stubborn curl behind her ear before I kiss her goodnight.
“Before you talk to anyone though, you should use our shower. You smell like a river.”
“You sure?”
“Everyone else is at the party,” Adrian assures me, opening the door to his room. “And it might be good for you. Clear your head a bit.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I set a reminder on my phone to send him and Vanessa a thank you for their generosity as I make my way into their bathroom once again.
Stripping down, my suit is wrecked, the fabric damp and the fibers discolored, but I don’t care.
Going in after her had been instinctive, a deep-rooted impulse to keep her safe at all costs. A gesture that only made matters worse as she swam away from me, more irritated than before. In my life I’ve always been the one to think things through, to slow down and make rational decisions, but with Mira I seem to be always jumping first.
Once I’m clean, I borrow a pair of Adrian’s shorts and a tee, and towel-dry my hair. My body might feel refreshed but the tension is still heavy across my shoulders as I make my way outside.
“Hudson,” Tonya says, flagging me down outside the entrance and handing me a sheet of paper. “I’m sure you don’t need one of these, but we wanted to make sure everyone is prepared in case any of our furry friends make another appearance this week.”
I stare down at the infographic on bear safety.
“There’s a twenty-percent-off coupon for bear spray in there too.”
When it comes to black bears I know it’s safer to scare them away using a bear bell or raising your arms and making loud noises than it is to try to Mace them in the face, but I nod just the same.
“Make sure to spread the word,” she says cheerfully, making her way inside, tacking a sheet on every door.
Folding the paper, I place it in my pocket as I follow the gravel path to the cabins. I’m only halfway up the drive when I hear Grant shouting.
“You can’t be serious?” he says to George, who is lugging a pair of suitcases down the stairs.
“That cabin isn’t suitable,” George states, stopping in front of the black SUV, the headlights lighting the scene ahead.
“For Susan?” Grant argues, placing his hand on the door before his father can open it.
George puffs out his chest, making him appear taller. “Do you really think we would stick around after that disaster this afternoon?”
“We didn’t know it was going to be like that. The brochure said—” Grant claims, but George cuts him off.
“The brochure? Are you kidding me? We offered you all the money in the world to have a proper wedding and you chose a venue out of a roadside brochure. I swear, Grant, it’s as if you brought us out here just to humiliate us.”
“Dad,” Grant sighs, his voice soft, his shoulders slumped in defeat. And for a moment I glimpse the nine-year-old kid I first met, begging his father to stay home for the weekend instead of going to another golf tournament. The one I’d hear crying alone in his room, aching with grief for his mother. I can’t help but wonder if he might have had a bit more compassion for others growing up if anyone had taken the time to give him some proper loving attention back when he was a boy.
I don’t realize that I’m walking towards them until George turns to me.
“Ah, Hudson, can you go inside and help your mother? I think she has a few more bags to bring down.”
