I glanced at Jamie’s empty office and opted not to get out until this was over. Then I turned to her and gave her the fight she was looking for. “If you’re so dead set on attacking me for all my flaws, how about we go over yours?” She looked shocked for a moment, and I pushed on, ticking each offense off my fingers in front of her face. “You’re invasive. Exhausting. Petty. You knew I had too much on my plate—we’d just talked about that?—”
“That’s why I was helping—” She pulled my hand down, trying to meet my eyes, but this wasn’t done.
I cut her off. “You did that for you. You did that to get a one-up on me. And you did it because you’re self-satisfied, impatient, and annoying.”
Nat was stunned silent for a moment, but that didn’t last long. Her eyes flared with irritation. We stared each other down. She was so stubborn.
“You know what, Jack? If that’s how you really feel, then you can go ahead and shove it up your?—”
I placed my hand over her mouth. “Wait.”
She blew a raspberry into my palm. I fought everything in me not to look at her, but I was focused on something much more jarring.
A little yellow paper on the office door fluttered in the breeze. I jumped out of the car, and surprise, surprise, so did she. We’d just missed the delivery.
How had we missed it? I took in my surroundings and saw a brown delivery truck right down the street. I chased after it, but it went past the stop sign, a little too fast for this small town’s liking, and pulled onto the road. I made it halfway down the street before realizing that was pointless and rushed back to my car. She stood by the passenger side door, staring at me, dumbfounded.
I ripped the door open and jumped in. She clearly got her shit together because she did the same.
We chased the vehicle for thirty minutes, but we never got the opportunity to talk with the driver. Once I explained the situation to Nat, she immediately jumped into action, calling around, but was left on hold. It didn’t matter. You couldn’t drive a delivery vehicle off the road, especially when they were going sixty miles per hour, and you were low on gas.
I pulled over at a gas station and banged my head against the wheel. Nat had the decency not to fight with me anymore when she realized this was bigger than both of us.
Jamie was never going to trust me again. I’d failed, and I was fucked.
SEVENTEEN
Nat
I’d been keepingmy eyes open for Jamie all night. The tall lawyer shouldn’t have been this elusive. He had to be off work by now, which meant he should be at the campfire with his goofy, soon-to-be fiancée, but I’d checked the campfire three times already, and nothing.
The guilt I was lugging around felt heavier with each passing moment. Jack and I both agreed to find Jamie and apologize for the insane way we’d behaved earlier today. I had been right about the cabin needing to be cleaned and about how frustrating he was as a person, but even I could recognize when I was being childish and letting my nemesis get under my skin.
And speaking of my nemesis… Jack seemed equally antsy to get our apology over with. I’d heard regret in his voice as we both recognized that we’d messed up royally this afternoon. Tonight, we’d make it right.
I lapped the main parts of camp again. I found Autumn near the campfire, so I avoided her seeing me. Perhaps I’d catch him coming back from the mess hall with snacks. Or from the restrooms? Okay, maybe I was being a little obsessive, but I needed to get to Jamie before Jack threw me under the bus.
I’d already called Jamie twice, but his phone had gone straight to voicemail. For some reason, it felt like even apologizing to Jamie was a competition now. Jack seemed to have the same mindset, since we’d passed each other twice tonight, and both times, we’d eyed each other and kept walking.
On the third inconvenient run-in, however, Jack turned on his heel and walked in my direction outside the main office. “Nat,” he acknowledged, slowing his stride.
I pushed my headphones off my ears. I’d been driving Jack up the wall with an old indie band I’d rediscovered recently. It was probably about time to change it up.
I matched his pace and, expertly, his glare. “Jack.”
He quirked a grin, no doubt about to say something that I’d make him regret, when voices caught us off guard. Our heads whipped in unison toward the front office door.
Leo’s voice was easy to pick out, but hearing Jamie’s voice had Jack and me both start for the door. Annoyingly, the competition between us to apologize first would have to end in another tie. Great. Maybe I’d just make sure mine was better. Yeah.
We both stepped inside, hoping we weren’t interrupting. Jamie greeted us kindly, which neither of us deserved.
Jack took another step inside and looked Jamie in the eyes. “I’m really sorry, man.”
I nodded along, equally dejected. “Me too,” I chimed in. So much for an award-winning apology.
“You didn’t get it?” Jamie’s eyes filled with worry as he stared at our guilty faces, and it made me feel ten times worse.
“I just missed it. I chased the driver for five miles. Right, Nat?”
