Page 90 of Barefoot Lake

“That was a grown man throwing a tantrum because somebody told him ‘no,’” I continue.

“Has he been like that before? And did I hear you say he came to Barefoot Lake?” Piper’s face shows a mix of shock and concern.

Reid’s words fly through my mind again, and I feel a wave of nausea when I remember how he threatened to report Jake.

“I’ll tell you everything, but I need to call Jake quickly.”

Piper looks like she might object for a second, but she nods instead and ushers me to a bench.

“I’ll give you a minute,” she says before stepping away. She doesn’t go far, and her head is on a swivel, probably keeping an eye out for Reid. She’s my faithful guard, and I love her.

I dial Jake’s number, and he answers on the first ring.

“Ace – Hey! What’s up?” He sounds honestly happy to hear from me, and my heart sinks with the knowledge that I’m about to ruin his day, maybe more.

“Hey.” My voice is unsteady.

“What’s wrong?” His tone immediately shifts. I hear shuffling like he’s standing up and pushing his chair back.

“I ran into Reid.”

“What happened? Are you ok?”

“I’m ok.”

I then recount the argument, including Reid’s threat.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what he’s going to do,” I finish.

“Ace, we’ve talked about this. You have nothing to apologize for. And I’m not sorry for hitting him. From what I know about him, I doubt somebody with an ego like his will admit to having his ass handed to him. If he does, we’ll deal with it.”

“I feel awful,”

“I don’t. I’m so proud of you. Are you sure you’re ok?” I haven’t heard Jake sound this worried since the last time we encountered Reid.

“Yeah. I’m ok.”

“I can be there in a few hours.”

“It’s ok. You don’t need to. I’m coming home tomorrow.”

“I don’t like that you ran into him. It’s too wild to be a coincidence.”

“I really think that’s all it was, and I’m ok. I promise.” The line is quiet, and I’m not sure what to say. “I owe Piper an explanation, so I should probably go.”

“You’re incredible, Ace,” he says reverently. “Can I talk to Piper quickly, though?”

I figure he wants another person to assure him I’m ok, so I get up and hand Piper the phone, letting her know it’s Jake. She’s quiet at first, listening to something Jake’s saying.

“Yeah, she’s alright,” Piper says.

I don’t want to hover, so I go back to the bench. She comes to sit beside me after another minute on the phone. She takes my hand, and we sit quietly together for a little while.

Piper and I bail on going out, opting to pick up wine and more take-out and heading back to her place. We suddenly both feel exhausted.

We sit on her couch, and she immediately tackles me in a bear hug. I tell her about how things really were with Reid, and about his little visit to New Hampshire.

“You didn’t have to carry this alone, Alice,” she sputters with difficulty.