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We walk—stumble—to my truck. I open her door, holding her hand as she scrambles to get into her seat.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” She snatches her hand from mine.

I close her door, then round the hood and settle behind the wheel.

“Thanks for picking me up,” she says in a whisper.

I nod and start the drive back. “Don’t mention it.”

“I’m not usually like that,” she slurs.

I smile, keeping my eyes glued on the road. “You know, the guy you . . . punched tonight. He’s not a great guy. He probably got what was coming to him.”

I take my attention off the road for a second to find Charlee watching me with a hint of curiosity. “He put his hands where he shouldn’t have.”

My fingers curl around the wheel, grasping it tighter. In retrospect, it’s a good thing I wasn’t there. I don’t think Oscar would have walked out of the bar in one piece.

“You know him?” Charlee asks.

I glance back at her. She frowns when her eyes settle on my hands. I relax my grip and let them fall to the bottom of the wheel.

“Sorta. He’s not from here, if that’s what you’re asking. He’s a real estate guy who owns the Lakeside Resorts luxury hotel chain. He’s been in town for a few months now, trying to convince the mayor to sell him some buildings.” My building. My family history. “He has big plans for this town, but people won’t go for it.”

At least that’s what I keep telling myself. But even I have to admit that the offer is enticing.

“What kind of big plans?” Charlee asks, wiggling her fingers in front of her in a spooky way.

I scrub my jaw. “I don’t know all the details, but from what Rob has told me—Rob’s the mayor—Oscar wants to transform Pine Falls into a huge hotel complex for tourists looking for an ‘authentic nature experience with all the luxury Lakeside Resorts has to offer.’” I air-quote the last part before I bring my hands back to the wheel. “The whole thing is absurd. We don’t need an all-inclusive concrete resort to attract tourists. We’re the last town before the rainforest, and we already have everything we need. You should see how packed the town is during the summer.”

Charlee’s breath catches, and I dare a quick look at her. Her eyes are trained on the road, but the rise and fall of her chest is giving her away. “So you’ve said once . . .”

I peel my eyes away, something pressing against my chest. I should be surprised that she’d remember such an insignificant detail, but then again, I memorized everything too.

There’s a beat of silence before she adds, “He did look like the biggest asshole I’ve ever seen. He’s lucky I didn’t punch him with my good hand.” She lowers her gaze to her bruised hand folded on her lap.

Shit, it’s already swollen. I press the gas pedal a little harder. Hopefully, we’ll arrive in time for her to ice it and keep the damage to a minimum.

“I’m so over men like him, who think they can just own whatever they set their eyes on,” she continues, her voice rising, sharpening. “Like they’re playing some giant game of dibs where the ones with the biggest cock will get what they want without caring for a single second if what they’re claiming ownership of is theirs to take.”

I hum but don’t have time to say anything else before she adds, “And what? He’s gonna convert this whole town into a mega-concrete center full of malls and spas and bullshit like that? The entire charm of Pine Falls is how embedded in nature it is. That’s what tourists are coming to see. Not some hideous all-inclusive resort.”

I hide my smile. She spat everything out in one breath. The fire she’s been aiming at me since she arrived has shifted toward something I loathe just as much as she does, and I’m seizing the reprieve it gives me.

“Trust me, I’m fighting this as hard as I can. I’ve got a small group of business owners who can be swayed into opposing the project, should Rob go forward with it. I think he’s starting to feel the pressure from the Pine Falls folks.” I turn onto the small path that leads to my cabin. “I’m not in Rob’s good graces these days,” I add, chuckling.

“That’s good you’re involved,” Charlee mutters.

From the corner of my eye, I see that she’s back in her curled-up position, staring out of her window.

I swallow my defeat.

Did I say or do something I shouldn’t have?

How stupid of me to think that a short car ride would be enough to make her forgive me and open up to me again. But still, hope was there, and she just blew it out like a gust of wind on a candle flame.

After I park the truck and we head into the house, Charlee wobbling a safe distance behind me, I grab a bag of frozen peas and my first-aid kit and wait for Charlee to join me in the kitchen.

“I see you’re well prepared,” she says when she slumps on one of the stools.