The One That I Want (Scorned Women Society Book 3) Piper Sheldon (classic books for 12 year olds .TXT) 📖

To tell me she worked better alone was a flimsy excuse to not be around me. I understood it but I didn’t like it.

All joking with Skip aside, I would and could be patient. I would never push myself on her. If friendship was what she needed, then that’s what I would offer. Better to be in her life as a friend than not at all.

Acid churned in my stomach and up my esophagus. What had I eaten? I’d not had anything but eggs and avocado this morning and yet my insides rioted like I’d gone crazy at a six-dollar buffet. I was feeling restless, talking with Roxy had done little to quell the energy. And in fact I was feeling … frustrated? And maybe hurt. I needed to burn off some energy. I needed to get out and clear my head. I hated feeling pointless emotions. Just push that shit aside and move on.

What I needed was to go for an invigorating hike and brainstorm some ideas for MooreTek. I’d present a thorough list to Roxy when we met; I’d be the most professional business partner she’d ever worked with. I wouldn’t try to touch her every possible second. I wouldn’t find ways to get close enough to breathe her in. I would be the best fucking mate she didn’t know she needed.

I hurried back to my room to quickly change into hiking boots because the sky was blanketed in heavy gray clouds and my weather app warned of a storm later.

“Argh,” I yelled into the room as soon as I shut the door behind me.

“Everything okay?” a voice from the corner asked.

“Shit!” I yelled, jumping and clutching my heart. “Skip!”

He laughed. “Sorry.” He was opening a suitcase on the second bed. “Didn’t think my face was that scary.”

“It really is.” I grinned and stepped toward him. I opened my arms. “But boy am I glad to see that ugly mug.”

He embraced me and I smacked his back before we broke apart. “What are you doing here?” I asked.

He shrugged and looked at the ground. “I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about in Green Valley.”

Maybe I hadn’t sounded as put together as I had thought when we talked. At 2 a.m. Where I had called him in a manic state. Okay, so he was clearly concerned for my ability to handle things for OTB when my heart was in knots.

“You really didn’t have to come all the way down here.”

He gave me a look. “I thought maybe you’d like company.”

I scratched at the back of my head. “Everything’s okay. I just talked to Roxy. And we have our first official client.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and jutted his chin toward the door. “It sounded like things were great when you came in.”

I laughed. “Oh that?” I didn’t know how to explain my behavior to myself so I certainly couldn’t explain it to him. I searched around quickly for an excuse. I glimpsed my bandaged fingers. “I just hit my hand on the door as I was coming in.” I held up my knuckles.

He studied my face too closely. He had freaky best mate X-ray vision, so I knocked my smile up a notch and busied myself by grabbing my hiking boots.

“Feel like a hike? Are you tired?” I asked him.

“Nah. That sounds good. By the way, I’m actually not rooming with you.” He gestured to his stuff.

“You can crash here. I don’t mind.”

He hesitated a split second before saying, “Just waiting to check in. The person at the front desk gave me a key to your room. I’m not trying to tell them how to run their business but they may want a little better security.” He grabbed the poncho he packed. Then he reached back into his suitcase and tossed one to me. Probably a good idea. Skip always had my back.

“What would I do without you, Skippo?” I swung an arm around his shoulders as we made our way out to the hall.

“I shudder to think.”

“I’m glad to see you, mate. Really, I am,” I said seriously. I hadn’t realized how lonely I was feeling until I saw him. For him to drop everything … I really was lucky to have a friend like him.

He cleared his throat and pushed the button for the lift. “What’s this about our first client?”

I explained to him about the meeting with Vincent.

“Sounds like a big deal. And you’re working with Roxy?” We’d just made it to the trailhead as a drop of rain hit my nose.

“Yep,” I said.

We slid our ponchos over our heads as we walked.

“Would it be better if I took the lead on this one?” he asked coolly.

Yes. I thought immediately but I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t lose an opportunity to be with her as much as possible for the brief time I was in Green Valley.

“Nah. She and I are good. We talked today actually. Completely on the same page now.”

“Good. She’s a straight shooter.”

“That she is,” I said more than a little forlorn.

“She’s okay?” he asked.

“Yeah. Wants us to be coworkers only. Keep things simple while I’m in town,” I explained.

“Sounds reasonable.” He shot me a skeptical glance.

“Very much. We could even become friends.” I rubbed my chest, the mystery heartburn returning.

“You’d be okay just being friends?” he asked as we crossed a small wooden bridge over a stream.

“Better than nothing at all,” I said.

Rain started to fall harder. “Maybe we should head back,” he said.

“Just a little more.”

He looked back toward the Lodge. “Only another few minutes. I don’t want to die out here.”

We walked on as the rain relented into a mist and then stopped. “Seems to be clearing up.” We’d been walking about twenty minutes. My muscles were working, blood flowed. I felt better already. So I flew across the States to see a girl who only wanted to be friends. That was fine. I was fine. Eventually, she’d come around and see that our