At Any Price (Gaming The System) (38 page)

“Hey, Mr. Drake,” I croaked out. “Welcome.” My mom frowned. She’d finally noticed my weird reaction and there would be questions later, no doubt. But I feared being alone with her much less than being alone with him so I resolved to stick near my mom’s side all night—and probably find lots of excuses to drive into Anza proper or even down the mountain for the next few days.

“Dinner is in two hours and I’ve asked Mr. Drake to join us,” Mom said, throwing a pointed look at my grubby clothes.

I only nodded. I had no other words. I didn’t look at Adam again—didn’t have the courage for it. And as he followed my mom out of the barn, he darted one last glance my way before turning out of my view.

As soon as he was out of sight, I fell against the nearest stall door, my back sliding against it until I sat on the ground. My heart hammered like I’d run a marathon and I shook—a deep-freeze hardening my soul. The nearest horse, Whiskey, poked his head out and nudged against me. I was utterly floored by this new development.

I had just begun to move past this whole thing—or so I’d thought. But now I felt just as shivery and vulnerable as the girl who’d rushed out of the Draco Multimedia complex while sobbing the month before.

A splinter of pain passed through me as I remembered the circumstances behind that last time I’d seen him, with his arm wrapped around his former lover. Maybe Lindsay was going to come up to meet him here? Maybe he’d arranged this on purpose so he could flaunt her in my face, because that day at his office wasn’t enough? Would I be able to suffer though seeing them here, together?

If it weren’t for the fact that mom needed my help so much for this next week, I might have been tempted to call Heath and ask him if I could go crash on his couch until Adam left. It was inevitable that we’d have to interact with one another, but I resolved that I would try my hardest to avoid the confrontation he sought. With this tangle of unwanted emotion inside of me, I went on the rest of my poop hunt with a vengeance.

Chapter Seventeen

It took me an hour to recover from the shock of seeing him again so suddenly—and
here
of all places. It was obvious he was here to see me, and, after checking the reservation book my mom kept at her desk, I was reassured that he would be here alone. The only reason he’d leave his girlfriend behind to come up here would be to confront me. But why? What more was there to say between us that hadn’t already been said?

Adam didn’t seem the type to want to rub salt into the wounds. Or at least I would have thought so before that display at his office. He’d been rubbing plenty of salt then. I burned with anger at the pretense under which he was here. Whatever it took, I’d keep my mom from getting involved. With any luck, he’d leave and she’d never know that there was a history between us.

I didn’t want to talk to him and resolved that I wouldn’t except to exchange shallow pleasantries for my mom’s sake. I had no desire to find out what his current dating status was or if he was sleeping with Lindsay again. The very thought of it hurt like a bitch.

After showering and doing my hair, I helped Mom put the finishing touches on dinner by tossing the organic, handpicked salad. She was an excellent cook—part of the entire picture of her livelihood. She made breakfasts for her guests every day, creatively concocting new and special repasts. Breakfast was her specialty, but her dinners were damn good, too. When I was little, she’d gone to culinary school during my summer vacations to get better at it.

Dinner was beyond awkward. The only one not affected by the silent uneasiness was my mom. Adam and I did not talk to each other. The entire conversation was conducted through my mother.

“Mia’s a medical student.”

“Not yet,” I corrected her.

“Well, she will be once she aces this big test that’s coming up.”

At least Adam didn’t ask me sham questions that he already knew the answers to—like he had the first few times we’d met. He did mention that UCI had a good medical school and that I should consider applying to it. It was already on my list. Though the thought of attending school in the same city where his company was located had greatly lowered it in ranking on my list of top schools. UC Davis, in northern California, was starting to look better and better.

“I understand you have some wonderful back country around here, even off the PCT,” Adam said to Mom.

“Yes, great for hiking or riding. Do you ride, Mr. Drake?” Mom asked.

He laughed. “No, not at all. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been on horseback.”

If he was angling to get a guided ride from me, I’d have to be quick on my feet to deflect the request. My mind raced with excuses I could come up with. Sore throat? I had to study? A horse had stepped on my foot?

Mom said, “If you’re interested, we have some great horses for beginners and Mia used to take guests on sunset rides. Maybe I can coax her to do one for you if that sounds like something you’d like to do.” Shit, shit, shit. Shut
up,
Mom.

Adam fixed his dark gaze on me for a moment and my eyes stayed glued to my plate, shoveling in my food as fast as I possibly could. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, but how about a hike this evening, Mia? Do you hike?”

I took a long time to answer, my mind running through at least a half a dozen more excuses—all lame—before I spit out probably the lamest one of them all. “I’m a runner.”

“Perfect, so am I.”

Fuck. I should have known he would say that. As always, he’d thought a few steps ahead of me and had been ready.

“I would only slow you down on a run,” I said, anxious to evade this.

Adam smiled, gazing into my eyes knowingly. “It would be fun. Do you know of any great views?”

Mom, of course, had to put her two cents in. “Why don’t you take him up to that vista spot you love so much?”

Sometimes I wish I could tell her to shut the hell up. I gritted my teeth and darted Adam a murderous look. He looked supremely satisfied, like a bear that had just dug into a picnic basket.

An hour later, I was in my room changing into my running gear when my mom knocked on the door and came in. “Did I put you on the spot back there? Are you okay with taking him out for a run?”

I hesitated. Here was my chance to back out. Maybe I could tell her I thought Adam looked suspicious, like I didn’t feel comfortable being alone with him. That second half, at least, was true. But it might make Mom suspect something and I’d really prefer she not find out the truth. Beyond that, Adam would know why I’d bowed out and he’d already called me a coward once. My pride was on the line. And lastly, that curiosity beast was nipping at my thoughts, asking endless questions. Likely I’d be able to get some answers when we were alone. I shrugged noncommittally. “Sure.”

“Mia, I don’t know what’s been up with you lately, but can I ask you to put in a little extra effort with this guest? He’s a CEO for a company down in Orange County and he’s mentioned possibly doing some retreats up here for his employees. I know you don’t schmooze, but just…you know, turn on your sunny personality. I know it’s in there somewhere.”

“Yeah, sure,” I grunted, already preoccupied with what this run was going to entail.

There was no way I was going to outrun him. I’d seen him move, after all, and he was like a human cheetah. Maybe I could lose him on one of the upper trails, but Mom might get pissed at having her first cabin guest after the renovation dying of dehydration while wandering the barren hills of the Cahuilla Mountains in search of an oasis. Maybe I could get away with just pushing him into a cactus patch.

I resigned myself to the fact that I was stuck with him for the run, but that didn’t mean I had to be nice to him.

We set off along the edge of our property into the long shadows of early evening in midsummer. I had a snakebite kit strapped in a fanny pack around my waist and a six-foot, two-hundred-pound shadow clipping closely at my heels. I scooted over to the far right on the trail, hoping he’d go around and ahead. His legs were longer and his stride much bigger than mine so he’d be free to open up if he were in front.

However, having to stare at his muscular back and rear, his gorgeously cut legs in his running shorts was not my first choice either. I just needed him off my heels.

After a few beats, he moved to go around me but then matched his pace with mine. I was going at a good clip, which ended up being an easy jog for him. He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.

As soon as we were out of view of the house, I stopped, bent, and put my hands on my knees. He stopped, too, and of course he wasn’t even winded. Asshole.

“What’s wrong?” he said.

And I straightened, shooting him a death glare. “What’s wrong? How about you being here in the first place?”

He handed me his water bottle, which I waved away and his eyes took on that mischievous, calculated look of his. “I don’t suppose you’d believe it was a coincidence?”

I shook my head. “Why are you here?”

He took a long swig from his water bottle. “Can’t we at least walk while we talk?”

I dramatically swept my arms toward the path in front of us as if to sarcastically say, “After you.”

He started to walk and he again matched his pace to mine so that we walked shoulder to shoulder.

“I talked to Heath last week,” he said in answer to my question.

My fists tightened at my sides. “He needs to mind his own fucking business.”

Adam shot me a look and then focused again on the trail. We were gaining some elevation now, moving to a higher vantage point where we would be able to look down on the little valley that contained my mom’s ranch and the neighboring properties. At sunset, the sky was incomparably beautiful, all magentas and purples against the ruddy desert sand. I came up here often at this time of day to calm myself, to try and ease my troubled thoughts of the day. I’d been doing it for years. And now I was taking Adam to my special spot. The flame of irritation singed me.

“Maybe he was being a good friend. A concerned friend.”

“What has him so concerned? If he told you that I was shriveling into nothingness up here while pining away for you, then he’s a damn liar,” I said with a bit more heat and vehemence than I would have liked.

He walked for a few beats but didn’t look at me. “Not at all.”

“So what did he say to you?”

“He said that you had moved away. That you were thinking of backing out of your exam.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. Fucking Heath. He had forced this confrontation, preying on Adam’s conscience. Adam wouldn’t even have shown up if he didn’t feel responsible. “And why do you care whether or not I take the test? I thought you were through with me.”

He hesitated. “Maybe I feel responsible for your plans not going through.”

I shot him a sharp look. “Well, don’t. It’s my life, my decision.”

“So you
are
going to take the test?”

I hesitated, bought time by coughing into my fist. “Of course. I already paid for the damn thing and it wasn’t cheap.” It was true, after all. I’d kept pushing it off but finally decided to commit myself by sending in the registration. The date was getting closer and I still didn’t know if I’d make the trip to show up.

“Good,” he said quietly.

My chin came up. “Yeah, so now that your guilt is alleviated, you can get back to your life down there.” He was quiet, but I just couldn’t shut up. Man, I wish I had shut up. “I mean, your show of contrition is touching and all, but I’ve got other things to take care of around here rather than babysit a fake guest and get my mom’s hopes up that people are actually interested in staying here again.”

He stopped walking and turned to me, clearly insulted. “I was honestly interested in staying here and I
am
planning a segment hike.”

I shook my head. “
You
are taking a month away from work and your computer to do that?”

He shrugged. “Maybe I’m taking longer.”

I laughed in disbelief. “And maybe I’m the Queen of England.”

He shot me a heated glare and we walked in silence until he hit the summit of the trail—a ledge that overlooked the valley below us. We weren’t really high up, but high enough to get a nice view of the sunset, the high desert landscape all bathed in angry reds and oranges.

Adam stood, squinting over the canyon. I glanced up at him, memorizing his handsome face. A dry desert wind blew up here, stirring our clothing and hair. He spoke in a quiet, almost reverent voice. “So since we are going to be on the same premises together for the next few days, and for your mom’s sake, can we call a truce?”

I folded my arms. “I’ll be perfectly nice to you. Just stop trying to get me alone because we really don’t have anything to say to each other.”

“Really. Nothing at all?” he said mildly.

I shifted, hating how petty I sounded. I cleared my throat and looked down. “Except that I honestly hope that you and your family are well.”

He glanced at me and returned to admiring the view. “Thank you. They are.”

I took a deep breath and let it go. “And…I hope you do find happiness. I—I never said that before but I’ve wanted to. I hope…” and my voice died out. I wasn’t going to wish him happy with Lindsay because, let’s face it, I wasn’t Mother Teresa. I couldn’t go that far.

He turned to me, waiting for me to say more and when I didn’t, he spoke. “Maybe I’m already happy.”

Pain seized me. I couldn’t look at him. “Then great,” I said in a tiny voice.

He turned and watched me closely. “And you?”

I shrugged. “I’m getting there.” Another long pause, then I cleared my throat. “We’d better get going. It will be dark soon.”

I turned to leave but was brought up short when he reached out for my arm to stay me. His touched burned my skin and I flinched. I turned back to him and he said, “I was serious. I took a leave of absence from the company.”

To say I was shocked was an understatement. I opened my mouth and then closed it. “For how long?”

He shrugged. “As long as it takes to prove to myself that I can do it.”