Mine to Steal (Mine to Love) (15 page)

“So what is your plan?”

“I have two steps, Cal.” My line tightens, and I feel the familiar pull of a bite. “Step one; get you to sign the contracts.” I slowly reel in the line, pausing for a moment to tug the rod. “Step two,” I continue reeling steadily until the fish is flopping around on the end of my pole, fighting to be free. “Show you the marketing plan I’ve
already
created.”

Cavette watches me as I free the fish from the hook and hold it up. He has a grin on his face when he speaks. “That’s a good
lookin’ catfish.” I nod in agreement. I don’t need to measure it, because I know it’s a keeper, but I do anyway.

“Dinner?” I ask. 

“Not sure how we’d get ‘em back to the site.”

The fish is fighting to be set free, so I remove the hook, toss it back i
nto the water and watch it swim away from the shore. Cavette begins putting away the fishing gear and I help while we remain in awkward silence. I’m not sure if he liked my pitch, but I’m pretty certain I got my point across. Time will tell which way he wants to go with this, and I can only hope it goes my way.

Walking back up to join Faith and Grayson, who are loading up
to get back into the kayaks, I’m confident everything is working out as it should.

“Catch anything?” Faith asks Cal with a grin.

“Trey did pretty well,” he boasts. “I wasn’t so lucky. He sure knows what he’s doing.”

Her smile fades a fraction before she replaces it. “Hey Cal, what’s on the itinerary for tonight?”

Cavette’s smile is genuine when he turns to stop and answer her. “I talked to a ranger earlier today to see what might be going on in the area. He told me there’s an end of the season party the locals throw at a bar nearby. Beer, horseshoes, dancing; sounds like fun. You up for it?”

I’m not one to go to bar with clients, I prefer to keep things professional, but Cavette looks hopeful
, and Faith is eager to please. “Sounds like fun. What time are we going?”

“They said the fun starts at sundown. If we want to go, we should probably start heading back
.” Cal starts to return the fishing gear to his kayak, ending our outdoor activities for the day.

Today has been the busiest day I’ve had in a long time. Between the early morning hike, Faith’s little
trip
, kayaking, and now the evening at the bar, this will go down as an unorthodox workday for me. After returning the kayaks and fishing gear to the rental facility, we grabbed a late lunch before heading back to our site. They were all okay with leaving everything unaccompanied, though I’m not sure why. It didn’t matter to me because I had my wallet and phone with me, anything else could be replaced.

The entire drive back to the site, Cavette has been prattling on about his favorite things to do with his family while camping. I remain silent, taking in the
sights and running over my ‘meeting’ with Cavette. But I’m not able to focus because my thoughts end up drifting to Faith and so do my eyes. When she isn’t aware, I find myself glancing at her profile - the way her hair sticks to her neck or the traces of dirt on her legs. If she notices, she doesn’t let on, but I’m fascinated by her easy beauty.

“Trey?” Faith nudges me, snapping me out of my thoughts. “Cal asked if you dance.”

I look at her as if she’s lost her mind, buying myself a few seconds to recover. If she does remember dancing with me, she’s convincing of the contrary.

“Dance? No, I don’t,” I scoff at the thought. “I’ve been to clubs, but the only way I’ve ever danced was when I was dragged out to the floor against my will.”

“Well, that’s a shame. Neither does Grayson. Guess that leaves you and me, Ms. Young,” Cavette announces with a smile.

Her lips turn up when she sees his hopeful expression. “Sounds perfect.”

The Jeep comes to a stop at the campsite and everyone files out and heads to the tents. I trail behind, mulling over what I’m going to do. I’d love nothing more than to lay down and nap, but a shower sounds pretty good, too. Hell, I doubt there’s time for a nap.

Faith and Cavette take a seat in the lounge chairs that are set up in the middle of our tents
, and she begins talking animatedly, her hands flailing in different directions. He appears to be enjoying whatever it is she’s saying as they both laugh. I knew she would get her chance to pitch at some point, and maybe this is it. I’m inclined to give her the moment, but then again, this is business, and I’m on a mission. I stalk over, pretending to be unaware they are talking and pull up a chair to relax.

“So Cal, do you carry those kayaks in your Cave stores?” I ask, interrupting their conversation.

He turns to me and a toothy smile spreads across his face. “I sure do. Pretty nice, huh?”

“They were great. Much better than the clunky one I have back home. Th
at one seemed lighter and easier to maneuver. Mine was a good starter, but I might need to look into something else, after giving those a try today.”

“Do you know
we carry over thirty different types of kayaks?”

“Yes. And what’s more impressive are the manufacturers. What made you decide to carry those as opposed to some of the others out on the market in your competitor’s stores?” I am interested in his reasoning, but I’m also trying to show him I know his company and his competition.

“Grayson and I did a lot of research and took several for a test run. When it boiled down to it, there were five company brands we felt fit in with what we wanted to offer.”

“I agree,” Faith chimes in, waiting for Cavette to look at her. “And most of your customers probably already know what they want. I would imagine the first place they go to is the manufacturer’s website to see who carries what they want. I think it would be great if you could coordinate with the makers to be
listed as a preferred vendor.”

Damn.

He shakes a finger at her and smiles. “You might be on to something with that.”

We shoot a few more things around, but I realize the time, and if we’re really going to this bar tonight, I need to clean up. The conversation is starting to stall
, and it feels like the right time to go.

“Alright, well, I’m going to head up to the showers.” Cavette looks
to me and nods, but Faith keeps her eyes trained on nothing in the distance in front of her. I’m sure she’s doing her best to avoid me, although I don’t understand why.

The duffle bag inside my tent contains the small bag with everything I need to clean up, so I grab the whole thing and head over to the communal showers. They’re not close to our site, but right now, I could use the distance. The
ten-minute walk gives me time to think and clear my head, but the only thing - person - who comes to mind is Faith and her hot and cold attitude toward me.

Sounds of water running catch my attention and I notice the showers only have a few people there. The one
on the end is empty so I toss my bag on the ground outside the stall and grab the things I need. I wait for the water to warm, but I have a feeling I’m not so lucky. If I needed a cold shower, these would be the solution, but I’m
not
in need of one.

Cold shower it is.

It’s interesting how painful cold water can feel against your skin, especially when you’re not expecting it. I’m determined to make quick time of washing myself and getting out. This might be the worst shower or at the very least, the shortest. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve washed well enough, so I turn the water off thankful to be clean.

I reach for my towel hanging on the
hook outside and wrap it around my waist so I can step out to get my clothes from my bag.

There are
footsteps behind me, and I turn to see Faith stopping a few feet away. I hear a faint gasp escape as her cheeks redden, and she deflects her eyes, causing me to laugh. My timing is perfect, because in the few minutes it took me to clean up, the other stalls have filled and she is left waiting with her bag on her shoulder for a shower to become free.

“I wasn’t staring,” she stammers before her eyes lock on mine
. “I was coming to shower.”

I remain in place, holding the towel with one hand and step toward her. I watch as her breathing increases
, and I know I’m getting to her. “That’s what I figured,” I whisper before flicking my finger at her backpack.

She pushes me away and laughs
. “Can you just hurry up?”

I raise a brow and smirk
. “I like to go slow.”

Faith steps forward and brings her body right next to mine and places her hand on my shoulder
. “So do I.”

I swallow hard around the lump that’s formed in my throat
, and she smiles with satisfaction when she sees how she affects me. I bend down and grab my clothes so I can retreat to the shower. “I’ll be done in a sec.”

The shower water is still cold when I run it again and step under to let it cool me down. This time, I don’t need to wash. I stand there for a moment
trying to think of the least sexy things I can think of.

Grandma Jo
.

Foot fungus.

The video of Abby giving birth - that I accidentally walked in on.

That one
does it.

For a moment, I forg
et Faith is outside, but then she speaks up, “I thought you already had a showe -” She stops herself and laughs before clearing her throat. “You could have at least taken your bag in there with you.” Her tone sounds irritated, and I’m glad she can’t see me roll my eyes.

Once again, I think -
WWJS
- What Would Jett Say?

“Where’s the fun in that?” I ask as I shut the water off for a second time.

I dry off another time before I pull on my boxers and cargo shorts. She’s standing outside when I reach around to grab my t-shirt that is resting on top of the bag, but I stand still with it in hand. Faith doesn’t want to give me the time of day, so I remain still until she has to acknowledge me again.

She shrugs her shoulders at me, clearly annoyed before speaking. “Are you done?”

“What’s your problem?” I ask, tugging the shirt over my head.

“I don’t have a problem. I’m gross and sweaty. It’s been a really long day
, and I want to get cleaned up. Is that okay?”

When she finally looks at me, I let out an exasperated huff, “By all means.” I step aside, giving her entrance to the shower. “Enjoy.”

I start making my way back to our site, and I hear her start the water, followed by a shrill scream. I continue walking and laugh because she has received the same chilly wake up I did, and she deserved it.

* * *

The dive bar the locals choose to celebrate the end of the season leaves much to be desired. I can’t help but wonder what someone like Faith thinks of a place like this. The look on her face says enough for her, but then she recovers, and resigns herself to the fact that this is the place we will be spending our evening at. The gravel crunches beneath our shoes as we walk to the entrance making light conversation.

Cavette holds the door open for Faith
, and she soon leads the way, followed closely by the rest of us. The small bar is crowded with old rustic tables that are covered with too many things to figure out. By the looks of it, we’ll be lucky if we find a place to stand, let alone somewhere to sit.

We make our way to someplace unknown, bumping random strangers and stepping on feet along the way. Faith, for her part, garners a few turns of the head, and she knows it. She smiles flirtatiously when she makes her way toward the back, making eye contact with two older men. They stand up and offer her their table, which she takes without hesitation.

“Well played,” Grayson says as he takes a seat on one of the stools.

“Sometimes it pays to be a girl
.” She smiles a cocky grin until her eyes reach mine. I’m disappointed to see it fade and can’t help but wonder what it is about me she disapproves of so much, aside from the fact I’m the competition - and Jett’s brother.

“How y’all
doin’ tonight? I’m Lily, what can I get everyone to drink?” We all turn to the petite woman placing cocktail napkins on the table. She has a raspy voice that indicates she’s a smoker and lines around her mouth to prove it. If I had to guess, she might be in her fifties, but it’s hard to tell from her overly tanned skin. Grayson waves his hand at Faith, allowing her to go first.

“White Star,” she answers without skipping a beat. I think everyone gives her the same
shocked expression, including the waitress. Only she’s the one to question why.

“
Darlin’ are you sure that’s what you want? We have plenty of other
good
choices.” She eyes her skeptically, no doubt wondering if she’ll change her mind.

“I’m in Texas. You know what they say, ‘when in Rome
…’”

Lily shakes her head and writes it down on a napkin
. “Honey, not even us Texans drink that.”

Faith doesn’t let it deter her and everyone decides to follow suit and orders a White Star for the sake of camaraderie, I suppose. Lily disappears
, and we all look in different directions, taking in the atmosphere. The walls are covered with old Texas license plates, black and white pictures of the area and of course mounted animal heads. There’s a jukebox near a door that leads to an outside patio, and in front of it is a small dance floor, at least that’s what people are using it for.