Page 6 of Forever Wild

Ooh. Tell me everything.

Actually, on second thought, don’t. Go find her. Kiss her. Hold her hand. TALK TO HER. And then never tell me what happens.

Me

(…)

Lila

UGH. You are so infuriating. You need a rebound. It has been a year since you broke up with she-who-will-not-be-named. YOU NEED TO GET LAID. I have it on good authority it has been A YEAR. That’s too long for anyone, including yours truly.

Me

Jesus, Lila, TMI.

Lila may be twenty-four and completing her master’s in engineering next spring, but I do not need to think about her getting laid. And as much as I want to deny it, I also know she’s right. It has been a long time since I’ve felt any interest in anyone—until that infuriating girl today.

Fuck. No, not the girl today. That zing I felt in my chest was pure anger at her comment, nothing else. No sparks.

Me

And just who is this “good authority”?? Stop talking to JT!

Lila

Gotta run to class. Love you!

“All right, Sis,” I say out loud, grabbing my keys and wallet. “You win. I’ll go to the bar tonight and see what happens.”

Let’s just hope the woman from today isn’t there. I’m not sure how long my body will let me stay away from her, even knowing she is just after my money.

Chapter three

Bryn

“Bryn, there he is. You have to go apologize for calling him a stupid dick.”

Izzy shoves my arm, forcing me to stop inhaling my french fries and focus on the spot where a freshly showered “Dick” has just walked through the door into the club’s restaurant and bar area.

I thought golf-attire Dick was handsome, but he is nothing compared to the version walking in front of me in slacks and a white button-down shirt. His dark hair is just long enough to need to be brushed back from his face, and his eyes are a piercing green that is noticeable even from twenty feet away. The man has a presence that can’t be denied, and, based on the number of people staring at him when he walks in, I’m not the only one who feels that way.

It’s unfortunate he was so hot and cold this afternoon. After our rocky start, there had been a minute there when I thought he might be worth getting to know.

“I didn’t call him stupid. I implied he wouldn’t pass some made-up test to get into Wild Bluffs. Or a secret society. Maybe Atlantis?” I groan. “And I’m honestly not sure if I was insulting his character, IQ, or his psychological state. All were included in the test.”

Izzy blinks a couple of times, clearly trying to work through what I just told her. I drop my head into my hands. “You know things just come out of my mouth without me knowing what I’m saying!”

I quickly glance up, eyeing his table, and again feel the twinge that comes with knowing I’m forgetting something.

“Do you recognize him, Iz? Is he from Wild Bluffs?”

Not many of the locals are members out here, with the club primarily catering to out-of-town big shots who fly into the small airport in town on their private planes, but enough are members to warrant the question. While unlikely that I wouldn’t recognize a local, I’ve been out of high school long enough that it’s possible I don’t know everyone in town anymore.

“Hmm…” She turns, giving him a long once-over. “No. Definitely not a local. But he does seem familiar. I think it’s the beard that’s throwing me off.”

This is what I love about Iz: though she is very different from me in temperament—the sweet to my sour, if you will—we always seem to be on the same wavelength.

“That’s what I was thinking too.”

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