Page 9 of Unleashed

She sounded genuinely surprised. “Where?”

“Maybe the Catskill Scenic Trail or the Appalachian Trail. I’ve done both before, but it’s been a few years.” I could almost feel the fresh mountain air as I spoke, the way it cleared my head.

Erika laughed softly. “Remember that camping trip we took to Fahnestock State Park?”

I grinned at the memory. “The one where you charmed those guys into cooking for us?”

She laughed again, the sound warm and familiar. “It was fun. That blond guy? He was a great kisser.”

I rolled my eyes, feeling the smile tug at my lips. “Figures you wouldn’t remember his name.”

“It was seven years ago!” She defended, twisting a strand of hair around my finger. “All I remember is how soft his lips were.”

I paused for a moment. “Are you dating anyone?”

She let out a small sigh, staring at the rain trickling down my window. “You know me, I’m a serial dater. I’ve had a few flings this past month, but nothing special.”

Outside, the rain pounded harder against the glass, mirroring my mood. “Fuck, I hate this weather.”

“It’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow,” Erika said, as if that could magically make everything better. “Summer will be here before you know it. I can’t wait to go to the park and see some man candy.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “You’re unbelievable. Are you ever planning to settle down?”

“Maybe when I’m forty,” she replied, a trace of laughter in her voice, though I could hear the walls going up. “You know the story.”

I did know the story—her parents’ brutal divorce, the years of custody battles, and the scars it left behind. Her father’s anger, her choice to live with her mother—it all weighed on her. “But that doesn’t have to be your story.”

She exhaled, the sound heavy over the line. “Even if it’s not, I’d always worry it might turn out that way. People change. My dad went through a shitty mid-life crisis that tore our family to shreds. You know my brother still won’t talk to him?”

I frowned, sitting up straighter. “How’s Jim doing?”

“Off in the ozone somewhere,” she said with a hint of amusement. “Last I heard, about two weeks ago, he was heading to New Zealand with some buddies for prime waves, dude.”

I rolled my eyes. “I guess he’ll never grow up.”

“He’s happy being a leaf on the wind,” she said, but there was a note of resignation in her voice.

I scoffed. “He’ll have to float to the surface sometime.”

“Not anytime soon,” she said dryly. “He’s twenty-five and has a stack of cash to work with.”

Erika’s brother had hit it big trading stock options, and now he was living the nomad life, chasing waves with his surf buddies around the world. “Lucky him,” I muttered, a small pang of envy slipping into my voice. “I wish I could say the same.”

“You’ve got plenty, Morgan,” Erika shot back, her tone firm. “You should spend some of it instead of killing yourself at that job.”

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “They screwed me over for the supervisor position, Erika. That says something.”

“What assholes!” she cried, her voice rising in anger. “You’re the most qualified person there.”

“I know,” I said, the bitterness creeping into my chest again. “But it goes back to what Slade said.”

“That’s a fucked-up excuse, and you know it,” she snapped. “You deserve it, and who cares if you’re a woman?”

I huffed, tugging at the frayed hem of my pajama sleeve. “Apparently, they do. I want to walk out of there and tell them to fuck off, but it’s not that easy. I can’t live off my savings while I look for another job.”

“I’m sure any engineering firm would snap you up in a minute,” she said, her voice full of confidence.

I laughed softly, but there wasn’t much humor in it. “I can’t count on maybes, Erika. I need something solid.”

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