Page 63 of Steadfast

Oakleigh sighed, “I hope I find a love like that.”

Maeve glanced at the darkening sky and the black clouds rolling over the distant mountains.

“Have a little faith, Oakleigh.”

Chapter 20

A Step Too Far

Oakleigh stepped off the porch to say goodbye to Maeve and take last minute instructions while she loaded her compact luggage into the back of the blue ranch truck. The sky was full of dark clouds, and the occasional raindrop had now become a persistent sprinkling.

“I don’t know about this,” Maeve said with a glance at the sky as she scanned the terrible weather.

“Maeve, stop worrying. It’s just a little rain,” Oakleigh replied quickly in an attempt to put her anxiety at ease. “And you’re going to be gone for like one day.” All she needed was for her to back out of the trip at the last minute. This was her chance to show Maeve that she could handle things on her own, and she wasn’t going to let a little autumn storm get in her way.

“I trust you’ll call me if you run into trouble,” Maeve prodded.

“Yes, yes, of course.” Oakleigh shooed her away, “Now go before you miss your plane.”

Maeve swung the door open and stepped into the driver’s seat, hesitating before she shut the door. “Lead by listening, Oakleigh.”

Oakleigh watched the blue truck’s tail lights disappear down the driveway. Now that she was officially in charge, she felt a sense of excitement and freedom.

After checking off her morning responsibilities from her list, she went upstairs to get ready for her day at the shop. She took advantage of taking a longer shower than normal, enjoying the hot water on her tight muscles. All the stress over the last few days, mixed with physical labor in the terrible conditions, had left a tight knot between her shoulder blades. When she was ready to go, she bounced down the stairs into the quiet living room. Mia and Paisley were nowhere to be found.

She rolled her eyes.

Of course Mia would sleep in when she needed her most.

When Oakleigh stepped out the front door, she noticed the light rain shower had officially become a downpour. She sprinted across the soggy driveway, attempting to remain somewhat dry as she climbed into the G-Wagon. When she pressed the ignition, the hard spatters immediately triggered the automatic windshield wipers to sweep across the glass.

Oakleigh had other things to worry about besides a little weather. She hadn’t admitted to Maeve that she was still spinning with uncertainty. She wasn’t sure how to feel about Crew,and to make things worse, her stomach turned every time she pictured Mia partying with Hudson.

Hudson, that slimy, good for nothing piece of garbage.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to take captive the worry and anger that was nearly making her sick. She had used the excuse of the ranch work and her upcoming responsibilities to avoid speaking to Mia entirely. It seemed like Mia was also attempting to stay out of her path, which made her feel like there were some shreds of truth in Shayna’s bold accusations.

She tried to push the suggestion from her mind. If Shayna was right about Mia, what did that mean for Crew?

Oakleigh jammed her foot on the gas pedal and sped down the highway as she contemplated how she couldn’t hide from it all forever.

Crew had been texting her all morning. She had responded yet kept her answers painfully brief. Meanwhile, there was a whirlwind of speculation on social media, and her silence on the issue was fueling the fire. Being the internet’s favorite couple certainly had its drawbacks.

The comment section was already rife with observations that Oakleigh was missing at Nationals. Internet sleuths were analyzing the body language in the viral photo of Crew with his female fans. They were making entire videos pointing out things like—

Which woman is he leaning towards?

What does his smile say?

Just where are his hands behind them?

She had to admit Shayna’s poisonous darts had certainly hit their mark. Her gossip content had always been wildly successful and entertaining, but Oakleigh had never considered what it felt like to be on the receiving end of it all. She now knew firsthand that it was an absolute nightmare. Not only was it embarrassing, but she felt vulnerable as the narrative had spun entirely out of her control.

One thing was for sure, Mia was on thin ice.

Oakleigh couldn’t fathom a single reason for throwing a party amidst the most challenging chapter of her entire life. The comment section was spinning a web of conjecture regarding Mia’s betrayal, and their conclusions were becoming stronger than her restraint.

She could feel herself boiling over.

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