Page 29 of Wandering Closer

The three dots pop up then disappear again. I wait only for her to leave me on read. I let Shadow out one more time, then brush my teeth and climb in bed. Right as I turn out my bedside lamp, my phone pings again.

Lily:

Michele and I will be there. Looking forward to it.

CHAPTER TWELVE

lily

Saturday morning I woke before my alarm, nervous energy thrumming through me. Not that a hike was something to be nervous about, but besides a thank you for dinner text and the surprise lilac delivery last night, I haven’t talked to Thoren since Thursday. Michele sent me a text Friday, reminding me how brave and strong I am, and that she was thinking up the perfect revenge plan. Neither of those texts settled my nerves about seeing them though. What if they looked at me differently? Would there be pity or disgust in their eyes?

When I asked Michele if she wanted to go on the group hike with me last night, she jumped on board and said she would be at my house at nine to pick me up. That left three hours for me to sit in my feelings on the back porch and overanalyze everything.

I spent the first hour looking up corporate lawyers, but the majority looked like smarmy jerks and were out of my price range. I wasn’t broke by any means. I had a full-ride scholarship for college, and I lived well within my means in Phoenix, saving a good chunk of my paychecks. On top of that, I sold my condo for almost double what I paid for this cabin and I was doing okay. However, fighting a large corporate firm that could easily drag things out would drain all that saved money in an instant.

For the hour after that I wrote out a pros and cons list for getting a cheap versus expensive lawyer in the hopes of winning the case. I also wrote out all the things I was hoping to gain out of winning the case, since I absolutely did not want my job back. The last bit I wrote out was everything I could think of that would help my lawyer; my supervisors, instances where Tyler lied, and my performance reviews.

Once all of that was written out I felt marginally better, so I made a smoothie, took a quick shower, and got ready. I put on my favorite workout set, mauve leggings with a matching tank top, and laced my sneakers up. With my water bottle filled, I was ready to go by the time Michele parked out front. Thoren sent a text this morning letting me know I could leave my trusty hiking backpack at home since it was an easy trail. These events the Park Rangers did often had varying age ranges and activity levels.

Michele honked her horn with impatience as I locked up. “Hello, lovely lady,” I slid into the passenger seat. “Thanks for going with me.”

“I’m so glad you asked. I love an excuse to get out of the house, and I don’t have a showing until this afternoon.” She pulled out of my driveway before diving right into all her thoughts. It’s one thing I really love about her; the ability to be so vulnerable and open with everyone. “So I haven’t found you a lawyer yet, but I can guarantee that Thoren has. I did however, look up creative ways to torture people from afar. Do you happen to have his address? I think we start small with a glitter bomb, then slowly escalate from there. Maybe make a dating account for him and put his phone number on it. If you know enough about him we might even be able to get his water and power shut off.”

I double over in laughter, trying to drag in breaths between hysterics. The grin on Michele is proud as punch. “You arediabolical and I love it. I think I’ll just stick to the legal routes though. I did some searching for a lawyer this morning and I’m sure I’ll find a good fit soon.”

“Don’t knock my ideas, two of those will punish his twit of a wife too, and I think that’s fair game.”

Green blurs past the window I’m fixated on as I try to hide my smile because she’s not wrong. That just isn’t who I am, even if sometimes I wish that it was. Tyler and his wife, Angela, deserve a bit of hell, although I do still feel bad for Angela. Would I have hit the woman who told me she was sleeping with my husband for two years… no. I could understand the desire to though, and maybe she was just as stunned and that’s why she walked out.

Before long, we are turning into the parking lot with a small playground off to one side, a pavilion in the middle, and trails on the other. There’s a group of about fifteen standing near the trailhead, which must be where we want to go.

“Shit,” Michele mutters, getting out of the car. She’s wearing running shorts with a pink tank top that molds to her porcelain skin. Her ample cleavage is covered but certainly not hidden, making her hourglass figure look even more like a goddess.

“What?” I whisper conspiratorially, rounding the front of her car.

“Sherry’s here.” She looks toward a leggy blonde in the tiniest set of shorts and a sports bra. She’s practically attached to Thoren’s side as he talks animatedly to the group in front of him. When she sees my confusion, she continues. “We went to school with her. She was the self-appointed ‘it girl’ and was every bit as fake then as she is now. She will also claw your eyes out to get to Thoren.”

Glancing over to them again, it’s clear Thoren is not giving her any attention. Despite her eyes being glued to him, he hasn'tlooked to her even once. Thoren’s gaze drifts to our approaching forms, and his smile widens.

“You made it!” his voice rings out. He sends a wink our way. “You ladies look lovely. We are going to wait about five more minutes for any stragglers then we will be on our way.”

Thoren squeezes past the group, walking over to us, Sherry hot on his heels. He looks delectable in shorts that hug his thighs, and a tee that is equally snug around bulging biceps. The forest that is inked there stands out in the sunlight. I don’t miss the way he takes me in, tingles lighting up every inch of my skin that his heavy gaze touches. My cheeks are already turning pink and it has nothing to do with the blazing sun. Before he can say anything more, Sherry plants herself at his side again.

“Michele,” her voice drips with fake cheer. “It’s been a while. I don’t think I’ve seen you in spin class at all this year. You know they have other classes, right? Ones that might be better suited for you.”

My mouth drops open with the audacity of this chick. Michele may not have the same petite frame as us, but she is stunning with curves in all the right places. Curves I would kill to have, and her personality far outshines Malibu Barbie here.

“Yeah, having a thriving career, nights with friends, and being a home and business owner really keeps me busy. To each their own, right?” Michele quips back, not letting the snide remark phase her.

Thoren looks just as angry and taken aback as me, but recovers quickly, throwing his arm around Michele. “Plus, I’ve known you since we were kids and I think you are aging like a fine wine.” He places a kiss on her head and she rolls her eyes, swatting him in the chest.

Sherry’s lips purse, but she flips her hair over her shoulder and reaches for Thoren’s arm. “I think it’s time to go, don’t want to fall behind.”

He reluctantly follows after her, calling out to the group that we are about to leave for the hike. Before he gets to the front of the group though, he looks back at us with a sympathetic smile.

“Told you,” Michele says under her breath as we move to the middle of the group and follow Thoren. “Don’t worry, that man only has eyes for you.”

For the next thirty minutes we all follow the easy path through the woods that leads to a small set of rapids in the river. Listening to Thoren point out different trees and plant life, while also telling about the history of Cedar Ridge, was more entertaining than I imagined. His love for what he does radiates into his every word, drawing you in.

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