Page 44 of The Wedding Twist

“Forget it,” Celeste mumbled. “I’ll be in my office.”

She shut the door and sat in her chair and stared at the wall. Maybe it would be better to move on from the lodge. Living and working so closely with her family might not have been the healthiest, the most conducive for her to live an adult life.

Or maybe impulsivity just wasn’t her thing.

*

“Sorry to hearthat,” Jack said, flipping open his organizer and running his finger across the calendar until he found May twenty-second, the date he was supposed to host a youth group from a community center in Nanaimo. They’d just called to cancel, citing a budget shortfall for the year. “What if I knock 10 percent off the price?”

“No can do,” said the woman on the other end. “Our funding wasn’t approved by council this year, so the only trip we’ll be doing is to the local park.”

“All right,” Jack said. “Hope we’ll see you in the future.” He pressed End on his home screen, then tossed his phone across the table and leaned back in his chair, grunting. It was the second cancellation he’d had in under a week, the other a local outdoorsmen club that called to see if he’d price match, of all companies, Forrest Outfitters. He had half a mind to tell the guy all about Forrest, but at the time he’d thoughtScrew ’em.Had he known this other group was going to pull out, he might have acted differently.

He flipped open his laptop and navigated to the back end of the reservations section of his website, where he added a limited-time-offer discount on any booking for the end of the month, then made a post on Instagram to advertise it.

“Come on, Bodie,” he said and whistled. He was frustrated and annoyed and needed to blow off some steam.

The early-evening sunshine was streaming through the trees, lighting up the worn path through the woods that Jack knew like the back of his hand.

Bodie sniffed around, and Jack took some deep breaths of the calm, cool air. He felt for his phone in his pocket. What was Celeste up to tonight? It was Friday, so maybe she’d be available to go out for dinner.

Their afternoon together the day before still felt like a dream, and if it was, he had no interest in waking up from it. That determined glint in her eyes as she’d closed the distance between them, her movements filled with confidence. The fragility he had seen moments before had melted away to a quiet strength that had taken his breath away.

He could still feel her fingers tracing the contours of his jawline before she’d leaned in, her lips meeting his in a passionate kiss that had left him reeling.

He wanted more. The physical piece, for sure. But he was interested in that and so much more. For a second, he had a flash in his mind of them sitting on the couch together, her feet on his lap and Bodie on the floor in front of them, a movie on and the fireplace going.

Maybe he’d drop by the lodge after work and bring by the pamphlets she’d invited him to put out at the front desk. If she was free, he’d invite her to dinner.

Jack couldseehimself with Celeste, a future he hadn’t envisioned in a very long time.

*

After dropping Bodieoff, Jack packed his gear, then drove to the Bow River meeting spot to meet the day’s group. There was a family of four from Dallas, a couple from Ottawa, and two students from UBC’s forestry program who were taking a break from a field-research project in the area.

It was a good group—all beginners but they asked lots of questions, and after a couple of hours, one of the UBC students had the first catch, which seemed to give confidence to the rest of the group, who, one by one, were able to reel in a catch of their own.

They were just starting to clear out of the river when Jack spotted Forrest’s Hummer turn into the parking area, followed by a black Land Rover.

Jack cursed under his breath. Clearly Forrest hadn’t gotten the message the other day. If it weren’t for the fact that his clients were there, he’d have charged right over to him and told him what’s what.

He helped his group out of their waders and watched out of the corner of his eye as Forrest outfitted three middle-aged men from the Land Rover, then led them down to the river.

At least this time he’d brought them farther away from Jack’s space, but it wasn’t an area Jack would have recommended. The water was deeper and there was a section with a strong current, so despite it being on the more dangerous side, it was just a plain stupid place to bring someone to catch a fish, regardless of their experience.

“That was great,” said the mother of the family from Dallas. “Our friends are coming this way later in the summer. I’ll pass along your number.”

“Appreciate that,” said Jack. He eyed the decals on the side of the Hummer, which also detailed Forrest’s website. “Tell them to mention you sent them and I’ll knock 15 percent off the price.” At this rate, he’d be operating at a loss. But it would be worth it just to keep people from booking with Forrest.

After Jack saw off the rest of the group, he spent some time cleaning his equipment by the river and organizing the tackle boxes.

He was about to get into his truck when shouting came from the water. He left the door of his truck door open and jogged down to the river’s edge to get a better view.

One of the men was on his back, struggling to stand up. Forrest was racing toward him, but running through the water wasn’t easy and the man continued to struggle as the river’s current carried him away from the group.

Jack stood watching for a split second, mind calculating the best response. He ran back to his truck, fired up the engine, and executed a quick three-point-turn, then barreled down the gravel path in the direction of the river’s flow. He had to travel faster than the current was taking the man.

He scanned the river ahead as he drove, then pinpointed a spot he knew was on the shallower side. When he was as close as he could get with the truck, he threw the gear shift into Park and leapt out. There was only one place he had a chance of saving the man before the river swept him farther out to the wide basin where it would be impossible to intervene.

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