Page 7 of Undone

I watched him walk away before grabbing a piece of apple and popping it in my mouth. Crunchy, juicy, tartness greeted me and I closed my eyes, savoring the bite. I’d agreed to come back to Lost Valley Ranch to pick up some of the pieces of my life that’d crumbled when my ex-roommates pushed me out. But given the way being around my ex-boyfriend still affected me, I couldn’t really say whether being here was going to make me feel better or worse.

FIVE

JOSH

Iclosed my eyes and rubbed my temples after hanging up with my insurance agent, Craig. Lost Valley had been with his agency forever, maintaining a strong relationship since both of our fathers had owned their businesses.

It wasn’t like the increase in my rates was a surprise. Craig had told me months ago it was coming, if I couldn’t prove that I’d completed a list of modifications the insurer wanted before they’d renew my policy. But some of those requirements were ridiculous. The original house and barn were more than one hundred years old—how the hell was I supposed to get rid of all the dryrot? Then there were the electrical and plumbing upgrades. Of course I knew that thosedidneed to happen but that took time and money, both of which were in short supply.

Except now that bill had come due, and where was the money going to come from? It was another line of red numbers on my spreadsheet that would keep me from sleeping for the next few weeks. I didn’t even want to factor in the hit to my bottom line from the two long-term riding lesson clients that had recently dropped out. One was moving with his family and the other was having financial difficulties, so it wasn’t like it was Lost Valley’s fault they were leaving. But that didn’t make the losses any easier to bear. I felt like I was floundering in a leaking lifeboat, far from shore and without a paddle.

“Hey, you,” Shannon said from behind me, making me jump.

I turned around to find my sister smiling at me from the doorway.

“You okay?” she asked. “You look stressed.”

I managed a tight grin. “Fine. All good. Nothing for you to worry about.” I wasn’t going to trouble her, too. “Anyway, what’s up?”

“Zo and I made pizza, and we thought you needed to take a break and come eat with us.”

“I have to finish up my budgets. I’ll grab some from the fridge later,” I said with a sigh.

“Seriously? It’s fresh out of the oven and won’t taste as good later.” She frowned at me. “Come on, walk away from all of that numbers stuff for a little while and hang with us. Zoe will be disappointed if you don’t.”

Shannon’s voice went singsong as she said the last part.

I ignored the comment and shook my head. “Can’t.”

Shannon rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

She spun on her heel and left without another word. I leaned closer to my computer, and the screen started to swim before my eyes as I tried not to think about what Shannon meant about Zoe being disappointed. Had they been talking about me? I stared at the computer screen in a trance as the aroma of pizza wafted down the hallway and my stomach let out an angry growl.

Was Shannon serious about Zoe wanting me to join them? Nah, it was exactly the type of comment she’d make to try to get a rise out of me, knowing my history with Zoe.

But what if Zoedidwant me to have dinner with them? She was doing the ranch such a big favor by looking into the trail riding idea and revamping the website. It was only polite to go eat with them if she was hoping to see me, right?

I hopped out of my chair feeling shockingly upbeat considering what I’d just been dealing with and headed for the kitchen. As I got closer, I heard them laughing and chattering and couldn’t help but smile. I rounded the corner just as Zoe threw her head back and let out the full-bodied infectious laugh that always used to make me join in. I felt a smile creep onto my face.

There was a time whenIwas the reason for her adorable laugh. Back when we were together, it was my favorite thing to do, getting her to let go like that. It didn’t matter if I embarrassed myself to make it happen, all that I cared about was making her happy. I stopped myself before I could wonder who was doing it for her now. Zoe’s love life wasn’t my business.

“Hey, you,” Shannon said with a grin. “You got smart after all! Sit down, eat. This tastes better than Magiano’s Pizza.”

Zoe’s smile downshifted when she spotted me. “Hi Josh. We’ve got a few slices of mushroom left. I know that’s your favorite.”

It was such a small thing that she remembered what I liked. But it was so Zoe. I reminded myself that she was perceptive and kind toeveryoneshe encountered, not just me.

The little smile on her face had nothing to do with me.

I grabbed a beer and joined them at the table. Twisting the cap off, I took a sip, then rubbed my hands together. “Okay, give it to me. Let’sjust see how good this pizzareallyis.” With far more ceremony than I anticipated, my sister and Zoe played along and with a flourish, presented me with a plate and two slices of mushroom pizza. I stared down at the slices and made a humming noise. Then I picked one up. “Let’s see. Nice browning on the crust.” I kept my tone serious as I lifted it up and tapped the crust. “Looks crunchy. Bottom is cooked through.” While I was visually inspecting the pizza, Shannon rolled her eyes but she was smiling. Zoe was resting her chin on her hands and biting her lower lip while she waited.

I lifted the slice up ready to take a bite but before I did, I turned it and bit into the side. The shocked noises they made was worth it and I did my best to keep a poker face, but damn, that was good pizza. I couldn’t keep up the joke because I was taking another bite before I finished chewing the first one.

Reaching for my beer, I took a sip to help wash it down. “This is amazing. Way better than Magiano’s. What’s your secret?”

Shannon was nodding her head. “See, Zoe? I told you it was good.”

Zoe blushed and it looked good on her. She fiddled with the pizza cutter. “It’s nothing special. I just toasted some spices before I worked them into the dough. It’s no big deal.”

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