Page 31 of Crossroads of Betrayal
The vibration of her phone in her front pocket made her jump back. She gave her heart a second to calm before she snatched it from its place and saw Brooke’s name.
She groaned.
“Who is it?” Zeke frowned, dropping his hands to his sides.
“Brooke,” she said then faced the lake, hoping the serene scene would calm her nerves as she answered. “Hey.”
“Are you near?” Brooke asked.
“Yeah. What do you need?” She braced herself for bad news. Hell, she couldn’t blame her friend and boss if she canned her. She was responsible for keeping the firearms safe and she’d failed, potentially exposing everyone to danger.
“Can you make it up to the lodge—in the conference room on the second floor—in ten minutes? I want to hold an emergency staff meeting.”
Grace cringed. Nothing sounded worse than sitting in a room full of her peers and being forced to admit her mistakes. Mistakes that had cost a young woman her life, because if she’d stayed by the fire until Tessa had gone to sleep, none of this would have happened. “I’m with Zeke by the lake, outside the kennel. I can be there in a few minutes.”
A beat of silence sat heavy on Grace’s chest before Brooke responded. “Maybe he should find something else to do while we meet. Maybe take a hike or hit the gym? This will be a meeting just for the staff.”
Annoyance skittered between her shoulder blades. She didn’t need to be told not to bring a non-employee to an employee only meeting. She wasn’t an idiot. Even though she hated the way the idea of being separated from Zeke caused spikes of panic to shoot through her. “I’ll let him know. I’ll be there soon.”
“You’ll let me know what?” Zeke asked as she disconnected and put away her phone.
“I have to head up to the lodge for a staff meeting.”
“And my name was brought up because?”
“Brooke recommended you find something to do while I’m at the meeting.”
He scrunched his face and let out a huff of laughter. “Did she think I’d crash her meeting?”
Grace shrugged. “She’s got a lot on her plate. I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it.”
“I’ll take Ruby on a walk. But when you’re done, will you find me?”
His request set her nerves into overdrive. The moment they’d shared seconds before loomed between them, and there was no way to escape the conversation she’d avoided for so long. “Okay.”
“Have any suggestions on which way to head?” He scratched at his chin and glanced around.
“Best trails for the dogs are closer to the lodge,” she said, flicking her wrist toward the incline that led up to the front of the retreat. “A good one juts off on the far side of the parking lot. It’s a small loop that goes around the back side of the shooting range. Beautiful views, and it won’t take you long to make the lap.”
She licked her dry lips and dropped her gaze. “Then I can find you when I’m done. We can talk.”
A warm hand on hers lifted her gaze to his. “I’d like that. A lot. Call me, or just meet me back at my cabin.”
She nodded.
“If we’re both headed in the same direction, wanna walk together?”
A hundred questions burned in his eyes. Questions she didn’t have answers for and wasn’t sure how to process. “I have a few minutes before I need to be at the meeting. I just want a moment or two to myself. Try to work through some of the shit buzzing around my head. Prepare for the worst with this meeting.”
He offered her a small smile. “I understand. I’ll see you soon.”
She watched him and Ruby walk away, and her heart panged with longing. When they met up again, she’d tell him everything. Explain why Penelope’s kidnapping and torture ate her up so much inside. Tell him everything about her mother’s suicide and the part she’d played in it. She’d finally lay her soul bare and expose every nasty scar that left her bruised and broken. And from there…. well, she couldn’t say. Hell, she didn’t know what she wanted to happen—if anything—with her and Zeke. All she knew was she couldn’t keep living life the way she had been.
Because, honestly, she hadn’t really been living at all.
When Zeke disappeared up the steep hill, she sucked in a deep breath and stared out on the water. Her life was coming to a crossroads, and she needed to make a decision fast. She let her gaze linger on the gentle waves of the lake. She’d always assumed she was like the water and each new challenge or tragedy was the wave—pounding down on her and keeping her from being calm. Being still and content. But maybe she’d been wrong this whole time. Maybe the ripples in her life weren’t punishment for her choices, but wrinkles of time that nothing could ever stop. Ever change.
Her internal clock sounded, and she headed toward the lodge, wishing Zeke was still by her side. Brooke would be fair, and she wouldn’t reprimand Grace in front of a room full of employees. But Grace couldn’t help feel like a student being called to the principal’s office. All that was left to do was await the verdict.
