Page 57 of Runaway
My stomach curled at the breathtaking sight of such . . . abandonment in the face of love and happiness.
Watch out,my brain wanted to scream at them.What if this all goes away? What if you lose each other?
But I turned that away and, for the first time since Megan arrived, looked at Mark. He caught my gaze and winked. The rankled, crinkly feeling inside me faded. His hand found my knee and rested there while he leaned back in his chair and said to Justin, “So, Atty had a good time last night.”
Megan eyed his arm for a moment but said nothing.
Justin let out a long breath. “I think your kitty came to visit, but I can't be sure. Haven't looked for tracks yet.”
“Hear it?”
Justin shook his head. “Nah. I wouldn't let Atty out of the cabin until I could get a rope on him.” He motioned behind the cabin. “He was barking toward the lake. I'll go out soon and see what I can find.”
“Probably obscured by now.” Mark glanced out the window. Wind blew snow into swirls, but none fell from the low ceiling anymore. Justin shrugged.
“I'll try.”
Megan's eyebrows rose as she swallowed a bite of burrito. “Found a new pet, Mark?”
“Well, no one wants me to get horses . . .”
She laughed, then leaned back in her chair and brought her feet onto the seat. Justin ran a hand over the top of her back.
“I ran into a guy named Benjamin when I stopped for coffee at the Frolicking Moose,” she said. “They've opened for to-go orders now that remodeling is almost done. It was Maverick's brother.”
“Benjamin is working there now?”
“No, just visiting. Ellie was running it. Have you met Benjamin?”
Mark's head tilted. Megan's tone had changed just enough to tell me there was more to what she said, but I couldn't figure out what it might be.
“The MMA fighter?” he asked.
She nodded. “He's here for a few months.”
“Why?”
“Hoping to get ready for a fight.” Her eyebrows rose. “But he's causing quite a stir in town. A reporter from Jackson City tried to corner him for an interview. Maverick was pretty pissed off when I got there.”
Mark's eyes widened. “Seriously?”
She shrugged. “Apparently, Benjamin is very private. He can’t find a place to get rid of the press.”
For a moment, I couldn't tell whether Mark's sudden fascination had something to do with Benjamin himself or the commotion caused in such a small mountain town. Did Mark follow MMA fights or something?
Mark dug around his pockets—he was still in his sweats—for his phone. Then he held up a finger and disappeared up the ladder. By the time he got to the top, he was already speaking to someone.
“How are things?” Justin asked me, and I was grateful he picked up the conversation next. “Any new bookings?”
“Not yet. We set up a plan last night. I received everything from Lizbeth and was able to get my head around what needs to be done. It took a while, but I feel like I have a grip on it now.”
“Another spreadsheet?” he asked with a grin.
I laughed. “Yes. Several. It felt wonderful.”
“You sound like Lizbeth,” Justin said, and I felt a lightning bolt all the way to my heart. The sudden realization that I could just be a shadow of the woman Mark really wanted hit me right then. Could Mark have attached on to me because I reminded him of Lizbeth? From what little I'd seen from her emails and the company, she was organized, on top of things, and not afraid to be a bit bossy.
Familiar, indeed.
