Page 83 of Love in Tandem
“Oh. Well, we can take another break, I guess. I mean, I know we’re both anxious to finish, but we don’t have to kill ourselves to get there.”
Anxious to finish. Yeah, that was the thing. Zach wasn’t anxious to finish. He was the exact opposite of anxious to finish. He was . . . relaxed to finish? That didn’t sound right either. All he knew was for the first time in his life, he wanted to stay put. Stick around. Place roots. With Charlotte.
But what would that look like? How was he supposed to place roots and make a life with her if he didn’t know how to make a living in Bailey Springs? Illinois wasn’t exactly booming with employment opportunities for outdoor travel guides. Would she ever consider making a life with him somewhere else? Like Northern California?
Because the more he thought about it, the more he knew he couldn’t turn down that job. It was too perfect. Well, too perfect except for one thing. It didn’t include Charlotte.
He’d lost count of how many times he’d opened his mouth earlier, trying to find the right words to ask her to come with him. Then closed his mouth when the right words never came. Because what was he supposed to say?
Hey, do you mind leaving behind your music program? Your dream? Your family—your sick mom? For me?
No way could he do that. But the thought of leaving without her . . .
No way could he do that either, he thought with a groan.
“You okay up there?” Charlotte asked.
“You know what?” Zach cleared the tightness out of his throat. “A break might be good. Sorry. I know we’re almost there, but my knee’s acting out of sorts.” And by knee, he meant his brain. His heart.
“No problem. We can pull over here if you want.”
He bit back another groan. What was he doing? Being stupid, obviously. Dragging this out wasn’t fair to Charlotte. They needed to cross the finish line. He owed her that much. He’d figure out what to say after they reached the end. “Actually, I’m okay. Let’s keep going.”
“You sure?”
“It’s only two miles. Let’s just get there.”
And after two miles, they did.
They took the exit, following a short road that led them into Jackson, Louisiana. They cruised to a stop at the first gas station parking lot they saw. Then they both climbed off the bike. Stood there. And stared at each other.
The scent of gasoline and fast food permeated the air. A man in a sleeveless shirt walked past, side-eying their bike on his way into the gas station. Another guy slurped from his giant slushy drink, ignoring them completely.
“Did we just do it?” Charlotte slowly reached up and unsnapped her helmet. “Because I have to admit, this feels anticlimactic. I thought there’d be a parade or something. Are we sure we’re done?”
“We’re done. We did it. We finished, Charlotte.” Zach propped his own helmet over one of the handlebars, wishing he could give her the celebratory finish she deserved. At the very least, her own giant slushy “Do you have any idea how proud I am of you? Come here.” He pulled her into a tight hug.
She squeezed back, then gave him a playful shove. “Do you have any idea how bad we both smell? Maybe it’s a good thing there isn’t a parade here to welcome us.”
With a grin, she motioned to the gas station. “I’m going to refill my bottle and try calling my sister. Hopefully there’s enough battery left in my phone to get through. I wonder if we can start getting some of that prize money now. I’m starving for a meal that isn’t a sub sandwich.”
As soon as she shot inside, Zach pushed the bike around to the back of the station to think. Or cry. Whichever came first. Because they’d done it. Finished the race.
He leaned against the back wall, his shoulder pressing into the bricks as he rubbed the ache building in his chest.
“Get a grip,” he whispered. It wasn’t as if this was the last moment they’d ever be together. Sure, Charlotte would want to get back to Illinois, and he’d need to get out to California ASAP—they wouldn’t keep holding that job for him forever—but maybe the two of them could use a tiny amount of that prize money to relax for a few days. Press pause. Figure things out.
No need to part ways so quickly.
Except . . . what was left to figure out? Being a couple and falling in love on the trail was one thing. But being a couple and making a relationship work in reality . . . Well, it just wasn’t a reality, was it? Not for them.
Not unless Zach gave up California. Committed to carving out a life back in Bailey Springs. Could he do that?
Zach pushed off the wall. He was going to have to do something. They’d gone through too much to part ways now. There had to be a solution. This couldn’t be the end. With two hundred fifty thousand dollars there had to be a way for Charlotte to leave her mom in good hands and at least consider the possibility of coming to California with him.
He rounded the corner and spotted her with her cellphone hanging limply at her side. “Did you get ahold of Sophia?”
She looked at the phone in her hand as if she had no idea how it had gotten there. Then she met Zach’s gaze with the same hopeless expression, the same pained words she’d said the night he’d found her inside an empty church sanctuary two years ago after his brother had called off the wedding. “It’s over, Zach. Everything. It’s all over.”
