Page 59 of Fresh Tracks
She catches it, pulling it over her head and sitting back down in the water on the other side of the hot tub, just before Tanner turns the corner and spots us.
I tip my chin to him but before I can speak, Grace chimes in from across the hot tub.
“Did you really ditch your new wife the second you got home to go work?” She kicks one of her feet up, splashing water toward her brother.
He shakes his head, walking around the hot tub toward the patio table. He stops and leans against the back of one of the chairs.
“No. Your friend is a bad influence on Collin. He drank too much and couldn’t get out and plow tonight. Believe me, I’d rather be home with Ronni instead of out here in the cold,” he says, tossing his head back groaning. “Not all of us are crazy like you with your cold plunges.”
He turns his attention to me. “Didn’t expect you to be around, TJ. Figured you’d be hounding Sutton for dinner or something. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure your driveway was good for tomorrow. The salt should give me a solid head start when I’m back to plow in the morning and keep it from getting too icy overnight.”
I nod, feeling my heartbeat slow down to an almost normal rate. That is until he takes a step to the side and I see the bra hanging from the branch just a few feet behind his head.
“Perfect. Thanks as always.”
He nods. “No problem. Well, I should probably get back to Ronni. You were my last stop on my way back to the cabin.”
“Yeah, don’t let us keep you,” I say with a laugh.
He takes a few steps back toward the walking path to the driveway and his truck, not noticing his sister’s bra in the tree.
“Hey, what are you doing out anyway?” he says, stopping and turning to face Grace. “I saw your van and the patio lights on and that’s why I came back in the first place.”
To her credit, she just shrugs nonchalantly. “I was out hiking and skiing all day with Josie. TJ said I could always use his hottub if I wanted. I stopped by for a dip and he was already out here, so just hanging and talking about work.”
He looks at me for a second before looking back at his sister, seeming to accept her answer which is mostly true.
“Well, be nice to him,” he says, pointing a finger at her. “He’s been more than generous to all of us.”
She rolls her eyes at him. “Yeah, I know. Now get out of here. Tell V ‘hi’ from me too.”
He nods and I see his expression harden. “Speaking of V, we were thinking you could come stay at the cabin. You could take our guest room or park your van out by the barn like you used to if you want.”
I turn to see Grace’s eyes narrow and I see a flicker of irritation in them. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind. Now seriously, get home to your new wife.” She makes a shooing gesture toward him.
He laughs and starts to head down the path back to his truck before calling back over his shoulder. “See you later, guys.”
Once I hear the door to his truck shut and the engine start, I look at Grace who looks like she’s about to burst with laughter.
“I’m glad you found that so amusing.” I cup my hand and splash her with a fistful of water, but she doesn’t flinch and just keeps laughing. I could listen to that sound on repeat all day.
“Seriously. He might look big and scary, but he’s a big softy. You don’t have anything to worry about.” Her eyes soften and she lifts a hand, curling a finger at me.
“Maybe, but I’d rather not take any chances.” I wade over to her and sit down next to her. “Also what was with that look you gave him? You looked irritated.”
She groans and shakes her head. “Just him being overly protective as usual. Nothing new.”
I sense the irritation in her voice and decide to not push that topic. “On that note, do you want to tell him about us or just keepit between us for now? To be clear, I’m perfectly fine if you want to tell anyone. I just don’t want to make anything messy for you. There are strings attached to being with someone like me.”
The last thing I want to do is drag her into the spotlight that still haunts me every now and then. If she doesn’t want that, I will do whatever it takes to keep it away from her. As far as I’m concerned though, the entire world could know I’m into her and it wouldn’t bother me for one second.
She hums and wobbles her head. “We said let’s keep it simple. So maybe let’s give it a beat before we tell anyone else?”
I wrap my arm around her, pulling her tight against my side. “If that’s what you want, then I’m good with that. But maybe be a little more careful where you throw your bras next time? That was dangerously close.”
She leans over, pressing a kiss to my cheek. “You and I both know that’s not going to happen. What about me says careful?”
I can’t argue with her there because she’s right. Both of us go with our guts. Nothing about what we’re doing seems careful. But even with that little scare just now, being here with her tonight just feels right.
