Page 20 of Beyond Reach

“Mom made it clear the day I brought Marcella to meet them. She pulled me aside later and said Marcella isn’t the woman for me.”

“Wow. That’s shocking, but you’re grown. You can do what you want. And since you’re still getting married, I assume you’re leading your own life on your own terms.”

He ignored the comment and moved on. “I want to stop by your hotel roo—”

“Heck no!”

“I didn’t mean anything by that. I just want to talk.”

She pressed her lips together. Temptation was strong to meet him anywhere he’d like. She tried to keep memories out of her head about intimacy with him in the past, but they flooded her mind anyway. What in the world should she do? Leave now?

Temptation grew stronger. “I was planning to leave—”

“Don’t do that. Meet me.”

No!

“Alright fine.”

When she refused to meet in her hotel room, he gave her the address for one of the city’s many trails, as if she’d forgotten where they were after a decade. The location wasn’t far from where she currently drove, and she suspected Garner knew at which restaurant she’d had lunch with his parents.

The trail leading into the park was empty except for a lone jogger and someone far ahead, riding a bike in the same direction she walked.

So often in the past, she’d get on one of the trails when the weather was most tolerable and vow to exercise until her wide hips went down. It never lasted.

“Chanda.”

She started at hearing her name and turned around. Garner headed toward her. He offered a friendly smile as if they had never argued. Then again, he did defend her against her uncle. She wondered what went down after she left.

“The one mild day this summer,” he said when he reached her. “I thought we should take advantage of it. Tomorrow it’ll be one hundred degrees.”

“Yeah, y’all should have chosen winter for your wedding. I would have loved to be here for that.”

He eyed her. “Why are you hiding your hands?”

“I’m not.”

They fell into step beside each other and walked beneath the overhanging trees. A warm breeze stirred in the leaves. Chanda couldn’t remember when a breeze wasn’t blowing in Texas. The air moved all the time. Maybe it was so much flat land that allowed it.

“So what did my mom say?”

“What happened with my uncle?”

They spoke at the same time. When he realized what she asked, he frowned and stopped walking to face her. “Show me your hands.”

“Why?”

“Show me, Chanda.”

“You’re not my savior, Garner, so stop trying to act like it.”

His frowned deepened. “I don’t want to hurt you worse by forcing you to show me.”

“Excuse me?”

He raised a hand.

“Okay, okay, jeez. I don’t remember you being so pushy.”

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