Page 47 of Fight

“About thirty feet,” he answered over the rush of the waterfall as he walked up behind her. “And the water’s deep—probably about fifty feet when the water level is high; which it is now. Ian, Duke, and I have jumped off these rocks a few times.”

She looked back at him with wide eyes. “You’ve jumped down there?”

“Yeah, but don’t worry,” he laughed. “I’m not going to jump off right noworpressure you to do it.”

She narrowed her eyes at him before looking around searchingly.“Here,” she finally said, pointing to a low rock.“Sit here.”

“Why?” he asked as he nonetheless complied with her order, and sat on the low rock near the edge of the cliff.

“It’s for my art,” she answered slowly as if imitating a lofty artist’s voice.

“I guess this makes me your muse then?” Jake asked with a smile as he leaned back on his elbows, reveling in the cool misty air bellowing over from the waterfall.

“Actually, I just wanted to use you as a placeholder so I could put Mr. McIntosh in later,” she replied with a wide smirk.

Jake barked out a loud laugh before his smile froze on his face. He held it there as he absently watched her settle down a few yards away from him before she began making the familiar wide strokes with her pencil on the pad of paper.

“Turn around and face the waterfall,” Lena suddenly ordered. “I want to get you in more of a profile view.”

Turning his body around compliantly, Jake considered the rushing water in front of him before he scraped up enough courage to talk.

“By the way,” he said, clearing his throat in an attempt to speak louder over the rushing fall. “I spoke with Cindy yesterday before I left work. She heard from that McIntosh guy.”

“Oh yeah?” Lena asked wryly. “So he complained about me to her?”

“Yeah, he complained,” Jake confirmed as he started to turn his head toward her.

As soon as she noticed though, she made a sharp sound and looked up at him with a chastising frown. “No,” she ordered. “Turn back.”

Jake chuckled and sighed, again complying with the artist’s demands. He couldn’t see the pool below from where he sat, but he studied the rocky cliffs and rushing water.

“I’m not going to lie, Lena, she wanted you fired,” he rushed out in a serious voice.“I talked her out of it, but I think you’re on thin ice.”

There was a pregnant pause and he started to wonder if she’d actually heard him over the sound of the waterfall. “Thin ice, huh?” she finally questioned in a nonchalant voice.

“Yeah, but it’s not your fault,” he insisted.“That guy was an ass—but Cindy prioritizes guests like him.”

“She prioritizes rude guests over her own employees?” she asked so quietly he barely heard her.

“I wouldn't—no,” Jake sputtered. “It’s complicated, I think.” He felt torn. He knew that guy had treated Lena badly, but he understood where Cindy was coming from by catering to him to a certain extent. It was the nature of customer service, unfortunately.

“Yeah, complicated,” she said sarcastically. At the hurt sound of her voice, he moved to turn around again but stopped immediately when she chipped out, “Don’t move!”

They were silent then as the minutes ticked by and the water continued to fall. He wondered if she was working out her emotions in her drawing.That seems like a Lena thing to do. Maybe she was drawing devil horns on him as he lounged back on his elbows.

He closed his eyes as the mist enveloped him and the peaceful setting did its magic on his senses and thoughts. He could hear the high-pitched songs of birds tweeting over the dull roar of the fall, but mostly he just lounged in a state of relaxation that only listening to a waterfall in the middle of the woods could provide.

“Hey, Jake,” Lena said suddenly, breaking his calm reverie.

“Yeah?” he said quietly, not moving up from his position or opening his eyes as a mixture of sun and water droplets beat down on him.

“Watch out,” she said, her voice flat and determined.

“Huh?” He looked back then just in time to see her rush past him, a blur of movement and skin that cannon-balled off the cliff.

Chapter 15

Lena'sheartwasforcedout of her throat by the momentum of the jump. She left it behind her somewhere in the air.By the time her body broke the surface of the water, though, it felt like a million tiny needles jabbed into her skin, so her heart was long forgotten.

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