Page 61 of Fight

Lena let out a deep sigh. “I think I’m going to have to go down there and face the firing squad,” she moaned.

She slowly moved into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes with her hands. Jake admired her smooth, bare back in the sunlight, the long strands of her hair cascading to her waist. He was struck again as he had been earlier—he couldn’t believe she actually wanted to be with him.

“Before we go down,” he started, as he sat up and ran his hand up and down the length of her spine. “While you’re unemployed and untethered and all that, I was thinking…”

“Thinking what?” she asked, looking over at him curiously.

“I’m going to Colorado on Wednesday to spend the Fourth of July at the ranch.”

“Oh, so you finally talked to your mom about that? Wow, that’s big, Jake. When was the last time you were there?”

“Like six years ago…”

“Look at you making the first move. Such a big person.” She reached down to grab him under the blanket. “In more ways than one,” she finished with an exaggerated wink before they both dissolved into snickers and fell back on the bed. Looking over at her next to him, he pulled his body up so she lay between his arms and he looked down on her. His insides softened at her bright face smiling up at him and her hair spread around her on the pillow.

“Anyway,” he emphasized. “I was thinking—how’d you like to go with me? We can drive, make it a road trip. You can see where Satan is from. It will most likely be hot as hell, so, you know…on theme.”

“I’d really like that,” she said softly with a wide smile taking over her face.

“Yeah?” he asked with uncertainty—again, he couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

“Yeah,” she confirmed before he leaned down to kiss her and pulled his hand up her body again. The firing squad was going to have to wait just a bit longer.

Chapter 19

Frigidairpumpedintothe waiting room of the Lake Conrad Civic Association. Lena sat in her favorite purple tweed suit, bouncing her leg up and down while she balanced a homemade portfolio on her lap. She found the motion both released her nervous energy, and warmed her up.Why is it so cold in here? And why isn’t there anyone here?

The Civic Association headquarters was on the second floor of one of the long rows of shiplapped multi-use buildings that snaked around the perimeter of Lake Conrad Square. It sat on top of a western wear store; Lena could hear the sensor attached to the store’s door make a ding sound every time someone entered or exited below.

When she’d walked through a glass door with “Lake Conrad Civic Association” spread across it in white block letters, she’d found an empty desk, seemingly for a receptionist, a modestly-filled bulletin board, and several maroon vinyl chairs lined against the wall in the small, neat, and freezing cold room. Alas, there were no human beings.

She'd called out a friendly “Hello!” toward the dark hallway behind the desk to no avail. So, she sat down in one of the matching chairs and waited…and waited…and waited.

She'd been waiting about twenty minutes for someone to show up. The website for the Civic Association had said to drop off mural submissions to the front desk, but Lena was hesitant to just leave her submission without talking to anyone. She hemmed and hawed about what to do while she shivered and thought longingly of a warm cup of coffee from the Golden Carafe, where Annie waited for her—probably sitting at one of the outdoor tables basking in the warm sun.

She and Annie had walked from the house to the Square that morning and talked about everything: Lena getting fired, Lena getting rescued by Jake in the words, Lena getting abandoned byDanielin the woods, JakepunchingDaniel, Sadie being a bitch, and so on and so forth.

Lena hadn’t realized just how messy and dramatic her life had been since she’d arrived in Lake Conrad. And second only to Cori, Annie was her favorite person to talk through these difficult things with. While Cori was good at telling her harsh truths, Annie’s gentle nature was perfect for assuring her everything would be all right, which was just what Lena needed to soothe her unemployed ego and help her build a plan.

Annie had actually beengladthat Lena had been fired. “You’ve been so busy with work and getting lost in the woods,” she’d said. “And now we can spend the rest of my summer off hanging out.”

While Lena had appreciated Annie’s optimism and both her and Jake's surreptitious suggestions that they would help her out with money—“You have nothing to worry about,” Annie had whispered in Lena’s ear during a too-long hug that morning—she knew she needed a job. She’d been working since she was fifteen years old—not making her own money was out of the question.

Lena shot an impatient look toward the dark hallway behind the desk. Was there anyone back there? Maybe she should walk back and look? Annie was going to start wondering where she was if she didn’t show up soon. Lena had assured her that should be in and out, yet the minutes kept ticking by and here she sat.

After all that anticipation, this just figures. Lena’s thoughts veered into dread as the waiting room’s freezing silence started to smother her. Maybe she needed to make her presence known and make some noise.

Loudly clearing her throat, she rose from her chair trying to cause as much of a disruption as possible as she wiggled her chair a bit and stomped to the other side of the room, where the bulletin board she’d been eyeing hung on the wall between a space in the chairs. Her eyes ate up the words on the fliers advertising upcoming community events and job openings.Oh, job openings, Lena thought as she took a closer look.

As Lena’s eyes took in the bulletin board, they caught on a bright blue flier with the words “Lake Conrad Community Theater and Art House'' written in bold text. What was that? How did she not know that Conrad had a theater? And an “art house?” What even was that?

She was in the process of getting a closer look when a low baritone behind her made her jump.

“Can I help you?”

Lena felt like she jumped a foot in the air at the deep sound. Resting her hand on her chest, she swiftly turned around, almost bumping into the tallest, broadest man she’d ever seen. The small waiting room seemed to shrink in response to his presence.

His long-ish, shiny black hair was parted down the middle and pulled back in a short ponytail—though there were thick strands that had broken free that he tucked behind his ears. He had toffee-colored skin, and thick, dark eyebrows that slashed over piercing dark eyes.

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