Page 11 of Three Days of Holiday

My heartbreak once she discovered the truth would be worth it.

I gave her one last quick peck on the lips and then walked away without a promise of seeing each other again. I didn’t need to reserve any more of Holly’s time because I understood the cold, hard truth of our situation.

I’d be seeing her much sooner than she expected.

And it would not go well.

I left Holly without another word and sank back into the woods. Without her by my side, the tree sentries were even freakier on the way out than the trek in. They enclosed me and the pine needles scratched my skin. Woods didn’t normally bother me, but Hallidays walked these paths.

I didn’t want to risk a light in the woods in case it called one of her brothers to search out a trespasser, but without Holly to guide the way, I worried about getting lost. These Halliday brothers didn’t know about trail management.

Once I no longer saw the porch light from the old farmhouse they were remodeling into a bed-and-breakfast, I grabbed my cell phone and sent a quick text to my assistant.

Will: Not able to return home tonight. Ship me some clothing to Tanner’s home. Please.

Even though it was late and he’d be at work early the next morning, his reply came quickly.

Busy planning how to win this year’s state competition while being over an hour away from my home base gave me enough distraction to continue my walk. It was also enough I didn’t hear the early warning signs whenmy situation changed. There was no door opening and closing, no human talk.

I would have heard those things. Probably.

A dog howled in the distance, which was the first clue I was no longer alone in the woods. I froze, doing my best to breathe shallowly and analyze every noise around me, but there wasn’t a snap of a twig or rustle of a leaf to be heard.

Unaware of the dog’s position, I didn’t want to stand there like a chump waiting for him to find me. I took off at a jog, not caring how much noise I made and only wanting to get out of the woods as fast as possible. Tree branches scratched against my arms, and I took one to the face, but after a minute of running, I cleared the woods in front of the Halliday property and booked it to my car, sure I had a canine fresh on my tail.

The disposable toothbrushTanner gave me hung from my mouth, toothpaste bubbles coating my lower lip as a loud pounding on the front door shook the entire home.

Bacon barked, and Tanner grumbled, his feet tumbling out of bed and hitting the floor hard.

I continued brushing. It wasn’t my house. Therefore, I wouldn’t open the door even if I knew the person on the other side.

With squeaky clean teeth, I found my way into the living room. My assistant Jack stayed busy scratching at Bacon’s ears and giving him a good fluff while Tanner held up a garment bag of my clothing.

“Dude, no more 6 a.m. deliveries,” Tanner said,tossing the clothing at me and scuffing back to his bedroom.

I turned toward him, already opening the case. “But I keep your life interesting.”

Tanner and I had been close since middle school when he fell in a puddle during gym class and I allowed him to wear an extra pair of my workout pants.

“Bacon, no,” Jack said, trying to yank away his leg, but Bacon had a healthy grip on the side of his jeans.

“You know how he feels about jeans, Jack.” I left him to his own devices. He and Bacon had an interesting love-hate relationship. They’d need to work it out for themselves.

I dressed to an orchestra version of dog barks and assistant yelps. “I’m leaving Bacon here at your place,” I called through Tanner’s door on my way back to the living room.

He mumbled something in response.

Bacon was back to loving Jack when I stepped into the living room. They were sitting on the floor with Jack giving Bacon belly pats as he rolled back and forth in excitement.

“I thought you would’ve made a run for it by now.” As soon as Bacon chewed on his pant legs, it was usually Jack’s cue to hit the tracks.

“I spoke to Diane last night. She told me Oceanview Orchards won their qualifying event. It’s going to be stiff competition, and I figured you’d want all the help you can get with her around.”

“Thanks,” I said. Jack wasn’t only my assistant. I also considered him a loyal friend. “I’m in the spare bedroom, so you have to take the couch.”

His eyebrows narrowed. “No, I made a reservation at the bed-and-breakfast in Pelican Bay like a regular person. You realize the balance in your bank account, right? You can afford a hotel.”

I rolled my eyes. I liked staying with Tanner. Guy bonding time with friends was important.

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