by Gerri Hill
“You like her, don’t you?”
She turned her head, having been caught staring as Lexie went inside to put Mark’s wings in the oven. “Yeah. She’s nice.”
“Come on. You know what I mean.”
“Okay, okay. I like her. She’s different than what I expected. You made her sound like a snobbish bore.”
His eyes widened. “I did?”
“You know, city girl. Tofu. Won’t fit in. But she’s…fun.” She shrugged. “We could be friends.” She nodded. “Yeah, we could be friends. She does fit in. She’s knows football way better than you.”
He laughed. “I will admit, I wasn’t that much of a fan until I moved out here.”
“Yeah? More free time up here than when you were in Austin?”
She saw a shadow cross his face and she wondered if she’d simply missed it before. He didn’t talk much about his past life and she didn’t question it. Their friendship was based on the here and now, and neither of their pasts mattered. Should she tell him she knew about his wife? That she’d been pregnant? Was it any of her business?
“I didn’t watch much football when I lived in Austin. We used to cycle all the time. Every Saturday and Sunday. Any free time we had, we were on bikes.”
She raised her eyebrows. “And you said you didn’t know how.”
He smiled. “Yeah. That was a silly excuse.”
She nodded. “Your wife was killed on the bike. You had said she died, but you never said how.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Lexie told you?”
“Yes.”
He let out a heavy sigh. “I figured she would eventually. I didn’t think it would be the first day.”
“If you want or need to talk about stuff, Mark, I’m—” Then she held her hand up. “No. It’s none of my business. If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.” She met his gaze. “I love you.”
“Oh, man.” He stood and turned away, but not before she saw tears in his eyes. “I don’t think I would have made it without you, Ky.”
“You were here almost two years before I got here,” she reminded him.
“Yeah. And I was miserable. Lonely. Still wallowing in grief. And when you walked into the bar that first day, you had the same lost look in your eyes that I saw in mine every morning in the mirror.” He smiled at her. “I knew at that very moment that we were going to be friends.”
She nodded. “I think I did too.”
He sat down again, then nudged her arm. “I love you too.”
She grinned. “We’re a pair, huh?”
“Yeah, we are.” He motioned toward the house. “So, you like my sister?”
She laughed. “I do.”
“Told you she was cute.”
“Yeah, you weren’t lying about that.”
“Told you you’d like her.”
“I like her as a friend. Nothing more. She’s not really my type.”
“What’s your type?”
“Well, that’s not true. If I were still down at the coast, she’d probably be exactly my type. But I’ve changed. Up here, I’ve changed. I’ve become—yeah, a damn tree hugger. Being outside, in nature, that’s become important to me. If I ever were to date someone again, it’d have to be someone who loved all this as much as I do.” She met his gaze. “Britney. She kinda reminds me of Britney.”
“The one who broke your heart?”
“Yeah. I can see myself having a crush on your sister, much like I had on Britney. But I’m not Twenty-five-years-old anymore. I need more than sexual infatuation.”
He leaned closer. “So you’re saying that you’re sexually infatuated with my sister?”
“I’m saying, yeah, she’s cute and kinda flirty and fun to be around.” She arched an eyebrow. “What? Do you want me and your sister to have sex? Because that would probably be all it is.”
“Because she’s not your type.”
“Right.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, then held his hand up. “Okay, I really don’t want to think about you and Lexie having sex.”
She laughed. “Then quit bringing it up!” They both turned when the back door to the cabin opened and Lexie came back outside. She looked between them, eyebrows raised.
“What did I miss?”
Chapter Fourteen
“I’ll drop you off on my way.”
Lexie was thankful for the offer. It was dark by the time the game was over and they’d cleaned up the deck and kitchen. Dark and cold. Even though Mark had a propane heater on the deck—one that mimicked a campfire—it had gotten quite chilly once the sun went down.
She kissed Mark’s cheek. “I had a great time. Thanks for including me.”
“Well, you know, it’s a thing now. Every Sunday.”
She turned to Kyler. “So it’s at your place next week?”
“No. We take turns if we’re doing a regular dinner, but Sunday football is always here.”
“Okay. I’ll be better prepared next week. I’ll contribute something to the meal and bring my own beer.”
She smiled as Kyler and Mark embraced. “Had fun. See you at the bar.”
“Yeah. See ya.”
“I’ll come over tomorrow evening to finish decorating,” Lexie told him.
“Thanks.”
He stood on the porch until they got into Kyler’s Jeep, then waved one last time before going inside. Kyler put the heater on, then backed out of the driveway. “That was fun.”
“Yes. I hope I wasn’t in the way.”
“Not at all. As I told Mark, you know football better than he does.”
“You and Mark are really close, huh?”
“Yes. He’s the best.” Kyler glanced at her quickly. “He’s an all-around good guy and I can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. We just clicked and fell into such an easy friendship. It was like we’d known each other for years.”
“Which was why it surprised me that he hasn’t talked to you about Mia.”
“We talked a little today, actually. He finally told me they used to cycle on the weekends, so he wasn’t that much of a football fan.” Kyler glanced at her again. “I told him that I knew Mia had been killed on the bike. I like to ride around the park. There are some trails that are suitable for mountain bikes and it’s loads of fun. Couldn’t talk him into going, though, no matter how hard I tried. When he brought up cycling today, I told him I knew.”
“Did he tell you she was pregnant?”
“No. And I didn’t mention it.”
“He doesn’t ever talk about it to us, either. But speaking of cycling, if you’d like a partner, I would love to join you. My experience is mostly spin class, but I think I’d like riding out here.”
“Oh, yeah, sure. That’d be great.”
“I’ll have to get a bike first.”
“Alpine. They’ve got a bike shop. I got mine there. Used. A lot of the college kids sell their bikes back when they leave.” She paused, then continued. “I’m off tomorrow. I’ll take you down there if you want.”
“Maybe. I’m supposed to start my training tomorrow with Mom.”
“Okay. Well, let me know.”
When Kyler pulled into the parking spot next to her car, Lexie asked a question she’d been curious about.
“Why aren’t you dating anyone?”
Kyler seemed surprised. “I don’t know. I could use the excuse that there aren’t a lot of lesbians in the area, but that’s not really it. Marfa, for its size, actually has a fairly large gay population. Artists and old hippies, Mark likes to say. And Alpine is a college town.” Then she grinned. “Of course, I’m over thirty now. That would be creepy to hang out there.” She raised her eyebrows. “Why?”
“Curious, that’s all. You’re nice. You’re attractive. I haven’t noticed any glaring flaws,” she added with a smile.
Kyler leaned closer, her voice low. “So you think I’m attractive, do you?”
Lexie held her hand up. “Hey, no. No, no, no
. I’m not hitting on you. At all.” She shook her head. “And no offense to you, but I’m not even a little bit interested. Sorry.” The porch light cast enough light into the Jeep to see Kyler’s face. She was smiling.
“I think you’re attractive too.”
She sighed. “Please say this isn’t going to be an issue. Because I had fun today. I’d like to be friends. I don’t want to have to keep my distance because you—”
“No, no.” It was Kyler’s turn to hold a hand up. “I think we can be friends. You’re not really my type, so you don’t have to worry about that. If you ever think I’m flirting with you, remember that. It’ll just be teasing. Because you’re not my type.”
Lexie let out a relieved breath. “Okay, good. Thank you. Because you’re not anywhere near my type either.”
“Oh, yeah, I suppose not. Mark and Susan both say we’re complete opposites.” Kyler gave her a lopsided smile. “Besides, I’m a weird birdwatcher. Who would want to date someone like that?”
Lexie smiled, thankful that she and Kyler were on the same page. It would make it so much easier to form a friendship without them worrying that the other might want more out of it. “Well, I don’t think you’re strange, but I’ve yet to see your funny hat,” she teased. “Thanks for dropping me off.”
“No problem. Let me know if you want to go shopping tomorrow.”
“I will. Goodnight.”
Kyler gave her a quick wave as she pulled away. Lexie stared after her for a moment, watching the red Jeep disappear into the night. She turned, but before going inside her little apartment, she walked out into the parking lot, away from the porch light. She looked up, again amazed at the clarity of the sky. The stars were right on top of her, twinkling—dancing—overhead. She was smiling as she watched, her eyes moving across the sky slowly. She wondered if Kyler knew the constellations. She spotted a couple of bright stars and thought they must be planets. Kyler had mentioned Jupiter and Venus being out at night. She wished she’d thought to ask her before she left.
But no. Stargazing—like birdwatching—was Kyler’s passion, not hers. That wasn’t something she was interested in. She turned and went to her apartment, pausing again to glance up once more before opening the door.
Maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned cycling. She liked Kyler. She did. As both Mark and her mother had said, Kyler was nice. She took off her jacket and hung it on one of the pegs on the coatrack on the wall beside the door. Yes, Kyler was nice. And she was attractive. And if they spent too much time together…well, then things might change.
No. Because I’m not interested in her and she’s not interested in me.
“Thankfully,” she murmured.
She didn’t want any drama in her life. She didn’t care how cute she was or how nice she was. She simply wasn’t interested in anything other than friendship with her. She was glad Kyler felt the same way.
And it wasn’t because Crazy Cathy had wreaked havoc on her life. Yes, she had vowed to take a break—a very long break—before dating again. But truthfully, she didn’t feel she had the energy to devote to dating. She didn’t want any complications or added stress to her life. Moving out here in the middle of freakin’ nowhere was enough on her plate.
Now, a friend? Yes, she could use a friend. Someone to hang out with and do stuff with. That would make this transition much easier. And after today, she assumed that Mark and Kyler would welcome her into their little group. And if she and Kyler could go cycling occasionally, that would be a bonus. Since she wouldn’t have a gym close by, she needed some form of exercise.
So, if her mother would allow her a few hours off, she’d take Kyler up on her offer to shop for a bike. And then they could start this friendship in earnest.
Yes. That was a good plan.
Chapter Fifteen
“And you need to check this at least twice a day,” her mother repeated.
Lexie rubbed her forehead. “It shouldn’t be this complicated. You have an online reservation system. Why do you have to manually assign the rooms?”
“Because this particular system doesn’t do that. And it would be helpful, yes.” Her mother patted her hand. “Maybe this is something you could tinker with.”
Yes. If this was going to be her baby to run, then that would be one of the first things she did. “You have online checkout?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Her mother waved her hand. “That’s so impersonal. We like to interact with the guests. Ask how their stay was. Get a feel as to whether they’ll be back. That sort of thing.”
“But the system is capable?”
“Oh, yes. We disabled that bit.”
“Mom, you offer Wi-Fi. You should at least offer online checkout. What about those that leave early in the mornings?”
“We have a drop box for keys, of course. Even if we had online checkout, they’d still need to bring their keys by.”
“Keycards?”
“We did talk about it. But the cost to upgrade was too much to justify.” Her mother filled her coffee cup again. “This is an old, rustic lodge. Not some fancy hotel. Keep that in mind.”
“Okay. You’re right. I guess keycards would be out of place here.”
An alert sounded and her mother clapped her hands lightly. “Got another reservation!” She pointed to the small box that had popped up on the bottom right corner. “Click that. It’ll bring up a snapshot of the reservation.”
She did. Margaret Seymore had booked four nights in April. Margaret had requested room number twelve.
“Oh, that’s Maggie. They come every year. They’re from Lubbock. Sweet couple.”
“And what do they do here?”
“Do? Oh, honey, not everyone needs to be constantly entertained, you know. Maggie and her husband love hiking. That’s one of the benefits to being connected to the state park. There are miles of hiking trails. They also take a day trip down to Big Bend each year.”
“Kyler mentioned Big Bend. What is that?”
“That’s the national park that borders Mexico. It’s vast. And you think we’re in the middle of nowhere? That place is an hour and a half in all directions from civilization,” she said with a laugh. “But beautiful. Worth the trip.” She paused. “Maybe Kyler would take you sometime.”
“How did Kyler get stuck showing me around? Mark hasn’t even offered.”
“Mark is at the restaurant every day. The only time that boy gets away is when he’d visit you in Austin. Or when Kyler makes him take a break on her days off. Irene is plenty capable of handling things there. Now that you’re here, I hope he’ll get away more and do things.”
“Does he ever talk about Mia?”
“Oh, no. Never.”
“That can’t be healthy, Mom.”
“Oh, that’s not to say that I don’t bring her up from time to time. In passing, sometimes, a memory of her will come up.” She sighed. “That was such a tragic time in our lives.”
“Yes, it was.”
“Mark handled it the way he wanted to. We have to respect that.”
“I know.”
Her mother leaned against the desk, a wistful look on her face as she sipped her coffee. “My only chance at a grandchild, I guess.”
“Oh, Mom…”
Her mother gave her a sad smile. “I remember when you were in high school. You were adamant that you were never having babies. I assumed you would grow out of it. Then, well, when you told us you were gay, well…”
“Mom, being gay has nothing to do with not wanting a baby. I simply have no desire to be a mom. I don’t have that gene, I guess,” she said with a smile, hoping to lighten her mother’s mood.
“I know, honey. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just wish Mark would meet someone and get over Mia.”
“He’d known her since the second grade. I don’t think he’ll ever get over it.” She shook her head. “Plus the fact that he was there when it happened. I’m sure that scene is
replayed in his mind far more than he’d like. Replayed, wishing for a different outcome, wishing he’d done something, wishing they’d taken a different route.”
“You sound like you’ve replayed it too.”
“I guess I have. They hadn’t taken Mia away yet when I got there. It was all still so fresh.” She shook her head again, hoping to clear the image away. “Anyway, I think we need to accept that it scarred Mark more than he lets on.”
Her mother put her cup down, then bent down to hug her. “I’m so happy you’re here, Lexie. You’ll be good for him, I think.”
“Kyler’s good for him.”
“Oh, yes, she is.” Her mother’s smile was genuine and warm. “Kyler is like one of the family now.”
“Yes, I can tell.”
“I hope you’ll be friends too.”
“I think we will. Speaking of that, she’s offered to take me to Alpine to buy a bike. I asked if I could ride with her out here in the park.”
“That would be wonderful! I had no idea you rode. After the thing with Mia, I doubt Mark will ever get on a bike again.”
“He might. Mountain bike, not a road bike like they used. But no, I don’t really ride, Mom. I rode with them a few times, but like Mark, I got rid of the bike after the accident. The only bike I’ve been on since is at the gym. But I think it might be fun.”
“So when are you going?”
“Well, she’s off today.”
Her mother threw her arms up. “So what are you doing here?”
“I am supposed to be in training, aren’t I?”
“Well, then let’s hurry it up so you can go.”
“Then let’s do.”
She turned her attention back to the reservation system, trying to remember what it was they’d been doing. Oh, yes. Maggie Seymore booked room number twelve. The search box her mother had shown her was by either date or room number. “Is there a calendar view?”
“Yes. You can look by week or by month.” Her mother leaned over her shoulder and pointed. “Click the dropdown there.”
“Okay, good. This is better.” She pulled up the month of December, able to see the entire month at once, noting that most of the rooms were booked throughout the month.