Adventurous Love

by Lea Coll

  “Yeah, pretty much.” My cheeks heated.

  “Have a seat, son.” Dad’s face was more amused than upset.

  Mom brought over the platter of barbecue chicken, placing it in the center of the table before she wiped her hands on her apron and sat across from dad at the head of the table. She spooned potato salad on her plate then passed it to me.

  “Tell me how you managed that.”

  Passing the bowl to Dad, I said, “I let her go back to New York. I didn’t want to have a long-distance relationship.”

  “Because of Selena? That was a long time ago,” Dad said.

  “Yeah, it reminded me of that situation and one other woman I dated.” I hadn’t told them about Vanessa. It was so short, it wasn’t worth mentioning. It only solidified my decision to never get serious.

  “You were scared.” Mom’s expression was slightly more sympathetic.

  I was a chicken shit but I couldn’t say that to my parents. “Pretty much.”

  “How’d she leave it?” Dad ate a bite of potato salad.

  “Before I put my foot in my mouth, she was talking about still seeing each other, she even mentioned the possibility of moving here.”

  “I knew she loved it here. It’s hard to resist Telluride.” Mom gave Dad a soft look before turning her attention back to me, placing her napkin on her lap, “Well, then what’s the problem?”

  “I couldn’t ask her to do that. She just got a promotion for her dream job. I didn’t want to be responsible for her quitting. What if she hated it here? What if she grew to resent me?”

  “Those are all honorable concerns unless you…” She raised her brow.

  “I made the decision for her. I broke things off.”

  “And now?”

  “I’ve realized I was an idiot. I want to be with her. I need her by my side. I don’t want to do long distance, but I will if I have to.”

  “Okay…” Dad drew out the word. “There’s more to this, isn’t there?”

  My stomach rolled with nerves. “Yeah. I want to go to New York to tell her I screwed up. To tell her I love her.”

  Mom placed a hand over her chest.

  I took a deep breath not sure how my parents would react. “I’m going to tell her I’m willing to move to New York for her.”

  Dad placed his fork on the table. “But what about the lodge? The ranch?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Are you averse to hiring someone to manage the lodge? And if so, would you consider selling the property?” I still had to pay back the loan.

  “I’d rather not sell but if it’s the best for everyone, then we will. It will allow us to travel more.” Dad exchanged a look with Mom.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course. We’ve talked about it a lot since Piper was here last. I never meant for the ranch to be this thing breaking the family apart. If you need to go to New York to be with the woman you love, then that’s what you should do. If that’s what it takes for Piper to come around, to not be so resentful of the ranch, then maybe it’s for the best,” Dad said.

  “But you love this land, the ranch. You never wanted to leave. You’re happy here.”

  “It’s not the land that makes me happy, it’s your father. And I think maybe you’ve found that kind of love with Kelsey?” Mom asked gently.

  “Yeah, I think I did.” Knowing my parents were on board made the decision so much easier.

  “I’ll try to keep the lodge. I have a few ideas, offering weddings and tours, although that will be difficult if I’m not here.”

  “It sounds like you have a lot to work out. Maybe these are things you can discuss with Kelsey, and you can figure them out together.”

  I wanted to go to New York and tell Kelsey I was free to be with her. I could move to be with her.

  “Have you thought about what you’ll do in New York if we sell the property?”

  “If we do sell, I’d have some time and money to figure it out. If we don’t sell, I’ll still try and run the lodge from there. I’d just need a good manager.”

  “Have you thought about Piper?” Dad asked.

  “I don’t know if she’d want to do that. She’s so adamant about selling.”

  “It’s a thought. You are selling it as a family business and she seems so disconnected from us, the ranch. Maybe it would be good for her to feel part of things again.”

  I thought back to that conversation with Kelsey after Piper was here for dinner. She’d said something similar. Maybe offering her a job and asking for her help would be like extending an olive branch to her. Maybe she just wants to feel included, to feel needed. “That’s a great idea.”

  We ate then. I was quiet, thoughts about what I needed to do turning around in my head. First, I needed to talk to Piper, see if she could manage the place while also working her job at Elle’s barbershop. She wouldn’t need to be at the lodge all the time. I still had Sally, and I could handle calls from wherever I was.

  After dinner, I got ready to leave. I needed to talk to Piper before I made plans to go to New York.

  “You make things right with Kelsey.” Her tone brooked no argument.

  I kissed her cheek. “I will.”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Dad said.

  We paused by the door to my truck.

  “When I met your mother, I had to make the decision to move here.”

  “You don’t regret it.” It wasn’t even a question. I’d seen how happy they were, and it wasn’t just the land, it was that they had each other.

  “I don’t but then it’s not New York.” He laughed, rocking back on his heels.

  Looking at the mountains through Kelsey’s eyes gave me a whole new appreciation for living here. Was I ready to give all this up?

  “Are you cut out for city life?” His tone was serious.

  “I want to be. I want to meet her where she is. I want to show her she’s more important than this.” A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have said the same thing. A lot of things had changed since then. I’d realized nothing was more important than the people you kept in your life. And maybe, that’s what she was thinking when she offered to move here.

  “If you follow your heart, you won’t be wrong. You’ll figure it out.”

  That settled me more than anything Gray had said. In my gut, I knew I was doing the right thing. Everything else would fall into place.

  Chapter 25

  Henry

  * * *

  I called Piper on the way home.

  Her voice filled the car. “How was family dinner?”

  “Productive. Can I meet you somewhere to talk?”

  She hesitated. I rarely asked her to talk. We were close but not talk to each other about our problems and feelings kind of close.

  “Please, Piper. I have a favor to ask.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Her voice was softer.

  “I’ll meet you at your apartment?”

  Piper lived in an apartment above a shop in town. “Sure.”

  I hung up, eager to get things in place so I could go to New York.

  I parked, anxious to talk to Piper, worried she’d say no to my request.

  At my knock, she opened the door. “This must be important.”

  It was. “I need to talk to you.”

  Her eyes widened as she sat on the couch.

  I placed elbows on my knees, trying to think of the best way to start. “I’m in love with Kelsey.”

  Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “The maid of honor at Elle and Gray’s wedding?”

  “We spent a lot of time together. When she went back to New York, I broke things off because I didn’t want to have a long-distance relationship, and I didn’t want to ask her to quit her job and move here.” When Piper opened her mouth to speak, I interrupted, “I’ve already been told how stupid that was. How stupid I am. But I want to fix it. I want to go to New York and tell her I’m willing to give up everything to be with her.”

  “Everything
as in…”

  “The ranch. The property. Everything.”

  She sucked in a breath. “What did Mom and Dad say?”

  “They’re okay with it. They’ve been talking a lot about it since you were over last.”

  Guilt crossed her face. “I don’t really want them to sell. I just…”

  “I get that you feel disconnected from us. Maybe you resent the fact I went away to college and you couldn’t. I never thought about it like that until Kelsey told me how you might be thinking and feeling.”

  She looked at me, surprised. “That’s about right.”

  “I want to make things right with you.” I infused my tone with sincerity.

  She sighed, sinking back into the cushions of the couch. “I’m not sure that’s possible. It’s over and done with.”

  “I get that it might take time but there has to be some way we can fix this rift between us.”

  She hesitated, considering my words. “Is this what you came to talk about?”

  Her expression was a mixture of longing and stubbornness.

  Things had been like this for so long, it would take time to talk to her, to get her to come around, to convince her we wanted to help even if it was a few years too late.

  I let it go, intending to bring it up again later. “Not exactly. I need your help. In order for me to go to New York, I need someone to make sure the lodge runs smoothly. Sally only works part-time. I need someone to help out when she can’t. Can you do it? I’d pay you of course.”

  So far, I didn’t need to pull a salary from the business. I had a place to live, the truck was paid off. I could afford to help her, especially with the increase in reservations I’d gotten from the improvements to the website.

  “So, you’d be gone a few days?”

  “I’m offering to move there, so it could be longer. It might even be a permanent thing. I may need to run the lodge from New York. I can answer the phone and handle the online bookings, but I need someone there to make sure the rooms are clean and ready for guests, handle any of the guests’ requests or concerns.”

  “I can do that if you think Elle would be flexible at the barbershop.”

  “I haven’t talked to her about it yet, but I think she’ll be okay with it. She wants her friend to be happy.” I didn’t say it out loud but there was the possibility that all of this was for nothing. Kelsey might not give me a second chance. She might have moved on.

  “If it’s something you have to do then I’ll help you.”

  “Thanks, Piper. I know we haven’t always talked about things, especially not after I left for school, but I want that to change.”

  She nodded. I couldn’t tell how amenable she was to reconcile with me or our parents. I hoped she would. Now that I saw her perspective clearly, I didn’t want her to think she wasn’t part of the family.

  We’d ignored her feelings, thinking she was immature or would grow out of them, but I could see now, they were very real.

  I owed that revelation to Kelsey. She’d made me a better person, encouraging me to be better, to strive for more. To question my outlook on life.

  Inwardly, I cringed at how I’d told her she was interfering in my life, like she was an unwelcome intrusion when she was anything but.

  Piper smiled wryly. “It’s ironic.”

  “What is?”

  “They sent you to college because you planned to stay on the ranch, and now you’re moving to New York.”

  I hadn’t meant to deepen Piper’s wound by coming here.

  I took a second to think of the best way to respond. “Did you want to move to New York?”

  “Not exactly.” She pursed her lips. “I want to do something—something different than what I’m doing now. I thought switching jobs would help, and it has to some extent, but I still want more. Will I always feel this way, or will I eventually feel fulfilled?”

  Her expression was troubled.

  “I can’t answer that for you, but if you want to travel or move somewhere else, you should. You don’t need Mom and Dad’s approval.”

  “I guess. It’s just hard to contemplate something like that on my salary. I feel stuck.”

  “If I’ve learned anything the last few weeks, it’s that if we feel stuck it’s our fault. No one else is holding us back but ourselves.”

  Her eyes widened. “When did you become so mature?”

  “I’m the older brother, I always know better.” I chuckled, then shook my head.

  “No. Really.”

  “It was Kelsey. She opened my eyes to everything. Maybe you’ll meet someone who’ll do that for you.”

  She laughed without any humor. “I need to do it for myself. Not wait for some guy to swoop in and make my life different.”

  “I agree. You’re young. You have plenty of time to figure it out.”

  She shook her head.

  I realized that comment was similar to things I’d said to her in the past, belittling how she was feeling now. “I’m sorry. Those kinds of comments don’t help when you’re in the thick of it.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. “Thanks, Henry.”

  I stood, heading for the door. I wanted to stay and make things right with Piper, but I needed to get to Kelsey. Every minute that passed, she thought I didn’t want her. She thought the time we spent together was meaningless. I needed to get on a plane and fix it.

  “Good luck. Kelsey’s a lucky woman.” Piper followed me.

  “I don’t know about that.” I turned to face her.

  “No. She is. Everything you’ve said tonight is insightful, well-thought-out. You’re not making a rash decision.”

  “I’m putting her first.”

  “If that’s what it means to be in a relationship, I’m definitely not ready for that. I’m still working on putting myself first.”

  I pulled her in for a one-arm hug. “You’ll get there.”

  Opening the door, I said, “Thanks again for helping me out with the lodge.”

  Piper smiled wryly. “Who knows, maybe this will be the thing that changes my life. I’ll figure out what I’m supposed to do.”

  I nodded. Running the lodge and meeting Kelsey helped me discover who I was all along.

  “It worked for me,” I said, then headed down the steps, climbing into the cab of my truck. It would be hard to let the lodge go or run it from afar. But nothing mattered more than Kelsey.

  The next morning, I was on an early flight to New York. I’d never traveled much. The ranch kept my family close to home. As we descended over the city, I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Would I fit in here? Or would the buildings and sheer number of people be overwhelming?

  Elle told me Kelsey’s address, giving me an idea when she’d be home from work. I told the cab driver at the airport where to go. It was early afternoon, so I intended to explore her neighborhood, then wait for her by her building. After lunch, I checked in with Piper who seemed to be enjoying monitoring the lodge. I wanted her to know I trusted her, so I kept the conversation short.

  The pace of the city was exciting. I could see how a young Kelsey wanted to get lost here. To be someone else.

  I was determined to prove to her I could live here too. I’d do anything to be with her. Hopefully, it wasn’t too late.

  Around the time she was supposed to get off work, I waited for her by her building, hoping this wasn’t the biggest mistake I’d ever made. I kept the time we spent together in my mind as I waited. The feel of her in my arms, the things she said at the end. She loved me then. I hoped she still did.

  When she finally walked toward me, confident in her glasses, business suit, and heels, she looked every bit the New Yorker I teased her about being. I was right not to ask her to leave this. When her eyes rested on mine, her nose wrinkled. She stopped in front of me, her gaze darting around then landing on mine. “What are you doing here? I don’t understand.”

  My heart sunk at her reaction, but it wasn’t unexpected. Showing up after not hearing from me fo
r weeks and me telling her there was no way we could be together would be surprising. “Can we talk?”

  She hesitated, glancing at the door to her building.

  “Please. I have some things I’d like to say to you.” I had to make up for everything I’d thrown at her.

  “I have some things to say too. Come in.” She led me to her door and up the steps to her third-floor apartment. It was small and it was clear she had several roommates with the amount of stuff strewn on every surface in the room.

  “This is living in New York.” She led me to the last bedroom on the right. “And this is me.”

  “Huh.” I walked into the tight space which I would have described as a closet back home.

  “It’s the price I pay to have my own room.”

  “I’ll sit on the bed if that’s okay.” There was almost no room to pace and no other furniture besides her dresser.

  “Of course. Sorry my accommodations aren’t better.” She smiled but it was stiff.

  “Never be sorry for what you have.” I hadn’t thought about the fact that our apartment in New York might be smaller than one room in my suite back home.

  “I’m not,” she said softly, sitting on the bed next to me.

  It reminded me of how badly I’d hurt her, how much I’d hurt us. “I screwed up.”

  “Yeah, you did.” Her expression was tight.

  I couldn’t tell from her tone if it was a permanent thing, or if I still had a shot to make it right. “I pushed you away. I said some things—things that weren’t even true. I don’t resent you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “You don’t think I’m interfering in your life.”

  I winced hearing my words thrown back at me. “No. I wanted to say something—anything—to push you away. I was worried you’d change your mind eventually—”

  “So, you pushed me away first.”

  “Yes.” I sighed, relieved she’d understood.

  “You made the decision for both of us.”

  “I was an idiot. I should have heard you out, discussed our options, listened to you.”

  She shook her head. “But you didn’t.”

  “No. I thought I knew better than both of us. I thought I could save us heartache by breaking things off before we could get any deeper.”