In Between the Earth and Sky

by Heidi Hutchinson

  Amber, satisfied with her answer, wiped the sweat from her brow and leaned forward on her handle bars of her mountain bike.

  Lydia had just met Amber a couple hours earlier. Around the same time she’d thought why not? when Remington had asked if she wanted to join him and his friends on a Sunday ride.

  Two things should be noted:

  One, Lydia had never gone mountain biking before. Sure, she’d ridden bicycles a time or twelve in her life. But been on a trial, with people who did this all the time? Nope. This was a first.

  Second, she was having so much fun, she found herself hiding it. Because she knew her excited laugh was getting obnoxious. Not to mention, every time she crashed a little bit and they had to stop so she could catch up again, her laugh turned a little maniacal. Sort of like a kid discovering a waterslide for the first time.

  Terrifying, exhilarating, breath taking.

  And she never wanted to stop.

  Even though she was very, very, very bad at it.

  So bad.

  Embarrassingly bad.

  “Are you gonna die?” Remington asked, pulling up beside them.

  “Yes. Probably,” she responded with a grin.

  Yep. Grinning. And this was her trying to hide her excitement.

  Remington shook his head like he thought she was insane before moving ahead of them a little ways to talk to Ollie who’d been the leader all day.

  “I like him with you.”

  “Huh?” Lydia asked, glancing at Amber.

  Amber, with her jet black, tangled, waist-long hair, bronzed, tattooed biceps, and smoky eyes, smirked at Lydia. The kind of smirk a woman gives another woman to indicate she knows what’s happening between the lines.

  Except Amber had it wrong.

  “He’s not with me,” Lydia corrected, knowing her cadence was too rushed to be taken seriously. She took a breath to slow her heartrate and speech. “We’re just friends.”

  Amber ran her tongue over her bottom lip and nodded patiently. “I’ve known Remington a long time. I know what he’s like with the women he fucks, and I know what he’s like with friends. You’re not either one, babe.”

  “Wha…?” Lydia blinked, ignoring the crudeness of Amber’s description.

  “I’m not saying I see fat babies in the offing. I just wanted you to know I like him with you. You humanize him. Wherever that leads can only be good.”

  “Time to go,” Remington announced, returning to them.

  Amber mounted her bike and took after Ollie. Lydia scrambled to get back on her seat. Her entire body was going to hate her tomorrow. She knew it based on the way her muscle fibers were using language she’d never heard before. Sailor language.

  “You okay?” Remington asked, stopping by her side.

  “Yes.” No.

  He flashed her a smile and she saw it. What Amber had mentioned. How she’d missed it before, she didn’t know. But there it was.

  The human inside the billboard.

  The man inside the mystery.

  “Are you having fun?” he asked, as she struggled to get her speed up again.

  “I am,” she said honestly. “Thank you for inviting me. I know I’m slowing everyone down.”

  Remington’s hand grasped her handle bars bringing them both to a slow stop. She frowned at him.

  “No, Larkin,” he said gently. “You really don’t know how much fun you’ve brought back into this for me. You’re—” He took a breath and scanned the horizon for a beat. “You’re awesome.”

  Lydia’s heart tumbled down a mine shaft, yelling curse words at her the entire way.

  ***

  “What’s that one?”

  Lydia skooched closer to Remington, the blanket beneath them bunching and slipping on the hood of the car, to look along the length of his arm where he pointed into the dark sky.

  “That one is Canis Major.”

  “So, big dog,” he clarified before taking his once pointing arm and wrapping it around Lydia’s frame, pulling her into his body heat.

  She folded her arms to her chest and burrowed without shame into his warmth.

  “Greater dog.” She shivered slightly before the heat began to seep through her clothes into her skin.

  “Is there a lesser dog?”

  “Yep. Canis minor.” She adjusted slightly to point at the two stars bordering Canis Major.

  Remington hummed low in his throat as he considered.

  “There’s a story about Canis Major that my dad used to tell. Laelaps was the fastest dog in the world. Destined to catch his prey, no matter what. And there was a fox, Teumessian, the fastest fox in the world—destined to never be caught. They ran in circles, neither one ever winning. Zeus finally became irritated with them and turned them both into static stars. Canis Major and Canis Minor.”

  “Tell me about your dad,” Remington said softly.

  The white stars blinked peacefully down at Lydia, as if to indicate it was safe. To talk about this. Starlight was always the safest place to speak of things such as this. And Remington, her friend, he was safe too.

  She shifted onto her side and wrapped one arm around Remington’s broad chest, resting her cheek high on his pec.

  “He was smart, creative, poetic. A traveling musician most of his life. I used to think he knew the key to life. I admired how he lived, so free and unrestricted. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized he had an opposite cause for all of his running.”

  His grip around her tightened alongside her voice. Knowing it, living it, accepting it. It wasn’t the same as saying it.

  “And one day—almost two years ago—he couldn’t outrun it anymore. And he took his life.”

  Remington brought his free hand up to rest on top of hers that was on his chest. His torso rose and fell slowly with his carefully measured breaths.

  “That’s when you came to work for Merrick.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Because of your dad, or…?”

  “Sort of.” She chewed on her lower lip as she thought about all the reasons she’d remained in L.A. “I’m a lot like him—my dad. I love to go. Travel. Learn and explore and live free. But my mom—and pretty much anyone she can talk to long enough to brainwash—is afraid I’m exactly like my dad. She worries I’ll...”

  “I get it,” he said gruffly. “That’s rough living, baby.”

  “I stay in place so she feels safe.” She shrugged as best she could in their position. “You do things for family.”

  “What makes you feel safe?” he asked.

  She swallowed, her eyes burning. “Safe is relative.”

  Remington shifted so he could look down at her, bracing one arm on the hood of the car. “You’re so damn right, it’s scary.” His dark eyes moved back and forth between hers and she imagined they were stars fitted in a night sky. “But now I’ve got you.”

  He brushed a light kiss high on her forehead, where the stitches used to be. Then shifted again back to their original position.

  “Remington?”

  “Hm?”

  “Tell me something real. Something I don’t know.”

  The silence came back, peaceful as ever. She started to think maybe he’d fallen asleep.

  “I want the future of my business to have a focus for Marines, like Keith, where they can get the help they need and deserve. Not just medical stuff, but life stuff. And I want my employees to have a heart to serve, not just make money. “

  Lydia sighed, her heart melting and trying to pour out of her and into him.

  People didn’t get to see this guy. They saw the rock star business strategist. They didn’t see this soft, mushy, ball of beautiful.

  “I write. Sometimes. I journal, obviously. But I’m working on a couple of novels. Just for fun.” He sighed and his hand resting on hers traveled a slow path up her forearm under her shirtsleeve. “I want to live on a boat, travel the world, and write stories. But don’t tell anyone.”

  She smiled against his chest, pic
turing it.

  Remington, suntanned and windblown, moving from harbor to harbor, as restless and free as a thunderstorm.

  “I hope you get that.”

  ***

  “You can just leave my car outside my apartment. Bryce will take the keys.”

  “And Bryce is…?” Lydia felt bad not being able to distinguish between Remington’s roommates.

  “The short one who’s always home.”

  “Got it.”

  Remington set his bag down on the curb and stepped closer to her.

  “Yesterday,” he began, his voice so low she found herself tilting closer to hear him. “Was perfect. Thank you for being my friend.”

  Lydia didn’t have words to reply since she basically felt the same. It had been a very long time since she’d been able to have an unplanned adventure. But it had been even longer since she’d been able to share it with someone.

  “Oh!” She remembered she still had his coat on. “You’re gonna need this.”

  He stopped her from taking off the leather jacket by grasping her shoulders. “You can leave it with Bryce.” His eyes bounced in between hers. “You renew my soul.”

  Same.

  Same.

  Same.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead and lingered for a moment.

  Then he stepped back, gathered his things, and headed into the airport.

  Lydia lingered.

  Chapter 13

  Just Missing

  Remington

  “Don’t forget. I’ve spent time with you this week. I’ve met you, looked in your face, heard your fears. I know you can do this. I believe in you. Now go believe in yourselves.”

  Remington waved with both hands over his head. The lights hot on his face and the crowd loud in his ears. He smiled, waved some more and counted down in his head.

  When he reached zero, he backed off the stage where they stripped him of his microphone pack and headset. Someone passed him a towel which he used to wipe the sweat off his face.

  Five days of conferences and seminars in New York City and he was already wanting to go back to the West Coast instead of to Miami for another week.

  He always thought he’d enjoy the energy and drive of the East Coast, but turned out he could only take it in small doses.

  A bottle of water was thrust into his hands by one of the backstage runners and he unscrewed the cap, taking a long drink as he cruised to his next stop.

  A small reception with company leaders handpicked by the top brass. It was touted as an “after-party” but these things never were.

  At least not for Remington.

  It was a chance for some of the higher ups to have a one-on-one conversation with him. Often it was more of a counseling session than a pep talk.

  But Remington didn’t mind. He thrived on it. The risk inherent in someone following their dreams. And he liked to think of himself as being somewhat inspirational in that aspect. Being involved.

  And if more people chased their dreams, the better shape this world would be in.

  He plunged into the party which was already filled with people, music, and drinks. But this was his office. This is where conducted half of his biggest meetings and helped others to network.

  As such, he grabbed a cocktail if only to have something in his hand. It kept people from buying him drinks, which kept him from feeling bad for having to decline them.

  “Remington!”

  He turned towards the sound of a bright female voice. A long, tattooed arm threw itself around his neck and Jackie Page pressed her lips to his cheek in greeting.

  “Oh, my gawwd! You were amazing this week!” she shouted over the music.

  The music wasn’t actually that loud. Jackie just liked to be heard.

  “Jackie Page,” Remington greeted with a welcoming smile. “I haven’t seen you in forever. How have you been?”

  He wasn’t surprised to see Jackie here. Last he’d heard she worked for one of the companies sponsoring the seminar. He was a little surprised this was the first time he’d seen her this week.

  She sucked the straw of her drink in between her lips, her wide blue eyes focused on him. “My company is sending me back to California.”

  “Oh yeah?” he asked, letting his eyes sweep through the room. “Promotion?”

  She shot him a toothy smile. “You never read your emails, do you.”

  He held his breath and dropped his eyes to her. “What do you mean?”

  “Mimi and Yvette hired me for a marketing consultation. They CC’d you about it a month ago.”

  “A consult?” Remington tilted his head as he tried to remember what she was talking about.

  “Mm-hm. But my boss thought since I had a personal connection, it would be better if I transferred to L.A. for a couple weeks.”

  A personal connection.

  Well… it wasn’t a lie.

  Jackie Page wouldn’t have been his first choice. And not because they used to sleep together. But just because he’d never been impressed by her job commitment.

  “And I’m signed up for next week’s seminar in Miami,” she said with a coy smile. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up and make an Action Plan.”

  Great.

  An Action Plan.

  Wasn’t that why he’d given so much power to Yvette and Mimi? So they would handle the boring stuff? Yeah, pretty sure “all the boring stuff” was listed in their employment contracts.

  Maybe it wouldn’t be that bad, he tried to reason with himself.

  Jackie could be pretty cool if he remembered right. Maybe having an old friend along on a tour would be a nice change of pace.

  ***

  Lydia

  The two weeks without Remington were mostly uneventful.

  The Institute hit its busy season with tourists and school trips, keeping Lydia happily distracted from missing someone she had no business missing.

  She was in two minds about it.

  One, Remington was her friend. In the truest sense of the word. So, missing him should have been normal. And maybe for other it people it was.

  But then there was the other side. Lydia didn’t miss people. Not traditionally speaking. She missed the idea of them, the feel of them.

  It was an important realization she’d come to years ago. People deserved to be missed. And when she realized she didn’t have that kind of attachment to others, she began behaving in a way so as not to lead them on. She disallowed them from ever missing her.

  And Remington was so very much like her. Which meant she knew he was out there, not missing her.

  She knew it.

  Her life was weird. One minute she was lamenting how crazy and unfair it was for her family to put such an emphasis on communication and participation in their lives. And the next she was tamping down anxiety that sprang from not knowing where the hell Remington had been.

  She took a deep breath and wiggled her fingers where they hung beside her chair.

  It was just missing. Not a big deal.

  Missing didn’t equal needing.

  “Morning,” Merrick greeted her. He set a small piece of dark chocolate on the edge of her desk as he passed her and entered his office.

  Her eyes fell on the candy and a small smile curved her lips.

  She grabbed the candy and stood up from her desk.

  Merrick undid the buttons on his suit coat as he took a seat in his chair, eyes on the documents she’d left there already that morning. She leaned against the doorframe, tilting her head against the wood. She unwrapped the chocolate and stuck it in her mouth.

  “You look relaxed today,” Merrick muttered, his eyes flicking up to her and back down. “Is it Friday already?”

  She didn’t respond except to smile at one of her oldest and most constant friends. He must’ve felt the weight of her gaze because he sighed heavily and threw a hand out.

  “Your most recent conquest hasn’t been by this week. Have you broken his heart already?”

&nb
sp; Lydia shrugged. “I don’t date anymore. You know that.”

  He finally had eye contact with her. She held it for a beat and then crossed the large office to drop into the chair across from him.

  Merrick sucked in a breath as he steepled his fingers and pressed his forefingers to his lips. “You like him.”

  It wasn’t a question. More of a startled observance—quiet and thoughtful. The same way he spoke when they were in the field and he’d observe proof of his hypothesis.

  “He’s likable.” She shrugged one shoulder like it was all the same to her.

  “You know what I mean.” He flattened his gaze, slipping into the critical thinking she had always admired about him.

  “And you know what I mean,” she returned.

  “Yes, but you’re a liar.” Merrick sat back in his chair, one hand going to his armrest while the other rubbed at his chin thoughtfully.

  “I am not,” she scoffed.

  His mouth twitched. “Lydia, you are the cleverest liar I have ever met. Stop looking at me like I just betrayed my Queen and country. You lie to yourself the most. Constantly, in fact. But that’s beside the point.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, pressing her lips together to stifle the pout that wanted to surface. Being friends with Merrick for so long had its drawbacks.

  “So, how has he been?” Merrick asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  It was the truth. She didn’t know. He hadn’t been to see her. She knew he’d been back in town for a couple of days, but she hadn’t heard from him. No late-night sneaking through her door and helping himself to a cup of coffee and a book. No texts, or calls, or gym day overlap.

  “Have you called him?”

  She lifted just her eyes to Merrick’s.

  He nodded while pursing his lips, the smug bastard. “Some things never change, do they?”

  ***

  Remington