The Opposite of Wild

by Kylie Gilmore

Chapter Ten

  The next morning, Liz drove to Maggie’s house for their planned change-of-scenery drive. Maggie was already in the passenger seat of her convertible when Liz pulled up. She wore a red kerchief and large, round sunglasses.

  “Happy birthday!” Maggie exclaimed. “Ready for a change of scenery?”

  “Sure am,” Liz replied, getting into the driver’s seat. “Where to?”

  “We’re heading for Laurel Mountain. I printed the directions off the computer.” She waved a paper in the air.

  Liz took the paper and studied the route. Laurel Mountain was two hours north of them up in the Catskills. She pulled out of the driveway and headed out of town. If she’d known it was that far, she would’ve packed a cooler for lunch. She preferred to prepare her own lunch so she knew exactly how many calories she had to account for, but, hey, it was her birthday so calories didn’t count.

  “I got you a present,” Maggie said.

  “You did?” Liz glanced over.

  Maggie was smiling.

  “Oh, you didn’t have to do that.”

  “I wanted to. I’ll give it to you when we get there.”

  “Okay.” Liz noticed Maggie didn’t have her usual oversized faux-leather purse, only a fanny pack snapped around her waist. It must be a tiny present.

  Once they hit the highway, Maggie dozed off, giving Liz plenty of time to think about her birthday party tonight. Rachel had texted that she’d left the invite message on Ryan’s voice mail and hadn’t heard back. Liz didn’t know which would be worse—if Ryan showed up or if he didn’t. If he showed up, she’d have to deal with the awkward we-kissed-and-I-kicked-you-out scene. If he didn’t show, she’d feel like a total loser on her birthday. It was a classic lose/lose scenario.

  The big three-oh promised to be just as horrible as Liz had imagined.

  She woke Maggie two hours later after she took the Laurel Mountain exit.

  “Where to now?” Liz asked. “Should we just drive around?”

  “Oh, no, I have a destination in mind,” Maggie said. “Just stay on this road and follow the signs for Adventure Zipline Tours.”

  Liz’s stomach dropped. “Maggie, are we—”

  “Happy birthday, Liz!”

  Liz drove in stunned silence.

  “What’s the matter, dear?” Maggie inquired. “You look a little pale. Don’t worry. I saw the video on their website. This is going to be a blast. We’re going to fly like a bird through the forest. Talk about a change of scenery!”

  “Talk about…” Liz repeated numbly.

  Maggie pointed frantically. “Ooh, you almost missed the sign, turn here. Right! Right!”

  Liz jerked the wheel right and considered a U-turn.

  “They’ve never had an accident.” Maggie patted Liz’s arm in a gesture of comfort. “I wouldn’t give you a birthday gift that would kill you. What fun would that be?”

  Liz stifled a groan. When a sweet seventy-two-year-old woman was braver than you were, something was definitely wrong. Either with her or with Maggie, she wasn’t sure which.

  But even worse than that, Ryan thought she was so the opposite of wild that she should be a calming influence on his grandmother. Maybe Liz needed a little bit of wild in her life.

  Maybe Maggie was the one who had life all figured out and Liz’s safety-first attitude was wrong.

  Liz surprised even herself when she said quite firmly, “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  ~ ~ ~

  “AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!” someone screamed in a high pitch that startled all the birds from the trees. Wait, was that her? Liz clung to the handles of her zipline with a death grip as she hurtled across the forest canopy, praying she landed on her feet when she hit that platform. Dear God, she was going to knock right into their tour guide, Will. “Lo-oo-oo-ok out!” she hollered as the platform raced up to meet her.

  “Yay, Liz!” Maggie shouted. “Me next!”

  Liz landed on her feet on the platform, where thankfully Will had stepped out of range. Will’s assistant, a baby-faced Lorenzo—seemingly unaware of the great height they were at—nimbly moved forward to release her from the zipline. He guided her to where Will and the rest of the group stood at the other end of the platform.

  She placed a hand on her pounding heart. She couldn’t believe people paid good money to go through such terror! Will gestured as he pointed out the red spruce and paper birch trees found at this altitude of the mountain range. She made the mistake of looking down, got dizzy, and bent at the waist, putting her head between her knees. Breathe, breathe. You’re wearing a harness and a helmet. Ha! she thought somewhat deliriously. Like a helmet would do any good when she was four hundred feet above the ground. Why did she think this would prove she could be wild? More like terrified.

  “Woo-ooo-ooo-hoo!” Maggie hollered.

  Omigod. Liz straightened and turned to see Maggie hurtling through the forest, hands up in the air. Like a crazed witch without her broomstick.

  “Don’t let go of the handles!” Liz shrieked. “Hang on!” Her hand flew to her mouth as she willed Maggie to hang on. She was almost there, the platform only a few feet away.

  “Look, Ma, no hands!” Maggie cackled gleefully. She landed on the platform, laughing, her cheeks full of color. Lorenzo caught her and kept her upright.

  Liz took a deep breath for the first time since she’d seen Maggie in flight.

  The older woman slapped Liz on the back. “Now this is living. Didn’t I tell ya, girl?”

  “Maggie, I think we should go. This is far too dangerous.”

  “No way to get down but across these ziplines,” Maggie replied. “And this next one is even steeper and faster. It’s gonna be a ride! C’mon, get in line, you’re next.”

  Liz turned and looked for the end of this torturous journey. Five more ziplines until the end, each longer and faster until the final, fifty-miles-per-hour line—the one advertised in bold neon letters on the Adventure Zipline Tours brochure she’d picked up just before she’d been fitted for her useless helmet. She seriously considered climbing down a tree. But she’d probably get stuck, and they’d have to call the fire department to get her down. And she couldn’t leave crazy Maggie behind.

  Liz gripped her shaking hands tightly, unable to concentrate as Will pointed out another deciduous species native to the area.

  “Almost your turn.” Baby-face Lorenzo touched her elbow. “Ready?”

  Liz looked toward her next date with terror. A tiny person with pigtails and a purple T-shirt zipped away from her at alarming speed, nearly at the next platform. The girl landed where another baby-faced tour guide waited and walked over to the group gathering there.

  “Your turn,” Baby Tour Guide urged.

  She stood, frozen.

  “C’mon,” Maggie said. “This is the family friendly tour. Look, an eight-year-old girl just did it. Surely if she can do it, you can do it.”

  Liz didn’t budge. No more ziplines. Humans were not meant to be hurtling through the forest canopy faster than they could run. It wasn’t natural. She was meant to be walking at a leisurely pace down Main Street, window-shopping. She envisioned Clover Park’s main commercial district: Shane’s Scoops, Book It, Garner’s Sports Bar & Grill. Garner’s made her think of her sister, her opposite, the wild one. She girded her loins. She was going to prove—to herself and everyone here—that she could take risks and experience at least as much adventure as a seventy-two-year-old woman. If that meant ziplining to her death…well, she had life insurance.

  “Oh, okay, I’ll go next,” Maggie said, grabbing the handle of the zipline. Lorenzo attached her harness, and she took off with a flying leap. “I’m a bird, I’m a plane, I’m super Maggie!”

  Liz paled. Her fear was worse now that she knew what ziplining felt like. The nylon harness wasn’t like a seat like she’d thought it would be. It was flimsy, and she spun, right to left, completely hanging out there, out of control.

  “You really do need to go,” Baby Face said
. “It’s perfectly safe. We have a fantastic safety record.”

  Liz turned, eyes sharp. “Fantastic? What does that mean? Has anyone ever fallen on this thing?”

  “No, never. There was just the one time when Pete was fooling around and slipped upside down—”

  “Upside down!” she screeched.

  “But that could never happen with a properly tightened harness.” He checked hers again, and she watched him tug a little here and there, not feeling any better. “Pete loosened his harness on purpose just for kicks.”

  She was having trouble taking a deep breath. Is this what a panic attack feels like?

  “Look at me,” Baby Face said. “Breathe normally. If it helps, close your eyes and I’ll give you a boost. Pete will catch you at the other end.”

  Pete? The idiot that purposely loosened his harness? Liz closed her eyes and whimpered.

  “Come on, Liz!” Maggie hollered. “You can do it!”

  “Yo, Pete, make sure you catch this one,” Baby Face yelled. “She’s coming through blind.”

  Liz briefly wondered how many times this had happened on the zipline tour and felt marginally better that she wasn’t the only one. She scrunched her eyes shut even tighter, bracing for the boost.

  “These ziplines are strong enough to carry thousands of pounds,” Baby Face said. “You look light as a—”

  Baby boosted her right into the air.

  “AAAAAAHHHH!!!!” Another unearthly shriek ripped from her lungs as she hurtled through the air, the wind whipping her hair back. She heard squawking and wings flapping as a flock of birds took off in fright.

  “Open your eyes!” Maggie hollered.

  She did. Maggie was grinning and giving her a thumbs-up, and suddenly she felt like it was okay. It was all good. They were living life. She smiled now as the wind pushed her hair back. She landed on the platform, where Pete caught her and steadied her. She felt a surge of love for Pete and his scrawny, steady arms. “Hello, Pete,” she said warmly.

  She wasn’t dizzy. She felt weirdly exhilarated. She hugged Maggie. They joined the group, and Will was describing the flocks of warblers that were usually found in the area when people weren’t shrieking. A few people chuckled.

  “I’ll stop shrieking,” Liz promised with a sheepish grin. Poor birds. They were probably more scared than she’d been. Now she felt pumped and alive and strong.

  “Can I go first on this next one?” she asked. “I think waiting for my turn is making my panic worse.”

  “Of course,” a gentleman with a white beard answered, stepping to the side. The eight-year-old girl agreed too.

  Liz gripped the handles and aimed herself at the next platform. “AAAAHHHH!”

  Chapter Eleven

  Ryan was fuming by the time he reached Garner’s Sports Bar & Grill for Liz’s birthday party. He’d been all set to apologize for his mistake. The invitation, while a surprise, gave him the perfect opportunity to give a quick apology for taking advantage of Liz’s weepy state last night and move on. That went out the window when he’d picked up Gran to take her to the party. Apparently, she and Liz had gone ziplining together today, and now Gran would like him to install a zipline in her backyard. Un-freaking-believable!

  He dropped Gran off by the front door. “I’m going to park around back. See you inside.”

  “Okay,” Gran said, getting out of the car. She turned back. “You look very handsome tonight in that dress shirt,” she added, in a blatant attempt to flatter him out of his temper.

  “Thanks,” he said tersely.

  He pulled into the rear parking lot and grabbed the gift he’d bought Liz—before he’d heard about the zipline craziness—from the back seat. He tugged at his collar. This shirt was choking him. He unbuttoned another button of the blue shirt he’d finally decided on and rolled up the sleeves.

  Avoiding the back entrance, he took the long way around the block to give himself time to calm down on the still-hot July night. He passed Shane’s Scoops and a few other shops connected to Garner’s and walked around to the front entrance, where purple and red balloons bobbed cheerfully on the railing next to the door. He took a deep breath. Do not yell at the birthday girl.

  He opened the door. The place was packed. Mr. and Mrs. Garner stood by the bar with some friends, locals he knew from town. Other people he didn’t recognize, maybe some of her relatives. He found Gran chatting with his brother Shane. He didn’t know Shane would be here. Of course, his shop was two doors down; he was probably friendly with the Garners. Finally, Ryan spotted her standing with Rachel. She seemed to sense his stare and met his eyes. Her hair was silky smooth and perfect again. She wore her usual buttoned-up shirt and ironed pants that ended mid-calf, exposing a little bit of skin. He had a brief vision of her bare legs in that Snoopy T-shirt. He forgot his anger as he crossed to her side.

  “Happy birthday,” he said, bending to kiss her cheek and breathing in the scent of vanilla, maybe from her shampoo. She smelled delicious. She blushed prettily, and he handed over her gift.

  “Ryan, you shouldn’t have,” Liz said softly. She avoided his eyes, playing with the curled ribbon tying the two boxes together—something the saleslady had done for him. “Really.”

  “It’s nothing.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. Her mother had told him what kind of chocolate to get when he’d called earlier today. The earrings he’d picked out himself.

  Rachel watched him with undisguised amusement.

  He nodded at her. “How ya doing, Rachel?”

  “Just fine, Ryan,” Rachel said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d show. Word is you’re kind of a hermit now.”

  “I work a lot,” he grumbled. “Nothing exciting. But surveillance work goes easier when I’m solo.”

  Liz perked up. “What kind of surveillance work?”

  “Mostly married idiots shacking up with someone else. But, hey, those idiots pay my mortgage.”

  Liz frowned. That’s when he remembered he owed her an apology.

  “Can we have a minute, Rachel?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said with a huge grin. Had Liz told her about their kiss? She should be pissed, not smiling.

  “Hey, I’m sorry about last night,” he told Liz the minute Rachel was out of hearing range. “It was a mistake. I shouldn’t have—”

  “A mistake?” Her voice rose in volume. “You know what…no, forget it.” Her eyes were suspiciously shiny.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” She crossed her arms, hugging herself. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Wait, I don’t know why you’re so upset. I apologized.”

  “You’re right. What a lovely apology. Goodbye.” She turned to go, and he grabbed her arm. “Let go of me.”

  He jerked his head to the door. “Let’s talk outside.”

  She shook him off, and the fire was back in her eyes. Hands on her hips, she demanded, “Why?” in a voice that got attention.

  A few people watched them curiously. Gran shot him a look of warning from across the room.

  “I’ll tell you when we’re outside,” he said through clenched teeth.

  ~ ~ ~

  “Fine.” Liz marched past the bar, shoved his gift behind it, and pushed open the back door. She stopped just outside the door and crossed her arms. “What is it?”

  His eyes were glued to her breasts. She glanced down. Between the Wonderbra and crossing her arms, she’d grown a cup size. She waited, still pissed he’d called their kiss a mistake. She’d actually been hopeful it might be the first step toward ending her dry spell. The joke was on her.

  “Well?” she prompted.

  He met her eyes and blinked. “Gran would like me to install a zipline in her backyard,” he finally said.

  Ooh, boy, Maggie must have told him about their adventure. Or maybe she just casually mentioned the idea of a zipline in her backyard with no explanation. A possibility. You never knew with her. “Really?” she asked, trying for innocent.

&nb
sp; “Yes, really. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?” He took a step closer. Her breathing quickened as she took in his woodsy scent, his strong jaw, the eyes that burned into hers.

  She sucked in some air. “Maggie mentioned at lunch she thought it’d be fun to zip through her backyard,” she said all in a rush, focusing on a point just right of his ear. “But I never thought she’d actually go through with it.” She met his sharp hazel eyes and looked away. “That’s a little crazy. Who ever heard of…” She trailed off weakly as he stroked one finger along her jaw, tipping her head up. She closed her eyes, waiting, barely breathing in anticipation…a beat passed, and she opened her eyes.

  “Tell me you won’t go ziplining with her again,” he said evenly, his eyes hot on hers.

  “I won’t go ziplining with her again,” she breathed. Not that I’d ever want to. She stared at his mouth.

  He pulled back, ran a hand through his hair. “You can’t encourage her craziness. I’m not even paying you. Why are you still hanging out with her?”

  She shoved at his chest, thoroughly pissed off that she’d opened herself up for another stinging rejection. She’d thought he was about to kiss her. She glared at him. “I like Maggie, and you know what? She knows what she’s doing. She wants to live life to the fullest. Who are you to tell her what she can and can’t do?”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up. “Who am I?” he asked in an even tone. “Who are you?”

  She exhaled sharply. “I’m her friend.”

  “She’s my gran,” he said quietly. “Nothing can happen to her.”

  Her heart softened. She bit her lip and nodded.

  He reached out and stroked a lock of her hair, his warm fingers grazing her neck. “Have dinner with me.”

  She took a step back, thoroughly confused. He wouldn’t kiss her, thought it was, in fact, a mistake that he had kissed her, and now he was asking her out to dinner? What kind of game was he playing?

  “No,” she said.

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re…” A heartbreaker.

  Because of The Humiliation.

  Her father poked his head out the back door. “Everything okay here, honey?”