Who Rescued Who

by Victoria Schade

  “We’re . . . having fun.”

  “That’s it?”

  She prayed that wasn’t all they were doing, but James had racked up five sarcastic comments about being long distance by the time she left that morning. She wondered how she could convince him to stop joking about it as she leaned down and petted Georgina, who was sleeping on her coffee bean sack upside down after an exhausting training session with William.

  “I really like him. A lot.”

  “No kidding. You’ve been stalking him since you arrived.”

  “Stop.”

  “Just calling it like I see it,” he replied, then disappeared into the back room.

  She refocused on his website. She was close to beta testing and wanted to be able to tick one project off her list of unfinished Fargrove business before things started to get serious back home.

  Home.

  Elizabeth typed faster, trying to ignore the inkblot that spread inside her any time she thought about going back to her aggressively minimalistic apartment. She could hear the echo of her keys hitting the narrow metal table in her front hall. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about the box anymore.

  Georgina rolled onto her back on the bean sack next to her chair, splaying her legs out. Elizabeth studied the puppy, noting the new freckles accumulating on the naked part of her belly. If only she could be more like Georgina and just . . . be. There was no way for Elizabeth to “just be” in San Francisco, and she got exhausted thinking about going back to her old routines, from work to exercise to the endless, joyless happy hours with subpar beer.

  What was she going back to? A career that had been her everything and the money that came with it. A gorgeous apartment. Her social media accounts and the dopamine hit that came with every new like and follower. It was the life she’d worked hard for, and the only one that made sense to her.

  Her phone alarm chimed, reminding her that she had five minutes before her scheduled call with Carson Keller.

  “Reid, I’ve got a call, I’m going on the roof!” She ran past him, holding up her phone. “Watch Georgie for me!”

  She dashed up the narrow stairs and onto the roof, thankful that the mild day hadn’t turned it into a sauna. Elizabeth focused on the perfect blue sky and tried to visualize a positive outcome as the minutes passed. She closed her eyes and thought about how Cecelia’s face would look when she heard that Elizabeth had clawed her way back into the cool crowd.

  A shrieking bark shattered her brief meditation, then scratching on the door. Georgina had followed her to the roof, more than likely because Reid had gotten tied up with customers. She didn’t have time to run her back down, and she wasn’t about to listen to barking and scratching during the call, so she ran to the door and let her out.

  “Please be good,” she pleaded as Georgina jumped on her. “No shenanigans, this is important!”

  Georgina trotted off in the direction of the hives.

  “Stay away from the bees, Georgie!”

  She dialed the number and crossed her fingers as it rang, taking cleansing breaths until he picked up.

  “Carson Keller. Go.”

  “Carson, it’s Elizabeth Barnes, so great to talk to you finally.”

  “Yeah, no kidding. You’re impossible to reach. Are you playing hard to get?”

  “Not at all, just busy. You know how it is.”

  “Do you live in the UK now? You’ve been gone forever.”

  “Not even close, just a quick trip.” She knew that the lie wouldn’t register, that he was so wrapped up in his own world that she could tell him it had only been two weeks and he would’ve believed her. There was no way she was going to admit she’d been unemployed and hiding in Fargrove for nearly a month and a half. “I had some family business. Do you know Rowan Barnes?” She didn’t throw his name around casually, but the situation called for her big guns.

  “Is he the guy who started that new music app? What’s it called?”

  “No, no, he’s an artist. He’s pretty famous over here.” Rowan was pretty famous everywhere, but unless Carson was one of the tech entrepreneurs who threw his excess earnings at art, there was no way he’d recognize the name. And she couldn’t imagine Carson Keller investing in tasteful landscapes. “He’s my uncle and I had to help him organize his collection.” She realized that it sounded very far out of her wheelhouse. “I, uh, developed a registrar spreadsheet to catalog his collection. I think it can be transitioned to an app.”

  “An app, huh? Can you get it scalable? Cloud-ready?” Carson immediately focused on the one aspect of the conversation that made sense to him.

  “Of course.” The thought hadn’t even crossed Elizabeth’s mind.

  “Let’s put a pin in that and revisit it later. Anyway, you’ve probably heard we’re expanding. We all know that the next great frontier in VR is—”

  “Medicine,” Elizabeth interrupted. Her heart started thudding in her chest. “Yes, it’s amazing what’s being done in medical research with the technology.”

  “Sure, yeah. Medical VR is important. But we want to stay in a vertical aligned with our core competencies, so we’re actually looking to expand into VR gaming for kids.”

  “That’s fantastic. So educational-type games?”

  “Not exactly. There’s already a glut of that sort of play, and that’s boring anyway, so we’re looking to do games that turn kids into little addicts. Get ’em hooked while they’re young. Right now we’ve got two we’re setting our sights on: Blood Hunter for boys, and Shop Diva for girls.”

  Elizabeth laughed at the ridiculous names.

  “I’m serious. They’re testing off the charts.”

  “What ages?” Elizabeth kept her voice measured.

  “We start at age three. Let’s get to the good stuff. We’re thinking veep of comm. Now, before I make any promises you gotta run the gauntlet first, because there’s still some stink connected to your name. But we know what you’re capable of. We’ve been watching you.”

  She was officially back. Not only was it a way in, it was a way in that was at least two pay grades above where she’d been before. Cecelia would lose her mind.

  “I’m interested. What’s next?”

  “We’re wire-framing. Let me give you our dark site so you can see what we’re up to. It’s not go time yet, but when we’re nimble one of us will reach out to you to start the interview process. That is, if you can get back to San Fran.”

  Elizabeth heard a shriek from the other side of the roof. Georgina dashed to her, stopping to rub her paw on her nose. She wiped her face back and forth on the ground, then rolled onto her back, dragging both paws along her snout.

  She’d been stung.

  She tried to call Georgina to her without making noise, but the dog was too stressed to do anything but fuss with her painful snout. Elizabeth ran to her and tried to figure out what to do, stroking Georgina to try to calm her with one hand while pressing the phone to her ear with the other.

  “Elizabeth, you still there?”

  “What? Sorry, Carson, yes. I think the call dropped out for a second. Spotty service over here in nowheresville. Of course I can come home. Say the word and I’m there.”

  “Perfect. Won’t be too long and you’ll be back in the real world, kicking ass and taking names.”

  “Can’t wait. I look forward to next steps.” The words caught in her throat as she said them.

  The second the call disconnected she threw the phone down and examined Georgina’s muzzle. It was already starting to swell, and Georgina was clearly hurting. Elizabeth picked her up and kissed the top of her head.

  “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. They didn’t mean to hurt you, it’s just what bees do. Let’s go talk to Uncle Reid, he’ll know how to help.”

  Elizabeth held Georgina tightly as she carried her down the steps and cooed to her,
trying to keep the pup from focusing on the painful sting.

  “I’ve got you, don’t worry. I’m here, little one, I’m here,” Elizabeth whispered.

  But she wouldn’t always be, and Georgina wouldn’t understand why. The realization was an unexpected gut punch. Would her dog think that she was being abandoned for a second time? It didn’t matter if Georgina ended up with Rowan and Trudy, or Reid, or James. Every option was great but also terrible, because none of them were her.

  Georgina whimpered and nuzzled closer, and instead of blowing away the storm clouds the way her snuggles usually did, the move sent a fissure through Elizabeth’s heart.

  chapter thirty-one

  He’s so handsome,” Trudy whispered as James got out of his car and readied his dogs in the back seat. He was stunning even in a simple navy T-shirt and shorts.

  “Isn’t he?” Elizabeth agreed as he headed down the gravel lane to the barn with Porter and Amber kicking up pebbles next to him. It had been a little over a month since their first official official date at the Blue Boar, and seeing him still made her feel as nervous and fluttery as the first time she’d spotted him at HiveMind.

  “What are you on about, Trudy?” Rowan asked. “Is your eye wandering?”

  “Never, my love.” She winked at Elizabeth and cradled her newly cast-free arm.

  Georgina and Major dashed from the Operculum to greet Porter and Amber, already fast friends. The dogs spun around each other, sniffing bums and play-bowing, then took off into the brush with hostess Georgina in the lead. After back-slapping hugs and a quick catch-up with Rowan and Trudy, Elizabeth and James set off on their hike.

  “I’ve hiked nearly every inch of Fargrove, but this is the first time I’ve gotten to explore this property,” James said as they walked down the lane. “It’s gorgeous.”

  “It’s really special,” Elizabeth agreed. “Wait until you see the river.”

  She hadn’t been back to the river since the dispersement, but for some reason the walk there felt familiar, as if they’d visited it the day before. Elizabeth made her way through the dense growth with ease, keeping pace with James in her sneakers. After walking everywhere since arriving in Fargrove and experiencing all sorts of surprises along the way, including a lost cow with prehistoric horns and long brown bangs standing in the middle of the road, and a man in a top hat driving a tractor, nothing about her surroundings fazed her.

  The dogs crashed along in the woods, always circling back as if Elizabeth and James were two-legged deadweights that couldn’t keep up. Amber and Georgina led the pack, an adorable girl gang with speed that put their older male buddies to shame. Major brought up the rear, occasionally looking worried when the group became too spread out.

  They ended up in the clearing near the old grist mill ruins. Her father’s property, and for the moment hers.

  “This is incredible,” James said. “It’s paradise. Look at the way the light filters through the trees. And the river! It’s wider here than any other place in Fargrove. It’s just a trickle in some spots.”

  He walked around the space in awe, like he was checking the amenities in a luxury hotel suite.

  “And a mill as well? Phenomenal. Look at that craftsmanship. Four solid walls, still standing after all this time. Throw a roof up there and someone could move in tomorrow.”

  “As of this moment, I own this little patch of paradise.” She was almost embarrassed to admit it.

  “Seriously?”

  She nodded. “It was my father’s but I think I’m going to sell it back to Rowan and Trudy. They want to keep it in the family.”

  “I wouldn’t be too quick to do that, Bess. This is a magical spot. Why not keep it?”

  “I need the money,” she blurted out, regretting her honesty the minute she said it. Talking about the real world with James made their fairy tale seem even more unlikely. “I mean, my situation is changing, but still. The money from selling it will help.” She was vague on purpose and James knew exactly why.

  “What do you mean? What situation is changing?”

  The one off-limits topic when they were together was her departure date. Elizabeth never mentioned it, and James’s digs about her leaving had finally stopped. Being more specific about her “situation” would break the spell.

  “Where are the dogs?”

  “Don’t ignore the question. What situation?”

  “I’m serious, I can’t hear them!” Elizabeth cocked her head and made a worried expression, even though they both knew the dogs were fine.

  “You are so transparent, Bess,” he said. “Porter, here!” Within seconds the sound of sixteen paws crashing through undergrowth echoed around them.

  The pack of dogs tumbled to them looking like they’d been up to no good, with muddy paws and wet bellies. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder in size order: Amber, then Georgina, then Major, then Porter. After checking in they took off on another adventure.

  “They’re living their best lives,” Elizabeth said. “So happy.”

  “Aren’t we all?” James replied, sounding like he was anything but.

  She knew she needed to change the subject and lighten the mood, so she pretended she was about to peel off her T-shirt. “Shall we skinny-dip? I’m boiling.”

  “Nah.” James was staring into space with an expression that Elizabeth couldn’t read.

  Elizabeth walked over and stood in front of him. “Stop,” she said softly. “Just be here with me now, okay?”

  “I am here.”

  She put her hand on his cheek and gently turned his face so that he had to look at her. “No, you’re not. You’re thinking about—” She stopped herself from being specific. “. . . the future.”

  He shrugged.

  Every time James retreated, the vise in Elizabeth’s chest cinched tighter.

  “We’ll make it work. We will. I’m not her, James, so don’t punish me for her mistakes.”

  “You have to understand why this is hard for me. Trusting again.”

  “Of course I do.” Elizabeth reached around his waist and clasped her hands behind him, locking him in close to her so the feeling of her body pressed against his would make him stop talking about it. She nestled against his solid chest, and when he finally relented and rested his chin on top of her head, she sighed.

  “I hate the thought of you leaving,” James said.

  “Then don’t think of it. Just kiss me.” Elizabeth leaned away from him so that she could see his beautiful face. “I’m begging you.”

  It worked every time. He smirked and lowered his lips onto hers. Two seconds later all she could think of was pulling her T-shirt over her head so that he could get more creative with his kisses.

  The cavalcade of dogs returned as they groped one another, and James groaned when one of them started barking manically.

  “Porter, enough.”

  The other dogs joined in and took off through the bushes, past the grist mill.

  “They’re on a scent. Porter and Major should be fine, but Amber and Georgina aren’t as trustworthy. Come on.” He grabbed Elizabeth’s hand and ran after the dogs.

  They found them gathered around a giant tree stump. Porter stood barking at it while Major ran in circles around the stump. Georgina and Amber were next to each other digging the loose dirt so fast that their heads were already beneath ground level.

  “What was it?”

  “Probably something small and furry. They’ll never get it, don’t worry. They’re fine.”

  James walked on and Elizabeth trailed behind him until they reached a clearing at the edge of the property.

  “I’ve lost my bearings, which never happens. The sun is there, so that’s east,” he said pointing in the distance. “The village must be that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction. “And what’s that? A road?” He put his hand above his eyes
to shade them and squinted.

  “We’re so far out in the wild I have no idea where we are.”

  “A trick of the landscape. Look through the trees across the way. That’s Yeldham Road, also known as the road to Fargrove. We’re a lot closer to civilization than you know.”

  chapter thirty-two

  Rowan had told her to dress smart, that they wouldn’t be spending the morning in the barn, but he hadn’t told her where they were headed.

  Elizabeth’s “smart” clothes were hanging in the back corner of the wardrobe in her room, beautiful relics of her San Fran life ready to be called into battle at a moment’s notice. Her black sleeveless peplum top, skintight white pants (which were tighter than normal around her waist), and black heels made her look ten feet tall and lethal. After spending so much time in grubby jeans and T-shirts, it felt like wearing a costume.

  “Look at the fancy lady!” Trudy exclaimed as Elizabeth walked into the kitchen.

  “You’re not used to me in my armor,” Elizabeth replied as she filled her teacup from the black-and-white kettle. “Please tell me what’s going on today. I’m not great with ambushes.”

  “You’re going to see the retrospective, at the museum. Rowan hasn’t gone yet. Faye Woolard will be there, along with Martin.” She spat the name out.

  It made sense that Rowan had kept the trip to the museum a secret. When Rowan had invited Elizabeth to assist with organizing his legacy, he hadn’t counted on her intense drive, cultivated from years of seven-day workweeks. As they made their way through the stacks of paintings, Elizabeth quickly transformed from confused newbie to taskmaster, with a cataloging system that was as efficient as anything a gallerist might use. Rowan had expected a slow stroll down memory lane, but Elizabeth held him to a strict timeline. Telling her about the meeting prior to it would’ve prompted a barrage of questions and strategizing that she knew he didn’t have the heart to consider. Now he’d only have to deal with Elizabeth’s planning during the drive into London.