Saving Shelby

by Nicole Taylor Eby

  “Never. Age is a state of mind. And I don’t plan to waste a second of potential fun worrying about whether he’s too young or not. I’m going on the prowl. Too bad Ian’s like a big brother to me or maybe we could’ve had some foursome fun.”

  “Ginny!”

  Ginny playfully swatted Shelby. “I’m kidding. I know you aren’t ready for that kind of fun.” Then her face got serious. “I know I’ve been teasing you about crushing on Ian, but in all seriousness, I’m worried about you; worried it might be more than a crush.”

  Shelby shook her head. “I’m a big girl; not the first time I’ve liked the hot boy. I know where I stand.”

  Ginny smiled weakly. “I know, but you’re my friend, and I’ve seen Ian’s type.”

  A roaring sound in Shelby’s ears drowned out Ginny’s next words. It didn’t matter that she knew she was out of Ian’s league, there was a stubborn part of her that wouldn’t let go of the fantasy and did not want to hear about Ian’s type.

  “I’m good,” Shelby said with more conviction than she felt.

  “As long as you’re good,” Ginny grinned mischievously. “Then, I’m going to keep giving you the gears for those pretty little blushes you get when he talks to you.”

  “Oh, really?” Shelby said, restarting the pillow fight with one good wallop to Ginny’s head. “As long as, you don’t mind me pointing out the way you flutter your eyelashes at Luke.”

  “You’re on!” Ginny shrieked, as she launched an attack back at Shelby. The two women crashed in a giggling heap.

  Shelby laughed freely with her friend, but a part of her was still focused on Ginny’s warning. She would have to face Ian in the morning, and she had better have her libido under control by then.

  CHAPTER 13

  Shelby, dressed in an old pair of black yoga pants and a red flannel shirt, set her tray one of the long, wooden tables. She manoeuvred her leg over the bench and plopped down with a satisfied smile.

  She hadn’t gotten much sleep, having spent most of the night giggling with Ginny about boys, as if they were still in junior-high. But this morning, the sun was filtering through the tree canopy, and she felt more relaxed than she had in a long time. All she needed was to fill her belly with the eggs and bacon on her plate for things to be perfect.

  Across the table, Ginny hugged her coffee cup, as if she could absorb the caffeine through her skin.

  “Aren’t you going to eat?” Shelby asked.

  Dishevelled and looking like she was still half asleep, Ginny shook her head and took another sip of her coffee. “It’s way too early. Who gets up at this time on a vacation?”

  “People with kids,” Shelby said. “I thought you were a morning person. You’re always so perky in the morning at the office.”

  Ginny mumbled something in response, but it was lost on Shelby, as her attention was drawn away by Ian entering the Cookhouse. He looked ready for a foray into the woods in a pair of dark grey pants and a red technical shirt with grey raglan sleeves that emphasized his muscular shoulders.

  “Morning, Ian,” Ginny murmured from behind her coffee cup.

  “Morning, Ginny. Shelby,” Ian said, tipping his head slightly to each woman.

  Shelby let her eyes drift up his body until they locked onto his dark eyes. Instantly, her pulse began to race, as she froze, caught in the magnetic pull of his eyes like an animal caught on the highway. She knew she needed to return his greeting, just so she could look like a normal, intelligent person, but her mouth simply wouldn’t form the words.

  Ian paused, keeping his eyes locked with Shelby’s. He should just keep walking. He should just grab his coffee and go. It was the right thing to do. He was supposed to be at the Meeting Place in a few minutes, officially starting the course instruction. He should be focused on his job. But he found himself stopping behind her.

  He would just give her a reminder of the time. It was something he would do for any student.

  The moment she looked at him, he found himself ensnared in her gaze. There wasn’t anything special about Shelby’s eyes. They were the soft blue of Love Lake; nothing like the mesmerizing sapphire blue of Natalie’s eyes, and yet he found himself drowning in them.

  The memory of Natalie’s blue eyes flashing in anger jolted him coldly back to reality, breaking the connection. He had no right to stand here gazing into Shelby’s eyes like he was bent on seducing her. He wasn’t to be trusted, and he knew beyond a doubt she didn’t deserve any more dealings with men who couldn’t be trusted. Not meeting her eyes again, he moved towards the coffee station, clutching his travel mug like it was a life preserver, and he was navigating a raging river.

  “I hope you’re ready to get started,” he said brusquely over his shoulder.

  At Ian’s curt words, Shelby glanced distractedly at the clock on the wall. Something had flashed in his eyes right before he had turned away. She was sure of it, but she didn’t have time to analyze it. They were going to be late. She leapt up from the bench, banging her knee.

  “Ouch, shit,” she said, rubbing at it.

  “Whoa, settle down girl, you can’t let him get you riled up like that,” Ginny said, still absorbed in her coffee.

  “Very funny. Everything isn’t about Ian. We’re supposed to be at the Meeting Place in like two minutes.” No wonder the Cookhouse was virtually abandoned.

  Ginny gave a lazy smile. “Geez, it’s still like the crack of dawn. Why all the rushing around? What I really want to know is when the spa part kicks in?” But, despite her casual words, Ginny began manoeuvring herself out from the table. She took one more sip of her coffee, as she followed Shelby over to the bussing cart. “You’re going to waste all that bacon?” she asked, swiping a piece off Shelby’s still full plate.

  Surrendering her bacon with a shake of her head, Shelby glanced surreptitiously around the Cookhouse to check on Ian, wondering what had caused him to bolt like that. She found him standing with his back to her, deep in conversation with Kirk.

  “Come on. Mooning over him isn’t going to get us to the Meeting Place on time,” Ginny whispered into Shelby’s ear, causing her to jump guiltily.

  “I wasn’t...”

  Ginny’s raised eyebrows caused Shelby to let her sentence trail off. She wasn’t fooling Ginny, which was one more indication she needed to get a grip. She had big plans for the next phase of her life, and she certainly wasn’t going to accomplish them by fretting over whether or not a hot boy liked her. Besides, let’s not forget, Ginny had warned her that she wasn’t Ian’s type.

  As she stepped out into the brisk morning air, Shelby inhaled deeply to clear her mind and pulled her jacket collar tight up around her neck. “Oh, it’s chilly.”

  “Of course, it’s chilly. It’s the crack of dawn and practically still winter,” Ginny said.

  “It’s hardly the crack of dawn.” It was early, but the sun was up and working on burning off the fog settled low in the trees, leaving a dappled pattern on the wood chip path as it filtered through the thick leaves.

  As they walked, Shelby took in her surroundings. She had always been drawn to the outdoors, but she really hadn’t had many opportunities to get out into true wilderness. Most of her experiences had been confined to city parks, and while they were beautiful, they couldn’t hold a candle to this.

  Ginny stopped dead in her tracks, and Shelby smacked right into her.

  “Come on, Ginny! We need to get going. I don’t want to be late on the first day.”

  “Who’s that?” Ginny asked, ignoring Shelby and pointing down the trail.

  Shelby’s eyes followed Ginny’s finger to a young woman. The woman was undeniably stunning. She looked like she could be attending an event for the fashionably elite rather than a course on how to survive in the woods. Her long, curly, strawberry-blonde hair had been caught up in a half braid, the rest spilling down her back in waves. It looked like she had just come from the salon. Fitted cargo pants hugged her body like a well-worn pair of expensive jea
ns would, showing off her curves, and her pink North Face shell looked like it had been tailor-made for her.

  Apparently, Ian had noticed her too. He didn’t even look at the two of them as he brushed by.

  Shelby ran a hand along her head, vainly trying to smooth down the flyaway pieces that had escaped from her ponytail. Why hadn’t she taken the time to do her hair properly this morning? Just because she was hanging out in the bush didn’t mean she had to look like a train wreck.

  Ian smiled, a full smile, as he approached the young woman. “You must be Celeste. We’ve been expecting you.”

  Celeste returned his smile, revealing her perfect, white teeth. “Yes, I hope I’m not too late.”

  “Not to worry. I’m Ian, your instructor.”

  “Mmm. This course is already looking promising, if I get to look at you all day,” she said, her voice syrupy sweet. “I think I’m going to get my money’s worth.”

  “Is she for real?” Shelby whispered to Ginny, her stomach turning over in disgust.

  “Here let me get your luggage. We’ll get you settled in your room, and then you can join the others,” Ian said, his voice low and sexy.

  “Don’t you mean, is he for real?” Ginny said, making gagging noises.

  “No kidding, right?” Shelby whispered back, fighting to keep her voice calm. For some reason, she had the strong desire to push herself in between Ian and Celeste.

  “That’s really sweet,” Celeste said in the same sweet tone. “My driver is unloading my suitcases by the path.”

  “I guess she’s on the young, rich, and beautiful program. We didn’t get offered that one for some reason,” Ginny said.

  “Come on, Ginny, let’s get going.” The longer Shelby stood there, the stronger her desire to punch Celeste was getting.

  “Well, isn’t she a tasty one for Ian?” Ginny said, as they turned down the path to the Meeting Place. “I told you he had a type.”

  Shelby forced a smile. “Yes, it’s almost like she was ordered in especially for him.”

  Ginny laughed. “Like a Christmas bonus or something. Hilarious. He’s a fickle one that boy. Good luck to any woman who tries to pin him down.”

  Ginny’s careless words twisted Shelby’s gut. What was wrong with her? She had no claim on Ian and certainly didn’t want one. She barely knew him, and yet, the faint taste of bile in the back of her throat tasted an awful lot like jealousy. She had to force herself not to look back, as she walked down the trail to the Meeting Place.

  Massive cedar trees stood sentinel over the Meeting Place. The large clearing had been set up for gatherings with angled rows of benches hewn from massive logs. As they entered, Luke waved them over.

  “Ginny,” Luke called. “Over here.”

  The two women wove their way through the benches already filled with students to join Luke and his buddies. Ginny grinned like she had won the grand prize—a stark contrast to how Shelby felt.

  Moments after they sat down, Jade stepped onto the platform at the front. “Good morning, everyone. I hope you all slept well. The weather is beautiful, just like the weatherman predicted. We’re excited about this new course and hope you are too. You guys are our guinea pigs, so we’re going to get lots of feedback from you at the end.”

  Shelby tried to pay attention to what Jade was saying, but her mind was stuck on the way Ian had smiled at Celeste, and she couldn’t seem to stop her eyes from wandering to the trail. If asked, she would have denied it, but the truth was that she was watching for Ian.

  “Combining the spa elements with the survival stuff is a new concept we’re hoping will draw in some of those people who might have a misconception about what it means to be out in nature. Anyway, I’m sure you’ve heard enough of me spouting off about this course. Our last student has just arrived on site, so we’ll be getting started soon. Enjoy, learn, and have fun.” Jade waved and stepped away from the front.

  “Hey, it’s Shelby, right?”

  Shelby swivelled her head away from the pathway to find Piper smiling at her.

  “That’s right,” Shelby smiled.

  “I have to say I’m glad to see a familiar face. This whole thing is a little bit daunting.”

  “Are you here by yourself?”

  “Yes,” Piper sighed. “I couldn’t convince any of my friends to come with me, but Ian recommended it, so I figured I should give it a try.”

  Shelby kept her smile fixed on her face, but she felt a chill wash over her. Of course, she hadn’t been the only one to receive encouragement from Ian. It was his job. So why did it feel a little bit like she had been punched in the gut?

  “I couldn’t even imagine doing it by myself. I’m here with Ginny.” Shelby tipped her chin towards Ginny who was deep in conversation with Luke. “Who you bunking with?”

  “Funny you should ask,” Piper chuckled. “I was supposed to be rooming with the mystery guest we’re all waiting on, but last night they came and asked me to move into Karen and Paula’s room. Gave me a discount and everything.”

  “Are you kidding me? You must’ve been so pissed.”

  “Oh, not really. Paula and Karen are a lot of fun. Their kids have grown-up, and they’re here for an adventure. I think it’s going to be good.” Piper indicated the two women sitting just a log over. “Have fun,” she said over her shoulder, as she went to sit with Paula and Karen.

  As soon as Piper walked away, Shelby’s eyes were back on the path. When Celeste and Ian finally emerged from the trees, only about fifteen minutes had passed, but to Shelby it felt much longer. The others had filled the time chitchatting and getting to know each other, but she had found herself staring at the opening to the clearing.

  Luke let out a low whistle. “She’s hot.”

  Ginny elbowed him in the ribs. “Don’t be an ass.” Luke just grinned back at her, while Shelby felt like it had been her ribs that had been elbowed.

  “Sorry for the delayed start,” Ian said, coming in on Celeste’s heels and striding to the front. “We’re going to launch right in by going over the important elements of survival. Has anyone heard about the Survival Pattern?”

  Waylon, Abe, and Piper raised their hands.

  “Okay, a few people,” Ian said as his eyes scanned the group. When he reached Shelby, he paused, his eyes searching hers questioningly.

  She broke the connection as her face flushed red. She had learned the Survival Pattern at the Adventure Safe course, but she wasn’t about to start this course by giving the wrong answer.

  After an expectant pause, Ian continued. “Waylon, can you explain the Survival Pattern to the group?”

  Waylon’s voice seemed far away, as Shelby tried to sink inside herself. Today hadn’t been an auspicious start to the course. It was early and already she felt like a fool.

  Ian half listened to Waylon’s response, as he watched Shelby out of the corner of his eye. She knew the answer; he was sure of it, but she had pulled into herself the instant he had looked to her for the answer. Someone had done a number on her and, based on what he had witnessed on her front lawn, he had a pretty good idea who that might be. He couldn’t believe he had tried to give that guy the benefit of the doubt.

  The good news was she had come on the course. It would give him lots of opportunities to help undo some of the damage.

  A twitter brought Ian’s attention back to the group. Celeste sat in the first row, her perfection radiating out from her like an aura. He couldn’t think of a single man who wouldn’t be happy to be receiving her particular attention, and yet he knew he was going to have to work hard to reciprocate. It was never easy to walk that delicate line between showing interest in a student and maintaining professionalism.

  He had better keep his focus if he wanted to keep his job.

  CHAPTER 14

  The sound of Celeste’s laughter drifted over from the campfire, interrupting Shelby’s focus. She made a face towards Celeste’s back. After spending the morning watching Ian feel up Celeste in th
e name of first aid, Shelby couldn’t bring herself to have an open mind towards the blonde bombshell. And she didn’t care if that made her sound jealous.

  What were the odds that Celeste, with her flawless skin and perfect body, would turn out to be proficient in first aid? Ian had used her for every demo. Not that it should matter to Shelby; Ian could feel up whomever he wanted. She was just feeling indignant for women like herself in general. Nobody needed to watch men drooling over the Celestes of the world. It had almost been like watching porn.

  Using the distraction as a cue to take a break, Shelby pressed her hands into her lower back and arched, squeezing her shoulder blades together to relieve the pressure from being hunched over for so long. Stretching one leg to the side, she moaned in relief, as the blood started to creep back into her foot.

  “Guess we can add fire-making to the list of things that Celeste is better at,” Ginny said with a smirk.

  Shelby sighed and turned back to the smoldering mess in front of her. “Maybe I should just give in and use the lighter.”

  “Or maybe you could toss your hair and smile up at Ian, and he would come and light it for you.”

  “Do you think that would work?” Shelby asked wryly, shooting another dark look at Celeste.

  “Maybe if you had Celeste’s perky boobs,” Ginny said, her voice high and simpering in a Celeste imitation.

  Shelby chuckled ruefully. She had been watching the Ian and Celeste show all day. And she couldn’t figure out why it was bothering her so much. Sure, he was hot and had a voice that made her melt, but she was not looking for a man. Over a decade of being married to Blake had been more than enough for her. There was no way she would find herself if she got mixed up with another man. Why do I even care? She thought. Even Ginny warned me off him.

  It was probably just regular old female jealousy—the kind you couldn’t help but feel whenever men fell all over themselves trying to get the attention of beautiful women like Celeste. Celeste was the kind of woman that ordinary mortals like Shelby couldn’t compete with. In fact, she was pretty sure that even when she had been twenty, her boobs hadn’t been that perky.