“I hope not, but it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibilities.”
Matt sighed. “No, I guess if you look at my track record, it’s not. I give you my word, Steph. I bought Heat Wave with the idea of creating an amazing wellness retreat. It’s what I’d still like to do, but I need a partner. Someone passionate about the project and willing to drive it. If that’s you, fantastic. If it’s not, then I’ll see if I can find someone to fit the role. If that doesn’t work, I’ll give thought to my backup plan.” He glanced at his watch. “I’d better get going. I’ve got a long drive and a few things to do before I leave.”
“Just to clarify,” Steph said. “For now, we run the studio as usual and nothing else.”
Matt nodded. “And if you decide you want to partner up, we sign the agreement, and you take the lead on the retreat project. You’d work closely with Buster and his construction team to transform what we already have. I’d suggest you get Charlie up to have a look at the cottages too. His architectural design experience is phenomenal. I think a combination of your ideas and his skill would deliver an amazing result.”
“I’ll give it some more thought,” Steph said. “But I do appreciate you slowing things down, Matt. I realize that change and I aren’t the best combination, but if I take things slowly, I tend to embrace it easier.”
“We’ll work at your speed then. Like I said, if you suddenly decide you want to take the leap and do it, then call me and we’ll work out the details. If not, we’ll review the whole situation in a month or so. Check that you’re okay with running the studio, and if you’re not, get someone else in so you can go back to teaching as you did with Bodhi.”
“So, I could go back to my life exactly as it was?”
Matt stood. “If staying in your comfort zone is what works for you, Steph, then of course you can. As I said, you let me know. I’d better get going. I’ll chat with you in the next few days and make sure the studio’s all good. If you need anything in the interim, just call me, okay?”
Steph stood and hugged Matt. “Thank you. This meeting has gone so much better than I expected. Give your dad my love, okay?”
Matt laughed. “He’ll probably have another heart attack if I tell him someone from Hope’s Ridge sent their love. But I will, thanks.”
Steph sat back down, sipping her tea while Matt went to talk to Margie and Ryan before leaving. She’d organized a date with Buster, let Ryan down with no hard feelings on either side, and now Matt had given her the breathing space she needed for her work. It was shaping up to be a good day. A very good day.
❖
Buster changed his shirt three times before settling on a simple navy tee. Steph wasn’t flashy, and they weren’t going anywhere fancy. Jeans and a tee would be perfect. He wasn’t sure why he was getting so concerned over a shirt. It was cold outside, and he’d need a fleece pullover and possibly a jacket too. She probably wouldn’t even see the tee. He gave himself a mental shake. Where was all of this coming from? T-shirt talk? Really?
His phone rang as he was about to leave the house. He contemplated not answering it, but in checking the screen he saw it was Eve’s mom.
“Cora, is everything okay?”
“Henry, love, it is okay, thanks to you. I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you’ve done for Eve.”
“I’ve hardly done anything.”
“Oh, but you have. She’s agreed to pursue the appeal, which is the first good thing.”
Buster smiled. “That’s great. I don’t think prison is where she needs to be.”
“But you’ve done so much more than just that, Henry. You’ve given her hope. For the first time since…” she hesitated, still unable to comfortably talk about anything Holly related, “…since we lost our little love.”
Buster took a deep breath. “That’s wonderful news. I feel like I have a lot of making up to do to Eve, so I’m glad she’s feeling more positive.”
“Oh, she is, love, she is. That you are so forgiving is beyond her wildest dreams.” She gave a throaty chuckle. “I think she’s mentally redecorating the house as we speak.”
“The house?”
“Oops. I’ve probably spoken prematurely, but the fact that you’re considering having her move back in with you is just amazing, Henry. Absolutely amazing.”
Dread settled in the pit of Buster’s stomach. “I haven’t agreed to that. As much as I don’t want to let Eve down, I’m not sure it’s best for either of us.”
“Of course it is. You two were like peas in a pod before Holly was born. You can get that back again, I’m sure.”
Buster didn’t respond. He already knew where his heart lay, and it wasn’t with Eve.
“Don’t worry, love. I know you’ll do the right thing. You said when we last spoke how badly you thought you’d let Eve down. Well, here’s your chance to make that up to her. I know you wouldn’t dream of breaking her heart twice.”
Buster’s stomach churned when the call ended. How, in two visits, had Eve escalated the situation so quickly? He had no idea how long he sat in stunned silence, but when he finally jolted out of it, the clock said it was almost eleven. He cursed under his breath. Now, not only had Cora’s call put a dampener on his day, but he was going to be half an hour late getting to Steph’s. He sent her a quick text message, hoping she used the new phone, before rushing to his pickup.
Cora’s words played over and over in his mind as he pulled out of the driveway. Her words had extinguished his previous excitement. Eve was getting through her days thinking there was the possibility of a reconciliation between them. He turned onto the county highway, his foot hitting the gas harder than was needed. He hated, but had to remind himself, that he’d been a key component in Eve’s journey of destruction. If he turned around now and said they had no future, how would she react? Would it send her spiraling into despair? The one thing he knew for sure was he couldn’t live with himself if he let her down in such an extreme fashion for a second time. An image of Steph popped into his head as he had the thought. He slammed his hand onto the steering wheel, wincing as it connected. Why, when he’d been given a short reprieve from the misery his life had become, did things have to get so complicated?
❖
Steph smiled at the message that appeared on her phone. Buster was running late, which was fine. It gave her a little more time to put the finishing touches on the picnic lunch she’d made for them to take up to Spicer’s Peak. It was a short but steep climb up to the peak and provided beautiful views of the valley that stretched out from Hope’s Ridge. Knowing Buster’s aversion to Lake Hopeful, they would have their choice of plenty of picnic spots that kept the lake from view. While most people sought out views of the lake, today they’d do exactly the opposite.
Steph had two backpacks full of food, water, and a blanket packed and sitting by the front door when Buster’s pickup pulled up out front. She smiled as she heard his door slam and footsteps hurrying up the path.
“Hey, Buster,” Zane’s voice rang out from the garage. He had the door open and was spending the morning putting the finishing touches on one of his carvings.
“Hey,” Buster called. “Can’t stop. I’m already running late. Steph will probably kill me.”
Steph met Buster at the front door with a raised eyebrow. “Kill you?”
Buster grinned. “I’m so sorry. I got a call just as I was leaving the house. It delayed me. I shouldn’t have answered it.”
“Of course you should. It’s no big deal. I appreciate you texting me. That phone’s turning out to be more useful than I ever imagined.” She scooped up the backpacks and handed one to Buster. “Ready?”
“Not quite.” Buster leaned in and brushed his lips across Steph’s before pulling back. “I’ve been thinking constantly about doing that again since last night.”
Steph smiled, her cheeks hot. She’d been thinking about it too. She couldn’t help but notice a flash of something cross Buster’s face after he pulle
d away. It was quickly replaced with a smile.
He took her hand. “Now, I assume we’re walking?”
“Definitely. Hope you’ve got your trekking legs on. I thought we’d do our best to avoid the lake today,” she added.
Buster nodded. “Thanks. Although I’m spending so much time in town lately that I’m getting used to seeing it more regularly. It is beautiful. I just need to get past what happened.”
Steph squeezed his hand. “You’re not expected to get past it.”
“Maybe not past it,” Buster said. “But more willing to live with it and enjoy its beauty. At least Holly’s journey to the next part of life happened somewhere stunningly beautiful. Hopefully some of that went with her.”
They continued walking, and Buster’s grip on Steph’s hand was warm and comforting. Butterflies flitted in her stomach from time to time. It was hard to believe she was feeling this close to someone. When Dylan had ended their relationship, she couldn’t imagine letting herself feel the emotions she currently felt. Although she did have to remind herself, it wasn’t a case of letting herself feel this way. It was just happening. She was letting herself experience and enjoy it, and that was the one thing she did have control over. Steph dropped Buster’s hand when they reached the narrow entrance to the trail that wound its way up the hillside to Spicer’s Peak.
“I’ve never been up here,” Buster said.
“Really? I often come up here to meditate.” Steph blushed as the words left her lips. She usually kept her meditation and spiritual activities to herself.
“I haven’t done much meditation,” Buster said. “Maybe you could teach me? It might help to calm my mind a bit.”
“It does,” Steph gave a small laugh. “It’s just the rest of the time when you can’t meditate that it’s hard to keep those thoughts quiet.”
Steph led them up the steep track, not stopping at any stage. She was aware of Buster’s labored breathing as the incline increased, but she didn’t slow. She was enjoying putting him to the test. Testing his fitness, but also testing whether he’d admit he needed to slow down. She wasn’t sure why she was testing him, but she was.
“Steph!”
There were still at least another ten minutes of the climb left when Buster called out. She stopped and turned. He was bent double, his breathing even more labored. He looked up at her. “Can you possibly slow down?”
Steph smiled. “Of course. You should have said something.”
Buster shook his head, doing his best to catch his breath. Steph took off her backpack and took out two water bottles, handing him one. Buster took a sip. “Thanks.” He laughed. “Are you really this fit, or are you testing me?”
Steph shrugged.
“I could have told you right off the bat that I’m not as fit as you. I spend most of my week behind a desk or in the truck visiting clients. Other than the occasional run, I’m really out of condition.”
“I wasn’t testing your fitness,” Steph admitted. “I wanted to see if you’d keep going and try to be a macho man or whether you’d speak up.”
Buster’s eyes twinkled. “So by failing the fitness test, I passed the Steph test?”
“Exactly.” Steph realized it was what she was doing. She didn’t want to be with someone who’d do things just to please her. “I guess I want to start off knowing that if something’s bothering you, you’ll tell me. I don’t want secrets or pretense in a relationship. Sure, sometimes I won’t like what you have to tell me, but I’d rather hear it and know what I’m dealing with than find out later.”
Heat flushed through Steph’s body as she realized Buster was staring at her strangely. It was their first real date, and she was laying down rules like a crazy person. She slipped the backpack back onto her shoulders. “Sorry, this is probably too intense for our first date.”
Buster shook his head. “No, not at all. I agree. I hate having to guess how someone’s feeling or whether I should be doing something a different way. Let’s agree to be up-front with our issues and speak up when we need to.”
“Deal. Now, why don’t you set the pace for the rest of the hike,” Steph said. “I’ll yell out if I’m struggling.”
Buster rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen.”
❖
Buster spread the picnic blanket out. “Wow, this view is stunning. I’m so glad you brought me up here.”
Steph sat down on the blanket. “It sure is, and I’m glad you came. It’s one of my favorite places.”
Buster’s heart thudded as he sat down next to Steph. That she’d shared one of her favorite places with him was pretty special.
“Do you have a favorite place?”
“I used to,” Buster said. “But a lot of my favorite places were tied up with Holly and things she loved or we’d done together. Most of those places I avoid now. It’s too painful to go to any of them.”
Steph squeezed his arm. “I might be completely out of line saying this, but you seem to have relaxed a bit in the last couple of weeks. Zane mentioned it too. I wondered if it was the visits to Eve. That you’ve let go of some of your anger.”
Buster felt his back stiffen at the mention of Eve. He was doing his best to push Cora’s phone call from his mind to allow him to enjoy the day. It certainly wasn’t something he could share with Steph. Not until he’d worked out how he was going to deal with the situation. “Possibly,” he said in response.
“I’m glad for you. Having all of that inside you, churning around, making you miserable just isn’t healthy. It’s not just you either; I imagine Eve and her mother and family are incredibly grateful.”
Grateful for what? That he’d let her down after Holly’s birth and had now provided her with false hope? Was it false hope? He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he said no to trying again, and then she did something drastic. His conscience couldn’t handle another death.
Steph fell silent next to him.
He turned and met her gaze. “Let’s talk about something else. I want our relationship to be one where we’re looking forward, not always rehashing the past.”
Steph nodded. “The past does shape us, though.”
“I’m not saying we forget about anything.” He gave a wry laugh. “It’s not likely either of us could anyway, I’m just saying let’s try not to get too caught up in it. Let’s talk about something more interesting.”
“Like?”
“Like you and Heat Wave. Have you given more thought to the development?”
Buster was surprised to hear that Steph was having second thoughts about the development.
“Not second thoughts exactly,” she clarified. “It’s just that it all happened far too quickly. With Matt away, it’s good timing to slow things down and make sure it’s what I want to do.”
“How does Matt feel about that?”
“Surprisingly, he’s cool with it. He’s got a lot happening on top of his father’s issues and suggested I just run the business for the moment and work out what I want my involvement to be. I couldn’t have asked him for a better response to be honest.”
“Very un-Matt like.”
“I’m wondering if I should be worried by that,” Steph said. “But I don’t see how I can lose. He’s paying me well to keep the business running. I’ve got two people coming to meet with me this week who are teachers and might take on some of the classes. If they do, I can get the schedule running at full capacity again, possibly even add a few extra classes since one of the potential teachers is an expert in barre.”
She laughed, making Buster aware that his expression must have given away his complete ignorance of what barre was.
“Barre is a different kind of workout than traditional yoga. It combines ballet moves with Pilates and yoga. It would be good to be able to offer it, but I’m not trained to teach it. Anyway, it could bring something new to the studio if the person I’m interviewing is any good.”
“I don’t picture Matt being the owner of a yoga
studio,” Buster said. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great business, but it doesn’t sit in the high-profit type of ventures he normally does. The retreat, of course, would fit his portfolio better.”
“He admitted everything happened quicker with Bodhi than he anticipated,” Steph said. “His backup plan, if we don’t go ahead with the retreat, would be to create a subdivision with the land and sell it off.”
Buster gave a low whistle. “I’m pretty sure Bodhi wouldn’t have sold the land if he’d know that was the plan.”
“He didn’t have a choice with regards to selling,” Steph said.
“No, but he didn’t have to sell it to Matt. He didn’t even put it on the market. I think it would be a real shame if that ends up happening.”
Steph nodded in agreement. “It would be, but I’m not going to let that side of it shape my decision. I need to do what’s right for me. If I base my decision on what’s in the best interest of others, I’m likely to end up feeling resentful later on.”
Steph’s words played over in Buster’s mind as he drove back to Drayson’s Landing later that afternoon. He’d had a great time with Steph but was beginning to think he was jumping into something before he was ready. She was so smart and knew her mind. She’d made it very clear that honesty was essential to her, and he’d been the one to say that they should agree to be up-front with their issues and speak up when they needed to. He saw from her reaction that she’d loved that he’d said that. That he was committing to being honest. And yet he hadn’t mentioned anything about the call from Cora or Eve’s hope for reconciliation. It was hardly a good start.
10
Steph plucked a blueberry from the muffin Asha sat in front of her and popped it in her mouth. She’d come to speak to her sister to get advice after her date the previous day with Buster.
They sat opposite each other at one of the tables Asha had carefully positioned next to the food truck to make the most of the lake view. The sun was pushing the clouds away, and while it was chilly, it had the promise of a beautiful winter’s day.
Beyond Hope's Ridge Page 15
