by Piper Rayne
“It doesn’t have to. If we’re still partners, we’ll schedule you time to escape.” I laugh, and she joins me. “Maybe I should learn to fly so I can take over the trips when you want to escape.”
“You’re really thinking long term, huh?” I never asked her straight out, so she wouldn’t ask me.
“I’m not sure, but if I could do this every day? Maybe.”
I increase our altitude and move away from the glacier, heading over a large lake in the middle of a mountain range. “I can teach you.”
She’s silent again.
We have a half hour to go since I didn’t want to go too far with Griffin after what happened last time. We’re going to a place I’ve been numerous times so the other plane can get in, but when I fly Chip’s ashes up north in a month or so, I’ll be winging it. I’ve yet to tell Cleo what was in his letter to me. Today isn’t the day to tell her that though. I won’t be responsible for stripping that smile off her face.
“Hey, Cleo,” I say.
“Yeah,” she says, her hand landing on my shoulder.
“I don’t hate you either.”
She squeezes my shoulder, and I want to land this plane on the edge of the Earth and lay her down on a blanket. Too bad that’s not one of my options. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to decide if I want it to be.
Sixteen
Cleo
You know what not to do when you’re already attracted to someone you shouldn’t be?
Don’t allow him to fly you in a small plane over the most beautiful terrain you’ve ever seen. Don’t allow him to say sweet things through the microphone. Don’t witness him doing, with the skill and precision of a master, something not many can.
And don’t allow him to show you all his talents over the course of one day. I’ve witnessed him put up two tents, set up a camp, and build a fire, which he started on his first try. All of this with a gun strapped to his chest in his holster vest. I’m starting to think he could fight off a grizzly bear with his bare hands.
None of this is good for me and my already thriving libido for this man.
My only chance is the distraction of the camera guy and Griffin, who finally appear late in the day. The other plane lands and taxis over next to Denver’s.
“Don’t cry, princess. Your alone time with me is over.” He walks away as I sit on the log he found for me. He stops before he’s too far away. “Until tonight. We’re sharing a tent.”
My head whips around. “There are two!”
“Yeah, we’re the smaller one. Griffin and the camera guy get the other one because it’s bigger.”
“That looks like a one-person tent.”
“Well, you shouldn’t mind. We are a couple.” He smiles and heads toward the plane.
Griffin climbs out, looking oddly in his element. His clothes look warm and dark and subdued. The cameraman, a red-haired man with a short-trimmed beard and a lanky body, join him. The pilot and Denver talk, and five minutes later, he’s taking back off.
How did I not realize it was just going to be me and three men?
“Cleo!” Griffin hugs me and kisses my cheek. “It’s so fucking cold.”
I shiver in his arms because I stepped away from the fire. “I know. We couldn’t have done this in the summer?”
“Right? This is our camera guy, Heath.”
I politely shake his hand.
“So you and Denver own Lifetime Adventures?” he says.
I wonder if he’s going to interview me, but after I answer, he busies himself next to the fire with his camera. He’s all business.
“So what’s the protocol here? Like, we just act normal?” I say.
He smiles at me as though I’m not the first one to ask that question. “Yeah, you two are a couple, right?”
Denver shuts the door of his plane and heads over, so I lie. “We are.”
“Then I wouldn’t worry, we’ll get good footage. We always do.”
“Wait.” Griffin puts his finger out toward me then Denver. “I thought you two weren’t a couple?”
I look at Denver. He’s a better liar than me.
Denver smiles easily and comes to my side. “It’s kind of new, so sorry ahead of time if you think you hear bears in the middle of the night. Cleo can get a little loud.”
My mouth drops open as I stare at him in disbelief. “I think he’s mistaken. It’s usually him who causes the police to come for a noise disturbance. He can’t handle a little bit of pain from nipple clamps.”
But of course my comment isn’t payback because Denver never gets embarrassed about anything.
“Oh, I see dollar figures in your future.” Heath laughs, burying his head back in his camera.
“Interesting,” Griffin says and gets into his tent. “Thanks for fixing this up for me. What are we doing first?”
Denver rubs his gloved hands together. “You’re catching our dinner.”
“I can stay here and keep the camp going,” I say.
All three men stare at me.
“You have to be everywhere we are unless I’m interviewing you,” Heath informs me.
I groan. I mean, I wasn’t going to put my feet up and read a book but staying by the fire sounds like a better option.
“Give me two minutes and I’m ready,” Heath says.
“Do you film in Alaska a lot? You’re so prepared,” I say.
“Yeah. I do the crab boat fishing show and the pioneer family. They called me here for this since I was close and familiar with the elements. Just be happy you didn’t get Roman. He’d probably stay in his tent the entire time.”
I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.
“And then you’d never get a show out of it.”
True. Mental note to listen to Heath. He knows what the hell he’s doing.
We walk to the lake which isn’t too far. Denver really did pick a good location. He holds my hand because we’re supposed to be a couple. He’s got a backpack on, and he’s given Griffin one. Heath follows us. I inhale a deep breath right before we get to the lakefront. I’m going to have to touch a fish.
Denver leans in close. “Just relax.” He kisses my neck. Obviously for the show. “We gotta talk about perfume, babe,” he says loud enough for the others to hear.
“You said you liked this scent,” I say louder.
Griffin looks over then at Heath.
“Yeah, but not when we’re around grizzly bears who’ll want to eat you as much as I do.”
I smack on my fake smile and push him back. “Oh, babe, you’re so jealous.” I look at the camera. “He’s so jealous all the time.” Ugh. I’m terrible at this on camera stuff.
“Watch out, he’ll be pissing all around you soon,” Griffin says, kneeling at the lake’s edge.
I laugh, but it’s too obviously fake. Denver shakes his head. So far, we’re not exactly rocking this acting thing.
While Denver and Griffin talk about the last time they were together, Heath lowers his camera and signals for me to come near him.
“Cleo, you should just be yourself. Act like I’m not even here or that I’m your best friend filming our trip. I promise, our editors will do wonders for you.” He rests the camera back on his shoulder.
Denver’s teaching Griffin how to fish with a net, as though they found one in the woods. Griffin is wearing water boots, so he steps into the lake and casts the net. The two work well together, while I sit there admiring them as if I’m a viewer at home and not an active participant in the show.
Denver glances back at me right before he says, “Now we wait.”
Heath lowers the camera, and we all shoot the shit about our plans for the next two days. Griffin talks about his divorce and how he’s happy to be away from that situation for the time being.
What seems like forever later, the net bobs and Heath picks up the camera. “Let’s have Cleo do it. She needs to get involved.”
Did I say listen to Heath earlier? Heath should really shut the hell up.
/> “Perfect idea.” Denver waves me over.
Griffin helps me, and Heath ends up filming in the water to get the best view. The fish is not happy to be trapped and I’m trying to use the skills my dad taught me over a decade ago, but as soon as I get him off the net, he clamps his mouth around my hand and I screech.
“Relax,” Denver says, picking up the fish and handing it to Griffin to hold with the mouth open.
Tears are pricking my eyes as Denver leads me out of the water.
He pulls an antiseptic wipe from his backpack and sits me down and bandages me. “Are you okay?”
“Other than being humiliated? I’m going to blow this entire thing.”
He lowers to his knees, puts his hands on my cheeks, and stares into my eyes. “No, you’re not. The audience is going to love you.” Sliding his finger over my cheek, he tucks a loose strand of my hair behind my ear and fixes my hat.
“If we make it out of here, can you please be an asshole again?”
He laughs, and my forehead falls into his chest. “You sure you’re okay? I think you caught something. Sounds like maybe you don’t hate me so much anymore,” he whispers.
His voice is so soft I want to ask him to repeat it, but I glance up and Heath’s camera is focused on us.
“I’m going to be the next one with an injury if you don’t hurry up over here,” Griffin says.
Heath swings the camera around as Denver leaves me to go to Griffin. I sit on the wet snow and watch Denver be a hero again. Yeah, I caught something. It’s called the feels.
Seventeen
Denver
Nighttime falls, and as we sit around the campfire, Cleo relaxes. We’ve jabbed at one another a few times, which Griffin and Heath seem to love. We argued about who would clean the fish and how she gagged when I taught Griffin how to filet it. She definitely hasn’t taken on the role of master survivalist, but she’s a funny sidekick who comes up with better one-liners than me.
“We should tell ghost stories,” she says, wrapping the blanket tighter around her legs.
“I think we should talk about wild animals attacking. Make it more real,” I offer, sitting back down and handing her a hot chocolate.
Instead of either suggestion, Cleo starts up a conversation with Griffin which is good thinking since this is probably the kinda stuff the viewership would be hoping for when they watch.
“Where did you grow up?” Cleo asks Griffin.
“Georgia,” he answers.
“And why do you love this survivalist thing?”
Griffin’s face lights up and he talks about how different it is up here. The pressures of the business and success in LA are long gone. When he comes to Alaska, no one really recognizes him and he actually feels like Griffin Thorne, not Griffin Thorne, Music Producer.
“Are you okay talking about the accident with Denver?”
Heath has the camera, and he’s right, you do forget he’s there sometimes. Griffin’s eyes meet mine, and I nod.
“It was hell,” Griffin says.
“But you came back for more,” Cleo says.
They laugh, but my eyes are focused on Cleo. Her cheeks rosy from the cold, her lips pink from layers of Chapstick. She’s found where she fits, and this is it. She can interview the guests.
“I owe Denver my life. What he did for me? I could never repay him. Plus I never turn down an opportunity to sleep under the stars.” Griffin looks at the sky.
They continue their conversation about his past, his first break. Griffin touches briefly on his divorce and mentions little about Maverick. The three of us have an honest conversation, and I mentally note to thank Griffin for being so forthcoming.
“And remarriage?” Cleo asks.
Griffin groans. “I’m not sure I’m the marrying type. Sometimes you have to fail at something to realize you kind of suck at it.”
They laugh and Cleo glances at me. I wonder what she’s thinking.
“What’s with men not wanting to commit?”
Guess I don’t have to wonder anymore.
“There’re lots of women who don’t either,” I say.
“Far more men,” she counters.
“Okay, guys, you can continue fighting this one out. I’m going to bed.” Griffin stands.
Heath does too. “We can shut down for the night. That was a great honest conversation. Did you have those questions written out, Cleo?”
She looks at me and back at him. “I was just making conversation.”
“Well, you did a great job. Griffin’s fans will love getting an in-depth look into his life.”
They climb into their tent and I put another log on the fire, hoping it will keep us warm all night.
“You ready to get some sleep?” I ask Cleo, and she nods.
We climb into our tent. I’d already put out the sleeping bags. She takes off her boots and snowsuit before sliding into the bag with her hat on. I do the same.
It’s weird to be so close to her, but at the same time exciting. The perfume I said something about earlier lingers in our small space. I wish we had an excuse to strip naked for body warmth.
“Denver?” she says, her voice low. I’m guessing so the guys don’t hear us.
“Yeah?”
“Are you a guy who never wants to commit? I mean, I know you like your variety and never have anyone serious, but do you think you’ll be like that forever?”
Huh, she’s a straight-shooter. I’m not blind to what’s happening between us. She probably wants to know right now if she’d be wasting her time. She wants me to shut her down and say, “Yeah, I will be like this forever. I’m never going to settle down with anyone.” But I don’t think I can.
“That’s a hard one. I’m kind of fucked up,” I answer. “I’m not against commitment. I’m just not sure I can do it, as much as I might want to.”
“Oh… okay.” She nuzzles into her sleeping bag some more.
Although she probably thinks I’m giving her a bullshit answer, I was more truthful with her than I’ve ever been with anyone. As I wait to hear her slow, even breaths, I listen to the noises of wildlife around us, but I’m more scared of the woman lying next to me than the animals who could kill me.
We’ve been living outdoors for two days now and I’m smelly and disgusting, but we’re done shooting. The other pilot took Griffin and Heath back to Anchorage, and I’ll fly us into Lake Starlight. Cleo sleeps the entire flight. If I had to give us a score, I say we got a B. We each have our talents and I think that we complemented each other’s personalities.
Before he left, Griffin pulled me aside and told me I was an idiot if I didn’t lock Cleo down soon. I saw the way he looked at her, but when I asked him about it, he said he’s more of a brunette kinda guy.
By the time we land and get the plane and equipment all put away, it’s late on Monday night.
“Where are you going tonight?” I ask Cleo.
I’ve purposely not pried, knowing that she has nowhere to go other than her dad’s place. Wyatt called me before we left and gave me the scoop that she wouldn’t stay at Glacier Point even though he was willing to offer her a free room.
Usually the gossip within a big family works against you, but there are those rare occasions where it works for you.
“I’m going to my dad’s.”
We’re in the office with the lights on, so I can see how nervous she is—her trembling hands, her eyes darting anywhere but on me.
“You’re welcome to come to my house. We have an extra room and Phoenix loves you so…”
“I need to go,” she says.
“Okay. I can drive you.”
“I have my rental.”
“It’s been a long few days and you’re tired. Let me drive you.”
She hesitates for a moment but then nods.
“You should really just return the thing. I can take you into the office every day.” I’m happy to be her chauffeur.
“Hmm, maybe. Let me grab my suitcase, I left it i
n the office.” She slides by me.
In the past weeks, I’ve noticed that Cleo Dawson put up a front when she came into this town, all hell-bent on putting me on the stake. Right now, that same mask is on. The woman who couldn’t walk into her dad’s house two weeks ago has summoned the courage to spend the night there?
I call bullshit.
And I would’ve called her out on this bullshit already, but we have a lot in common. We hide our vulnerabilities so no one can see them. She deflects by being mean, and I deflect with humor.
Wheeling out her suitcase, she smiles tightly and walks past me. “I’m exhausted. Can we hurry this up, please?”
“Coming, princess.”
After locking up the office and double-checking everything, I follow her to my truck. She’s already seated, her suitcase in the back.
“I could’ve gotten that for you.”
“No need. I know you don’t realize it, but I’m stronger than you think.”
I start the truck, repeating to myself that I should keep my mouth shut and drive. But before we turn off the gravel path onto the paved roads of Lake Starlight, I find my silence too hard to hold. “I’m going to throw out the offer one more time.”
“And I said thank you, but I’m fine. It’s time to be a big girl now.” She stares out the window.
I drive with the radio volume on low, the sounds of Van Halen softly filling the cab.
She holds her purse tighter to her chest when I have to stop on the street, my turn signal indicating that I’ll be driving down Chip’s road any second. My tires hit the gravel-and-dirt road, and I hear her inhale deeply. Is spending the night with me really the lesser of the two options?
“You good?” I ask.
This time I don’t get an answer other than a low noise from the back of her throat.
My lights shine, as they did two weeks ago, on Chip’s house that is in desperate need of repairs. Cleo opens the truck door, shuts it, opens the back door, and drags her suitcase out before I have a chance to do it for her. We end up meeting at the side of the truck.
