by Nomi Summers
“I know, and I’m so, so sorry. I was young, and it hurt too bad to walk away and leave you behind. To walk away from us. But you were only a senior in high school. It’s not like I could’ve taken you with me.”
“I know that, and I always knew you would leave to pursue your music career, but you were supposed to wait for me. We had plans to leave together. When you left I thought you’d come back for me. I turned down Cornell University because you said you’d come back.”
“Wait, you never told me you got accepted into Cornell. That was your college of choice. I remember you wanted to go there and study agricultural science more than anything.”
“I never told anyone I was accepted. I knew if I went, it would be the end of us. I turned it down my senior year. I shredded the acceptance letter so my father would never find it.”
She stood up and walked toward the water. He followed her and stood behind her. “I didn’t know, Avery. You should’ve told me.”
“Why?” She swung around to face him. “Would it have made a difference if you knew I gave up my dreams?”
“I had to leave when I did. I don’t expect you to understand, but there are things you just don’t know.” Shane put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet.
“Well, you could’ve told me those things. Instead, you went off chasing your dreams, while I threw away mine.”
There it was. The real reason Avery was so upset with him had finally risen to the surface. Guilt stabbed at him. What could he say? Was there any way to make it right?
“I’m sorry things ended the way they did, but you and I both know it wouldn’t have worked. I was always on tour. You would’ve been all alone out in California. We were just too young to make it work, Ave. I’m sorry.”
She huffed. “Do you feel better now that you got that off your chest?”
“No, I didn’t do this to make myself feel better. I owed you an explanation and an apology.” He took a step toward her, but she stepped back, keeping distance between them.
“You’re too late, Shane. Nine years too late.” She turned and started down the river toward the campsite.
“Please let me finish,” Avery heard Shane call out to her.
Something in Shane’s voice made her stop and turn around. She let her hands drop to her sides as she let out the breath she’d been holding since she turned to walk away. She didn’t want to keep up this fight, but it felt good to finally say things out loud. She had waited for this moment for years. But now, she’d said what she needed to say and just wanted to get back to camp and crawl inside her tent.
“There’s no reason to rehash things now, is there? After the wedding, you’ll be leaving, and there’s no telling when I, or anyone else in this town, will ever see you again. Please, just let me be.”
“Fine. But answer me one question first.” He moved toward her and closed the distance between them, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her close.
It felt good to be in his arms. She still fit perfectly there. Should she allow him to hold her or push him away? As much as she knew she shouldn’t get close, she found comfort in his arms, and right now she needed a hug. She needed his hug. “What’s the question?”
“Do you still feel something between us? Be honest. You know how we were together. That doesn’t just go away.”
“Shane.” She shook her head before resting it on his chest. What was she doing? She needed to be strong, but he smelled so good, his scent so familiar.
“From the second I saw you behind the desk at the resort, every feeling I've ever had for you came rushing back with a vengeance. Tell me you feel it, too,” he whispered next to her ear. His warm breath sending chills up her neck.
Avery felt his grip loosen, and she picked her head up to look at him, their faces only inches apart. He brushed a piece of her hair away from her face and ran his thumb across her cheek. She closed her eyes and melted into his touch. How had he managed to make her feel like this? She had promised herself she wouldn’t let him back in.
Soft lips brushed against her cheek, then slowly made their way to her mouth. She took a deep breath and put her hands on his chest. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
“I’m sorry. I got lost in the moment.” Shane stepped back and held his hands up. “Tell me you don’t feel something between us, and I’ll walk away. If you look me in the eye and tell me that, I will leave you alone.”
Avery forced herself to look away. She couldn't be strong if she looked at him. She couldn’t look into his eyes and say the words she needed to say to make sure they didn’t go back down a road with no final destination. He’d just said so himself. It wouldn’t have worked when they were younger. So, how would it work now? He was always on tour, and her life was in Arbor Shores. She was needed at the resort now more than ever. There was no sense in opening old wounds— wounds that had cut deep and took far too long to heal the first time around. She couldn’t let him back in. No way.
“I don’t feel anything anymore, Shane. I’m sorry to disappoint you.” She turned quickly and started back down the river so that he wouldn’t see the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
Chapter 8
Avery arrived back at the campsite more distraught than ever. She couldn’t shake Shane’s words from her mind or the feeling she’d had when he held her. She could still feel his strong arms wrapped around her, and she kept replaying the moment over and over.
Why was she fighting her feelings for him? Why couldn’t she just let him know that she hadn’t been able to get him off of her mind since he stepped onto the resort?
Because he’s leaving, Avery. She never wanted to feel that pain again. She wasn’t willing to break down the walls she’d built up around her heart—not for the Shane he’d become. He was famous now. He had a new life across the country in California. How dare he even try to rekindle her heart for the weekend when he knew he was leaving as soon as the wedding was over. The more she thought about him leaving, the more those memories of her heartbreak stabbed at her, and the more she vowed to stop thinking about him altogether.
Back at the campsite, everyone gathered and ate dinner. Afterwards, the girls sat around the picnic table and chatted with a bottle of wine while the guys played a game of cornhole behind the tents.
The sun was gone now and the sky was dusted with stars. The only light left was the glow of the fire and the flashlights they each carried. Dax swooped in and kissed Leila on the cheek. “Are you cold? Do you want my sweatshirt?” he asked.
“That would be nice. Thanks, babe.” Leila looked up affectionately at Dax, and Avery couldn’t help but admire their love for each other. She realized she, too, was getting a bit chilly, so she went to her tent and grabbed a hoodie before retiring to a chair by the fire. She watched as the boys piled wood atop the blaze, and poked and prodded at the fire as men do.
Cooper sat down beside her. “You look down,” he said. “Everything okay with you?”
“I’m okay. Thanks for asking.” She took a sip of her wine and gave him a half-smile before returning her gaze to the flames.
“Ok, well if you’d like to talk, I’m here,” he offered.
“Thanks, Cooper, but really, I’m good. Just enjoying some downtime. I’ve been working a lot lately so I’m just trying to relax.” She didn’t mean to sound rude, but she wasn’t up for small talk. A pang of guilt gnawed at her for being overly friendly with him earlier. Why had she done that? Was she subconsciously trying to get Shane’s attention? If so, it had worked, but she’d given Cooper the wrong idea, and she felt awful for it. He got up and joined the other guys around the fire, which made her feel even worse.
It wasn’t long before his spot was filled by Shane. “Listen, I’m not going to stay sitting here, I know you don’t want that,” he began. “I just thought I owed you an apology for how things happened by the river. I don’t know what came over me, but I didn’t have any right to try to kiss you.”
; “You’re right, you didn’t,” she agreed in a soft tone. She had lost her desire to fight. Maybe it was the wine that had mellowed her mood, or maybe she was just tired altogether.
“Do you want me to sit somewhere else?” He looked at her with hopeful eyes. “Because I will get up and move right now.”
She let out a soft giggle and a hint of a smile. “No, we can be mature adults and sit by each other, Shane.” She took a sip of her wine. “I just want you to understand that I don’t have any interest in being your weekend fling while you sweep through Arbor Shores. I'm sure you have plenty of groupies for that.”
Before he could offer a rebuttal, Dax yelled from across the firepit, “Shane, when are you gonna play us a song? I saw you brought your guitar.”
“Later, man. I’m not really feeling up to it right now.”
“Come on, you have to play for us,” Dax pressed.
“Please, Shane,” Leila chimed in. “You can’t say no to the bride!”
“All right. Let me grab my axe.” He flashed Avery a grin. “This conversation is not over.”
Avery didn’t know if it was the second glass of wine, or the soothing sound of Shane’s voice echoing through the campsite, but she couldn’t take her eyes off of him as the light from the fire illuminated the features of his face. He closed his eyes to hit the high notes of the chorus, the rest of the time his eyes locked on Avery’s as he sang.
Funny thing was, she’d secretly followed his music career quite closely, and she’d never heard this song before. Had he written it for her? There’s no way he could make a song like this up on the fly, could he? Perhaps he wrote it for someone else? The final line of the song made her second guess that.
No matter how far I roam, with you, I’m always home …
As the song finished, everyone clapped and a few of the guys let out a long whistle, cheering their friend on in their own private concert among the stars.
After Shane had finished, he moved to his tent to put his guitar away, and Avery decided to follow him. Was it the music? The wine? Either way, she was ready to be alone with him. She had some things she wanted to say herself.
“Can we talk?” She was waiting outside his tent when he emerged.
“I would love that. Where do you want to go?” he asked.
“Do you have a flashlight?”
“Let me grab it.” He went back into his tent and came out a few minutes later with a flashlight and a blanket. “In case you get cold.”
It had gotten chilly, and she could use one more layer. He walked over to the picnic table and grabbed the bug spray, giving her bare legs a spray before doing his own.
“Come with me.” He held out his hand to her, which, for whatever reason, she decided to take. They walked silently through the woods, and Shane guided her around tree stumps, pointing out exposed roots on the path with the light of the flashlight.
When they reached the opening at the river, the full moon shone down on the water, illuminating the area where they stood. Avery could feel him moving closer as she turned to face him.
“Something you wanted to talk about?” he asked, wrapping the blanket around her and pulling her close to him. She knew that grin. That was the look he had in his eyes the first time he’d kissed her so many years ago.
“I just wanted to say, how dare you come to town and try to wiggle your way back into my life when you know darn well you’ll be leaving again.” She knew her tone didn’t match the toughness the words were meant to portray. It was growing harder and harder to stay upset with him. Especially wrapped in a blanket that carried his scent.
“We are two adults now.” He pulled her even closer. “Yeah, I have to leave again, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make this work now that we’re older. I think it’s worth exploring, don’t you?”
“Make what work, Shane? There is no us. You don’t even know me anymore.”
“I know you, Ave. I could go twenty years without seeing you, and I’d still know you.”
“Oh yeah? How so?” She tilted her head to await his response.
“I know that you like your iced tea with two lemons and one sugar. I know you have a habit of chewing the inside of your cheek when you’re deep in thought. I know that you’d rather spend an afternoon hiking alone than with a group of friends, and that your dream is to someday turn Arbor Shores Resort green.”
Man, he was good. She’d always had plans to turn Arbor Shores eco-friendly. She’d even met with the Green Building Council. Now, all she needed was the funding. Still, she’d been environmentally conscious even as a teenager and everyone who knew her knew that side of her.
“There is so much more that you don’t know,” she told him.
“But that’s the fun of it, right? Getting to know each other again? For the most part, I’m still the same Shane, and you’re still the same Avery. We’re just a bit older and more mature, that’s all.”
“Older, more mature, famous. You live in California, Shane. What would happen when you go out on tour?”
“We can make it work, Avery. You could come with me. What’s really holding you here?”
She chuckled. “I won’t be your groupie. And you know I can’t leave my mother alone with the resort. I’m a lifer in Arbor Shores. Besides, I love it here. This is my forever home.”
“But soon you won’t have the burden of running the resort once Hunter acquires it. What will you do then?”
She pulled back and let the blanket fall from her shoulders. Did she just hear him right? She knew something was up when she saw Hunter leave her mother’s office. Her heart plummeted. What was her mom hiding from her? “What? What are you talking about?”
Shane’s eyes widened, shock washing over his face. “Uh, you mean you didn’t know?”
“Know what, Shane? Come on, spill it!”
“I assumed you knew. I really shouldn’t have said anything.” He rubbed at the back of his neck and threw his head back, looking up at the sky.
“Shane Knox.” She pushed her chest up against his and pointed a finger at him. “I’m telling you right now to spill it. I have a right to know.”
“All I know is that I went to my dad’s, against my better judgement, and Hunter was there. It was a short visit that didn’t end well, but while I was there, they mentioned that he was acquiring Arbor Shores Resort.”
“No way.” She shook her head in disbelief, refusing to accept his words. How could this be happening? “I saw him come out of my mom’s office. She said he presented a business idea that she had no plans of entertaining.”
“Well, from the way they made it sound, the resort is in trouble, and you know that if they want it, they will find a way to get it. I’m sure they will make a generous offer.”
She took a step back. “You Knox men are all the same. You think because you have money you can just get whatever you want—”
“That’s not fair. I have nothing to do with this. I don’t even speak to my family. I was just telling you what they said. And, like it or not, when they want something, they do usually get it. Is the resort really in trouble?”
“The resort is just fine, Shane,” she lied. “Don’t you worry about the resort.”
“Avery, please calm down. I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought you knew.”
Hot tears streamed down her face. The thought of the resort that had been in their family for her entire life going to Hunter Knox, who was known for tearing down properties, panicked her. What would her mother do? The resort was all she had left of her father. What would Avery do?
“Dax can know nothing of this,” she warned him. “Tell me you didn’t mention this to him.”
“I didn’t know it was a secret, but no, I didn’t say anything to him, and I won’t. You have my word.”
“I don’t want anything to ruin this weekend for him. We’ll just get through the wedding first. He can’t know anything about this,” she reiterated. And with that, she started back toward the campsite.
Avery was up by the crack of dawn. She’d barely slept the night before. Her sleeping bag didn’t offer much padding from the hard earth beneath her tent, and she couldn’t shake visions of Hunter Knox taking over the resort from her mind.
The resort had been in trouble for a while, and if they were going to save it, she’d need to do something drastic. She had a Fourth of July Jamboree planned for the following weekend, so that would surely bring some faces back to the property. The resort always hosted an after-parade party, when everyone in town would meet back at the resort for a BBQ since that’s where the floats started and ended. This year, Avery decided to make it an all-day event and have the party go until the fireworks ended. She had to remind people why they should stay there for the summer instead of the new summer rentals in town. She had to somehow remind everyone why Arbor Shores Resort was the place where memories were made. But she wasn’t even sure if people would come. She’d put flyers up all around town, and she’d placed an ad in the Arbor Shores Beacon, but would it be enough? She wished she could do something grand, something that would bring people from downstate or even out of state … but what?
She didn’t have time to worry about it right now. She had to get back home, get showered, and get over to the resort to help her mother set up for the rehearsal dinner.
“Morning, Sis. Sleep well?” Dax emerged from his tent, stretching his arms high in the air.
“Like a rock.” More like on a rock, but she didn’t want her brother to know anything had kept her up. “What time are we heading back? I really need to get to the resort to help set up for tonight.”
“Would you relax and enjoy the last bit of vacation you have? All you do is work.” He ruffled her hair, something that had driven her nuts since they were kids.
“Dax, you know I can’t leave Mom with all the set up for today.”
