“Last night looked interesting,” the guy said as they climbed out, grabbed their supplies and headed down the trail toward the debris.
Levi looked at him. “Which part?”
Chad laughed. “Don’t worry, man. I wasn’t snooping. I just meant the picnic setup you had going. Not exactly your thing.”
“It was Selena’s idea and I thought taking Leslie’s mind off things would be a nice thing to do,” he said, taking big strides through the deep snow.
“Well, did you?”
Levi glared at him. “Did I what?”
“Take her mind off things,” Chad said with a grin.
“Look, it was just two friends reconnecting after far too long, that’s all.” He walked faster, putting distance between the two of them, and Chad took the hint that he wasn’t into discussing it.
Not that he wasn’t replaying every detail in his own mind as he trudged through the snow. Leslie’s kiss, her touch, her desire for him had him feeling ways he never had before. He was happy with his life and he’d mastered the art of being alone. As a child, he’d never had any real, lasting connections with people except his two best friends and so not having them now seemed par for the course. He’d learned to be okay on his own, depending on himself, offering support to others, but never really needing it. He didn’t need to be with someone out of fear of being alone or just wanting a warm body next to him at night. He wasn’t interested in settling and until someone else came along who made him feel the way Leslie did, who commanded his heart the way she always had, he wasn’t interested in getting involved. And now that he knew how amazing being with her was, even in this partial way, he was doomed.
As they reached the site, he put on his work gloves and immediately got to work picking up the larger pieces of charred logs.
Chad joined him a few minutes later and scanned the area. “Really nothing left, huh?”
“Nope.”
“Sorry, man. This can’t be easy on you either,” Chad said, his rare display of concern throwing Levi slightly off guard.
“It’s harder on Leslie.” Even if she was putting on a brave face.
“So, you two were best friends and she was Dawson’s girl?” Chad had far too many questions that morning. When had the guy gotten so chatty?
“Yeah...she was engaged to Dawson before he died.” He couldn’t get into the details. It would be that much harder.
“And then she left Wild River?”
“Yes.” Two weeks after the funeral.
“And she’s leaving again once all this blows over?”
“Yes.” Levi huffed. “What are you getting at?”
Chad stacked more logs onto one arm. “Just making sure I have all the facts straight, that’s all.”
More like making sure Levi had all the facts straight. Chad was looking out for him and he appreciated it, but it was no use to warn Levi not to get too invested in Leslie—that warning was far too late. “Well, less talk, more work,” he said grumpily.
“Yes boss,” Chad said, carrying the logs back out the trail.
Unfortunately, now that Chad had brought it up, he couldn’t quit thinking about the truth of the man’s words. Leslie was leaving again. Soon. Would she keep in touch this time or disappear from his life again? He knew how he felt, but he had no idea where Leslie’s heart was. He didn’t expect her to feel the same way about him and he meant what he’d said the night before about no expectations. He didn’t regret telling her he loved her—she deserved to know, even if now they were both at a standstill as to what to do with that knowledge.
Could they be together? For real? Would she ever consider him more than a friend that she’d had stress-induced sex with? Would she ever move back to Alaska? Would he give up everything here to move to LA for her?
So many unanswered questions and he was getting way too far ahead of himself.
Sorting through the debris of the fireplace, he noticed a broken photo frame. Bending to pick it up, he shook away the shattered glass and carefully took out the remaining piece of the picture from the charred frame. The edges were burned, but the central image was still relatively intact. He blew the soot and ash gently away from it and stared at the photo of Leslie, Katherine and Eddie that their father had taken the year before he died. The lake in the background and the bright sunny day reflecting the happiness in the siblings’ faces was a true reflection of simpler times—better times.
This picture had hung in the cabin for years and it had meant a lot to the Sanders family. To Leslie.
It was a miracle that most of it had survived the blaze.
Was there a way to restore it? Fix it for her?
Maybe he couldn’t help her with everything she was going through, but maybe he could give her back this small piece of her past.
Remind her that not everything needed to be forgotten.
* * *
LEVI HAD DISAPPEARED early that morning and so far, it had taken a hundred push-ups and fifty sit-ups not to read too much into it. Leslie had heard the truck starting just after 7:00 a.m. and had seen it drive away through the bunk room window. She’d been slightly relieved to have some time that morning to gather her thoughts about what had happened between them before she was forced to face him.
But him needing that time as well had her on edge.
What was he thinking? Feeling?
She suspected he was battling the same conflicting emotions as she was. They’d been friends for years, they’d recently lost contact (her fault) and now when her world was in chaos and her job, and quite possibly her life, was on the line, they’d connected on an even deeper level than ever before. On his end, he’d apparently always loved her—a huge surprise to her—and now she’d no doubt opened a can of emotional worms that she wasn’t sure she was ever going to be able to contain.
And neither of them had actually even mentioned the elephant not in the room, the third member of their triangle, who was still very much a reason for her and Levi to stop whatever was happening between them immediately.
She couldn’t confidently say that she was over Dawson. She’d spent the last few years burying her pain, never fully acknowledging the impact his death had had on her, changing her life so completely, and here Levi was, about to launch a charity honoring him.
Things were a mess.
One emotion she hadn’t expected to come from their night together was inspiration, but she’d woken up that morning feeling the desire to take some photos for the first time in weeks.
Getting up off the floor, she dressed quietly, careful not to wake Selena, who was cuddled in her bottom bunk with a snoring Smokester. Then, grabbing her father’s old camera, she slid into her boots and jacket and headed outside.
It was so quiet out there in the middle of nowhere. The trees were still. The ground was frozen solid, so there weren’t the usual spring thaw sounds like the crackling ice or snow falling from tree branches. There was no one around for miles. Everything was soundless and still.
And the overcast sky with just a few cloud breaks illuminating the forest in a beautiful early morning glow was the perfect lighting for photos.
She hung the camera strap around her neck and then snapped a few shots of the snow-covered evergreens surrounding the cabin and checked the images on the display. They were crisp and clear. The old camera was still one of the best ones on the market. Spotting a bird perched on a fallen tree trunk about ten yards away, Leslie zoomed in and captured the shot as the bird flew off. She took a deep breath, appreciating how much easier it was to breathe out here in nature. No smog, no traffic noise, no people... Nature definitely had a way of soothing a soul.
She hiked through the deep snow toward the trail they’d taken on the Ski-Doo and then followed it farther into the forest. Turning back around, she captured several images of the station cabin through the trees.
&nb
sp; They weren’t amazing shots or anything worth framing, but just being out there alone with the camera, capturing nature, gave her a sense of peace, which was something her conflicted spirit needed that morning.
She didn’t regret being with Levi. She’d wanted him and her attraction to him had shocked the hell out of her, but giving in to it had felt right in the moment and one thing she knew for sure was that you couldn’t change the past, so regrets were a waste of time.
However, she did feel bad for having taken advantage of him. Knowing how he felt about her, it had been unfair to lead him on when she had no idea how she felt... She was happy to have him back in her life, but she wasn’t sure what that meant. Obviously a physical relationship wasn’t possible when she returned to LA, so did they go back to being friends? Was that even possible after being so intimate with someone? And was friendship enough?
The loud crack of a tree branch made her jump and she turned in a slow circle. There was nothing out there for miles. Levi and Chad wouldn’t be back so soon and Levi had assured her that no one else would be stopping by the station.
She scanned through the trees all around her, but didn’t see anything or anyone.
Must have been wildlife. Hopefully not a bear...or a moose. She wasn’t exactly equipped to fend off an animal attack.
“Those pictures would be nicer with someone in them.”
Selena snuck up behind her and Leslie sighed. So much for her peaceful, contemplative alone time. “I told you I don’t take pictures of people.” Anymore. Scenery shots couldn’t break her heart. The ones with people in them remained after the people were gone and she had enough of those for one lifetime.
“You could try. Believe me, if some of the photographers I’ve worked with in LA can get work...”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t do it.” Suddenly, she didn’t want to seem incompetent. She did have skills. Other than keeping people safe, photography had been her only other passion, the only other thing she was proud to say she was good at.
“So, let’s do it,” Selena said. “Come on, Leslie. I’m bored stupid in that cabin.”
“I thought you were watching those rom-coms Chad downloaded for you.” Before Selena had locked her out of the cabin the evening before, she’d caught Chad watching them as well.
“I’ve seen them all a million times. They’re no different than the stuff I’m always receiving from my agent.” She scanned the surroundings. “It’s because of how I’ve been perceived up until now...the jobs I’ve accepted. But maybe with new headshots, I could convince producers that I don’t always have to play the sidekick to the leading man. Dramatic photos showing a different side to my personality might be a start...”
Leslie hesitated. “But you’re not...camera ready.”
Selena placed a hand on her hip. “You’re saying I need makeup and hair products to look good?”
“No. I’m saying I thought you’d want those things.”
Selena shook her head. “No, I told you. I don’t want posed, fabricated photos with a thousand filters. I want real, fresh-faced and authentic.”
That she could do. “Okay. Why don’t you head down the trail a little ways to where those bigger trees are...?” She pointed and Selena actually followed her direction. “Great, right there,” she said.
“You sure this lighting is good? It’s kinda overcast,” Selena said, glancing at the clouds in the sky.
“Trust me. It’s perfect.” Leslie set up the camera, adjusting the lens, one eye to the sky. She knew these thick clouds, the way they passed over these mountains and illuminated the trail through the breaks in the trees. Timed perfectly, she’d get the shot she was aiming for.
Selena posed and Leslie snapped a few photos, scanned them, and adjusted the lens filter.
The clouds acted just as she’d predicted they would and she was ready when the break happened and a beam of sunlight streamed through, surrounded by the shadows. She took the photo and then smiled as she reviewed it. Perfect.
Selena jogged toward her. “Let me see.”
Leslie turned the camera toward her.
“Oh my God, this shot is amazing. You totally lied to me. Hobby, my ass. You could be a professional photographer.”
The praise made her feel better than she thought it would. “Thanks. Let’s move farther along the trail and set up a few more.” This wasn’t so bad and she’d never admit it, but Selena was right—the pictures did look better with people in them.
“So, where did you learn how to take pictures like that?” Selena asked. “From your dad, right?” She looked pleased with herself to have been paying attention.
“Yeah, I mean, I took a few courses when I was younger too, but my dad was really into it. He was the one to introduce me to all kinds of art.”
Selena eyed her. “So, you share a passion with your father, the way I do.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“I wanted to be an actor before I could even read a script and I know that intense passion had to come from watching my dad in movies.”
She hadn’t thought she and Selena could possibly have anything in common, but maybe there was something they could connect on. If she wanted to connect with the star...which she didn’t. She needed to keep her alive, that was all.
Leslie cleared her throat. “We should get back. I should check in with Eoghan.” Not hearing from him in over twenty-four hours was starting to concern her. What the hell was going on back there? There hadn’t been any new updates on the news channels she was monitoring.
And just like that, the tension and stress erased by her photography session were back. She wasn’t on holiday and the brief respite she’d taken from her assignment was long enough.
Selena’s smile faded, but Leslie refused to feel bad. She was her bodyguard, not her friend.
“Yeah...sure. Hey, that Eoghan guy, are you two...?”
She wanted to say it was none of Selena’s business, but if she was relying on Eoghan to help them, Selena had a right to know Leslie’s level of confidence in him. “No... I mean not really. Nothing serious.” Especially not now. Whatever casual relationship she’d had with her co-worker had ended after the day before. She might not be sure of her feelings for Levi, but she knew the reason she was conflicted over him was because she cared. She couldn’t claim to have that with Eoghan. She’d known before that the relationship wasn’t going any further, and the previous few days had only confirmed that fact.
“I’ll be honest—the few times I’ve met him, I got a weird vibe...” Selena said.
Probably because he was one of the only men in the office who didn’t fall at Selena’s feet or ogle her. No doubt the star found that odd. “He’s just quiet, serious, more reserved.”
“If you say so,” she said as they reached the cabin. “But while we’re on the subject of your love life...”
“We’re not on the subject of my love life,” Leslie said. Selena had meddled in that area quite enough with the igloo dinner idea; Leslie didn’t need any more help nudging her and Levi closer together. As it was, they’d gotten far too close already.
Selena grinned as she shrugged. “Okay. All I’m saying is that that igloo looked pretty steamed up last night.”
She disappeared inside and Leslie took a final calming breath of cool mountain air.
How on earth had she gotten herself into this complicated disaster?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
LEVI KNEW EXACTLY where to bring the damaged photo.
Pulling his truck up in front of Flippin’ Pages bookstore on Main Street hours later, he took the plastic bag containing the picture and headed inside.
The door chimed as he entered and he scanned the interior. He’d expected the store to be quiet on a Thursday afternoon. In truth, like most independent bookstores, his grandmother’s didn’t get a whole lot of traffic anym
ore. But the store hosted many reader events, bringing in the local book club of thirty women every month, and it looked like Levi had walked into the middle of one of these events. Only there were a lot more than thirty women inside the store.
He scanned over the heads to see a table set up in the back of the room with a woman signing books. His grandmother sat next to her and prepared the next book for her to sign, opening to the signature page and asking the next person in line their name.
Even in her seventies, Meredith Grayson liked to run these events herself. An avid reader, she’d taught Levi to appreciate literature from a young age. When his friends were reading comic books, he was reading the classics and enjoying them—for the most part.
“Hey, Levi,” Callum McKendrick said, coming up to him, carrying another box of the author’s books. The twentysomething store clerk was a doppelganger for Clark Kent, with dark gelled hair, a strong jawline, muscular build and dark-rimmed glasses that only made him more attractive to the patrons of the store. His look screamed hot nerd.
“Hey, man,” Levi said. “Wow, I can’t remember the store ever having so many people in it at once.”
Callum nodded. “It’s our best reader event yet. Huge turnout. The author is originally from Wild River and she draws a great crowd whenever she visits.”
Apparently.
“What brings you in?” he asked, leading the way through the crowd toward the signing desk.
“Just here to see my grandma... But she looks really busy.”
She hadn’t noticed him yet, engaged in a discussion with one of the readers waiting in line. Her enthusiasm for books was really what had kept the store open so long. Engage her in a conversation about one of her favorites or a hyped upcoming release and she could talk for hours.
Callum set the box down under the signing table and checked his watch. “We’re about to break anyway. The author needs a cigarette—it was one of the conditions of her signing,” he said with a laugh. “Can you stick around for a bit? I’ll tell Meredith you’re here.”
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