“They were great. If they book again, I call dibs.”
Jordan chuckled. “I’m sure they’ll request you.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I slid it out. An alert flashed from my glucose monitor. I’d tried to estimate the right combo of sugar, carbs, and fat I’d need to stay in a good range from the hike, but it wasn’t an exact science, and now I was trending down.
Jordan moved in closer. “Everything okay?”
I nodded, quickly sliding my phone back into my pocket. “Yeah, just need to eat a little something.”
He frowned. “You’ve been pushing hard lately. You need more days off?”
I fought the urge to snap at him and instead strode to the fridge and grabbed one of my mini orange juices. “I’m good. This is me managing.”
I downed the juice, then pulled peanut butter and crackers out of my desk drawer and started munching.
Jordan frowned as if he wasn’t sure he believed me.
Eddie swiped a cracker from my stack. “Come on, J-man. Grae’s a badass. We don’t need to worry about her.”
He held out his hand for a fist bump.
I grinned as I touched my knuckles to his. Eddie never treated me any differently because I had Type 1, and I loved that about him. But he also sometimes forgot that I needed to be cautious. He was a throw-caution-to-the-wind and jump-off-a-mountain sort.
He’d been that way since he lost his fiancée, Megan, in a car accident a few years ago. He tried to live life to the fullest because he was one of the few who understood it could all be easily ripped away. It was one of the things that bonded us. The understanding of how fragile life was. For some, it meant living carefully. For us, it meant livingfully.
Jordan’s hand landed on my shoulder, and he squeezed. “Just want to make sure you’re okay.”
A little of my annoyance melted away. “I know. But I’m fine. Promise.”
He gave my shoulder one more squeeze and then headed back to his office.
“He’s such a buzzkill sometimes,” Eddie muttered.
“He meddles because he cares.”
Eddie leaned over, resting his hand on my shoulder, his eyes going comically earnest. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.”
I shoved him off. “Oh, shut it.”
He chuckled. “You want to go grab a beer?”
I shook my head. “I want a shower, leftover pizza, and bed.”
“Aw, man. Come on. I’ll get you fresh pizza.”
“Bribery will work another time.” Because nights out with Eddie almost always ended up going way later than intended.
“I’ll hold you to that.”
I packed up the rest of my stuff and headed for the door. I paused as I opened it, looking over my shoulder and pinning Eddie with a stare. “Make sure you get your beauty rest.”
He chuckled. “Any more beauty, and the women of Cedar Ridge will be powerless against me.”
I just shook my head as I stepped outside. It was still plenty light out, and the walk home would do my muscles good—a light stretch after the hike. I might go for a bubble bath instead of a shower.
Tourists were out in full force, heading to early dinners or enjoying the extended sunlight at the lake. Kids laughed and screamed as they chased one another. Even as hectic as things could get during the summer, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Cedar Ridge had a kind of magic I’d never experienced in any other place I’d visited, near or far.
My phone buzzed in my pocket again, and I pulled it out.
