“Zara—”
“No. Say it. You’ve clearly got me figured out, so let’s hear it. What kind of person am I?”
“You’re...” I falter. There’s no version of this that won’t make me look like a complete asshole. But silence clearly isn’t going to cut it, so I dig the hole anyway. “You’re used to luxury. Excitement. Constant motion. This place... It’s not enough for someone like that.”
Zara turns away. Her shoulders are stiff. She starts dressing in silence, and even though I claimed every inch of her body last night, I feel the need to look away. When she finally faces me again, her expression is cool and composed. But her bright, expressive, impossible-to-miss eyes are undeniably wounded.
“Well then, that’s settled.” Zara’s voice is falsely cheerful. “Good thing the rain stopped when it did. Wouldn’t want me getting too attached to all this simplicity.”
“That’s not what I?—”
“Isn’t it?” She steps into her heels. “You think I’m some shallow, surface-level city girl playing dress-up in the dirt until I get bored and go back to selfies and sponsorships.”
“I didn’t sayshallow.”
“You didn’t have to.” Her hands tremble just slightly as she smooths her hair, but her voice never cracks. “Don’t worry, Holden. I got the message loud and clear. Last night was fun. Now it’s time for me to get back to my glamorous, empty life. You aren’t the first person to underestimate me. But you might be the one to make it hurt the most.”
“Zara, wait?—”
“It’s okay. I get it. I’m going to head up to my sister’s place. Point me in the right direction.” She moves to the door.
This is what I asked for, but now that it’s happening, I hate everything about it. I feel sick. I’m desperate for more time with her. “I’ll walk you.”
“Thanks for the adventure, cowboy. It was very...authentic.But an escort isn’t necessary. Is it up the road or down?”
“Zara.”
“Up or down?” Her jaw clenches so tightly, I know I’m too late.
“Down.”
Then she’s gone. She strides into the gray morning light. Her head is high. Her shoulders are pinned back. Her heels sink into the soft earth.
And I let her go.
An hour passes, but I don’t need the time to know that this was a huge mistake. I know I’m a damn coward who just pushed away the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
CHAPTER 6
ZARA
I make it past Choke,the damn attack chicken, and Thrusty, the humping goat, and keep my shit together. It’s sick how simple it is for me to plaster a smile on my face when the show must go on. But when I pass the corn field, my sister’s place comes into view, and something in me cracks open.
I let myself fall apart.
The tears aren’t the dramatic, mascara-streaked kind I might’ve posted for sympathy in a past life. These are the quiet kind. The real ones that catch you off guard and burn all the way down. Holden has me crying hot, messy tears that taste like betrayal and heartbreak.
But it isn’t his fault. It’s on me because I let myself believe it.
I let myself believe that Holden sawme.Not just the version I show the world. Not the brand. Not the glitter and filters. The real me. The woman underneath all that. And for one perfect night, it felt like maybe I wasn’t completely alone in the world.
Turns out, I was just on an adventure. A sparkly distraction during a storm. A woman playing house in someone else’s life. Truth is, he is that different from the men who follow me on my socials, and that is a fucking shitty pill to swallow.
The mud squelches around my ruined heels with every step. I finally give up, kick them off, and carry them by the straps. My foot still aches where the leather rubbed it raw, but I welcome the sting. At least it’s real. At least it doesn’t lie to me.
By the time I reach the back porch, the sun is starting to push through the clouds. It paints everything in gold, and it seems too good for the reality of this day. The bunting is still hanging, though it looks a bit haggard from the wind and the rain… But who doesn’t at this point?
It seems while I was lounging in my fantasy land, some of the Kingridge crew have been up and at it. The string lights are back in place. The deck is freshly swept. The combination of wind and rain was turbulent. But just a few hours later and life here goes on.
