Page 17 of Fight
He grunted at her from over his bottle and stared into the fire. He was uncharacteristically quiet tonight. Lena started to panic as she crossed her arms over her stomach and leaned forward in her chair.
“Tomorrow’s your first day, Lena? We’ll have to keep a lookout for you at the resort,” Ian noted politely.
“Yeah, that would be great. I’m super nervous. Especially about Cynthia. Every time I bumped into her during orientation, she looked at me like she wanted to step on me. I don’t think she likes me.”
Ian groaned. “Cynthia doesn’t like anyone. Sorry, I can’t offer you any tips there.”
“Everyone likes you, Leeny,” Annie assured her stoically. “You got this.” Lena scrunched up her face and looked questionably at her. This group more than anyone knewthatwasn’t true.
“Jake gave me some great advice last week on how to get through to her. I—I’m thinking of trying some of his suggestions. Thanks, Jake,” she added awkwardly with a tight, crooked smile as she waved her hand in Jake's direction like some awkward and magnanimous queen gracing him with her misplaced gratitude.Ugh. She quickly yanked her hand back on her lap.
An uncomfortable silence settled over the group as everyone looked to Jake to provide some context. Jake definitely did not feel the need to talk though, as he continued to slouch in his chair and glare at her through the flames. The Satan comparisons were bubbling up inside of her again, but before she could let one fly, Ian mercifully spoke.
“Well if anyone can give you tips on how to get through to her, it’s this guy.” He motioned toward Jake with his beer bottle.
Jake responded by taking a long swing of his beer and grunting audibly.
“You know, maybe I will have one of those beers.” She jumped out of her chair.Please, someone make this stop.
“Awesome, I’ll grab you one.” Ian, ever the gentleman, started to move to get up.
“No, no, don’t bother, I remember where they are. I’ll be right back.” Lena breathed a sigh of relief to escape the fireside and Jake’s gloomy stare.
What is his deal? Has there ever been a more confusing person in the history of hot, obnoxious guys?She heard Morgan and Annie laugh at something Ian said as she quickly marched across the yard and into Jake and Ian’s house, letting out a deep sigh of relief when she closed the door behind her.
Jake watched Lena run across the backyard like a scared rabbit, scurrying into the house and shutting the door behind her like she was escaping the apocalypse. She had been shedding nervous energy all around the campfire and he was surprised she hadn’t found an excuse to sneak away earlier. He knew he hadn’t helped with his behavior, and guilt started to gnaw at him.
He should have been able to shake this foul mood. He and Ian had woken up at the crack of dawn to bike the Ravine—a fourteen mile bike trail that included a grueling five mile, uphill road,and nine miles of downhill, backroading down steep drop-offs. It had kicked his ass and injected him with enough dopamine to momentarily forget why he’d been moody all week.
Bitterness rose within him as he acknowledged he didn’t usually get moody. The only time he managed to reach this point was in relation to her. Lena. Again. Just like the hike last summer he was grumpy because she wasn’t behaving like he wanted her to—which was fucking irrational of him.
This time he was angry about that idiot from the Golden Carafe. Bob Green’s nephew, Daniel.
He’d been bothered by Daniel’s disregard for Lake Conrad, its land, and the town’s charter. When he relayed the conversation and his concerns to Ian, he had simply rolled his eyes. “That guy’s been after that land for years. Kyle Bear, of all people, is not going to back down and just let him have it.”
If Ian’s family owned the town’s name and most of its buildings, Kyle Bear owned its history. When his father had died a few years ago, Kyle had taken the reins of the town's historical society and philanthropy vehicle—Lake Conrad Native and Indigenous Peoples Society—and he was recently elected president of the Lake Conrad Civic Association.
Kyle had always seemed to Jake like he was decades older than he and Ian, even though he was only a couple of years their senior. He had a formidable and domineering personality; and Jake always toned down his inclination to joke and bullshit when he was around. Something told him that Kyle wouldn’t find him as adorable as Cindy did.
So, Jake ultimately agreed with Ian that Daniel and his sleazy uncle wouldn’t be a match for someone like Kyle who had such a personal interest in preserving the land and history of Lake Conrad.
What had really bothered him about his and Lena’s interaction with Daniel was how accepting and pleased Lena had been with that asshole. And as Jake had walked away, he had looked back to see Daniel programming something into Lena’s phone. His phone number, he’d assumed.
Jake knew he had never exactly been suave with Lena and that they had butt heads in the past on a spectacular level. He grudgingly acknowledged that he didn’t really have a right to be angry with her for talking to another guy just because he’d bought her a bottle of wine and managed to have one civil conversation with her.
“What’s taking Lena so long?” asked Morgan, interrupting his thoughts. Jake looked up at the dark house again with no sign of Lena.
Annie looked up from the conversation she had been having with Ian. “Oh yeah, I hope she didn’t get lost, I’ll go ch –”
“Why don’t you go see how she's doing, Jake?” Morgan interrupted Annie. Jake looked over to where Morgan sat next to him. While he'd been stewing, Ian and Annie had been chatting together and Morgan had also been sitting quietly, possibly doing a little stewing of her own.
“Yeah, sure,” he replied. “Don’t get up Annie. You and Ian are in the middle of something, and you know I live to serve at Lady Morgan’s beck and call,” he added sarcastically.
Morgan smirked at him as he turned to walk away.“Get me another beer while you’re in there!” she yelled at him.
Without turning around, he raised his hand in acknowledgement. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
Walking into the kitchen through the back door, he looked around and didn’t see Lena rooting around in the fridge for a beer, as he'd suspected. He didn’t see her sitting on Ian’s expensive ass leather couch when he walked into the living room either.
