Page 8 of Set It Right
I nudged her foot with mine. “Do you really need to remind me you’re leaving?”
She poked her bottom lip out. “Don’t be sad. You know I can’t stand it when you’re sad. You’re only meant to be happy.”
“How am I supposed to be happy when my best friend is going to be a thousand miles away?”
I winced inwardly, sure I’d revealed too much. But Zara only smiled, resting her foot fully on top of mine.
“I like when you say I’m your best friend.”
Heat rushed to my face. “You know you are.”
Her head tilted, that familiar, knowing smile playing on her lips. “Yeah. Besties for life. To the river and back.”
“To the river and back,” I echoed.
If Gray had ever noticed, he’d never said a word. Not then. Not in all the years after.
Then again, I didn’t even know if they were still there.
That summer had been the last time I’d sat in that booth.
And the last time Zara Vasquez had set foot in Sugar Brush.
Nothing had been the same since.
Chapter Five
Zara
Bymorning,Ifeltmore human than zombie. On my drive out to the ranch, I nibbled on Phoebe’s pastries, getting more and more excited about what was to come. I’d be spending the summer working as an outdoor adventure guide for guests at the resort side of the ranch. It was pretty much my dream job.
If only I hadn’t spent four years getting my accounting degree and busting my butt to become a licensed CPA.
It wasn’t like being an adventure guide was a career, anyway. This was just a summer thing before I found a real job. In an office, at a desk, staring at a computer all day…
I shook off the thought. There was no sense going there now. Not when the sun was shining, horses were grazing at the fence line, and some of the most beautiful country I’d ever seen was outside my window.
I parked in the staff lot and found my new boss’s office in the main resort building. I knocked once, then again when I didn’t hear anything over the hum of voices somewhere down the hall.
“Come in,” a voice called.
I pushed the door open, and Javier Morales rose from behind his desk, gracing me with an easy smile. We’d met through several video calls. On screen, he’d been handsome in a rugged, distinguished way, with salt-and-pepper curls and crinkles around his eyes. In person, he was tall and broad-shouldered, looking like a man who belonged outdoors instead of an office.
“Zara,” he said warmly, his Spanish accent faint but unmistakable. “At last, in three dimensions.”
I laughed, some of my nerves loosening. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”
He crossed the room and shook my hand. “Welcome to Kelly Ranch. How was your drive?”
“Excruciating,” I said honestly. “But I’m glad to be here.”
“We’re glad to have you.”
He gestured for me to sit, but only a few seconds passed before he was on his feet again. “Actually, paperwork can wait. Come. You should see where you’ll be working before I bury you in schedules and liability waivers.”
We stepped out into the hallway, sunlight pouring through massive windows framing the landscape like art.
“I know you spent time here in the past, but this side of the ranch is more curated than what you’re probably used to,” Javier said as we walked. “The guests want wilderness—but not too much wilderness. They like to feel brave without actually being uncomfortable.”
