Page 23 of Forest Proximity
I scowl at the teenager in the retreating cart. “Yes,” I grind out, sounding the exact opposite of okay.
Adam frowns. “Listen, I like the shirt. It’s just—”
“Don’t sweat it.” I swat away his apology, feeling stupid.
“I like it,” he emphasizes. “Thank you for the shirt.”
“Oh, stop.” I turn toward my car. “Don’t patronize me.”
A warm hand wraps around my wrist. Adam turns me back toward him.
“You know what?” he asks, exasperated. He tugs his gray T-shirt over his head, right on the sidewalk in front of Muffie Horowitz and the hardware store security cameras. I’ll be requesting that footage later.
Then he pulls my T-shirt over his head, smoothing it down his torso and slinging his shirt over his shoulder. “There.I like it. Are you convinced yet?”
I bite my cheek, fighting a smile with my whole face. I’m sure I’m beaming up at him. “No.”
He groans. “You are impossible.”
“Maybe.” I wink and turn back toward my car, calling over my shoulder, “But being a believer looks sexy on you.”
Chapter 10
Adam
It’s another foggy morning, and I’m back in the woods trading SD cards out of my trail cameras. The land trust can’t put money into the wireless kind, which would make this a whole lot easier. Instead, I have to drag the memory cards back to my cabin to download whatever images they’ve captured. The cameras have been up for about a week now, but the lack of purple Takis trash makes me think that I won’t find anything useful.
The distinct ring of a video call comes from my back pocket, and I slide my phone free to answer.
“Hey, Sis. Late night?”
Ruth's dark hair is wild around her face, and there’s a pillow behind her head. “Yeah.” She yawns through the word. “But I want to know how last night went. Did you meet anyone?”
I made the mistake of telling her I was going to dinner in town. She dared me to talk to any woman between the ages of twenty-five and forty. I only talked to one: Stevie. And I'll never admit it. If I mention the same woman twice in a row, my sister will start jumping to conclusions.
Stevie is exasperating and possibly delusional, though. Plus quirky, hilarious, and kind of a knockout in a woodland sprite sort of way. Those brown eyes ...
Part of me wishes there was a conclusion to jump to.
“Adam? Did you hear me?” Ruth rubs her eye, yawning again.
“No, I didn’t meet anyone new.” That’s not a lie. “How are things going with you guys?” I'd rather talk about my sister, her husband, and my niece. I'm also trying to multitask. I'm hiking toward the next camera while we talk.
“Don’t deflect,” my sister sasses. “I see what you’re doing.”
“I’m not deflecting.”
“We’re all good—wait.” She gasps, and when I look at the screen, she's pulled her phone close like she's trying to get a better look. “Let me see your shirt,” she demands loudly.
My shirt?Oh ...Oops. I grabbed the closest T-shirt before I left to do this sweaty job, and it happens to be the one I wore home from the diner last night. It’s the shirt with a picture of yours truly wearing a ghillie suit and looking like a Skunk Ape. My face burns hot at the reminder that Stevie is selling these T-shirts in the diner and online. I’ve never wanted to be famous and certainly not in this way. No one can ever know that I’m the person on this T-shirt. Luckily, no one seems to know it’s me. Yet. I’m not looking forward to showing this to my sister, though.
“Come on, Adam,” she goads. “I already saw it. Just gimme a little peek.” She pinches her fingers together for the camera. “Real quick.”
With a heavy sigh, I pull my phone away from my body and pivot it down slightly. “There. Happy?” I’m waiting for the mockery to start; instead, she pouts.
“I can’t believe you already have one,” Ruth whines. “How did you get yours so fast? Mine isn’t supposed to be here for like a week.”
I almost drop my phone in the dirt in my hurry to redirect the camera. “You ordered one?!”
