Page 12 of Real Forever
Madison groaned. “Financial documents? Jake, I wouldn’t have a fucking clue what I was even looking for. I appreciate your advice, but I think I better stick with my plan to follow Tammy.”
Jake rubbed the back of his neck and stood for a moment before clearing his throat. “Well, do you want some help?”
What?
Madison grabbed Jake’s hand. “Oh my fucking god. Are you serious? Yes. Yes, Jake. I would love some help.”
Jake glimpsed down at Madison’s hand clutching his, then back up to her face. Madison’s eyes widened, and she snatched her hand back, shoving it in the pocket of her hoodie.
Jake let slip the slightest whisper of a smirk. “Okay, I’ll see what I can dig up. But, you know it’s my official duty as your sister’s trustee to warn you blackmail is illegal and also probably not a great idea?”
Madison grinned. “Your official duty?”
“Sure.” He leaned back against Madison’s truck. “It’s a complimentary service I offer to all my clients.”
“Like the free continental breakfast with your hotel stay?”
He nodded. “I’m the stale muffins and tiny cups of juice of the financial world.”
Madison erupted in laughter. “Seriously, thank you so much. I’d be grateful for your help. You must be, like, our guardian angel or something.” Madison felt Jake’s eyes on her mouth and her skin tingled under his attention.
Jake pulled his phone from his suit jacket pocket. “I’m happy to help. Maybe I should get your number? So I can let you know if I find anything?”
Eeeee, my number?“Sure, good idea. I’ll get yours too,” Madison replied, as nonchalantly as possible.
8
Jake
Jake’s legsburned with exhaustion as he pumped the pedals of his bike through the hilly terrain. He focused his mind on the trail, mapping the bumps and curves ahead and translating them into slight shifts of his weight and adjustments to the handlebars. His ears were tuned to the soft crunching of pinecones, swishing of dried leaves, snapping of twigs and sticks under his tires, and whirring of his spinning wheels. The earthy aroma of pine and decaying leaves hung in the fall air which, chilled by the lake water, breezed over Jake’s skin.
The seat of his Yeti SB165 mountain bike was the only place in the world Jake truly felt calm. The only place he could quiet the chattering stream of to do lists and worries constantly swirling in his brain. And he desperately needed silence today.
He had spent the last four days cursing himself for offering to help Madison. What the hell had he been thinking? He needed to stay focused now more than ever, and it was impossible for him to do when Madison was anywhere nearby. The moment his offer to help had left his lips he regretted it, but he couldn’t bring himself to take it back. Not if it meant that gorgeous smile would leave her lips.
Shit. He needed to figure out how the hell he could help this girl without letting himself get wrapped up in her. Now was not the time for a fling with some pretty girl from Snowbrook. Okay, some gorgeous and hilarious girl with the best fucking laugh he’d ever heard—from Snowbrook.
When Jake reached Zach’s Jeep in the parking lot at the end of the trail, Zach was already there. He got off his bike and collapsed on the grass beside Zach. Their damp, heavy breath fogged in the cool October morning air.
“Here, dude.” Zach handed him a granola bar and opened one for himself. “I fucking love this trail, man. We haven’t done this one in forever.”
“Because it’s a beast,” Jake said. “My legs feel like Jell-O.”
Zach laughed. “Yeah, those hills are a killer, eh?”
Jake scanned the horizon. The sun was still low in the sky, and it glittered off the still lake water. There were a lot of things Jake missed about living in the city—concerts, big sporting events, great restaurants—but those things could never measure up to this. The entire bike trail followed the curve of the lake’s shoreline through some of Manitoba’s most beautiful boreal forest.
“Psst,” Zach nodded his head toward a dense pocket of brush to the north of the parking lot. The trees rustled and swayed, parting to reveal a massive, lumbering black bear.
Jake whispered back in awe, “Holy shit. He’s huge.”
“Getting ready to hibernate soon. He’ll be out searching for some breakfast.”
The men watched as the creature plodded his way through a berry bush. Saskatoon berries, most likely, but it was too far to identify from where the men sat. Jake marveled as the bear moved with slow, serene confidence along the edge of the bush, his gargantuan paws thumping across the crispy fallen leaves and grass. Eventually, the massive mound of black fur retreated into the brush as calmly and quietly as he had arrived.
“It’s crazy how something so immense and so ferocious could be so chill, eh?” Zach pondered aloud.
Huh. Jake shook his head. It was strange. The bear had been completely tranquil, unbothered by their presence. Tame, even.
