Page 44 of Wildfire
Opening one eye, I spot Russ standing over me, looking as fresh as he did this morning. “Yes, go away.”
He chuckles, and it’s annoying how great he looks all the time. I know how little sleep he gets, and I know how hard he works all day, and yet here he is—bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your cabin. You can’t fall asleep here. Xander said he’s going to draw a dick on your face if you do.”
“But I can’t disturb the puppy,” I groan, gesturing to my fluffy stomach warmer. “I think she’s doubled in weight in, like, a week, so I’m not sure I could get her off me if I tried.”
“Xander taught her to do tricks for turkey bacon. I’ll pick her up, come on.”
“Can’t you pick both of us up? I’m asleep.”
I try not to shiver when his hands brush my stomach as he scoops up the golden retriever, positioning her on his chest like you would a baby. I don’t manage it, but he’s polite enough to pretend not to notice. “You have legs and you don’t have a bellyful of bacon.”
He holds out a hand for me, pulling me to my feet gently. “How do you know that? Rude presumption.”
“You’re a vegetarian, Rory,” he laughs. “If you’re learning tricks for turkey bacon we have bigger problems than you having a dick on your face.” He makes it so easy. There are so many things I could say, but I bite my tongue to keep them in. Russ shakes his head, ushering me away from the fire pit and in the direction of my cabin. “Don’t say a thing.”
“It’s fine. You’ve made it clear who your favorite is. Salmon has legs, too, but whatever. Just know if I manage to befriend a real brown bear, you’re dropping to second choice like that,” I say, clicking my fingers.
“I—” he starts, then stops, and as we continue the walk to the cabin, when I look over at him, I can’t read the look on his face. Mywatching snaps him out of whatever daze he was in and he laughs, but it sounds forced. “I think I can cope with being your second choice, but we don’t have brown bears in California. I haven’t been able to figure out how it fits in with Hedgehogs, Foxes, and Raccoons, since I read the brochure.”
“Orla introduced the animal names for age groups when she took over from her dad. She thought it was more fun than being named for ages or something, and she let Jenna pick the names when she was like five or six. I can’t remember the full story, but, yeah, baby Jenna doesn’t know her bears apparently.”
“Jenna came here as a kid, too?” he asks, running his palm down the puppy’s back. “It’s pretty cool she works here now.”
“What? Jenna is Orla’s daughter. Did you not know?” I say. “I thought everyone knew that, sorry.”
His expression is hard to pinpoint, somewhere between amusement and despair. “Of course my boss is the owner’s daughter.”
We finally reach the cabins and I wish there was a reason to keep walking and talking. He stops as I reach the steps. I take the first one and stop, too, reluctant to say good-bye.
He takes a step closer and lowers his voice, presumably not wanting to wake Emilia, but I’m closer to his height on this step and his body is dangerously close to mine. “Jenna said we have to stop carrying the puppies everywhere, because soon they’ll be too big, but they’ll still expect it. She also said they’re dogs not babies, but I can’t help it.”
My jaw drops. “I’m sorry, are you telling me that you’re breaking rules?”
“It was more of a suggestion…”
“It’s a rule and you’re rebelling. Oh my God.”
“I’m not. I’m ju—”
“You’re out of control, Callaghan. That’s how it starts. One minute you’re carrying a puppy, the next minute you’ve crashed a boat you weren’t supposed to be on into the rocks and are being threatenedwith deportation.” His eyes narrow at my far-too-specific example. “Theoretically. Anyway, I’d invite you in, but unlike you, I respect authority and apparently there’s something about cabins and not dragging men and their comfort animal into them.”
“Who knew you could be such a good girl.”
I almost choke. “Good night, Russ. Thanks for walking me.”
I step backward up the remaining steps onto the porch of my cabin. Space between us is good. Space means I don’t lean forward and kiss him. Or attempt to climb him like a tree.
“Good night, Aurora,” he says softly. “Sweet dreams.”
Turning my back to him, I quietly open the door, careful not to wake my sleeping roommate. When I look over my shoulder, he’s still standing next to the steps. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m watching you go in so you don’t have to watch me leave.”
My heart is in my throat as I close the door gently behind me, and when I finally get into bed, I decide that it was definitely flirting.
Chapter FourteenRUSS
IDIDN’T THINK THERE WOULDever be a time where I’d voluntarily apply JJ’s advice to my life and actually benefit from it, and yet here I am.
