37. Reese

It’s a crisp fall day. The sun is shining, there’s the scent of pumpkin fucking spice in the air, and I’m grumpy as hell.

Scratch that.

I’m horny as hell.

Skyler dropped me off after the game, walked me to the door like a gentleman.

Then walked away like a tease.

I went to bed with a lady boner and woke up that way thanks to a rather explicit naughty dream involving Skyler and his miraculous penis.

I wore the battery out on my vibrator, but nothing compares to the real thing. Which means, no matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about him.

And obsessing over a man is what got me into this fix in the first place.

I built myself around Jonah. Made him part of my identity. It never occurred to me that he might cut me loose. And without him, I was adrift.

A small voice whispers that this thing with Skyler is different. I’m going in with both eyes wide open, for one thing. And I’ve known him forever. I know his best attributes and his worst.

But the biggest difference between Skyler and Jonah is that Jonah was my boyfriend. Skyler is… doing me a favor. He’s not my boyfriend and somebody better tell my heart before I completely lose it.

Again.

I stand at the window with my hood over my head, pulling the drawstrings until I’m cinched up inside, then letting it go.

Thinking about Skyler gets me thinking about the last conversation I had with Mitch and then I’m thinking about skiing on fresh snow.

I love the mountains. Always have. Ever since I was a little girl. A barb of jealousy hooks into my chest when I think about Mitch getting to see that mountain range every day. Living out there would be a dream come true.

I never really considered it because my family is in Nebraska. Jonah was in Nebraska. But that was before my parents moved out of the home place. These days, they spend half their time in Florida.

God only knows where my sisters will end up. Wherever they go, they’ll go because they want to, not out of obligation to the family.

Why can’t I go where I want?

Hurrying over to the couch, I snag my laptop and open up a job site. I crow excitedly when I see how many job openings there are in the Denver area.

I open a window and another, until my screen is full of companies and neighborhoods I’ve never heard of.

A creeping sense of doubt slips up alongside me, taking up a growing space in the cavity of my chest. What if I don’t like it there?

What if I take a job at a company from hell and end up hating it? Or move to a neighborhood filled with potholes and angry racoons.

Digging my phone out from underneath a pile of cushions, I navigate to his contact number and press call.

He picks up after two rings. “Who’s this?”

“It’s Reese.”

I’m mildly offended that Mitch didn’t save my number after he gave me his.

“Oh. Hey, sis. I didn’t expect you to call.”

I can’t quite keep the indignation out of my voice. “You gave me your number.”

“To text, not to call, goofball. Who calls people this day and age?”

“My mother.”

He laughs, the sound is uncannily similar to Skyler’s laugh. “My point exactly.”

“Should I hang up and text you instead?”

He sighs dramatically. “No. Too late for that. We should Face Time.”

“Don’t make it weird.”

“It’s already weird.”

Before I can reply, he ends the call. Within seconds, I’m getting a video call request. With a sigh, I accept the call and Mitch’s head and shoulders fill the screen.

He’s wearing glasses and has a light layer of scruff on his chin. Apparently, weekend Mitch isn’t as polished as weekday Mitch. I can’t say much. I’ve got my glasses on too and my hair is twisted up in a clip.

I spot mountains over his shoulder. “Are you on a hike?”

He laughs, angling the camera so I can see his tiny patio. “My condo.”

“Oh. Nice view.”

“Thanks.”

He tilts his head. “What’s up?”

“I just had a quick question. Where is Westminster?”

“Colorado?”

I nod.

He laughs. “This is a text type of question. Not a call type of question.”

“Just answer me.”

“West Denver. Why do you ask?”

“I found a job posting there and wondered if it was a nice place to live.”

He shrugs. “Yeah. It’s nice. A little vanilla. You’d probably like Golden or Boulder better. Are you job hunting?”

“Yeah. All that talk of skiing made me think maybe I ought to shorten up my commute.”

He grins. “You definitely should. Get away from that black hole of a town.”

“You don’t miss it?”

He grimaces. “Fuck, no. I don’t know how Skyler can stand it.”

“I’m not so sure he can stand it.”

Mitch tilts his head. “You talk to him much?”

My cheeks color and I do my best to play it cool. “A little. Here and there. Not much.”

Oh God, stop talking, Reese.

My brain might want to shut up, but my lips don’t get the message. “Why do you think he stayed?”

“In Silver Bend? For dad.”

“Your dad?”

He shrugs. “Yeah. Nobody knows the meaning of the words guilt trip like a farmer’s son.”

I think about Josh, how it was always just assumed he’d take over after my dad retired. “You don’t feel that pressure?”

Mitch tips his head. “I guess a little. But I’m the younger son, so the spotlight was always on Skyler.”

He pauses. “When we were younger, it seemed like he was going to break free. He was always talking about going to college to become an engineer. But right before senior year, that talk changed into thinking of jobs he could do on the side.”

“So he could help with the farm?”

“Yeah.”

“Wasn’t that the summer he got in that accident?”

Mitch’s face sobers. “Yeah.”

“Do you think those injuries still bother him?”

“I know they do. He’s looked into physical therapy and all that, but there ain’t much you can do for a broken femur.”

“I suppose not.”

Mitch looks over his shoulder. I get the impression that a friend has showed up. He glances back at the screen. “Hey, I got to go. But real quick, I got a friend on the city council in Boulder. You want me to ask her if she knows of any job openings?”

Excitement, like a thick ribbon, unfurls in my chest. “Yes. Please. That would be amazing.”

“You got it, sis. If you come up with any other questions give me a call.”

“You mean a text?”

He grins. “I mean a call.”