Page 2 of Hunter
(If I’m honest, part of me still does.)
I finish my dance with Paw-Paw, and let him walk me back to my table, realizing too late that Hunter has claimed the seat next to his sister, Harper. I briefly consider running to the bathroom, but Joe catches my eye and grins at me warmly.
“You’re a great dancer,” he says.
“It’s in my blood,” I say, sitting down in the chair beside him.
“Paw-Paw loves spinning a pretty girl around the floor,” Harper says, resting her hands on her ballooning belly. “Hey! I’ve been meaning to ask...did McKenna tell me something about you coming back up here this summer?”
Ugh.I’m not anxious to talk about my summer plans in front of Hunter, who’s chatting with Sawyer on Harper’s other side; I lean a little closer to her, lowering my voice and hoping Hunter doesn’t hear.
“My cousin and I were selected as contestants onThe Astonishing Race: Alaska. They’re filming it up here this summer. No big deal.”
“Wait. What?” Hunter leans over his sister to look at me, his face contorted into a scowl and his blue eyes searing. “Did you just say you’re coming back to Alaska this summer?”
Damn it.
“Um. Yep. Yeah. That’s the plan,” I say. My nerves get the better of me, and suddenly, I find myself babbling: “The show’s a knock-off ofThe Amazing Race, I guess. My cousin—the one who worked for a crabbing boat last summer—was approached to audition, and when they selected him as a contestant, theyasked if he had a family member who’d be willing to team up with him. And my cousin’s dad—he’s, um, my first cousin—said yes, but then he got sick, and since I have summers off, he asked me if I’d...um, you know, be on the show instead.”
“And you said yes,” Hunter growls.
“Yes,” I squeak, reaching for my glass of water and gulping it down.
Harper asks about the timing of the race, and I tell her about Beto’s and my plan to drive to Ketchikan, where the race begins. All the while I can feel Hunter glowering at me.
“I’m shocked you said yes,” he says acidly. “I know how you feel about being away from home.”
“I couldn’t say no,” I try to explain. “My cousin—”
“You’re not sticking aroundafterthe race, are you?” Hunter interrupts, practically spitting the question at me.
“I don’t know yet. As long as I’m up here, I thought I might come and visit Ken for a few days. Maybe I’ll do what she did—get a seasonal job, and make a little money before I go home.”
“Shegot a fiancé out of the deal,” says Huner.
“Oh, I’m not looking for one of those,” I blurt out, tittering nervously.
“Not one from Alaska, anyway,” he mutters.
He’s not wrong. As he knows better than anyone, I’d never get serious with someone who lives so far away from my home. Long-distance relationships don’t work.
He stares at me for a long minute, his expression boiling, then stands up abruptly, clapping his little brother on the shoulder.
“Sawyer, let’s do shots.”
“Shots? Yeah, bro! Whoot whoot!”
As the Stewart brothers head to the bar, I can’t help wishing that the first conversation since our break-up had gone better.Hunter’s still so angry with me, and finding out I’m returning to Alaska this summer has been unintentional salt in the wound.
“Hey, Isabella,” says Harper, placing a gentle hand on my arm. “Ignore him. He gets moody this time of year. Our mom passed away in January, so the holidays can be rough.” She offers me a conciliatory smile. “You’re going to have a great summer. Good luck with the race.”
“You’re very kind,’” I say, glancing at Harper’s belly with a bit of wistfulness. “Oh! And I meant to say ‘congratulations! McKenna told me it’s a girl. When is she due?”
“March.”
“You feeling okay?”
“Just tired,” she says, resting her head on Joe’s shoulder.