Ridley fought the urge to gape at her, and instead grinned. “Oh, you naughty girl. You’re getting as bad as me.”
Phoenix sputtered a laugh. “Since you’re wonderful, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Please do.” Ridley had been keeping up with Phoenix’s long stride, but now she hooked her arm through hers and drew her to a halt. “What’s the rush?”
“I need to finish up for the day and now I’m behind.”
“So you loosened up, but not all that much?” Ridley looked at her more closely, then tilted her head. “Something is different.”
“Yup.” Phoenix did a quick look around, and finding they had relative privacy, threw her arms wide. “I’m free.”
“Free, as in?”
“David was here.”
Well, knock her over with a feather. “Shut up. No way!” Phoenix didn’t look upset over it. She looked...damn it, free.
Almost bubbling over with enthusiasm, Phoenix leaned in close. “He’s moved on, Ridley. He’s in love with someone else, someone I know will make him happier than I ever could, and I don’t have to feel guilty anymore.”
“You never had to feel guilty.” She’d told her that often enough. Phoenix was one of the nicest, most caring and considerate people she knew.
“I did anyway.” For only a moment, Phoenix’s expression grew somber. “I felt so freaking guilty it sometimes choked me.”
“Oh, honey.” Ridley felt her throat closing up. When Phoenix hurt, she felt it, too. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to work it out myself, remember?” She took Ridley’s hands. “And you had your own junk to deal with.”
Ridley shook that off. “Forget Robbie. He’s not worth mentioning.”
“He hurt you, and I’d still like to make him pay.”
“I did,” Ridley said with evil delight. “I made him pay big.”
But Phoenix didn’t smile at the familiar jest. “We both know he could afford it, and even if he couldn’t, it’s not enough for the way he treated you.”
How the hell had Phoenix turned this around on her? Ridley huffed in exasperation. “I’m a big girl and I’m over it,” she lied.
Clearly, Phoenix didn’t buy it, but she did let it go. “And I’m a big girl too, which is why I wanted to deal with my issues on my own.”
Ridley bit her lip. Everything about Phoenix was different, as if she were miraculously softer but more firm, accepting yet stronger. “And you have?”
“Yes.”
Reaching for her, Ridley intended a giant hug—but Daron interrupted.
“Are you two arguing, gossiping or something different?”
Phoenix laughed. “A little of each, actually.”
“Which is usually how we do things.”
“Fascinating.” He grinned at each of them.
Ridley cocked out a hip. “Did you want something?”
“Such a loaded question—”
Maris, who’d been walking past, gave him a shove and kept going.
He pitched forward, almost slamming into Ridley before whirling to see who’d pushed him. When he saw Maris, he broke into a big grin. Still watching her, he said to Ridley, “Shower is fixed in cabin five—and I still think your ex must’ve been a blind ass. Later, ladies.” He took off in Maris’s wake.
Phoenix shook her head. “Despite the way she always turns him down, he doesn’t give up.”
Ridley snorted. “Maybe because he knows she’s fighting herself more than him.”
That got Phoenix’s attention. “You think so, too?”
Ridley countered with, “Absolutely.”
“Hmm. It’s possible, I guess, but I’ve been so busy working on me lately, I haven’t paid enough attention to everyone else.”
“Then trust me.”
“You could be wrong, you know. In a lot of ways, they’re polar opposites.”
“So?” Ridley folded her arms. “I’ll bet you fifty bucks they end up in the sack.”
Phoenix gave it some thought. “When? It can’t be indefinite.”
“With those two, it’s like a slow burn, so let’s say...before the holidays.” Ridley held out a hand.
Looking away, Phoenix asked, “Will we still be here for the holidays?”
“Hey, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll have to have my RV winterized, but Daron says there are plenty of cabins available during the coldest months.”
“You and Daron have done a lot of talking.”
She leaned in to say, “It makes Baxter jealous.”
Phoenix laughed. “You are so bad.”
“Will you still be here?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I guess that depends on how things go with Cooper. I like it here, and they do plenty of holiday things to keep me busy.” She looked up the hill toward Cooper’s house. “Guess I’ll have to wait and see.”
“I vote we both stay.” Ridley glanced around at the kids playing, the people visiting, the water and trees and...the friendliness. “I like it here.”
“Me, too.” She sighed. “I guess I better get to work or I’ll never get done. FYI, I’m spending the night with Cooper.”
Wow. That really was a big step for her circumspect little sister. Ridley replied by offering her a high five.
Phoenix slapped her hand and started to back away. “What about you and Baxter?”
She struck a smug pose. “He’s coming over tonight.”
“Just think, there’ll be fireworks and it’s not even the Fourth of July yet.”
Ridley laughed as she waved goodbye. God, it was nice to see Phoenix so content. She turned to get back to her own work—and something hit her chest. When she looked down she saw the biggest, most hideous praying mantis ever...and it was looking at her!
The scream stuck in her throat. She frantically swatted at the thing, but it clung—clung—to her shirt with multiple legs and long, angular arms. Hysteria had her madly attempting to free herself, blind to onlookers and the consequent laughs.
Suddenly an arm came around her from behind, locking her close to a solid wall of muscle so she couldn’t move. Warm breath brushed her ear with a soft “Shush” sound, and then a big, dark hand reached around her and easily plucked the insect free.
When the arm around her loosened, Ridley shot away, wanting as much distance between her and the bug as she could get. She sprinted to the opposite side of a cabin, then, panting in remaining terror, peeked around the corner to see Baxter carrying the gruesome thing to a decorative flower display edging a light pole.
Still she didn’t emerge.
But at that point, she became aware of people still standing about, grinning at her, one kid dancing crazily as if to mimic her. When the mom saw Ridley looking, she tried to still the boy, but Ridley released a shaky laugh.
“It’s accurate,” she said, much to the mom’s relief. With a shudder, she added, “I hate bugs.”
The woman, who appeared nice enough, said, “Me too, actually. But you have me beat on the dance.”
Baxter stepped in front of her. He wasn’t laughing. “You okay?”
“Humiliation isn’t fatal, thank goodness.”
“No reason to be humiliated.” He took her shoulders and drew her close. “Fear isn’t a reasonable thing, and it’s not easily controlled.”
Loving the warm comfort, Ridley leaned into him. “Thank you for playing the hero.” She couldn’t suppress another shudder. “The monster wouldn’t let me go.”
His lips brushed her temple. “You do realize the park is full of insects, right?”
Ridley tucked her face against his chest. He was damp, his hair dripping as if he’d just come from the lake. His skin felt cool against her cheek. “Don’t remind me.”
“If it helps, it’s rare for a bug to actually fly onto a person. You’re not their first choice for places to land.”
“Guess I’m just lucky then, huh?” Damn, he smelled good. His taut skin, lightly tanned, made her want to rub her nose all over him. Her mouth, too. And her tongue—
“You were nice to the kid.”
Leaning back to see him, she asked, “That little rascal who was mocking me?” She couldn’t stop the smile that bloomed. “He’s just a kid being a kid. Pretty cute, actually.”
Baxter stared at her, wet lashes framing those bright green eyes.
“What?” she asked, unsure why he looked at her so fixedly.
He shrugged. “That attitude surprises me.”
Indignation growing, Ridley disengaged from his hold. “Because I’m such a bitch, you mean?”