RHYS
My chest glistened with sweat, and I ached as I pushed myself up the hillside. I broke through the pain, hoping to silence my mind and focus on nothing but my body. I desperately needed the escape, and working on my songwriting and busying myself around the ranch wasn't enough lately. Even though I loved football and had a full-ride scholarship at USC, my conscience kept nagging at me that maybe "the accident" wasn't an accident at all. Maybe I was destined for other things, and maybe, just maybe, I needed to listen harder to my inner voice.
My trainer, Holly, caught up on the trail and jogged beside me, her red hair bouncing at every step. She was a very skilled personal trainer and did a great job keeping me focused and motivated. Physically, I wouldn't be lacking on the football field, with Holly pushing me to reach my fullest potential. The woods were quiet, and we kept jogging in an easy, wordless rhythm. I welcomed the silence because I genuinely needed it.
We ran side-by-side back to the ranch. When we were about twenty yards away, my body was spent, and I slowed to a walk for a cool down, eventually stopping at the deck's stairs.
"Good work today, Rhys. You were killing it on those inclines," Holly said, wiping the sweat from her face.
"Thanks," I smiled at her and walked up the deck stairs. I slid open the patio doors and stepped into the kitchen with Holly behind me. I poured each of us a glass of water.
Holly was about to say something when my phone rang. I frowned at the screen. It was Grayson. What did he want? Wasn't he at work right now?
"Hey Rhys, what's up?"
I stiffened, my thoughts immediately going to Ivy. She was working at the resort, too, so Holly met me at the ranch today and not at the local gym. My mind involuntary flashed to a vision of Ivy, her blonde curls tossed into a messy knot on the top of her head, and her lips lightly coloured a soft pink. I shook away the vision and refocused on my conversation with Grayson.
"Just finished a workout."
"Oh..." Grayson continued. "I wanted to invite you to a party this weekend at my place on the lake. A bunch of us from the resort are getting together, and a few of our old high school buddies are coming too...I thought I'd extend the invite."
Holly listened intently, scanning my face for any indication of what was happening. I knew my face must appear overly intrigued all of a sudden, blatantly curious whether or not Ivy would be at this party, too. I wanted to know the answer. I didn't want people to know I was back in Moose Creek mostly because I didn't want people questioning what I was doing back here for an entire summer. But mainly because if I were supposed to lay low and stay focused, re-engaging with my old friends, going to lake parties would be the opposite purpose of my return. But I wouldn't say I liked the idea of Ivy going to this party without me.
"Ah, okay. Thanks for the invite. I should be able to make it," I took a sip of my water and glanced over at Holly, who was not hiding the fact she was eavesdropping on my conversation. "Ah - who's a bunch of us from the resort?" I asked.
"Charlie, Veronica, Missy..." his voice trailed off. "The usual."
"Was Ivy invited too?" the question spilled out of my mouth with too much intrigue before I could stop it. I pressed my palm to my forehead and cringed. "I'm only asking because I didn't want to mention it in passing if she wasn't invited."
Holly raised a brow, studying me. I wouldn't say I liked how she read into my end of the conversation with Grayson. What was she still doing here anyway? Our training session was over.
"Of course, Ivy was invited," Grayson laughed. "Will I see you then?"
"Yeah, you'll see me then."
He ended the call, and I looked back at Holly smirking.
"What?" I asked, annoyed.
"Who's Ivy?" she asked. I swallowed down the rest of my water, avoiding her prying eyes. When I didn't respond, she continued, "Is that the pretty blonde girl who sporadically stays at the ranch?"
I wouldn't look at her because I could feel the worry and panic slowly creeping into my eyes. The last thing I needed was for Holly to know anything remotely personal about me. Especially other than what Coach Fenwick had already made her privy to regarding the accident and that he thought my priorities were misguided and how I party too hard.
"Don't you have a cab waiting for you out front?" I asked.
She laughed. "Do you like this girl or something? I've never seen you so flush before."
"We just finished a workout." I reminded her as I wiped my face with the back of my shirt.
"Are you two dating?" she asked.
God. When did Holly start to give a shit about my personal life?
"No. She's my brother's girlfriend, alright?" My tone was harsher than expected, and I immediately regretted being so short with her.
"Oh." She hesitated and then nodded knowingly. She grabbed her gym bag from the floor and approached the front door. "Well, for what it's worth, Rhys...she'd be lucky to have you."
The way Holly said it was more of a motherly tone than a flirty one, and even though she was wrong about Ivy being the lucky one, I did appreciate the sincerity in her voice. What I didn't like was how Holly suspected I felt something for Ivy - which I did not - and it made me feel vulnerable. I didn't like being vulnerable.
I just nodded and didn't respond. Holly turned and walked out the front door, closing it with a light click. I looked over at the clock, seeing it was almost time for Ivy's shift to end and for me to get out of there to play another gig tonight in Polson at MacDougall's Tavern before she returned.
I went upstairs, and after taking a quick shower and changing into a pair of ripped jeans and a black t-shirt, I grabbed my guitar case and headed toward the front door.
"Where are you going?"
I would have recognized her sweet voice anywhere. I turned slowly to see Ivy standing in the kitchen, holding a glass of water.
Ivy looked gorgeous in a red and navy flannel shirt tied up at her waist and white shorts that cut off right around her bottom. It took a moment before I could speak. "What are you doing home?" I asked, levelling my gaze with her. "Your shift isn't over for another hour."
"Arlene sent me home early," she said, eyeing me conspicuously. "The resort wasn't busy today."
I scratched my jaw and nodded. Well, this was awkward.
"Where are you going with your guitar?" she started walking toward me, and I instinctually started to take a few steps back. She stopped a few feet away from me, maybe detecting my discomfort at how hard it was to be surrounded by her beauty. I remembered how she'd looked back in high school, sweet as hell in oversized sweaters and dark-rimmed glasses, and compared that to the beautiful woman standing before me. Even then, I could tell Ivy was the prettiest thing I had ever seen. But I don't think I understood how much she affected me until that moment. She was sassy and glowing, yet somehow delicate...though there was something else, some spontaneous firecracker beneath her innocent exterior.
"I have a gig tonight," I said.
Ivy took a long sip from her glass before she responded. "Where?"
She met my eyes, sizing me up. I put a little distance between us and murmured, "Polson."
She feigned in shock. "You're playing at McDougall's Pub?"
"Yeah."
"Wow," she smiled. "That's no amateur open-mic night. That's a real gig."
McDougall's Pub in Polson was the only venue for real artists to perform a live set. Ivy was right; it wasn't amateur...it was, by Montana standards, a big deal if you played at McDougall's Pub. No one from around here played there because it was always booked by out-of-town country musicians promoting an indie album.
"Yeah. I guess you could say that," I ran a hand through my hair and looked down at her. I was about to ask her something I was sure I would come to regret. "Ah, um...would you like to come?"
She blinked away, smiling politely. It struck me that Ivy could make me cave so easily into doing things I knew I shouldn't.
"My plans consisted of walking down to the lake and reading another chapter of a novel," she shrugged. "But going to a bar and listening to you sing sounds like a lot more fun than I had planned..." she smirked. "I guess I could come with you." She looked up at me with a challenge in her eyes. "I did always enjoy watching you play."
Since I was fifteen, Eddie and I would play an acoustic set at Jones Tavern downtown in Moose Creek every Saturday night. On more than one occasion, the owner would sneak Ivy and Missy into the bar to hear us play. And even though Ivy would be stuck in the back corner away from all the loud and drunk patrons, I hated to admit it even to myself, but I loved knowing she was there watching me.
"My set ends pretty late..." I leaned in and whispered against the shell of her ear. "Think you'll be able to handle it?"
I felt her swallow and shaky breath before she straightened, putting an acceptable amount of distance between us. There was no hesitating when she looked up at me. "I can handle anything," she said.
Shaking my head, I fought a smile. "Alright. Maybe if you are lucky, I'll play your favourite song."
"You don't know my favourite song."
Hell yeah, I did. I remember Ivy begging Eddie to play her favourite song one night when we were jamming together in their basement. Her request made me cringe because I preferred classic 90s country - unlike her request - but her request also made me smile. She liked country love ballads, and no matter whether they were mainstream or classic, they were also my favourite.
"Strip It Down by Luke Bryan."
"You remember that?" she whispered, eyes hooded as she looked up at me.
"Yeah."
A beat of silence passed as we both reflected on the memory. Ivy sat curled up in the corner of the basement on an old beanbag chair, working on her homework while Eddie and I jammed out our favourite country songs. I'd be lying if I said I didn't remember how her nose scrunched while she concentrated or how her golden curls fell past her shoulders in the strapless sundress she wore. I always noticed many things in the past when it came to Ivy, and sometimes, even back then, I wished I would stop noticing.
"Come on, Ivy. It's either now or never." I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out my car keys. "If we don't leave now, I will be late."
Smiling, Ivy led the way, pulled open the front door and walked down the porch steps. I followed behind her and opened the passenger side door. When she slid onto the seat, I vaguely realized that asking Ivy to come to my seat may have been a colossal mistake.