Page 4 of The Way Home (Pathfinders Lake Romance #5)

Jeremy

D riving by my alma mater always evoked a strange mix of nostalgia and longing.

I had few complaints about my high school days at Stony Creek School.

In fact, I missed them most of the time.

Nothing in my adult life compared to the high that came from a crowd cheering your name when you scored a touchdown. Almost nothing.

I pulled into the parking lot and stared at the school office.

This wasn't my first time back since I graduated.

I'd participated in several alumni events over the last eight years, including an alumni football game that featured returning players from every generation since the school opened in the eighties.

Playing against my dad had been a blast; the old man still had moves.

He'd grown up here in our family cabin and left after high school, much as I had.

Once I was in the picture and he found himself as a single father, he decided the small town life would be better and safer for me.

I could admit cabin fever was a very real thing, and there were times I felt like I would crawl out of my skin from being in such a small place without much to do, but it wasn't all bad.

Having the same group of friends and the same class of students all through primary and secondary school had been pretty cool.

We were still tight, even with everybody spreading out into the big wide world.

I knew I could call any of them, and we would pick up right where we left off.

Loyal, forever friends, that's what they were.

Being here now, though, wasn't about reuniting or an alumni event but a potential big life shift, one that left me buzzing with both excitement and uncertainty.

What would it be like to be here permanently?

If I could handle the small town as a teen, surely I could handle it as an adult.

Except I would know something was missing. Someone .

Nope. Not going there. He’d made it clear there was no hope of anything between us, but this wasn't about him.

This was about me. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was taking back some control and pursuing something I could love.

I'd done a lot of pursuing in my life, to be honest, but it was mostly for immediate gratification, not for passion or for something I had a heart for.

This was true for both my professional and personal lives.

I’d gotten my AA degree but was bored and unmotivated to continue.

I might have loved my high school experience, but it wasn't because of my classes, and I just didn't have the desire to pursue further education.

Instead, I started working, hopping from one meaningless job to another.

With my thirties getting closer, I was ready to stop wandering and find a path.

Maybe, just maybe, the path would start here.

I blew out a breath and got out of the car with butterflies in my stomach.

When I reached the door to the office, it was locked, which shouldn't have been surprising, considering it was almost five on a Friday afternoon, but it didn't occur to me when I parked.

I let out a heavy sigh and prepared to head back to my car after a wasted trip.

I heard the door open and a voice called out, “Can I help you?”

When I turned back around, I found my lips pull up at the sight of my old principal. He had less hair, and his belly was a little rounder than the last time I'd seen him, but he smiled warmly, transporting me back to being a student.

“Well, I'll be. Is that Jeremy Rodriguez?”

“Yes, sir. It's good to see you, Mr. West.” I offered my hand, and he shook it enthusiastically.

“Please, you can call me Gary.”

I chuckled, “Sure… Gary . I don't know… it feels pretty weird.”

He barked out a laugh. “Believe me, I get it.

It's just as weird seeing my former students being actual adults. Weirder still to have them show up for parent conferences as the parents. But, you know, that's just how it goes. What brings you by? I mean, I wasn’t expecting to see you for another week.”

“Yeah, I came out early. I thought I would take a little trip down memory lane and maybe make a vacay out of it.” Really, I had nothing else going on, so it seemed as good a plan as any, but I wasn't about to tell him that.

“That's a great idea. Some folks have a hard time adjusting back to small town life after living in the big city, so it's probably smart to see if there's enough here to keep you happy.”

Looking back over the last few years, I couldn't recall a time I was happier than when I lived here. Well, one summer in particular. A summer I hoped would last forever, but it would never go back to how it was.

“I could be happy here.”

The most challenging part would be dating.

Of course, I didn't really date. It was more about hooking up, though I would like to have a relationship.

In my innermost heart, I dreamed of having a committed partner to share a life and a home with, but in practice, I rarely saw the same person twice.

I kept things casual, because there was really only one person I wanted more with.

What was the dating pool like here? It had been accepting enough growing up, but were there many queer folks hiding in the woods or living in nearby towns?

Being pansexual gave me more options, and I was pretty open to any gender when it came to sex, but when I thought of forever, it was always a man I envisioned at my side.

One man’s face in particular. A face I'd tried and failed to erase with each sexual encounter, though it was harder to erase someone who was still so present in my life.

A clap on my shoulder pulled me out of my thoughts. “I gotta tell you, when I saw your name show up on the list of applicants, I was ecstatic. We’ve still got your CIF trophy in the office. Do you want to see it?”

I smiled, feeling the butterflies subside. “Yeah, that would be great, thanks.”

Gary held the door open and led me in. For the next twenty minutes, we reminisced over my varsity years, winning the championship, and the celebration the town threw for it.

One of the things I missed about Stony Creek was the way the town came together for all sorts of events.

If there was something to celebrate, they did.

Parades were a huge part of my childhood.

They did parades for anything they saw fit.

By the time I left, a soft smile stayed on my face. Principal West told me he had to approach the interview process as unbiased as possible, so I wasn't a shoe-in, but I felt a lot better. Better than I had in a long time.

Driving up the road to the cabin, I was happily singing to the radio, feeling a sense of contentment at being back. The sense followed me the entire way until I pulled up to the cabin and saw a car I didn't recognize.

“What the hell?”

I sent a quick text to my dad.

Me: Hey, Dad, did you rent out the cabin?

Dad: Not that I know of, why?

Me: I just got here and there's a car parked outside.

Dad: (shrug emoji)

Me: Thanks, so helpful.

Dad: I wouldn't worry about it.

What ? How could I not worry about a stranger being in our home, and he was acting like it was no big deal.

Me: Ok, but if I end up on Dateline , just know you had a chance to do something about it.

Dad: I'll be sure to record the episode.

Me: (middle finger emoji)

Dad: (laughing emoji) Enjoy your time, love you. Oh… and play nice.

My brows pinched in confusion as I pocketed my phone. “Play nice?” So he did know something? What was he up to?

Well, if he wouldn’t tell me, I was going to find out for myself.

I grabbed my steel water bottle and wielded it like a weapon, charging out of the car and toward the cabin.

Through the closed screen, I could see the front door was wide open.

I tightened my grip on the bottle, ready to swing away if I needed to, and opened the screen door, calling out, “Hello? Who's here?”

To my surprise, I heard the shower going.

“What in the Goldilocks fucking hell?” I walked slowly down the hallway and took a quick peek into my room, trying to make sure I wasn't going to get surprised by anyone. What if the shower was merely a distraction, and they were lying in wait to jump me?

My room looked clear, completely untouched, and I continued on.

As I crept toward the bathroom, my heart beat wildly in my chest. When I reached the closed door, I took a breath and braced myself to go into fight mode.

I might not have been tall, but I spent a lot of time working out and strengthening my body.

I felt confident I could take them down.

Quietly, I turned the door knob, and once it was unlatched, I threw the door open and jumped into the room, water bottle first.

A shout sounded, and the curtain flew open. Green eyes locked with mine, and it took a moment for my adrenaline to settle enough for me to realize who I was staring at, who was standing before me… completely naked and dripping wet. He seemed as shocked as I was.

We both shouted at the same time, “What are you doing here?”

Before I could form some sort of answer, too caught off guard, my eyes drifted downward, lingering on the semi on display.

Riley cupped himself and yelled, “Jeremy! What the fuck! Get out of here!”

I lowered my water bottle and offered him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Ri.”

I closed the door behind me, went into our old room, and plopped down on the lower bunk, banging my head against the top on the way down. Rubbing the back of my head, I hunched over in thought.

What the hell was Riley doing here? And naked?

Damn, it had been a long time since I’d seen him nude, and even with the brief glimpse, he looked really fucking good.

A part of me wished I could go back into the bathroom and look my fill, but that wasn’t going to happen.

I sighed heavily and rolled back to lay down on the bed, staring up at the top bunk.

My mind was all over the place as I stared at the familiar knots in the wood, mentally tracing patterns and constellations above me.

The bathroom door opened, and I thought he might come in here so we could talk out what happened, but I heard his footsteps move away and another door close. Was he staying in our parents’ room? I wanted to check in on him, but fuck , I just didn’t know what to do.