Page 18 of Unbroken (Poplar Springs #2)

SIXTEEN

ELI

“ I t feels like there’s a dirt bike riding around in my belly,” Patrick said, his forehead creased into a frown.

“Aw, bud, that’s no good,” I said, reaching down to touch the top of my boy’s head. It was after dinner and instead of playing, Patrick had asked to take a bath and go right to bed.

I was getting seriously worried about the stomachaches.

They used to happen a few times a month, but now they felt like a weekly occurrence.

And the fact that they were sending him to bed made me ache too.

We’d been to the pediatrician a few times already and after thorough exams, the doctor had chalked them up to anxiety.

I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or worse.

It wasn’t that I wanted my son to have gallstones or appendicitis or any of the other things I’d terrified myself with by looking up online, but if there was a physical problem, I’d know what to do to solve it.

“Relieve his stressors, whatever they might be,” the doctor had told me, providing no help whatsoever.

I had no clue what could be upsetting my son, and attempts to get him to talk about anything that he might be concerned about were always met with silence and trembling lips.

Charlotte wasn’t exactly present in my son’s life, but when we were together, I knew that she was a loving mother and would never do anything to hurt him.

Meanwhile, I was doing everything I could as a single parent to give Patrick a safe and happy childhood.

I needed to figure out what was going on.

Was he too young for therapy? If it came to that, he’d probably need a specialist, which meant taking him to the city for help.

I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but I was prepared to make it happen if it meant my normally happy child returned to feeling that way.

“What can I get for you, young man? A drink, maybe? Thunderstorm juice? Penguin toenails? A horse tail smoothie?”

Patrick let out a giggle.

“Oh, okay. I know what you want …” I raised my eyebrows to prompt Patrick and we both shouted in unison.

“A hug sandwich!”

I dove onto the bed and wrapped Patrick in a hug, making him laugh harder. The response made my heart twist with love. I’d do anything to keep my son happy and laughing. If only I knew how to make that happen and take his pain away at the same time.

I thought about the rule I’d made up the last time Patrick had felt sick, discouraging my son from the stomachaches by making them boring …

and then decided that was a bad rule. My kid was unhappy, and I wanted to make him smile.

“You know what? I’m going to give you my phone until bedtime, then I’ll come in and read you a book. Sound good?”

Patrick bounced in bed, clapping his little hands. “Yes! Thank you, Daddy!”

Right as I took it out of my pocket and handed it to Patrick, I heard a knock at the front door .

“Holler if you need me, little man,” I said as I backed out of the room.

Fiona had offered to stop by on her way out for the night to show me how to use the new trail GPS app Zoe had recommended for us.

I’d hoped to have all of the dinner dishes cleared before she arrived, but as usual, I was running behind.

But it wasn’t like she’d judge me. Ever since the wedding, it felt as though we had a new understanding and appreciation for one another.

I swung open the door and tried not to let my eyes wander up and down her body, but even in a simple blue sundress and flip-flops, she looked incredible. I was instantly reminded how good it felt to hold her on the dance floor; how she just seemed to fit with me, in my arms.

“Hi,” she beamed at me for a second, then pushed her way past me. “You ready to learn some cool new tricks?”

“Depends on who’s teaching,” I said, following behind her and appreciating the view.

“Phone, please,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Shit, I’m letting Patrick use it. He has another stomachache, and it’s a good distraction.”

“Aw, the little flying monkey is sick again?” Fiona asked as she headed for my bedroom. “He can use mine instead. Let’s go make the trade.”

“I hope you have good games on yours. He’s picky,” I said, following behind her.

“You’re forgetting that I worked for a media company. I have games he ain’t even heard of yet,” she answered with a wink, pushing the door open. “Hey, monkey! Wanna trade your dad’s old, boring phone for my extra cool big screen one? ”

Patrick sat up in bed with wide eyes when he saw Fiona. “You’re here! Hi!”

“I am. Your dad and I have some homework to do tonight on his phone, that’s why I’m letting you use mine instead. Deal?”

He nodded and reached out for the prize, Fiona’s pristine, oversized phone with an uncracked screen.

“Not for too long, though,” I cautioned as we headed out of the room. “I’ll be back to read you a story in a bit, okay?”

Patrick was too busy scrolling through the phone to answer.

“Technology, huh?” Fiona asked, taking my phone from Patrick. “Blessing and a curse. Now let me download the trail app. You can do the free version until you fall in love with it, which I guarantee you will. Zoe showed me how it works, and it’s awesome.”

We were back in the tiny kitchen, and I started loading the dishwasher while Fiona fiddled with my phone.

“Wait a sec … what’s this ?” she asked, squinting at the screen.

“What’s what?” I asked, worried that she might have accidentally stumbled on the one shirtless photo I’d ever taken of myself.

She looked up at me with her mouth hanging open. “A job application? For a gig in Half Moon?”

My stomach twisted when I realized what she was looking at: the nearly completed application for a ranch hand and trail lead for a job in a town more than five hours away.

I made a move to grab it, but Fiona jumped out of my reach, still staring at the screen.

“Wait, you’re leaving Lost Valley Ranch?”

I needed to do damage control before things got out of hand .

“I’m just applying. Exploring options. Please don’t say anything to your brother yet, okay?” I said. “There’s a good chance I won’t even get it.”

“Okay, but … why? Are you not happy at the ranch?”

The little furrow between her eyebrows deepened, and I knew I had some explaining to do.

“Fiona, no. I love Lost Valley. And Josh has been an amazing boss. Shannon too. It’s not that I want to leave the ranch, it’s this damn town I need to get out of, you know?”

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head.

“It’s a fishbowl!” I exclaimed as I paced around the small room.

“I feel like I’ll always live in the shadow of what happened with Charlotte.

People still talk about it and it’s been years!

And then there’s my dad and his main character syndrome, constantly inserting himself in my life, making sure I’m presenting what he considers to be the right image.

I just want to break free of this place, you know?

It wouldn’t be fair to pull Patrick out of school, so I’m trying to get everything lined up before he begins kindergarten.

” I finally stopped pacing and stared at Fiona.

“You’re not going to tell Josh, are you?

Because I promise I won’t leave the ranch without finding a replacement. ”

“Well, that’s not going to be easy,” Fiona said softly.

“That’s not true, I know a ton of guys who would be a fit; he’ll have his pick of them,” I said.

She shook her head. “That isn’t what I meant. You are going to be hard to replace. You’ve been a crucial part of the trail program from the start. I’m sure Josh will really miss everything you bring to the ranch. Plus, I happen to know that he considers you a friend.”

Dammit. We stared at one another in silence until it started to feel awkward .

“That’s real nice of you to say. I … uh … Let me close out of that stupid thing?—”

“No, hold on,” Fiona said, waving me off and staring at my phone. “I want to help you. Or should I say, I need to help you, because your answers suck.”

A laugh burst out of me and she grinned back.

“There’s the Fiona I know, telling me how she really feels!”

“Remember how we got in trouble in English class for making paper airplanes and trying to hit each other in the head?” Fiona asked. “And as punishment, I had to edit your college application essay, and you had to do mine? It’ll be like that.”

“No, you don’t have to help me …” I started to protest.

“If you want this job you don’t have a choice other than to accept my help, because you were way too modest with your answers. I mean, you basically built the trail program from the ground up and all you said on the application is that you ‘manage’ it. We need to add some razzle-dazzle.”

I knew she was right. I didn’t know how to sell myself.

“Okay, fine. In return, I’ll pay you for your time with a beer or two and a nice big bowl of ice cream.”

“Agreed!”

She stuck out her hand and I clasped it in mine. For one crazy second, I felt the urge to pull her close and dance with her in the middle of my kitchen, even though there was no music playing. Dancing would give me an excuse to put my hands on her again and feel her softness pressed against me.

“Okay, you can let go now,” Fiona said, giving me a funny look .

“What?” I glanced down at our still joined hands and finally let go.

“Oh, sorry. Anyway, what type of ice cream do you want? Patrick insists on no less than three flavors in the house at all times, so we have …” I trailed off and walked over to open the freezer.

“Bubble gum, cake batter, or dinosaur bones.”

Fiona made a face. “Hasn’t the kid ever heard of chocolate and vanilla? And what’s ‘dinosaur bones’ flavor like?”

“It’s good! The bones are pretzel,” I answered, pulling the carton from the freezer. “I’ll make you a sample bowl.”

“And I’ll get started on your application,” Fiona replied.

I grabbed two beers from the fridge and started scooping ice cream. I hadn’t had proper adult company over in a while, and I was a little embarrassed that I had to serve her from Patrick’s plastic child-sized bowls.

I reminded myself that Fiona didn’t care. It didn’t matter that she’d spent the last few years getting citified. She was still the down-home girl I’d grown up with. Eating ice cream out of action hero bowls was no big deal.

“Okay, Mr. Carter, let’s get to work,” she said as I handed her a heaping bowl. “Sit.”

“How am I going to repay you if I get the job?” I asked, sliding into the chair opposite her.

“You don’t have to. Consider this part of my girlfriend payback plan,” she said, still focused on the screen and spooning a massive dollop of ice cream into her mouth. “Yum! This stuff is amazing.”

I smiled at her and realized that hanging out with Fiona was as easy now as it had been back in high school. Sure, we’d both grown and changed in a million different ways, but the core of who we were remained .

The rivalry was still alive and well, obvious every time Fiona laughed at one of my answers and I felt the urge to argue it out. But the layer of familiarity and ease remained, no matter what.

And then there was that other thing that kept popping up as we worked together. The thing I kept punching down and denying.

The fact that I was enjoying hanging out with my fake girlfriend.