CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“ You want another tea, Hope?”
“Sure, thanks, Willow.”
Hope had been back in town two weeks today. Surprisingly she’d settled into a comfortable routine and was happy being back here, even considering that Wildlife were still only four miles away, and this business between her and Newman was still festering.
She’d kept out of his way where she could. If he was coming down the road, she ducked into a store. If he came into the Howler and she was working, she let Faith or Noah serve him. In fact, she hadn’t spoken directly to him since the night of his birthday. The night that had her hot just thinking about it. She’d woken so many times aroused because of him, it was really starting to annoy her.
“Here you go.”
“Thanks.”
She was in the Hoot this morning because HRH had come to discuss town business with her mother. They’d made it plain that she wasn’t to eavesdrop, so Hope had left with her laptop. She was making herself go through her photos. The ones she had left from her time with Wildlife. Those, Jay had not bothered to steal.
She’d had a surprise phone call that morning from one of the staff at Wildlife, Daisy, who she’d often worked with. She’d told Hope that she missed her, and that she hadn’t believed Jay’s lies. Hope was surprised by this, as she hadn’t thought anyone cared about her dismissal. Daisy had then told her she hadn’t said anything at the time for fear of losing her job. Casey Rae Linear, their boss, was not known for her rational behavior, so Hope had assured Daisy she understood. It had been a revelation, and a pleasant one. Especially now she knew that someone from Wildlife was actually on her side.
The team hadn’t come to town again. This she knew because Mac told her he’d delivered them an order just yesterday. Which was just fine with her.
She’d worked in the Howler, so she had some money. Taken long walks, swum in the lake, and spent time reacquainting herself with Howling. She’d taught Mikey a few tricks, and worked on the boat with Faith and him, because she had nothing else to do.
“I come in peace.”
Hope looked up as Buster pulled out the chair across from her and sat.
“What?”
“You had this shit-kicking look on your face.”
She carefully blanked her expression, and shrugged. Like her, Buster was the silent type. So they sat and drank their drinks, in silence.
“So what’s the deal?”
“With what?” Hope looked over the top of her laptop at Buster.
“Why are you here when the last I heard from your mom, you were like this big Wildlife photographer, heading every project and getting awards? I mean, everyone knows they’re here doing what they do, but that you’re not with them. So what gives?”
Hope looked back down at the pictures she was sorting on her laptop, but saw nothing. She felt the pain in her chest that had been there since the day the head of Wildlife had called Hope into her office and told her that they had no room in their organization for someone like her.
“Come on, Hope, spill. I know you’re hiding something.”
Buster had his usual calm expression in place. Nothing seemed to rattle the man, as it hadn’t rattled the boy. Buster had always rolled with the punches.
“I don’t really want to talk about it, Buster. That’s not my way. I like to keep stuff close.”
She gave him an explanation because she owed him that much. He was a friend of sorts now, and she still believed she’d ruined his career prospects in some small way. Guilt , Hope thought. She was filled with it.
“Sure, I get that. I mean, the others are all about spilling their insides at will, except maybe Brad. But Tex will tell you what his innermost thoughts are before he’s eaten breakfast.”
Hope laughed. She’d already learned that about the handsome Texan.
“The thing is, Hope, I was like you once. Didn’t unload, unless Jake or Newman had me up against a wall, but it kind of seethes inside you until it’s like this hard mass. That’s good for no one. Willow taught me that.”
“You gone soft, Buster?”
He snorted. “Maybe a little. But that’s between you and me, I’ll deny it to my last breath if you say anything.”
She liked this man. In school he’d been like her, an observer. The difference between them had been that he was popular.
“So?” He raised a brow as he looked at her. “What’s the deal with Wildlife. Why aren’t you still there photographing the rare whooping crane, or some other endangered species?”
“Fancy you knowing about the whooping crane.”
He knew she was stalling, so he said nothing. The power of silence.
“I messed up, Buster.”
“How?”
“I let this guy into my life. He seemed nice, and was interested in me. I believed myself in love, and when he revealed his true colors it was too late.”
“What happened?”
“Stuff, and I was a naive fool.”
“What kind of stuff?”
Her sigh was loud but it didn’t deter him. He simply folded his muscled arms and looked at her.
“Do I hafta?”
He nodded.
Why not, Hope thought. Maybe Newman was right. Talking about this might help her get things in perspective.
“I was one of the top photographers for Wildlife, and Jay was new on the team, so he was struggling to get a foothold. He seemed to really want to learn from me, and pretty much everyone liked him. He set about making friends with everyone, always running errands and stuff. He was like this all-round Mr. nice guy. What he actually was, was a bastard. It was all just a cover to ruin my reputation.”
She managed a small smile as Buster swore.
“Believe me, that’s the best part.”
He didn’t speak, and Hope picked up her tea and sipped. Did she really want to tell him the entire sordid mess? Looking at the calm, steady eyes, she thought that if she was going to tell anyone, this guy would be the one. He’d keep her secret safe.
“I was lead on this shoot. We were collaborating with the conservation guys on this project involving the whooping crane. I had taken months and months of photos and he’d helped off and on. Then Jay and I, we started seeing each other. It began slow, with him just being nice and stuff, and then it kind of grew, well on my part at least.” Hope remembered how surprised she’d been that Jay was interested in her. “One night he came to my place with champagne to celebrate the project’s completion, as the presentation of all the work I’d done was the next day. It was going to be this really big deal, you know. The governor was coming, and head of the project for conserving the whooping crane.”
“I’m sensing it didn’t go well.”
She shook her head as she let herself remember that day. She wouldn’t tell Buster every detail, some she couldn’t even bring herself to mention.
“I’m not a big drinker. After what happened with you, I just don’t much now.”
Buster rolled his eyes.
“Anyway, I had a few glasses of champagne, on the second one I started to feel really strange, and that’s the last I remember.”
“No way that asshole drugged you?”
Hope nodded.
“He did, and took pictures of me drunk, and a video of me slurring my words. He then cleaned out my laptop, my stash of money, and took the proposal to my boss. Once there he explained I had a drinking problem, and that he’d taken all the pictures.”
“She didn’t believe him, surely. Not just like that?”
“He’d done the groundwork, Buster. Everyone liked him, but me… not so much. I didn’t know what he’d said or done previously, but whatever it was, and the evidence he produced, on his laptop, where he’d transferred all my work, was enough to convince her.”
“Did you try and defend yourself?”
“Sure. I tried, but Jay had got into my laptop that night and copied everything and removed everything else. It was incriminating, and I knew I was fighting a losing battle to try and fight it then and there.”
“Backups. Surely you had those?”
“Sure, but he cleaned my external hard drive and took the camera card, and I don’t think my boss was checking file dates. Jay was clever and thorough. He was a whizz on computers and got into my Dropbox, and cleaned that out too.”
“What about the others you’d worked with? They knew what photos you’d taken and stuff like that. Worked with you and seen what you’d done?”
Hope shrugged. “I wasn’t that popular, and it wasn’t like the photos were wiped or anything, so Wildlife could still have the presentation and all, just that Jay got the credit.”
“Come on, Hope, don’t tell me you just walked away. Let years of work and reputation go just like that?”
“What was I meant to do?” She hadn’t meant to yell, but it had come out that way.
“Fight,” Buster said calmly.
“What with? Everyone believed him. Jay the nice guy, Jay who was always doing things for people. They all felt sorry for him having to put up with a bitch like me. After all, I was cold and unemotional. You know me, Buster. I don’t make friends.”
Buster’s eyes went over her shoulder. Hope turned and saw Newman. She spun back to face him.
“How long has he been there?”
“A while.”
Hope closed her eyes. She heard the chair move, and knew Buster had gone.
“So you told him, but you couldn’t tell me?”
He sat across from her, and she hated how aware she suddenly was of him.
“I shouldn’t have said anything, but it just came out.”
He wore a faded navy T-shirt. His hair was damp and the curls were already starting to stand off his head. Jaw shadowed, he looked large and solid, and Hope felt the desperate need to climb into his lap and let him hold her. She felt heat fill her cheeks at the memory of that night he’d kissed her breasts.
“You’re different here.” Hope latched on to anything to change the subject from her, and her thoughts, and what he’d just learned about her.
“How am I different?”
“Almost like another person. You dress in worn clothes and don’t brush your hair. Less corporate raider, more casual bum.”
He smiled. “I still have style, sweetheart. That’s where you and I differ.”
“I have style!” Hope snapped.
“Sure you do, and when you’re finished with that shirt, my mother can make it into a cushion cover.”
Normally she didn’t care about him teasing; in fact she loved their verbal sparring, because it fired her up. But right at that moment, she felt raw, exposed, and confused. Everything she’d fought for had been taken from her, and she didn’t know how to get it back. Talking about it with Buster had made her realize what she’d lost.
“Hope, are you okay?”
She felt her body start to shake, and then… hell, she was about to cry. Gulping down a breath, she looked at the cup she had clenched in her hands.
“Hope?” He reached for her, his hands cupping hers. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”
“No!” She pulled her hands free, still not looking at him. Getting to her feet so quickly the chair turned over, she mumbled something about having to go, and ran out of the Hoot, leaving her laptop and things on the table.
“Hope!”
She didn’t stop as Newman called to her, but kept running. She dodged people and ended up running down the street. She wouldn’t let them see her weak. Didn’t want the sympathy. What she needed right now was solitude to do something that had been building inside her for weeks. Cry.
Dashing behind the shops, she ran to the trail and into the redwoods. Once there she hurried along the hard-packed path, then cut left into the trees. Only when she had put enough distance between her and the town of Howling did she stop. Chest heaving, she went to the nearest tree, wrapped her arms as far as she could around it, and held on.