Maybe she was normal after all?

Jake was waiting at the cabin when she got back. She motioned for him to head inside, but showered first to prepare herself. She didn’t know what this visit was about, and when she went back out, he was at the kitchen table.

She sat across from him. “You and I don’t do visits. Why are you here?” There was no sense in beating around the bush.

“What’s going on between you and Bannon?”

“Since I’ve become friends with both Bannons, you need to be more specific.”

“You piss me off, Dani.” Jake shook his head and growled, “Jonah Bannon. And you. What’s going on?”

“Why is it your business?”

He stared at her, studying her. Dani was used to it and especially with him. She knew Jake better than anyone. Something was brewing underneath his surface, and she wanted to know.

“Bannon’s gotten mixed up in some business that could go dirty. I don’t want you hurt in the crossfire.”

“What kind of business?”

“You know Bannon.”

“No. Not really.” The significance wasn’t lost on her. She heard some, she saw a little, and she’d felt a bit more than she wanted to admit. In the end, though, she actually didn’t know much of his business. If it was a fight, she doubted Jonah wouldn’t back down.

“Another fight is brewing over that river of his. A conglomerate wants in. They want a piece of our land, and Jonah’s got his heels dug in. He doesn’t want them here.” Jake leaned forward. “I know these guys. I’ve heard of their family, and their dad is a shark. One scent of weakness and this could get bloody.”

“Are you talking about illegal stuff?”

“It’s been known to happen. Bannon means good. He really does, but he works for us. We gotta watch him so he doesn’t end up dead one of these days.”

“He works the river. How dangerous could that be?”

“Very,” Jake said. “Falls River is a huge money market. And, especially because we’re so close to Tenderfoot Rush, everyone wants in. This is prime tourist land. People all over the nation come to visit here. You know this, Dani. Think about the multimillionaires who want to get richer, and they’re being told by Jonah that they can’t. They roll over people. It’s happened before.”

He was right, but… “Come on, Jake. You’re talking about physical safety. Like Jonah’s going to get assaulted or something. That’s not going to happen. This isn’t the Wild West. There are laws.”

“Laws that those millionaires pay a lot of money to get around.” He stood and crossed his arms over his chest. “He’s gone and worked himself into another one of those battles. There was one too long ago that had the whole town riled up. This company is worse than them.”

“What company? What are their names?”

“Quandry, Inc. Drew Quandry’s the head of it.”

Dani recognized the logo. They’d manufactured about a third of her belongings in that cabin, sponsored charities for the tsunami victims, and even awarded her some money that no one knew about.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” Jake shook his head. “Look.” He started to walk, but turned back. “Jonah’s going to get himself killed one of these days. I understand why he does it. I even understand why he loves that river so much. But he’s going to end up gone one of these days. I really, really, don’t want to be the guy to tell you his body has been found. I see it between the two of you. Everyone sees it. Don’t try and tell me it’s not like that with you two. When you talk to Jonah, let him know I talked to you.”

“So you can mark your territory?”

“What? No.”

“Look, Jake.” This business thing could be that dangerous, but it didn’t feel right that it was Jake telling her this information. She was going off a hunch. “According to a few around town, you used to worship Jonah before I came back. You’re not going to use some business deal that could turn bad as an excuse to have a go at him because you’re really pissed about whatever we might have going on.”

“It’s not like that, Dani. I’m worried about you. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Bullshit!” she said. “You didn’t care ten years ago, and you don’t care today.”

Jake froze. “That was different.”

“It’s not. You tore me in half. You didn’t have the decency to break up with me and not date someone. You were with me when you were with her. You broke up with me to go to her that night.”

“Dani.”

She saws his hands in clenched fists. She saw the tension in his shoulders, and she saw a wariness in his eyes.

She didn’t care.

“Don’t. This isn’t about you and me. Believe it or not, but I am here because I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt. Stop hanging around with Bannon.”

“Fine,” she clipped out and crossed her arms. “You stop banging Julia.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m serious.” It was reasonable. “You tell me what to do, so I get to tell you what to do. I call an even trade. I’ll stop talking to Jonah, and you stop screwing your fiancé.”

Jake gaped at her. “Who—who are you? You never would’ve said something like that before.”