One minute! someone shrieked.
Jasper leaned forward in the chair. Rita抯 hands were shaking as she opened the oven and took out梐 souffl? A perfect one. Any layman would be able to see that. Had she won this round of the contest? Lord, she was so pretty, hair pulled back, lips lifting in a small display of pleasure, maybe even surprise?
Someone in a white chef jacket hip bumped her oven.
Jasper leaped to his feet, fist slamming on the desk. 揙h, fuck that. No way.?
His heart ached as Rita抯 shoulders sagged, along with the dish, and he just wanted to shout the whole bar down. Slam the laptop shut. But the video wasn抰 over yet, so Jasper forced himself to watch as Rita calmly set down the souffl?pan, picked up a kitchen knife, turned, and breezed toward her fellow梑astard梒ontestant. He expected to see anger or disbelief on Rita抯 face, but he didn抰。
He saw only grief.
The same grief he抎 seen on her face this afternoon, when he抎 sent her packing. A pattern jumped into focus, so clear he could move it around, rearrange it in the air. The cooking demonstration he抎 organized was a reminder of what Rita viewed as a failure, maybe even failures. And then she抎 thrown Jasper her own version of a knife attack, trying to deflect the pain. Instead of dodging it like he should have done, he抎 taken a direct hit and stabbed them both where it hurt.
Jasper didn抰 bother closing the laptop. Couldn抰 lift his arm to do much more than grab his keys and fall toward the door. Have to see her. Can抰 leave it like this.
揃oss man,?Nate called. 揥here you headed??
He had to clear his throat to speak. 揋oing to the Arms.?
揌ope you aren抰 aiming to find that Rita,?Nate answered, uncapping a bottle of beer. 揝he抯 gone on an outing, she has.?
Jasper had his bartender by the shirt collar before he knew his own mind. 揇on抰卍on抰 you fucking tell me she left town while I was sitting back there.?
揘othing like that.?The young man held up both hands, shock radiating from his stiff form. 揝he抯 just gone out to the desert, is all. Looking to feel the miracle of trust.?
揅hrist.?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Desert excursion, my ass.
Rita should have known. Among the four siblings, Peggy was the best liar. Which was ironic, considering that Aaron was the politician. Even knowing her little sister could fudge the truth with the best of them, Rita hadn抰 even blinked at Peggy抯 description of their nighttime outing. Hot dogs and a bonfire had sounded foolproof. Now, however, crammed in the back of two Jeeps, bumping along the desert dunes梫ery likely toward their deaths梚t was obvious ghost stories and s抦ores were not on the agenda.
Rita抯 assumption might have something to do with the painted, rainbow-colored signs adorning the doors of both Jeeps: GLEN扴 TRUST EXERCISES: GOT TRUTH?
揥hat the hell did you get us into??Rita shouted at Peggy, struggling to be heard over the wind funneling through the open-top Jeep. On the opposite side of Peggy, Aaron sat with eyes closed, arms folded, looking as if he were attempting to meditate the anger away. Sage and Belmont were in the second Jeep, probably trying to stare one another to death, a situation that still hadn抰 been explained to Rita抯 satisfaction. Hell, at all.
Peggy reached over and patted Rita抯 leg. 揑t抣l be good for us.?
Rita抯 scoff was lost in the racing wind. 揌ow far out do they need to take us??
揟he idea is to remove yourself from the trappings of everyday life,?Glen himself called back from the driver抯 seat just as they overtook a giant dune, leaving Rita抯 stomach hovering midair. 揟o strip down to your most basic layer to get to the truth, with the help of your loved ones.?
揕oved ones? That抯 a stretch,?Aaron said. At her brother抯 words, Peggy slumped down in her seat, twisting a curl around her finger, prompting a sigh from Aaron and a few uncomfortable glances in his younger sister抯 direction. After a minute of visibly wrestling with himself, he put an arm around Peggy抯 shoulder. 揅rybaby.?
Humor trickled into Peggy抯 dejection. 揝hut up.?
Pretending she wasn抰 seeing a rare display of affection between siblings, Rita stared out over the dark, endless expanse of sand, wondering if she抎 sold the desert excursion idea short. Maybe her sister was right and any form of forced interaction would be good for them.
Or they抎 just die out there in the remote desert, their identifying features pecked away by buzzards, never to be seen or heard from again.
What was Jasper doing right now? Did he think she抎 already left?
The unwanted thoughts bombarded Rita just as the Jeeps pulled to a stop alongside a charred cement circle surrounded by three, equal-sized logs. 揂t least you were telling the truth about the bonfire,?Rita murmured.
Ten minutes later they were seated around a crackling fire that whipped side to side in the wind. Rita shared a log with the two guides, Glen and Milap, Sage and Belmont took one for themselves, Peggy and Aaron sat on the other. They were halfway through their hot dogs when Glen stood and circled the group a few times, wrists crossed at the small of his back. 揟onight is going to be a difficult journey, but a rewarding one. I sense a lot of negative energy among this group.?
揧eah. Can I see a business license??
揂aron,?Peggy admonished, shoving her brother抯 shoulder before returning her attention to Glen. 揟hat抯 a very astute observation. Please continue.?
Glen inclined his head. 揑抎 like to begin with棓
The sound of an engine brought everyone up short. Actually, it freaked Rita out. She couldn抰 see a damn thing outside the lit circle, so heavy machinery barreling in their direction with an unknown occupant was undesirable at best. 揂re w-we expecting someone else??
揥e抮e always prepared to expect the unexpected,?Glen hedged, but Rita caught the nervous look he sent the other guide.
Aaron stood up. 揂ll right. I抦 really going to need that business license.?
Everyone was in a state of suspended animation until the unknown vehicle抯 engine cut out and a familiar voice broke the silence. 揜ita.?
It was Jasper. She couldn抰 see him in the darkness, but it was Jasper. He was there. Blood rushed into her limbs, warming them after being frozen solid all day.
揜ita??
揧eah,?she called.
揥ell, don抰 strive for romance,?Aaron commented.
Rita ignored her brother, searching futilely in the darkness for Jasper. When he walked into the circle of light a second later and came to a stop mere inches away, an invisible blanket of relief and comfort draped over her shoulders. God, he was freaking gorgeous in faded jeans and slightly rumpled flannel, hair a total mess. He still hadn抰 shaved, giving him a rugged appearance, and it was everything Rita could do to refrain from jumping him, holding him, apologizing, but the potential gravity of what she抎 done earlier kept her rooted to the spot.
Jasper didn抰 remove his rapt attention from Rita, even as he addressed Glen. 揧ou were told to shut this operation down. Drive them on back to the motel now.?
揥ho told you we were here??Glen all but whined. 揘ate again, wasn抰 it??
揔new it,?Aaron said, pacing in a circle while Peggy poked him in the ribs. 揘ever let a hippie drive you into the desert.?
揥hy did you come??Rita whispered, hearing the starry-eyed quality to her voice and giving zero fucks. 揓ust to protect us??
Jasper stepped closer, obviously prepared to give an answer. 揜ita棓
揥e are doing this goddamn trust exercise, do you hear me??Peggy chose that moment to go full tantrum, forcing Rita to look away from him. 揥e抮e here and it抯 happening. And I抦 not moving until it抯 over and everyone stops acting like giant assholes.?