“Oh, please.” Jill rolled her eyes. “You acted like it was business as usual when Darrell said those hurtful things.”
“I had dated Darrell for a long time, but I never really opened up to him. I shared everything with Travis. He made me feel special. He made me believe that I was fun and exciting and irresistible. I liked who I was when I was with him.”
“He made you feel special because he wanted to be with you,” Jill said. “I saw the look on his face when he left town. He was devastated. He was hurting.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore, but it doesn’t matter. He’s forgotten all about me by now. I’m stuck here on my porch swing while he’s probably in Indonesia climbing volcanoes.”
“It’s not fair,” Jill said with a cluck of her tongue. “He started out lying to you and you were completely honest with him.”
Christine bit her lip. “Okay, maybe I wasn’t completely honest with him. I pretended to be a wilder woman when I met him. But I owned up to it.”
“When you knew you couldn’t keep up the lie.”
Christine gave a huff of exasperation and slumped back on the porch swing. “Whose side are you on?”
“You faked it until you made it,” Jill said. “You pretended to be wild with him and then you became a wilder version of yourself.”
“That’s because it was easy being more adventurous with him.”
“Have you considered that he may have done the same with you? He acted like you were irresistible and then he discovered that you really are?”
She wanted to believe it, but her life didn’t work that way. “It’s possible,” she muttered. “Improbable but possible.”
Her friend crouched down in front of the porch swing and met her gaze. “Christine, Travis didn’t make you fun and exciting. He brought that out of you because you trusted him.”
“That’s true.”
“If you want to be fun and exciting, then you need to do something fun and exciting.” Jill rose and clapped her hand. “It’s time for another wild weekend.”
Christine groaned. “That doesn’t sound fun.”
“That’s what you said before your Vegas weekend. You listed everything that could possibly go wrong. And do you remember what happened?”
“I met Travis and got hurt. I’m still licking my wounds.”
“No, you had the time of your life.”
“I’m not ready,” Christine announced. She knew what would happen. She would go on a trip and it would be boring. She would imagine how much fun it would have been if Travis had been with her.
“When will you be?” Jill asked as she crossed her arms. “In another ten years?”
Christine shuddered. “Good point. I’m not repeating that mistake.”
Jill grabbed the notebook and pen. “Let’s look at this bucket list and plan your next big weekend.”
“I’m not sure about that. When I wrote this list, I imagined Travis at my side. Encouraging me. Testing me. The way he did in Vegas.”
“Too bad. He did the same for you in Cedar Valley, but that’s not stopping you from living here.”
“I hate it when you’re right.” Christine held out her hand. “Give me that bucket list.”
* * *
TRAVIS DROVE HIS motorcycle past the sign welcoming him to Cedar Valley. The trip had taken twice as long as it did the first time. His muscles were tight as the nervousness ate away at him. As he crossed over the cobblestone streets, he noticed that nothing had changed since he left over a month ago. He’d expected that.
The only change would be Christine Pearson. She won’t be as welcoming or as shy, Travis realized, sighing. She’d tell him exactly what was on her mind and she wouldn’t hold back.
He had tried to forget her and move on. Once he’d returned the emerald to Aaron, Travis embarked on several grueling adventures. The physical exhaustion and mental fatigue did nothing to stop the flood of memories. He wasn’t excited about any of the challenges. There was only one place he wanted to be.
He wanted to share his life with Christine. It didn’t matter if it was in Cedar Valley or Casablanca as long as she was at his side. When he discovered that she had called his cell phone, he knew he still might have a chance. He wanted to start a new life with her, starting now.
He drove his motorcycle to the bank, waving at a few of the townspeople he recognized. One woman stared at him while she reached for her cell phone. He didn’t know if she was calling Christine to warn her, but if the gossip didn’t reach her fast enough, the sound of his motorcycle would signal his arrival.