AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I close my eyes in a slow blink. Any relief I felt is vanishing fast. I may have quit conning people when I was twenty, but honesty has never been easy for me. No one really wants honesty, no one wants the real me, no matter what they say. “I have no sense of direction, okay? I get lost in the supermarket. You’re the only person I figured could help me and keep my secret.”
He crosses his arms over his chest, the veins on his forearms popping, and I get lost for a moment in the beauty. “You think I care if you tell the world some random guy’s been pretending to be Bigfoot?”
I did think that. “I think you’ll care if I tell the head park ranger where to find the guy playing Bigfoot and stirring up all the trouble.”
His brows rise, and he purses his mouth. “Your poor sense of direction is the only reason you want my help?”
Damn it, is this guy a mind reader? “I’m also terrified of the woods, okay? There are bears and creepy deer and forest monsters—” I slap a hand over my mouth as bile rises.
He nods like he’s got it all figured out. “You want me to go search for your treasure on my own. I knew there was no way a woman like you wanted to do the actual work.”
I lower my hand and gasp. “A woman like me? What the hell does that mean?”
“The kind of woman who breaks into my house looking for extra leverage to convince me to help her. The kind of woman who claims she can’t find a single person in this entire town of outdoorsy people who can help her navigate the woods.”
“I need someone who can keep a secret. I work in the diner and, trust me, no one in this town knows how to keep their mouths shut. What the hell is your name, anyway?”
It’s his turn to slow blink. He looks away, then glances back at me, taking way too long to answer a simple question. “Skill…worth. Mac Skillworth.”
I raise my brows and tilt my head to the side. That totally sounds like a made-up name, especially since he was looking at the skillet on the stovetop before he said it.
“You can call me Mr. Skillworth.”
“I’ll call you Mac, thanks.” He can keep his secrets. As long as he helps me, I can keep a lid on my curiosity. “Are you in or out, Mac?”
He huffs out a heavy sigh. “Fine. But I’m not doing this alone. You’re coming into the woods with me.”
I nod like I’d always planned to do just that, but I was definitely hoping he’d do this on his own. In exchange for a percentage of the treasure, of course. “We should start with the closest spot. I have GPS coordinates.” I have approximate coordinates anyway.
“I want to see the map.”
My first instinct is to figure out what he wants most. I might not con people anymore, but I still, instinctively, try to work a person to get what I want. If it’s important enough, I don’t fight the urge. And I don’t believe for a second he’s so good at reading me, a virtual stranger, that it won’t work.
Problem is, I have no idea what he wants. What the hell does a professor on sabbatical who dresses up in a Bigfoot costume really want?
He doesn’t want me. He’s made that abundantly clear. In fact,… That’s it. He wants to be left alone. “You don’t want to see the map or understand what this is all about. You just want to get this done so you can get back to your life as quickly as possible.” He’s leaning in, looking interested. This is working. “Just take me to the GPS coordinates, let me look around the area for a bit, and bring me back here. There’s no reason for you get involved beyond that.”
He taps his fingers on the table, clearly considering my offer.
“It’ll be easier for you to keep this from Clover and Asher if you don’t know everything.”
He nods as though he’s decided and my heart lifts. I’ve got this. We’ll find the treasure, I’ll take just enough to pay off Dell, and I can orchestrate a true bonding experience for my sisters.
He stands, walks across the room, and opens the door. This should be a good sign, but he’s in sweatpants, clearly not dressed for hiking.
“Get out,” he says calmly, but firmly. There’s something deeper under the words, an anger and a… I can’t tell what else. Hurt? “And don’t come back.”
I stare at him, rocking back on my heels with surprise. “I don’t understand.”
“All I asked is that you not try to manipulate me. You think no one’s ever tried to convince me what they wanted was in my best interests? I swore to myself a long time ago I’d never let anyone like you into my life again, and I’m sure as hell not letting you in when you’re the only one who wants something out of this arrangement.”
Damn it. I have thoroughly underestimated him. “You’re right.” I infuse as much honesty into my voice as I can. “I won’t do it again. I promise.”
“Your promises don’t mean anything anymore.” He opens the door wider and makes a sweeping motion with his hand.
“But you want a wife for Barley, right? I can get that for you.”
He shrugs. “I’m thinking Barley and I might both be better off alone.”
