Page 143 of The Route to You

Kyle shifted, looking back to see her stepping out onto the porch. She couldn’t know, of course, that the name Penny had any significance to him at the moment, or that his mind immediately drifted to Sloan, or that he wasn’t really in the mood to share—but Isla had always been a good friend, and he wasn’t about to send her away now.

“I was thinking that it’s loud in there,” he said with a wry smile, pointing back to the house. “I’m not sure why everyone is hanging around in there rather than out here.” The afternoon was gorgeous—hot, but that wasn’t unexpected for a Sunday in late August.

“Probably because of the air-conditioning.” Isla waved her hand in front of her face and plopped down beside him. “But they’re not beach bums like us. Speaking of which, we missed you at La Hacienda this year. Didn’t feel the same without you. How’s the shoulder doing?”

“It’s . . . fine.” Kyle leaned back, rolling it just a bit. Truthfully, he’d been experiencing more pain since he’d started training for the SkyRun, but it was what it was.

Isla eyed him, then pulled an elastic from her wrist and started tying up her pink-streaked brown hair. “Said with zero confidence.”

He grimaced, kneading the tight muscles above his bad shoulder. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell anyone else?”

She frowned. “A secret? You know I can keep a secret. The real question is, should I? Because I’m assuming the people you want me to keep this from are your family.”

“I’m planning on telling them. I just . . . need to figure out how.”

“Is this about the ex-girlfriend I keep hearing about?”

“Sloan? Nope.” He wouldn’t even want to attempt to discuss that unless someone cornered him. Compared to the topic of Sloan, anything about his shoulder seemed simple.

“Okay, fine. But don’t make me your secret keeper for long. Oh.” Isla sat straighter. “And I get to tell Aiden. Because not telling your spouse things gets complicated.”

“That’s fine, I trust Aiden.” Kyle turned toward her more squarely. “Anyway, my shoulder . . . is currently hurting a little because I’ve started training for a winter race in the Tetons in January. A potential sponsor, Blue Ridge Sports, is offering me funding for three episodes of my new show, plus gear, travel, and funding for two more episodes for the race they’re sponsoring.”

Isla’s lack of immediate response made Kyle painfully aware of just how crazy it might sound. He focused his attention on the high-pitched chirp of cicadas, the distant hum of a lawn mower, and the slow trickle of sweat down his brow.

“Well, say something.”

Isla shifted with discomfort. “Is that safe?”

“I’m hoping.”

“What did your surgeon say?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t asked him yet.”

“God, Kyle,” Isla breathed. She grimaced, her nose wrinkling. “You’re coming off a really serious injury, you know that, right?”

“I do.” This wasn’t going much worse than he’d imagined. But if Isla was this worried, he could only imagine how his sisters would react. “Look.” He considered his words carefully, then went on. “I never set out to be an adventure travel influencer or show host. You know that better than anyone. But I like it better than anything else I’ve ever done. The thought of sitting behind a desk again makes me want to stick a fork in my eyes. And getting sponsors, especially significant ones like this, hasn’t been easy.”

Isla pressed her lips together. After a moment, she sighed. “Yeah, Davy mentioned you’d face an uphill battle with that.” She kicked off her flip-flops, drawing her legs up underneath her, tucking them to the side. “Did any of your old sponsors show any interest in partnering with you again?"

“Not really. I’m pretty sure they think of me as a damaged brand they have no interest in touching.”

“It doesn’t help that a political figure was the one dragging your name through the mud. Corporations don’t like getting pulled into things like that if they can avoid it.” She tapped her fingers against her thigh. “Maybe you can find a way to prove you had nothing to do with that whole mess other than being a good person. Or have Sloan help you with that.”

“She can’t. She signed an NDA.”

“Oh . . .” Isla winced. “That’s unfortunate.”

“Yeah, well, as you said, her ex is a person of influence. And a dick. So at this point, my best bet is to start over.”

“Maybe . . . but starting over shouldn’t mean something that could compromise your shoulder and well-being.”

“I’ll be fine. The race isn’t until January. I have plenty of time to train.”

She was silent again for a few beats. “If you really believed that, wouldn’t you be telling your friends and family about it without worry?”

“Tomas knows. And I told my buddy Jeremy because he’s helping me train. And Dean, because I need a partner to race with.”