I tugged my hand free of his grasp. “That’s what you get for being an idiot.”
“Rude,” he grumbled.
Jinx bent to pick up his drone case. “Come on, you crazy kids. We need to get moving so we don’t lose the light.”
“I just need to change out of these wet clothes.” I grabbed my pack and unzipped it, hunting for what I needed.
“Want me to hold the towel for you?” Calla asked.
“Sure. Thanks.” For a while, it had only been me, Jinx, and Toby. They’d both seen me in several states of undress, and I honestly couldn’t find it in me to care. But it was nice to have another girl around.
We rounded a side of the rock face that made a natural little alcove, and Calla held up the towel while I awkwardly peeled off my bathing suit and shorts.
Calla was quiet. That wasn’t unusual for her, but this one felt heavier somehow.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded, biting her lip. “Just thinking. Next time, I want to jump, too.”
I pulled on a tank over my sports bra. “I bet Toby and Jinx could come up with a cool concept for a video of a double jump.”
Calla’s mouth curved. “I bet so, too.”
“You should do a practice or two before the actual jump. We can come out together if you want.”
“Really? That’d be awesome.”
“Just name the time.” I pulled on dry socks and slipped my feet into the boots I’d worn on the hike to the cliffs. “All set.”
Calla dropped the towel and folded it neatly into a square. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” I shoved it into my pack and put the bag on. I moved out of the alcove and started down the path to the little beach but almost collided with someone as I rounded a corner.
Hands caught my shoulders, steadying me.
“Sorry,” I apologized, but my words cut off as I looked up at the familiar face. “Mr. Gibbs.” I hadn’t seen him since he’d appeared at the station, trying to give me those thank-you gifts.
He dropped his hold on me, scowling. “I told you to call me Evan.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Talk about a man used to getting his way. “All right. Out for a hike?” He was dressed in ritzy hiking gear that looked as if it had never been worn before.
“I heard this was a good spot. I’m glad I ran into you. I’ve been meaning to stop by the fire station again.”
I stiffened, preparing myself for him to try and foist the gift on me again.
“I’m sorry if I put you in a tough spot with the gift. I didn’t mean to do that. How about I take you out to dinner as a thank you instead?”
My feet shuffled in the dirt. “I appreciate that offer—and the gratitude—but I can’t.”
A muscle in Evan’s cheek flickered. “There’s a rule against that, too?”
It wasn’t expressly forbidden to date someone you had been on a call for. Wolf Gap was simply too small a town for something like that. But it wasn’t a good idea. That was my personal rule.
Evan was good-looking, with sandy brown hair and broad shoulders. He was older than me for sure, likely in his late-thirties. And he had some of that douchebag air that was a no-go zone for me. But it wasn’t any of those things that made up my mind.
Every single time I dated someone, it ended in disaster. I was forever comparing them to the one person I’d wanted for almost as long as I could remember. The one with dark hair and even darker eyes which seemed to see straight to the depths of my soul. Because of Calder, the answer to a man like Evan would always be no.
“I’m not really interested in dating right now.” It was true enough. I just hoped one day a man would come along with the power to make me forget all about Calder Cruz.