Page 90 of Mutual Discord

“A ranger’s been called,” someone yelled from farther up the trail, and I nodded in acknowledgment.

However, the snake was too close to the young woman, and we couldn’t wait for the ranger to get here.

Gripping the branch, I lowered my voice to say, “I’m going to use this to encourage the snake to go away. You probably just caught him off guard and he’s trying to defend himself, but I want to make the effort more than it’s worth for him. So once I start getting closer with the branch, I want you to back away as carefully as you can.”

She nodded, but only slightly.

Taking a moment to crack my neck, I took a small step toward the snake, branch extended from my body. Then I took another. The snake’s rattling intensified, and its coils loosened as it raised its head in my direction. I didn’t dare look away, my heartbeat syncing with the staccato of its rattle. From the corner of my eye, I saw the hiker stumble away.

Now it was just me and the snake, and he looked pissed. I couldn’t blame him, really. He’d probably ventured out from his burrow to bask in the winter sunshine and then encountered a whole host of slow-moving hikers, just like I had. And I didn’t have a tail to rattle. Biting my lip, I pondered if I should wait for the ranger to arrive and capture the snake, but thought better of it. Who knew how long the ranger would take, and until they arrived, the trail was at a standstill. Perhaps it would be best if I continued to urge this big fella along, especially with him so close to the path.

So I took another step toward him, brandishing the tree branch. I tried not to be intimidated as I slowly moved within reach of a jump strike.

“Holy shit, Sofia, what are you doing?”

Of course Alex would appear now that I was doing my best impression of Steve Irwin.

I tried to ignore him—and the scared note in his voice—and scraped the branch along the scree a foot in front of the snake. In response, it uncoiled more, raising its muscular body farther off the ground.

The crowd gasped in unison.

Holding myself as still as possible, I scratched the stick in the dirt again…and the snake turned and slithered quickly away into the rocks, cacti, and shrubs behind it.

A great breath rushed from my lungs, and I sagged with relief while a cheer from the other hikers went up behind me. I tossed aside the branch as the two women hikers turned to thank me with big smiles, when a familiar pair of arms wrapped around me from behind, clutching me to a firm chest.

“God damn it, Sofia, what were you thinking?” Alex demanded, putting me on my feet and spinning me around by the shoulders. “Why didn’t you wait for the ranger? You could have been bitten.”

“But I wasn’t.” I patted Alex on the chest. “And now people can safely continue their hike.”

“My God, you’re the most stubborn woman I know.” He gripped my chin, his thumb moving across my cheek in a way that made me think I had dirt on my face. “Can you ever just let people help you?”

It was clear Alex was talking about a lot more than just the snake.

People passed us as they continued their hikes, casting us curious glances, and it made me aware we had an audience.

I straightened my spine. “May I head back down with you?”

Alex narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to taunt more dangerous wildlife?”

Pretending to consider it, I lifted a shoulder. “I suppose that depends on if you say yes or no.”

Alex stared at me for a long moment and finally extended a hand toward the trail. We walked in silence, navigating the terrain without saying a word. It was the longest thirty minutes of my life.

When we arrived at the trailhead, Alex opened the passenger-side door of his SUV and gestured for me to get inside. He slid behind the steering wheel seconds later, and we once again settled into silence.

I despised how uncomfortable I felt with Alex now, when being together had always been so effortless.

“Sofia,” he said suddenly, staring out through the windshield, “I need you to help me understand why you thought Caitlin and I were dating.”

Clenching my eyes closed, I tried to think of how I could explain my thought process without sounding like an idiot. How could I tell him that I’d never met a man who was interested in me when Caitlin was right there? It all seemed so dumb now, especially after my earlier discussion with my best friend.

But because Alex deserved the truth, I told him.

“I didn’t think it was possible that someone like you, successful and ambitious, would want me, unemployed and stagnant, when you could have someone amazing like Caitlin. And that nugget of self-doubt made it easy for me to unknowingly skew what I saw and heard to support that idea.”

“Ay, you beautiful, infuriating woman.” Alex snatched off his sunglasses and rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. “I’ve been twisted up in knots over you since we met at that restaurant. No, before that. Since I saw your first goddamn TikTok and felt like someone reached inside my chest to snatch my heart out.”

My mouth fell open as I stared at him, wide-eyed.