“Oh! I’m not. I mean…”
Lauren laughed again, and the teen said, “I’d like to beintriguedby a cute local, too, but I haven’t met any my own age.”
Her mother said, “Brittney! Watch your tongue.”
The teen, who must be Brittney grinned and said, “The reason we really came out here is because my dad wanted me to have one week without my cell phone. I’m supposed to be ‘getting in touch’ with nature. And they don’t like my boyfriend, so I’m sure they think one week of Christmas break without Chad will clear my head.”
Based on what she’d just said a minute earlier, I had no doubt that Chad was just a passing fancy for the girl.
Lauren said, “What matters is whatyouthink. Don’t ever let anyone else tell you how to live your life.”
The mom glared at her, but Lauren didn’t seem to notice.
I pondered what she’d said as my eyes danced between the fire and Boone.
I knew I needed a big change. And I also knew that meant leaving the job I’d had since I graduated college. But change felt scary when I didn’t know what would be on the other side of it. And I had no idea what I wanted to do with the rest of my life, and I was almost thirty. I should have all this figured out by now.But I didn’t share any of that. It would have been TMI for a complete stranger who I’d known for less than one day.
The flickering flames were almost hypnotizing, but I kept getting distracted by the rugged man across from me.
He was just sitting back, silent, watching the scene.
He seemed completely in his element here, and I realized he must do hikes like this all the time.
It was almost embarrassing that I couldn’t keep up.
But my life wasn’t exactly filled with adventures like this.
Nine-to-five. Monday through Friday. Then on Friday nights I’d go out to dinner with my girlfriends, then have a date with my sweatpants and a pint of ice cream on Saturday night.
Then it wasoff to work I go, around and around, like a hamster on a wheel.
This was anything but that.
When I was done with my soup, Boone got up and took my bowl, washing it at a makeshift dish station that Jameson must have rigged up before we got here.
I couldn’t help watching him go. He was the sexiest Santa I’d ever seen.
Lauren snorted while I had my eyes trained on him. And I realized she’d noticed me checking him out.
How embarrassing.
Chapter 5
Boone
I watched Katie all night long. She’d glommed onto Gabe’s wife and one of the tourists, a teen girl from Cincinnati.
I always remembered the places the tourists were from more than the names.
But I didn’t know where Katie was from yet.
I just knew she was searching for something, and that’s why she was here.
I was worried about what tomorrow would bring. She’d be tired and sore, and it would feel harder for her than today had.
But if we needed to turn around and go back early, I wouldn’t mind. Actually, I’d kind of like to have more alone time with her.
I’d spent the day hardly talking to her, but it had taken a sheer force of will to do that. I wanted to ask her a thousand questions.
