Page 68 of Finding My Charming

“Are you going to give me any hints about where we’re going?” I settled into the passenger seat and fought the urge to ogle him while he was distracted by the road.

He laughed and glanced at me. “I didn’t mean to make it a mystery. We’re going hiking, if that’s fine with you.”

“A bit late to ask me.” I giggled at his expression, a mix of embarrassment and shock. He probably wasn’t expecting me to call him out.

“I guess I could have warned you before, but most girls complain about going outdoors, and I really wanted to take you.”

“I’m not like most girls. I don’t mind getting dirty.” The double meaning hit me a moment too late to stop the words.

He smirked. “Noted.”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” I shoved his elbow off the center console and looked out my window.

“I know, Elle.”

I peeked over at him and saw his wide smile and couldn’t fight off my own.

We listened to music and chatted easily for the next twenty minutes until he pulled off onto a dirt road. We’d been heading away from Portland, but I’d lost track of where we were.

“What is this place?” The dirt road finally ended at a makeshift parking lot with only a handful of cars occupying it.

“It’s the trailhead to Mystery Peaks.”

I’d lived here my whole life and never heard of it. My dad used to take the whole family on weekend hikes before we were old enough to fight it, so I knew of most of the hiking trails in the area. “Is it top secret?”

He laughed and unbuckled his seat belt. “Not really. It just doesn’t attract casual hikers.”

He opened his door and was out before I could ask any other questions. I followed him and looked around. Trees. That was all I could see. Dallin opened the trunk and pulled out a backpack, which he slid over his shoulders. Once he was situated, he looked up and smiled, dimples and all.

“Let’s get going.” He headed in the direction of a narrow path that I hadn’t noticed. “It’s only about two miles in, but it can get a little sketchy in some places, so stay directly behind me and follow my footing.”

Tall trees surrounded us on both sides and were so thick I could only see a few feet on either side. I was used to high-traffic areas with wide, if not paved, trails. The kind with signs and other people around.

For a second, my imagination took over, and I began envisioning us in a horror movie and soon a crazed man with a chainsaw would come running at us through the trees.

“Elle?”

My head shot up to find Dallin stopped in front of me. “Yeah?”

He shook his head and smiled. “I’ve been talking to you, but you were completely zoned out. Are you doing okay?”

He thinks I am already tired? It’s been less than five minutes! “I’m fine! I can keep going.”

“That’s not what I meant, but I’m glad you’re up for this. Did you have something on your mind?”

He looked over his shoulder and continued walking but managed to keep his focus on me.

“Just thinking of serial killers and chainsaws.”

Deep laughter filled the air. “Elle! You’re crazy.”

“You never know. This would be a perfect setting. Unsuspecting young people… secluded area… no one would know where to look for us…”

His laughter continued. “I have some friends meeting us at the end. They’ll notice if we go missing.”

Strangely, that did make me feel a little better. For the rest of the hike, Dallin kept my mind occupied with stories of his parents, who had both come from difficult circumstances but had worked hard and created a business together. He told me about his dad and how he grew up in a trailer park with a single mom who drank her life away. He worked his way through college and met Dallin’s mother, an immigrant from Sweden who was studying at the same university. They dreamt of owning their own business and now, almost twenty years later, Mad Guru’s was a thriving restaurant.

Hearing about his family and understanding where he got his drive made me feel like he trusted me. I could tell his mom and dad meant a lot to him. Disappointing them would be the worst thing he could do, he’d said.