Page 72 of That Rush

She walks toward the front desk with the empty cart. I follow her, the scent of her on my skin, my body already counting the seconds until Friday.

Chapter 10

Paige

Aiden is waiting beside his truck when I step onto the porch at five twenty-four.

I stop beside the stairs. “You’re early.”

“Six minutes.”

“That is still early.”

“I didn’t want to give you a reason to leave without me.”

The new hiking shoes are the first thing I notice. The second is the fitted charcoal shirt beneath his open jacket. He looks prepared, awake, and irritatingly good for a man standing outside before sunrise.

“You followed instructions,” I say.

“I can be taught.”

“We’ll see.”

His gaze drops to the pack on my shoulders. “I can take that.”

“You can carry yours.”

“I was offering.”

“I know.”

His smile turns knowing. “You’re going to make me earn everything, aren’t you?”

“So far, you seem motivated.”

I lead the way up the trail behind my cabin. The first mile climbs gradually through pine and aspen, the ground still damp from rain earlier in the week. I expect Aiden to catch up or suggest a faster pace, but he does neither.

When the trail narrows, he falls in behind me. When I step over a washed-out section, he follows the same path instead of pointing out a better one.

At a slick log, he asks, “Hand?”

I nod. His palm steadies my waist until my boots hit dirt again, then he draws his hand away.

I’m far too aware of the moment his hand leaves me.

“You hike alone every Friday?” he asks.

“When the weather cooperates. I switch trails depending on how much time I have.”

“And then you come back here and spend the afternoon in your hammock.”

“That’s usually the plan.”

“I’m beginning to understand why dinner had such strong competition.”

I look ahead so he misses my smile. He hasn’t complained about the early start, questioned the route, or tried to take the lead. He’s letting me have my Friday exactly the way I like it, with him beside me.

At the second mile marker, I stop to tighten one shoulder strap. Aiden watches me adjust the weight.