Page 23 of Broken As Puck

I hoped she would and that she wouldn’t automatically dismiss the cause because I’d suggested it. I doubted she would—she had a bigger heart than that—but I’d just have to wait and see.

Chapter Eight

CHELSEY

Layla gasped for breath somewhere on the trail behind me. My legs burned and I’d worked up a sweat, but she sounded like she was on the verge of keeling over. It was relatively warm for this time of year, but I still had a sweater tied around my waist and I suspected I’d need to put it on as soon as we stopped moving.

“How come you’re fine when you’re carrying ten ton of equipment and I’m dying when all I have is a protein bar and a bottle of water?” She puffed, her feet scuffing through fallen leaves.

I chuckled and the light ahead of me bobbled as my head moved. “Because you don’t do any cardio.”

“Yoga has cardio,” she protested, then groaned as we crested the hill and rounded a corner, only to see in the beam cast by my headlight that the trail continued upward. “You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you?”

“If I wanted to kill you, there would be easier ways.”

“Oh, but you’re vicious. People don’t realize it because you’re so sweet, but you secretly take joy in making me cry.”

I stopped walking and turned to face her, amused. I made sure to keep the light angled away from her face so I wouldn’t blind her. “You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m just honest.” She stopped too, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath. “You need to find a new hiking friend here in Chicago. We had such a good setup in California where you went and did that with someone else. I prefer not to be involved if at all possible.”

The corner of my mouth twitched, but I managed not to laugh. “I appreciate you coming with me.”

I did, more than I could say. Layla might be loud and opinionated, but she was a wonderful friend. She just wasn’t very outdoorsy. Thankfully, she didn’t usually need to be. Back in California, I’d had another friend to hike with and before that, I’d had Matt.

She waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. I’m the best. I know.”

I smirked and didn’t disagree. “Are you all right or do you need to stop for a while?”

I was reluctant to stop for too long because the forest around us was already starting to lighten, indicating that the sun would soon venture above the horizon.

The whites of her eyes showed in the dark as she rolled them. “I’ll be fine. Let’s keep going.”

I looked at her closely for a few seconds, just to make sure she was actually okay, before starting back up the hill. I enjoyed the heat in my calves as I hiked higher, nearing our destination. I’d been here before but never at this time of day.

“Remind me why we’re in the middle of the woods when we should be in bed, still asleep,” Layla groused.

“Because the lighting will be best for the photo at sunrise.” I could take decent photographs any time of the day or night, but there was just something special about ones captured at dawn and dusk.

“And I care… Why?”

“Because you’re a good friend.”

“I don’t think I hear that enough,” she muttered under her breath. “I expect all the praise for going along with this harebrained plan. All the praise.”

“You’re a beautiful goddess, blessed with wit and charm,” I said dryly, then stepped in a puddle and glanced down, relieved to see that my shoes weren’t too wet.

“Tell me more.”

“You captivate those around you and entrance them with your glory.”

Now it was her turn to laugh. “That’s a bit much, even for me.”

We summited the hill and started down the slope on the other side. Water hissed and rushed somewhere nearby. We must be getting close to the waterfall. The one here wasn’t particularly high, but it was very pretty and I looked forward to trying to capture it as best I could.

The earth squelched beneath my feet and Layla bit out a curse as she also stepped into the mud.

“Ew, this isn’t what I signed up for.”