Page 26

My foot finds a loose rock on the path and I kick it to the side. “There are opposites… and there are mortal enemies. Big difference.”

“There’s a very fine line between love and hate, my boy,” Gerald says and Austin nods in agreement.

We continue walking in amicable silence until we finally reach our campground for the day. Drew was right; I should’ve trained for weeks for this hike. I’m exhausted and ready for a shower and some sleep.

The porters have already set up our campsite when our group arrives. The mules are tied up to rest for the night. I feel sorry for them, doing this trek with supplies piled high on their backs. However, they don’t seem bothered by it.

I remove my backpack and take a seat on the ground for a moment when movement catches my eye. Isa is near the mules and pulls something out of her jacket pocket. She pats each mule on the head and feeds them what looks to be apple slices from lunch.

I smile to myself as I watch her. She’s quirky as hell, but there’s something very endearing about her thoughtfulness at this moment.

Standing, I walk toward her. She notices me coming and wrinkles her nose in annoyance. This is the first chance I’ve had since early this morning to speak with her without Chris and his posse there.

I clear my throat, already regretting what I’m about to say. “I know we’re not exactly friends–” I begin, but she interrupts me with a snort.

“That’s an understatement.”

I release a heavy sigh. “I overheard your conversation earlier about where you’re going to sleep.”

She crosses her arms over her ample chest and I shift my eyes to the mule next to me. “And?”

“Listen, you and I got off on the wrong foot from the moment you moved in next door and Mo invited himself over.” I look down at my feet and kick a small pebble distractedly. “Maybe we can move forward? Instead of enemies, we could just be two people who don’t really get along.”

Isa stares at me with a befuddled expression.

“I, uh, wanted to let you know I can share a tent with you, if you’d prefer. The tents are decent in size, so we can have space. And at least you know I’m not a serial killer.”

She raises one eyebrow. “Do I?”

I roll my eyes. “If I was, your cat would’ve been my first victim.”

She surprises me by laughing. It’s a rich, husky laugh and does something weird to my stomach. I haven’t eaten much today, so that’s probably the issue.

“Did Mr. Grumpy Pants just make a joke?” Her mouth curves into a wide grin, making me notice once more how soft and pouty her lips look.

“There you are!” Chris interrupts, walking toward us. “Dinner’s ready.” He glances at me like I’m an afterthought. “Oh, hey math guy.”

“David,” Isa reminds him.

“Huh?” Chris seems confused by her statement.

“My name is David,” I answer on her behalf.

“Right.” Chris places his hand on Isa’s back possessively. “Let’s go eat.”

Isa steps to the side, putting some distance between herself and Chris, making me wonder if she’s uncomfortable with his attention. She starts walking in the direction of the dinner tent and he follows on her heels.

This guy has no decorum whatsoever.

Isa glances over her shoulder at me. “You coming?”

The mule next to me nudges my side like he’s encouraging me to go. He’s probably not happy that I didn’t bring him any apples.

After dinner, we take turns using the privacy screens to wash ourselves. Everyone is provided with a bucket of warm water to bathe with. It’s nothing fancy, but it really felt good to wash up after hiking all day. I changed into some fleece-lined sweats and a red hoodie that says, Madden Windell for Congress on the front. Everyone on my brother’s campaign team a few years back got one.

Our group huddles around a campfire after washing up and then hot chocolate is served. It’s impressive how much thought and planning was put into this expedition.

I walk over to the table where they’re serving the hot cocoa and grab a tin mug. The chef grins at me, and I thank him for the warm beverage before making my way to the campfire and taking a seat on the ground. My gaze instantly lands on Isa before anyone else, the soft glow of the fire making her brown skin look like it’s glowing from the inside out. I’m not sure why I seem to seek her out today; maybe it’s because she’s the only person I know here, and I’m not very good with new people or building relationships.