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I took her hand and pulled her back toward the entrance. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
I took her to a bicycle rental place that I’d seen during one of our team building activities this week. It was close to the east side of the island, away from the hotels and overcrowded beaches. As we got out of my rental car, I looked over at her to see that she was smiling.
“Do you remember when we were about twelve and used to ride our bikes all over the subdivision where you lived?” she asked. “From the nursing home near the highway to the community pool and back again, over and over.”
“And we couldn’t wait until we were old enough to have our driver’s licenses and actually drive somewhere.”
Back then, I didn’t realize how good we had it as kids with no responsibilities. I just couldn’t wait to grow up.
We went inside the shop, which was packed with so many bikes that it was hard to navigate around them all. Walking along a narrow pathway, we made our way to the counter where the single worker was standing. He was a tall man with a full beard and the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled at us.
“Welcome!” He greeted us with a booming voice that seemed to completely fill the small space. “You two looking to go on a bike ride today?”
I glanced at Summer and she shrugged.
“I think so,” I said. “Is there a trail around here?”
“Yep. You should check out the Infinity Trail,” he said, pulling a map out from under the counter. He spread it out so that it was facing me and pointed to a red X. “This is where we are, and the trail starts right behind the shop.”
I watched him trace a thin brown line that wound through trees and ended near the coast on the east side of the island.
“Infinity Trail?” I repeated as Summer moved closer to look over my shoulder.
“It’s just what the locals call it. It’s only about a mile long, and it ends at a beautiful cove. Very private. Perfect for couples.”
Summer blushed, her cheeks turning a lovely pink color.
“Thanks,” I said, pulling out my credit card and handing it over. I turned to Summer. “Let’s pick out our bikes.”
Within minutes, we’d both chosen bicycles and headed back outside. The trail was easy to find and I led the way through the forest that covered this part of the island. The tracks on the path made it obvious that it was used frequently by people on bicycles like us.
The trees provided shade and there was a light breeze that rustled the leaves as we passed. I glanced back every once in a while to make sure that Summer was doing okay, but I didn’t need to. She was keeping up with me just fine. It didn’t take long to make our way through the forest and come out on the other side. Up ahead, I could see the coastal inlet, a cove with a small entrance and shallow water.
“Should we check it out?” I asked, and Summer nodded.
There wasn’t a beach here, just rocks, so we leaned our bikes up against some trees and carefully made our way over the uneven surface. At one point, Summer’s foot slipped, but I was already watching her out of the corner of my eye, so I was able to shoot my arm out and grasp her by the elbow to steady her.
Finally, we reached the entrance of the cove, staying on the rocks to avoid getting our tennis shoes wet. Inside, it looked like an oval-shaped cave. There was an opening at the top, allowing sunlight to stream inside. The water seemed to almost sparkle where the light touched it.
“It’s so beautiful,” Summer said with awe in her voice.
She was right. It felt like a private piece of paradise for just the two of us. Taking a seat on a flat bit of rock, I relaxed as Summer settled beside me with her legs stretched out. I knew it was time for us to talk, like she’d indicated, and I expected her to want to discuss what I told her last night, maybe ask for more details or something. But she didn’t.
“You know, the last time I talked to you, you were getting ready for a big job interview. Since you’re here for a big work retreat, I assume that you got it?”
“No,” I shook my head. “I didn’t even go to the interview.”
“Why not?”
I turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “Really? You think that I had my shit together enough to handle a job interview? My life was a wreck in the weeks after my dad forced yours out of the company.”
She gave me a small, sad smile. “Yeah, mine too.”
“You know the worst part?” I asked, looking away from her big green eyes and focusing my gaze on the water. “I should have known better. It’s not like Dad was always a great guy and this came out of nowhere. I knew that he could be ruthless, but I guess I just thought that he would never be like that with me.”
Silence settled over us, and I hated how awkward it was. I had known Summer my whole life, and I couldn’t remember sharing an awkward moment with her ever before. Now, they crept up on us and tainted the happiness that we should have had together.
I decided to bring the subject back around to our lives over the past three years, hoping to salvage some of the peace I felt while riding through the forest with her less than half an hour ago.
