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“You are a pro,” Luke said, admiringly.
“Not quite, but I manage to move fairly well without falling down,” Jamie said.
They walked, mostly in silence. She pointed out an elk and a big horn sheep that she spotted in the trees. The large animals lifted their heads and looked at them, but didn’t run.
“I love this place, especially in the summer time. There is no telling what kind of wildlife you might run into,” Jamie said. “I just love being out in nature, I guess. Like you, I get a little antsy when I’m cooped up.”
They stopped for a bite to eat, sitting on a log they had dusted the snow off of.
“These snow pants are the best things that anyone ever invented,” Jamie said.
“I can think of a few other things that I like a little more than snow pants,” Luke joked. “But they do keep my butt from getting cold and wet.”
They were both tired by the time the sun started to set and they made it back to Luke’s truck.
“I make some mean quesadillas if you want to come over for a while,” Jamie said.
He dropped her off to get her car and then followed her back to her place. As she promised, the chicken quesadillas she made were delicious.
They made their way into the living room, and Luke leaned back comfortably on the couch.
“What do you want for your future?” he asked.
Jamie bit her lip as she thought about her answer.
“I don’t know. I haven’t really made any plans. I like being the manager of the café, but that isn’t a forever thing.”
“What did you want to do when you were a kid?”
Grinning, Jamie said, “One of my favorite things to do when I was a little girl was to bake. I would spend hours in the kitchen, making cookies, cakes, bread or whatever else Mom was making. It was so much fun, I told my mother that I was going to open up a bakery. I had the plans made up, including the menu. Mom and I even made everything that I had on the menu and shared it with our family and friends, who always told me how delicious everything was.”
Luke smiled as Jamie reminisced.
“I have a degree in business, but I have to figure out what kind of business suits me. I can’t see myself sitting at a desk all day,” Jamie said. “I’ll figure something out when the time is right. What about you?”
“I’m like you. I’m not really sure what direction I’m heading in. My father would be delighted if I spent all my time working at the hardware store. I love Dad, but there is no way that I can work there for very much longer. Josh suggested that I talk to the chief at the fire station. It would be easy for me to pass all the tests, and it would be interesting.”
“That could be. You might also think about looking into search and rescue, at least part time. You know the mountain. That would get you outdoors, at least.”
“I hadn’t thought about that,” Luke said.
They were quiet for a minute and then Luke asked, “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to Ryan? I figured that you guys would be married and have a couple dozen kids by now.”
“Ugh,” Jamie said.
“I didn’t mean to pry,” Luke said, quickly.
“No, it’s okay,” she said. “Ryan and I went to the same college. We were supposed to get married soon after we graduated from college. I was looking forward to that and having a big family. Our wedding day came. Everyone was there. I was dressed. We were just waiting on the groom. He, on the other hand, had a different idea. He had been cheating on me with a woman named Amber. Ryan sent a note, via his best man, to tell me that he was leaving me for her.”
“What a dick move,” Luke said.
“That was my thought,” Jamie said. “I was humiliated, but we partied, anyway. No need to waste all that food.”
“Good for you,” Luke said.
“I hadn’t dated anyone since then,” Jamie said.
She grimaced and said, “He actually just showed back up in town, like a bad penny.”
