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Blue trots off, does a lap around the table, head-butts a chair, and then gallops Cole’s way.
Good. Clearly, I can’t get Cole up. Maybe Blue can.
I turned off my phone last night to save battery life. I still haven't figured out where or how to charge it. Surely there’s a placesomewherein this ranch with outlets and Wi-Fi. There must be. I mean, how else are we all supposed to survive? Skye can’t expect retreat participants to go five full days without phones or computers, can she?
I pack my laptop into my purse. “I can’t wait to check my email today. I turned in an application to a TV show two weeks ago, and every day I wake up wondering iftoday’s the day. You know, like, the day I hear from them. It’s a super long shot, but why not hope for it?”
When I glance over my shoulder, I see Cole sitting up in his sleeping bag, petting Blue.
It unexpectedly tugs at my heart. Cole looks extra attractive, without his ball cap on, all sleepy-eyed and adorably rumpled.
I’m going to ignore it, though. Every guy looks extra gorgeous, I think, while petting a baby animal. There should be a name for the effect. Like a mirage in a desert, only it applies to men’s hotness. “The Baby Animal Effect.”
Maybe I should write about it, for one of my online assignments…
I turn away and stuff my laptop’s charging cord into my purse, too. “You know that show,Dream Vacation? It started with Spencer Mackie and Genevieve Rider?”
“Never heard of it.” His sleeping bag rustles, like he’s finally getting up.
“Of course, you haven’t. What was I thinking? It’s not sports, or one of those dumb fishing shows you and Trent watch…”
“What do you have against fishing, anyway?”
“It’s boring.”
“That’s what I like about it. It’s quiet. No drama, no surprises, no noise. Nothing to do except listen to the river. Watch the line…”
“Ugh. I go brain-dead.” I dressed back in the bathhouse, in leggings, a tank top, and a loose sweatshirt with a cute, asymmetrical neckline. All I have to figure out now is whether I need to wear a knit hat.
It’s still cold out… But it’s sunny, so it’ll warm up fast.
I should probably pack a hat and scarf, just in case.
When I turn around to look for my hat, I catch a glimpse of Cole, bare-chested, over by the wood stove. I suck in a gasp.
He’s standing up near the papasan chair, where he set his duffel bag. He’s leaning over his duffel, rummaging through it. His flannel pants are low on his waist. His abdomen is so tight and perfectly formed that I can see every muscle. His pecks are hard planes, one covered with a tattoo of a paw print. His obliques form tight ridges. A trail of hard muscles travels down toward the waistband of his PJ pants.
Noway.
Even though I knew Cole was fit, I didn’t know he wasthisbuilt.
My jaw’s slack. It’s all I can do to pull it back into place before my tongue lolls out, too.
I manage to swivel my head away just as he stops searching through his duffel. This isCole, and I won’t ogle him like he’s a male model or something.
My cheeks feel hot and that’s a problem, too. If he sees me blushing, he’s going to know why.
I fumble through my purse, as though I’m searching for something. If I could catch my breath, that’d be great.
“So, travel show, hunh?” he asks.
“Yeah. Like I said, this guy Spencer Mackie is the host, and for the first two seasons Genevieve Rider was the co-host.”
“She’s some movie star, right?”
“Yeah, and that’s why she moved on. She decided she wanted to focus on movies full-time, so the show took on this woman Elle. She was a no-name at first, but fans loved her. She got picked up for her own show, soDream Vacationis looking for a replacement. They opened up auditions to the public.”
“Seems like a gamble, putting a gig like that out to folks without experience in front of cameras.”
