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“Yes?”
“Will you do the interview?”
Grant shook his head, clearing the internal Molly discussion, and focused on the task at hand. “The interview. Right. Who am I looking for?”
Mateo pointed to a local news anchor dressed in a sport coat standing next to a camera person.
“And for the record, you did great. Good job, buddy.” He clapped Mateo on the shoulder as he walked away. “You’re not even going to miss me when I’m gone.”
A relieved grin replaced the worry lines and serious scowl Mateo had been wearing all day. “Isn’t that what we’ve all been telling you?”
He was going to miss a lot of things about this place, but it had never been clearer that it was time for him to go.
He just had one more meeting to see if he was taking something with him, or leaving everything behind.
Chapter Twenty One
After a day full ofexcitement and a quick shower, Molly pulled into the parking lot that matched the address Grant had sent her. To be technical, he hadn’t actually sent her an address. It was a pin-drop location, and she might’ve questioned the otherwise abandoned parking lot in the middle of a state park being the right place if the bright green turtle ambo wasn’t also parked there. There was no sign of Grant, though.
She stepped out of her car and took in her surroundings. The state park ran along the coast about fifteen miles outside of Emerald Cove. It was beautiful in a natural seashore way, full of dense tropical plants highlighted by tall pine trees. Molly had been meaning to check out this place since she’d gotten to town. She’d heard it had great hiking trails and beautiful beaches untouched by development, but nine weeks had flown by faster than she’d thought it would.
Oh, well. She was here now. Except, she wasn’t exactly sure where “here” was supposed to be. There were three trails leading in three different directions away from the parking lot. One had an arrow pointing to beach access, and the other two were the starts of different hiking trails. Molly pulled out her phone to check the directions Grant had sent her.
“Take the Sandpiper Loop Trailhead,” she read aloud and looked up to see which of the signs claimed to be the Sandpiper Loop. “There you are.” She headed toward the trailhead on her right and stepped off the asphalt onto the narrow sandy path.
The park felt secluded at this early evening hour. Most hikers and beach-goers had already called it a day and packed up, leaving the parking lots and trails empty. The sun seemed to have the same idea as it slid slowly toward the horizon, casting long shadows in the forest. It was quiet and peaceful and, after the active day, Molly let the calm wash over her. She walked for a couple of minutes, enjoying the sound of silence.
But then a couple of minutes turned into a few, which turned into several, and she still hadn’t seen anyone. Not even Grant. Peaceful silence started to slide into concern. She was on the right trail, wasn’t she?
Just when she was about to pull out her phone to text him, she rounded a bend, and he came into view.
“You made it.”
“I did.” The joy of seeing his inspiring smile was quickly overshadowed by an apprehension that prickled in her gut. But instead of focusing on what was to come, she decided to focus on their unique coastal surroundings. “Where exactly are we?”
“This is my favorite place in all of Emerald Cove.”
Her brow furrowed in confusion. “Right here?” She didn’t want to seem judgy, but he’d taken her to some pretty amazing places over the past two months. This random spot in the middle of the woods was nice, but was it favorite-spot worthy?
“Not so much here…” he pointed to the ground where they were standing, “as up there.” He turned and pointed to a metal structure about twenty yards off the path that she hadn’t noticed yet.
She tipped her head back to take in the whole thing. There was some sort of small hut on a larger platform, suspended fortyish feet in the air by four thick metal posts painted brown to blend in with the surroundings. “What is it?”
“A treetop ranger observation station. Want to check it out?” There was a note of scandal in his voice that she was starting to get used to.
“I’m guessing by ‘check it out’ you mean we’re going up there. And even though it says no trespassing, you have some sort of maybe-legal connection that’s getting us in.”
His Cheshire grin widened. “You know me so well.”
Molly propped her hands on her hips, sizing up the task in front of her. “How do we get up there?” There was a ladder built into the side of one of the large metal posts, but it didn’t start until at least ten feet above the ground.
Grant walked a little farther off the trail and picked up a ladder that had been propped against the far side of a tree. “We climb.”
“Of course we do.” Molly followed him. She’d come a long way from the girl who’d rolled into town three months ago and had been hesitant about everything. This adventure stuff wasn’t quite second nature yet, but she’d gotten better at stepping out of her comfort zone. Plus, she was learning that the view at the top was usually worth it.
Grant extended the telescoping ladder with hooks at one end and connected them to the bottom rung of the built-in ladder. Once he’d made sure it was sturdy, he stepped back and held his hand out. “After you.”
She started up before she could talk herself out of it, keeping her gaze cemented on the spot above her as she climbed. She might’ve gotten better about going on adventures, but that didn’t mean staring at a ground that was rapidly getting farther and farther away was something she was up for.
