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Gavin added another log to the fire and settled back into the chair beside her. He lived in the small camper, situated at the back of the campground on the loop. It was only temporary, he’d said. He used to work for a builder in Asheville and had moved back here after his divorce. He hadn’t expounded much on his past and Katie hadn’t pressed.
After all, she hadn’t mentioned her mother living here in Riverbend. So they were taking things slow—nothing wrong with that. He no doubt had baggage from his divorce. And she’d had enough therapy to know her childhood had left her with trust issues and a fear of rejection.
“Dinner was delicious,” Gavin said. “Best mac and cheese I’ve ever had.”
“Thanks. The burgers were good too.”
“We make a great team.”
She smiled at him, though the words made her uneasy. She wasn’t sure why and didn’t really want to unpack it tonight. “Your mom stopped by the clinic this week. She brought peanut butter cookies for Avery and me.”
“She loves to bake.”
“She’s so sweet.” Katie loved how affectionate she was. Lisa had hugged her on first sight and touched her arm once while they were chatting in the front office.
“Don’t let her fool you. She ran a tight ship when we were growing up. There was a chore chart and everything.”
“Oh no, not a chore chart.”
“You laugh, but it was brutal. To this day I hate washing dishes.”
“Poor baby. But seriously, it must’ve been hard blending a family like that.”
“No doubt. Coop and I weren’t too happy about getting a new sister and a man who thought he was our dad. Especially since he was nine years older than Mom. But he eventually earned our respect.”
“He looks a little like that actor, the one fromDesignated Survivor.”
“Kiefer Sutherland? Mom says that, too, but I don’t see it. Anyway, we eventually figured out he wasn’t so bad. And Avery kind of grew on us too.”
“Were you protective big brothers?”
“At first we just kind of ignored her. But then this punk started giving her trouble, and we set him straight. Seems like after that things kind of changed.” He stirred the fire with a stick. “Jeff offered to adopt us when I was in seventh grade, and Coop and I took him up on it... You haven’t said much about your childhood.”
She’d only told him she had foster parents. Cooper actually knew more about her past than Gavin did. But then Cooper had been there for what she’d thought might be her last minutes. That had a way of making one divulge things one wouldn’t ordinarily give up.
“My early childhood wasn’t very stable, but I don’t remember a lot of it. Then there were a few foster homes. Jill and James took Spencer and me in when I was eight and treated us like their own. They have a biological son, and they took in a lot of other foster kids over the years.”
“Sound like terrific people. You haven’t said much about your brother either. Just that he passed in December.”
“He had a bad heart. He had to take it easy a lot.” Just thinking of Spencer made her heart twist painfully.
“You mentioned you were going to hike up to Max Patch and spread his ashes this summer?”
“That’s what he wanted. I’m doing it on his birthday—hard to believe it’s just a few weeks away now.”
A log shifted and sparks shot into the night sky. A rowdy group from a nearby campsite heckled one another under the glow of their tiki torches. A group of girls giggled as they disappeared into the restroom.
“Would you like some company? It’s a long overnight hike, and I’d feel better if you weren’t doing it alone.”
On the one hand, she might like some privacy. On the other, she didn’t relish the idea of hiking in the wilderness alone. Shewasn’t particularly savvy about wildlife, and a woman hiking alone presented its own dangers.
She turned a smile on him, getting caught in his kind eyes for a long moment. “I think I’d like that. Thank you.”
“Happy to do it.”
Gavin was so handsome, especially when he smiled. He had straight white teeth that had surely seen braces once upon a time and eyes the color of worn denim. He really was a nice guy. He’d been a little melancholy at first, but he was coming around. Someone had drilled good manners into him. He came across as a tough guy, but he was ever the gentleman, pulling out her chair and kissing her on the cheek.
He hadn’t kissed her properly until their third date. It was nice. Sweet and tender. Later he’d told her it had been his first kiss since the divorce.
