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“And feeds that sweet tooth of yours. But you need protein and complex carbs, my friend.”
She rooted through her snacks and came up with a bag of peanut M&M’s. “Voilà. Protein.”
“You’ll be hungry in an hour. Your choice, but you’re welcome to my protein bars. I brought plenty.”
“Well, maybe just one.” He handed it to her and she set it aside to finish her Skittles. “Thanks.”
“I think you’ve just earned your trail name.”
“What—Skittles? I guess I can live with that. And what about you? How about Soggy Cardboard Eater?”
“Don’t knock ’em. Three hundred fifty calories and twenty-five grams of protein. And I already have a trail name: Banana Split.”
“Okay, you have to explain that one.”
“Shortly after my mom married Jeff, we went on a family hike. A bonding experience, I suppose. Well, I was wearing these ugly yellow shorts—a hand-me-down from Gavin—and on the second day when I jumped across a creek, my shorts ripped in the back.”
Laughter bubbled up inside. Katie covered her mouth full of Skittles.
“Go ahead and laugh.”
“And it stuck—the nickname?”
“Like I had a choice. Gavin and Avery called me that every chance they got.”
“You could change it now, you know.”
“Aw, it’s kinda grown on me.” He slid her that sideways smile that made her pulse jump.
They went back to their lunch. Katie wrapped up the rest of her Skittles and opened the protein bar, which tasted a little better than cardboard. The rain continued pattering the forest floor.
“I won’t be in the way tomorrow.” Cooper’s voice seemed deeper in the quiet little hollow. “I realize it’s a private moment, and I’ll give you your space. Just wanted you to know.”
She met his gaze, that thread pulling and buzzing with something that made her heart flutter. “I had no doubt. That’s why I didn’t mind you coming along.”
He had really nice lips, the bottom one just thick enough and the top one dipping distinctly in the middle.
She dragged her eyes away and took another bite of the bar. Why in heaven’s name was she thinking about the man’s lips?
“What was it like growing up in foster homes? You don’t have to answer if that’s too personal.”
“No, that’s okay. There were a lot of kids around, so we always had someone to play with—that was good. But we didn’t have much space of our own. Our toys and even our clothes were often shared. Nothing wasmine, you know? We had one bicycle we all shared. Silly, but I think that’s the thing that bothered me most. I loved to ride that bike.”
“Must’ve been difficult.”
Her mind drifted back. “There was a girl who lived down the street—only child. She had this beautiful mint-green bike she rode by our house every day, ringing the bell. It had a white seat and handlebars and a white basket on the front she always carried her cat in. I wanted that bike so badly.”
He gave her an empathetic smile. “How was school life? You must’ve done well. I hear nursing school is rigorous.”
“I liked learning and I excelled academically. But the kids... They weren’t always kind. Being a foster kid was embarrassing for me. I felt like something was wrong with me because my parents didn’t stick around while everyone else’s had.”
“I get that. Because of my dad—I felt embarrassed. Everyone knew who he was, and I always felt his behavior reflected on me.”
“Why do we take on our parents’ issues?”
Cooper shrugged. “We shouldn’t. We had no control over any of it.”
They chewed in silence for a while. Katie peeled down the bar’s wrapper, the cellophane loud in the enclosure. “I always had Spencer though. Our caseworker was really good about keeping us together.”
