Chapter Six Shelby #3
“I haven’t hiked it in about fifteen years. My grandparents couldn’t take the elevation any longer. It’s gentle, I know, but”—I shrug—“it’s still taxing.”
Opening his door, he puts a ball cap from the local professional baseball team on his dark brown hair and offers another ball cap to me.
I laugh at the “Bigfoot Hide-and-Seek Champion” logo embroidered on it.
I need to resize it and pull my ponytail through.
He meets me at my door and reaches into the door pocket to pull out sunscreen.
“Let’s get you covered up. Don’t want you to get a sunburn.”
After we both put on sunscreen, we walk hand in hand along the trail that leads us into the woods and up a hill. It’s a beautiful mid-September Sunday. It’s warm but not obnoxiously hot. We’re approaching the top of the rise when Finn suddenly stops.
“What?” I ask.
He leans down to whisper in my ear, “In the oak tree on the right, about two-thirds up. There’s a bald eagle.”
Finn’s arm slips around my waist, and he points to the spot.
Following where his finger leads, I gasp as I see my first bald eagle.
I know they’re bigger than a robin, but I didn’t realize how massive they are.
It spreads its wings, and I wish I could compare it to Finn’s six-and-a-half-feet height because I think they’re about equal.
That’s impressive. The sunlight glints off the snow-white feathers on its head.
I feel a flash of tears. I wish I could share this with my grandparents.
Not that I’d trade this time with Finn for anyone.
“Wow,” I breathe. “It’s magnificent.”
“Breathtaking,” he says. I realize he’s looking at me. Suddenly it’s my breath being stolen.
The butterflies in the meadow below us aren’t the only ones flying around.
I feel like my tummy is full of them as I stretch on tiptoe to reach his lips and he bends down to meet mine.
Our kiss is tender, and when his arms wrap around me, I feel so safe and cherished.
I could stay like this forever, but Finn raises his head and looks along the trail.
Now that I’m out of the kiss-induced fog I can hear someone snapping twigs as they approach from the other direction.
Thank goodness Finn noticed. It could be anyone, and who knows what their intentions are.
A lone man approaches us. Finn steps in front of me slightly in a protective stance. I place my hand on his back to maintain our connection.
“Oh, wow,” the man whispers, stopping about five yards from us and looking up at the eagle. “Do you see him?”
“Yeah,” Finn says.
I step from behind Finn and take a step toward the man. “Simon?”
Finn looks down at me in surprise.
The other man tilts his head and studies me. “Shelby?”
The eagle seems to be watching us as much as we’re watching it.
“Hey, you!” I whisper-shout, opening my arms for a hug. I don’t want to scare the eagle away, but I’m always going to be exuberantly demonstrative.
“It’s been too long, Shelbs, how are you?” He gives me a tight hug but drops his arms and steps back when Finn clears his throat.
“I’m well, how about you? Oh! Simon, this is my...friend, Finn.” I turn to Finn with a big smile. “Simon and I went to college together. Are you still in nursing?”
Simon smiles. “Yeah, working in the ER and taking more courses. It’s intense.”
“Finn works for the Fish and Wildlife Service here at the refuge,” I say, resting my hand on Finn’s forearm.
“Oh, cool. Lucky you.”
Finn wraps his arm around my shoulders. “Yeah, I’m extremely lucky.”
My tummy flutters when he presses a kiss to the crown of my head. Is this some kind of Bigfoot claiming? How they mark their mate? As a modern woman, I probably shouldn’t be cool with this, but I’m enjoying the tingly feelings running through my body. Oh well. I can be modern tomorrow.
“Hey,” Finn says, taking his phone out of his pocket. “Could you take a picture of us together, please?”
Simon holds out his hand to accept the phone. “Of course! Do you want me to try to get the eagle in the background or the lake?”
We ended up with pictures of both, and even though I’m holding back tears at Finn’s thoughtfulness in asking for a picture, I look happier than I ever did in any of the pictures I took with Konner through the months we were together.
I feel like I should put the word together in quotation marks or italics because now I can see we were never together.
Simon continues along the trail the way we came, and Finn and I resume our walk to the top. There’s a bench facing the meadow and lake below, and we take a seat. I cuddle into Finn’s side with a happy sigh.
“Can I tell you a secret?” I whisper, resting my head on his shoulder.
He squeezes my shoulder. “Always.”
I feel silly saying this, but too late now.
“When I was a little girl and would come here with my grandparents, I’d stand here and look over the view and dream about having my wedding here.”
When Finn doesn’t say anything, I look up at him.
A soft smile graces his lips as he looks down at the lake. “Duly noted.”