23. Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Jonathan
A fter Jonathan ran through a quick lesson on hanging the camping hammock, he and Lucy worked together to prepare dinner. Both were ravenous from the day’s efforts and could barely wait for the food to reach sub-lava temperatures before digging in. Another freeze-dried meal, this time chicken teriyaki and rice, was demolished in minutes. Dishes were washed in companionable silence. Then they sat and rested by the fire.
The crackling flames harmonized with wind-rustled leaves that encircled the camp. Jonathan followed the glowing embers as they floated a few feet above the fire then disappeared into the night. The evening sky was awash in a gradient of purples and blues. Stars slowly revealed themselves, each one gradually illuminating the darkening sky from east to west.
They’d made good time and distance on the trail. While the coming day would probably be just as grueling, there was a strong likelihood that they would make it out of the woods by late afternoon. This time tomorrow, Jonathan had plans to be sprawled out in his orthopedic California king, showered, and with a belly full of burger. The thought was so appealing that the only addition to improve the fantasy would be Lucy curled up beside him. He mentally slapped his own hand at the thought but couldn’t muster a much stronger reprimand, given his state of exhaustion. There’s no harm in thinking about it as long as his thoughts didn’t turn into actions .
The temptation in question sat across the fire with a liberated boot lace in hand. The tip of her tongue poked out of the side of her mouth as she focused on tying one of the many knots Jonathan had taken the time to teach her. He smiled affectionately. That woman was something else. Of all the things, though, determination continued to top the list of positive attributes. She didn’t know when to give up.
“I give up.” Lucy sighed.
Jonathan chuckled. “Done practicing?”
She threaded the lace back into her boot. “Yeah. My vision is starting to go blurry, and I can’t tell the difference between a square knot and a fisherman’s knot.”
“That was a clove hitch you were working on.” He grinned.
“See?” Lucy scoffed and shook her head.
“Are you ready for bed, then?” Jonathan was fully aware of how the question sounded.
Lucy gave the hammock a tentative scan then looked back over to the fire. “Not quite yet.”
“Hey.”
She met his gaze. The flickering light wasn’t the only thing reflecting back at him from her eyes. She was nervous about sharing a sleeping space. “Yeah?”
“I already told you I’d be a perfect gentleman.” Jonathan did his best to convey the sincerity he felt. “But if you would be more comfortable, I could sleep out here by the fire.”
“No, that wouldn’t be fair.”
“Are you saying you would rather sleep out here by the fire?”
“Let’s not be hasty . . .”
Jonathan barked out a laugh. “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself. Deal?”
“Ok. But . . . I still want to stay up for a bit longer. If that’s cool. ”
“Absolutely.”
Silence befell them once more. Despite his assurances, Jonathan could still feel the tension coming off Lucy in waves, even from across the campfire. She needed a distraction.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” she offered.
“Why was it so important for you to come on this hike?” For the life of him, he couldn’t quite figure that part out. “Are you on the lam or something?”
Lucy winked. “Yeah, I finally offed Clyde and vamoosed with the loot. I left my old-timey machine gun in my Kia so I wouldn’t have to pack it up here. Uh-oh. Maybe I’ve said too much.” She narrowed her gaze on Jonathan.
Holding up both hands, he assured her, “I’m no snitch, Bonnie, so don’t blow your wig.” Her laugh made the width of his grin double. It was such a sexy sound—velvety and musical—one he enjoyed being the cause of. “But really. Why?” Because he wasn’t going to let it go. He had to know more.
“Have you ever seen Eat, Pray, Love with Julia Roberts?”
“Yes.” She shot him a skeptical look. “No, really. My mom and sister used to watch it all the time. I’d come home from college to visit and they’d pick it for our movie nights whenever it was either of their turns.”
“Respect to your mom and sister. It’s one of my favorites too. Anyway, I’m in that type of mindset right now. Post breakup, trying to find myself, blah blah blah . And I used to hike all the time but stopped when I started dating my most recent boyfriend. I was going to call and beg for a refund, but my best friend, Todd, convinced me to keep my reservation. I assumed that with an experienced guide, this was an easy way to get back into the swing of things. Though in hindsight . . .” She cringed and scanned their makeshift campground.
“I bet you’ ll be taking a break from the great outdoors after this, huh?” This poor woman. Jonathan would be surprised if she ever wanted to hike again. Putting on a backpack would probably give her PTSD flashbacks.
“Nah. This isn’t ideal. But aside from almost dying and losing several hundred bucks worth of new gear, I’m still getting the same feelings we talked about yesterday. It just feels right, ya know?”
He did know. When he wasn’t worrying about all the dangers of their current situation, he was also enjoying himself, appreciating the return of summer. After this trip, any other excursion would feel like a walk in the park by comparison.
“How long did you and your ex date?”
“Four years.”
“And when did you last go on a hike?”
“Almost four years ago.” Lucy flinched.
“Wow.”
“Yeah. It’s hard for me to swallow that too. Four years wasted.” Somehow Jonathan didn’t think she was only talking about missing out on hiking seasons.
“Why didn’t you try to convince anyone to come with you?”
“I did try. My mom said no thanks. Honestly, she doesn’t vacation without my dad. Ever. I invited my brothers, but they were busy.”
“Friends?”
Lucy shook her head, shame playing across her features. “The two close girlfriends I had were casualties of my recent relationship. We’re on shaky ground right now while I try to get back in their good graces.”
“What about Todd, who was so adamant that you go?”
“I couldn’t pay Todd enough money to go on a hike with me, let alone leave the city. His element is in a nightclub performing lip-syncs in six-inch heels.” Lucy’s expression lit up with adoration.
“Oh, so Todd’s a drag queen. That’s cool. I’ve been to a few drag shows, mostly back in college. It’s a good time. Where does he perform?”
Lucy’s eyes were wide and she wore a pleased yet shocked grin. “At The Tackle Boxx in SoDo, but . . . Really, you? Mr. Mountain Man? Didn’t you worry your friends or other people would judge you for going to a drag show?”
“Not at all. Not a single one of my friends would judge. And I wouldn’t give a damn if anyone else did.”
“I have to say that’s refreshing because that is so not how my ex saw it.”
“Your ex sounds like a tool.” Jonathan shrugged at Lucy’s gaping expression. “That’s just my expert opinion.”
“That’s not fair. Brodan—”
“Brodan? Oh, yeah, there’s a frat-boy name if I ever heard one.” Jonathan crossed his arms over his chest and dared her to challenge his statement. “I bet he calls things dope and refers to everyone as Bro .”
Lucy scoffed and crossed her arms too. “You’re . . . not wrong, exactly .”
Jonathan started to feel a little bad. Not about mocking Brodan’s childish behavior but that his ribbing made Lucy defensive and she was probably taking what he said personally. “I’m teasing, not trying to judge. We all choose partners that are awful for us at some point in our lives. Or we stick it out longer than we should. Best to take it in stride and learn from it.” He knew from experience what it was like to cling to a relationship that had run its course.
“Which is exactly why I’m here.”
“Satisfying your wanderlust. ”
“Among other things,” she added, winking comically.
Jonathan chuckled, pleased that she seemed to be warming up to him after he’d been insulting her choice of mate. “You can’t leave it at that.”
“It’s nothing earth-shattering or glamorous.” She shrugged, gazing into the fire. The flickering light played across her sunburned cheeks. Matching flames danced in his gut, warming his belly as he watched the nuanced shifts of her facial expression. He leaned in, suddenly desperate to know her secrets. “I’ve decided to stick up for myself more. Take what I need and say ‘no’ more often.”
She peeked up at him, perhaps to measure his reaction, and he grinned.
“Like I said. Nothing fancy.”
“No,” he rushed to assure her as she discounted her words. “People don’t realize how hard it is to do that. I commend you.”
A smile spread slowly, growing until it transformed her green eyes into brilliant emeralds. Something about his words causing her to beam took hold somewhere deep inside of Jonathan. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Lucy.”
She let out a loud yawn as her eyelids started to droop. He stood up, brushed dust off his pants, and walked over. “Let’s get some sleep?” he asked, reaching out his hand. Lucy looked at it then up at Jonathan’s face. Her cheeks were rosy, and he was certain it had nothing to do with the warmth of the fire. He pulled her to her feet, and side by side, they walked over to the hammock.