Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Hurley
“Okay, I’ll do it.”
We’re halfway down the mountain when Shenna makes her proclamation.
Lisa and Dave are ahead of us, pausing at Whispering Falls to take selfies.
“You’ll do what?” I ask, sure that she’s not talking about what I hope she’s talking about.
“Marry you, dummy!”
I stop and turn around to study her. I gotta make sure she’s not joking. The sun is hitting her annoyed face in a way that lights up her eyes, and I finally notice she’s taken out those god-awful colored contacts. Her cheeks are flushed from the fresh air and the effort of the hike.
I knew it.
I knew it this morning when she let me change the bandages on her blisters and didn’t argue when I applied blister pads and moleskin. She seemed … softer this morning.
“You took out your contacts,” I say.
Shenna squints at me. “No doy. And I got rid of the lashes, okay? It’s the best I can do.”
“You look good.”
I turn and keep heading down the trail.
She scoffs. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“About what?” I keep my eyes on the hikers ahead of us so she can’t see me smile. Because it’s a huge, dumb, dufus-y smile, for some reason.
“Me accepting your proposal!”
“I’ve got clients up ahead who haven’t been instructed on waterfall safety. I need to catch up before they accidentally discover the dangers of slippery algae and currents. We can jump up and down and squeal about it later, okay?”
“My word, you’re an ass,” Shenna replies. I can’t see it, but I can hear the smile she’s hiding, too.