Chapter 25
CHAPTER 25
“ S o, the cabin’s pretty remote, huh?” I ask, keeping my tone light.
“Yeah. No cell service. It’s quiet. A good place to think—or just… exist. Might not be everyone’s idea of a vacation, but I love it out there. At night, the sky is truly something. You can sometimes even see the northern lights, clear as anything.”
We’re cruising past thinning forests, now mostly spruce and smaller aspen, with patches of farmland that break through the tree line every now and then. The landscape is more open here, framed by distant hills and an endless sky: the foothills.
I raise an eyebrow, my voice teasing but with a touch of nerves. “So… do you often bring girls out here to stargaze?”
“Girls, huh?” He smirks, letting the pause stretch.
“You know what I mean. Have you ever brought a girlfriend up here?”
“Wow, we’re really diving into my past love life now?” He grins before shrugging. “Nope. I haven’t. Yet.” He pauses, thinking for a moment. “I tried once, though. She was too busy with school, and by the time summer hit, I was already out planting. It just… never happened.”
“Who?”
“My ex.”
“How long were you guys together?”
“About a year. We met in Calgary through friends, but she went to Lethbridge for university. We tried to make it work, but the distance was tough. Then I went planting, and three months away made it harder.”
I feel a slight unease at his mention about the distance between them being tough. I don’t know exactly how far away Lethbridge is, but it’s certainly not across the country far .
“She didn’t want to come planting with you?”
He snorts. “She’d never be caught dead in the bush. It was just… physical between us. Took me a while to figure that out. It’s fine, though. She’s moved on. So have I.”
I hesitate for a beat. “Can I ask you something else?”
He glances over, one eyebrow raised. “Shoot.”
“Jessie?”
His shoulders stiffen, just barely. “What about her?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Just curious. About you two. If there’s history.”
He smirks, putting his sunglasses on like it’s no big deal. “We’re friends. Even when she’s busting my ass about how I run my crew. She’s a solid planter.”
“Even though she’s got a crush on you?”
“Does she? Never noticed.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, come on. You don’t notice her practically sitting on your lap at every party? Or how she ran straight to you when you got hurt?”
“She wasn’t the only one who ran over.” His tone is sly, and my face heats up.
“Stop dodging the question, Gabe. Just answer me.”
“Why does it matter?”
“It doesn’t,” I mutter, even though it clearly does.
He shakes his head. “Alright, just ask what you want to ask, Soleil.”
I huff, crossing my arms. “Fine. Did you two ever hook up?” The words tumble out, and my heart is pounding. Real smooth.
His lips tug into a faint smirk. I think about the rumours, how Jessie always seems to gravitate toward him at camp, and it makes my stomach churn.
“She kissed me. Once. After I broke up with my ex.”
“And? Anything else that camp doesn’t already know about?”
“No. Nothing. There were no sparks. Even though I was lonely at the time, I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to complicate things between us.”
Relief floods through me, but I can’t stop myself from digging deeper. “Why not? You kissed me. Doesn’t that complicate things?”
“Maybe some things are worth complicating.” His answer is maddeningly straightforward. He pauses, glancing over. “Don’t you think it was worth it?”
I hesitate for a second, my mind totally freaking out over how honest I want to get about that kiss—how incredible it felt, and how I’d risk everything just to do it again. “Yes. But don’t you think it’s risky? I mean, we live in different provinces. You said it yourself that long distance is hard. What if I get that job? I’d have to leave…” I trail off, realizing how real it all sounds. If I hear back from écoForêt soon, I’ll be gone in a few weeks. Maybe this is just a summer thing for him. Maybe that’s all it is.
“I don’t live my life in ‘what ifs,’” he says simply.
I glance out the window, watching the trees blur past. For some reason, his answer settles me. Maybe because it’s nice to know I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes. Or maybe because my heart skips every time I think about a different kind of “what if.”