CHAPTER 24
T he snow was falling so fast that Ava could barely see her hand in front of her face as she hiked down the trail with Justin.
It seemed like each step was getting harder and that it was taking them forever to make any progress. She refused to let herself panic, but the worse the weather got, the more worried she became.
“Test, one, two, three,” Ava said, testing the voice-activated mic in her helmet. “Justin, can you still hear me?”
Justin nodded. “Yeah, can you hear me?”
She gave him a thumb up. “Yes.”
“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” Justin asked. “I feel like we’ve walked more than two miles.”
“I know. It feels like we’ve been walking forever and hardly moving at the same time, but this is the right way.” Ava said. “This is the only trail to the restaurant. We should be close.”
“Okay, I’ll take your word for it,” Justin said. “What kind of restaurant is this to be out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“That’s the charm,” Ava said. “It originally was a private home, this big, beautiful log cabin on fifty acres that was turned into a special occasion restaurant.”
“What’s a special occasion restaurant?” Justin asked.
“You know, a restaurant for birthdays, anniversaries, proposals, and things like that,” Ava answered. “Special occasions.”
“Got it.”
“The owner and chef, Samuel, said he wanted to create an experiential dining experience, someplace you could go to get away from it all,” Ava continued. “He wanted something small and intimate, a place where you could leave all your worries behind and just enjoy a culinary journey.”
“Wow, he should pay you to do his PR,” Justin said. “You make it sound great.”
“It is, and so is he,” Ava said. “I’ve known him my whole life.”
“So, you’ve been here before?”
“Yes, when I was growing up, but it has been a long time.”
“This is good,” Justin said.
“The restaurant?”
“No, talking. It’s taking my mind off the fact that we’re—”
“We’re stranded on a mountain in the middle of a snowstorm,” Ava finished for him.
“Exactly. What other stories do you have?”
“No, I’ve said enough. It’s your turn to entertain me,” Ava said.
Justin brushed some snow off of himself. “My life is pretty boring.”
“You said you’ve traveled all over the world. That sounds pretty amazing to me.”
“It is. I’m very lucky. I’ve been to sixty countries so far, but I have a lot more to go on my bucket list,” Justin said.
“What was your favorite you’ve been to?” Ava asked.
“You know, everyone always asks me that, but it’s a hard question to answer.
If I just want to relax and disconnect, I love sailing in the Caribbean, island hopping on a small catamaran where the biggest decision I have to make is which beach I want to explore next.
But if I’m looking to be inspired and to be reminded of all the things I have to be grateful for, then Africa, for sure. ”
“Where in Africa?” Ava asked, intrigued.
“I’ve been to a lot of places. South Africa. Malawi. Have you been?”
“No, but my mother has, many times,” Ava said. “We have a lot of royal charities there. I’d love to go some day.”
“You should absolutely go,” Justin said. “Take a trip with your mom.”
Ava laughed. “I don’t see that happening.”
“Why not?”
“Because…we don’t have that kind of relationship,” Ava said.
“The kind of relationship where you travel together?” Justin asked, sounding confused.
“The kind of relationship where we do anything together.”
They walked a few moments in silence.
“It’s complicated,” Ava finally added.
“Then uncomplicate it,” Justin said. “It shouldn’t be that hard for a mother and daughter to travel together—”
“Except when your mother is the queen,” Ava said.
“Well, I admit, that’s something I know nothing about,” Justin said. “Your turn.”
“For what?”
“To tell a story,” Justin replied.
“I’m afraid I’m not much of a storyteller,” Ava said as she tried to get the ice off her face shield again.
“Really? So, I guess it doesn’t run in the family.”
“What do you mean?” Ava asked.
“Your mother is a great storyteller,” Justin said.
Ava tried to look at him, but she could barely see him through the snow. “How do you know that?”
“Because at all the charity events where I’ve seen her speak, she always tells a personal story and draws people in.
I think that’s why she’s so relatable and people love her so much.
She doesn’t act like some royal figurehead who’s different from everyone else.
She tells stories that help get her point across. You’re in a lot of them.”
Ava, shocked, abruptly stopped walking. “Me? What does she say about me?”
“You know, just family stories, things like that,” Justin said as he kept walking.
Ava didn’t move. “No, I don’t know. I can’t imagine what kind of stories she would tell that had me in them. She shouldn’t be talking about our family. That’s private.”
“It’s not bad stuff—it’s good stuff, funny stories,” Justin said as he stopped, too. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset,” Ava shot back at him, though it was clear she was. Her head jerked up when she heard a loud POP , like a gunshot going off. Her eyes widened as she saw a massive, ten-foot, snow-covered tree branch snap off above them and come hurtling toward Justin.
“Watch out!” she screamed, rushing toward him. She shoved him aside just as the branch crashed down, hitting her instead. It landed on top of her, burying her as she collapsed to the ground.