Chapter 9
Nine
It was their last night together. The thrill of this morning’s victory had long since faded.
What did their success matter when she’d be leaving tomorrow?
With that dark cloud looming over them, Sarah struggled to maintain a positive attitude as she trailed Beckett through the trees for the night hike he’d proposed so they could get some privacy.
She had no idea where he was taking her, but she was content to follow him anywhere. At least in this.
They’d agreed they didn’t want this thing between them to end.
Now it was time to talk logistics about how a long-distance relationship would actually work.
She was a planner, through and through. It was how she’d succeeded at everything she’d ever set out to do.
Making this relationship work would be no different. She was determined.
But she needed those details.
By now, they were far enough from camp proper that she didn’t think there’d be anyone around to overhear. Time to address the elephant in the room.
“So, I’d say we have a few things to figure out.”
Beckett dropped back, so he could walk beside her instead of in the lead. His strong fingers laced with hers, a grounding touch she needed. “We’re going to figure this out. Where do you want to start?”
“Well, the reality is that I won’t be here after tomorrow.
I’m supposed to meet Taryn in Briarsted to make the swap.
I don’t actually know how I’m getting back to New York since she couldn’t be bothered to let me know the specifics of when she’ll be arriving.
I might have one more night. I don’t know.
It will depend on what time she gets in whether or not I’ll be able to book a train. ”
Beckett was silent for a moment. “I guess we can’t very well sneak you back to camp with her here. And I don’t know that I’ll be able to get away tomorrow night. But maybe I can work something out. Just so that we can have another night.”
This was the game they been playing for days Coming up with crazy plans and bargaining chips to buy them just a little more time.
Sarah sighed. “It’s going to suck only seeing each other every few weeks.”
“Especially with the shit Wi-Fi and reception up here. That’ll make it harder to talk.”
Ugh. She hadn’t thought of that.
“I guess we can go old school and write letters. That might be romantic in some aspects.”
“An epistolary romance is not exactly my idea of a good time. But speaking of writing, you can do that anywhere. What if you found somewhere to lease in Briarsted? Maybe found a part-time job while you finish up your thesis? I mean something at camp is obviously out of the question, because that would clearly expose this whole charade.”
By this point, Sarah had plenty of concerns that they’d get exposed anyway.
It was one thing when she’d been standing in and no one knew her.
But they’d had time to get to know her some, and she hadn’t put as much effort into being her sister she intended.
Mostly because of Beckett. But she didn’t bring that up.
She forced herself to consider what he was suggesting, not just leaping at it because it meant she’d get to see him more often.
“I can certainly look, but I don’t think I’d be able to find a job that would pay enough to cover renting a place without finding a sublet for my apartment in Brooklyn.
And that would be a whole thing. It just makes the most financial sense for me to go back for the rest of the summer, and then take the train out of the city depending on how much time you can get off. ”
He was quiet for a minute, considering. “I guess it makes the most sense for me to come to you. In the name of keeping your sister’s cover.
Seems like that would end up probably costing less than renting a place every time you’re able to come up.
Plus, with my 4-Runner, we won’t be dependent on the train schedule. ”
Sarah didn’t love the idea of not getting out of the city again, but she’d do what she had to do. He was right on both counts.
“Speaking of Taryn’s cover, there’s something else we need to decide.
Are we going to have to stage some kind of a fight before I leave to give a reason for why your’e not going to be all lovey-dovey with Taryn?
After that whole thing with Diego at breakfast the other day, people are clearly noticing. ”
“If it comes to that, Taryn and I can stage it later. Right now, I want to spend the last of my time with you.”
She tipped her head to his shoulder as they walked. “I am fully in support of that plan. Where are we going anyway?”
“It’s a surprise. I wanted to do something special for our last night here.”
What had he even had time to come up with given how busy they’d been with work the past few days?
“How much farther?”
“Not too much longer.”
The sun had almost fully set by the time she heard the dull roar.
Only the faintest orange glow remained in the sky.
Fireflies had begun winking in the depths of the trees.
It made her think of a fairyland. As if Oberon himself was going to stride out of the trees with an invitation into Otherworld.
She laughed at herself. That kind of romantic thought would make people think she’d been an English major instead of a scientist. Still, she lifted her camera to grab a few shots. They might not turn out, but if they did, they’d be stunning.
The roar got louder the more they walked, and she’d figured it out, even before they broke free of the trees to the edge of the lake.
“Firefly Falls.”
Beckett shrugged off his pack. “The one and only.”
Sarah kept going, taking in the scene with wonder.
It was beautiful. The falls ended in a wide pool that was embraced by arms of rock on both sides.
Only the smallest gap—a couple of strides wide—allowed the water to keep flowing on into Lake Waawaatesi beyond.
Thick trees wrapped around all sides, giving a remarkable sense of privacy.
Stars winked above them, a celestial accent for the light show still happening down here.
Beckett cupped her shoulders from behind, skimming his hands down her arms to link with hers. She automatically leaned back against him, enjoying the feel as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. “You had to see this before you left.”
“You didn’t tell me to bring a swimsuit.”
His mouth dropped to her shoulder, nibbling a line along the column of her throat. “No, I didn’t. “
Her body was already beginning to stir. “Do you have ideas, Mr. Hayes?”
His big palm skated down the flat of her belly lingering just above the apex of her thighs. “Absolutely.”
Sarah wished—she really, really wished—that she was able to turn off the analytic part of her brain to simply enjoy this beautiful gift he was trying to give her. But that simply wasn’t how she operated. “Condoms don’t really work in the water.”
Unperturbed, Beckett shifted her hair aside and continued the exploration of her nape with his mouth. “No. But there’s plenty of other pleasure to be had without them. And I brought blankets for after.”
Going skinny-dipping? Making love outdoors, where theoretically anyone could come upon them? It was entirely out of character. The sort of crazy thing her sister would leap at. But maybe this trip was teaching her to embrace that side just a little bit more.
She turned in Beckett’s arms, snaking her own around his neck. “I do appreciate a man who can plan.” She paused and swallowed. “For the record, I’m on birth control.”
Beckett stilled and lifted his head. She couldn’t fully see the intensity of his gaze as he stared down at her, but she felt it. “I haven’t been with anyone since my ex, and that’s been months. I’m clean.”
Sarah rose to her toes, bringing them chest to chest, mouth to mouth. “Okay then. Let’s make the most of this.”
And for the next several hours, that’s exactly what they did.
“I did not anticipate that I’d need to utilize Mission Impossible tactics to get my stuff out of here unseen.”
Beckett couldn’t even smile at Sarah’s joke. Not today. Not when they were on their way to meet her sister for the official swap. Not when she was leaving.
Instead, he scanned their surroundings, checking to make sure no one else was around the staff parking lot before urging her forward, toward his 4-Runner, which he’d moved as close to the treeline as possible last night. “Go, go, go.”
They broke cover, hustling to open the doors and toss her bags into the backseat. Less than a minute later, he was pulling out of the parking lot and onto the long, winding gravel road that led down from Camp Firefly Falls to the highway that would take them past Boone’s and on into Briarsted.
From the passenger seat, Sarah watched her phone instead of the scenery. “Surely, once we get to better service, I’ll get the message about where and when we’re actually supposed to meet, right?”
She’d been asking variants of the same question for the last two days, having expected a text or email with details about her sister’s flight and a firmer plan for the switch.
But there’d been nothing. Beckett had watched exasperation morph to frustration at the lack of word from Taryn.
But now there was a tinge of worry underneath the tone.
Was this a matter of Taryn being thoughtless toward her sister, or had something happened? Beckett didn’t know, and he was frustrated on Sarah’s behalf, because he could see how this was affecting her.
Reaching over, he squeezed her leg. “Once we hit the highway, the signal’s better. You can try calling her again.”
And Taryn damned well better answer.
They were both wound up. Today was the end of things. Well, no. Not the end of them. But the end of their everyday. At least for a while. She was due in her thesis advisor’s office next week. In New York. Where that advisor expected her back in the lab.