“Who is that?”
“My mom.” He was pretending to be frustrated, but it was obvious from his tone that he was amused.
“Are you guys close?”
“Yeah. My dad passed away when I was twelve, so it’s just been the two of us.”
“I’m sorry. How did he die?” The question was out of her mouth before she thought better of it, something about curiosity and a dead cat rattling around in her mind. But if it bothered Gavin that she asked, he didn’t show it.
“Transport accident.”
She cocked her head. “Transport? Like a delivery service or something?”
“Chopper went down on a training exercise. He was a Navy SEAL.”
“Oh.” Rather than satisfy her curiosity, his answer sparked new questions.
Eva lightly sank her teeth into her bottom lip. “How did your mom feel about you enlisting?”
He slowed the truck, taking an exit for Pottersville and making her think ofIt’s a Wonderful Lifeas the silence stretched out between them. That movie had always gotten to her, but now that she’d had a baby, it resonated more than ever. The life we get isn’t always the life we planned, but it could still be a good one. The silence stretched out uncomfortably. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I ask too many questions.”
“It’s fine.” He came to a stop at the end of the ramp, casting an appraising look at her before checking the empty street for traffic and pulling onto the two-lane road without a light of any kind in sight. “She wasn’t thrilled when I enlisted, no.”
“Then why’d you do it?”
“You ever been up this way?”
He was changing the subject and being none-too-subtle about it. “No. I’ve heard of it, though. Mountains, right? Wilderness?”
“Mountains, lakes, rolling hillside, solitude. Throw in a six-pointed buck and a couple of black bears, you’ve damn near got the best place on earth.”
Her head pivoted toward him. “Bears?”
He grinned. “You don’t like bears?”
“No one likes bears. Bears eat people.”
“They’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”
“I doubt that very much.”
“You’ve just got to make a lot of noise, let them know you’re coming. Nine times out of ten, they’ll stay out of your way.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So only one time out of ten do you get a near-death experience. See your life flash before your eyes, that sort of thing.”
“Bears are cool.”
“Care Bearsare cool.Gummy bearsare cool. Black bears are definitelynot cool.”
“We’re just gonna have to agree to disagree on this one. Now you know everything there is to know about me, so let’s talk about you.”
She blew out air. “I hardly think I know everything about you.”
“You’ve been to my house. I told you about my mom and dad, my job.” He shrugged. “What else is there?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Men really are simple creatures, aren’t they?”
“We are. Your turn.”
