Cole is walking through the lobby with his own backpack and an insulated food bag when I find him. He surveys my attire and smiles at my answer. He doesn’t break eye contact as he nears.
“I’m glad you decided to join me.”
Damn, he looks good in athletic wear. “I’m trying to be more open to new experiences.”
“Well, I have a lot to show you,” the insinuation makes me want to run to the campground if it means he’ll make good on that promise.
“I’ll hold you to it.”
He leans in a little and whispers. “Please do.” He tilts his head, motioning for me to follow him. He continues to talk once I fall into step. “I have food for dinner and breakfast. Have you had lunch?”
“Yes, I ordered room service. I was in a wrap mood.”
“Which one? How was it?”
“Chicken bacon ranch. It was good. Fresh. The bacon was crispy in all the right ways. Just note that the ranch should go on the side for room service orders. I didn’t eat it immediately and it was starting to get soggy. I don’t care about such a thing but others have texture issues. I only point this out since my order came directly to me because I’m the only person here.”
“And when we have more people, the deliveries will take longer. We should do it for all sauces then. Thank you for honest feedback.”
“Of course. I want your baby to succeed.”
Cole stops walking and looks down at me. “I really appreciate that.”
He’s touched and I wasn’t trying. It warms my heart to know I said something meaningful to him.
I follow him up a path that cuts between trees. “For safety, I’ve had a path created so someone could never get lost, " he explains as we navigate through the foliage.
“It’s a good idea.”
We chat about random things as we make our way to the clearing about forty-five minutes later. It’s a big clearing where I’m sure several people can camp out.
“Here we are,” he announces. “The plan here is to have space where several people can camp out but still have some sort of privacy. I didn’t want to mess with nature too much though.” He puts down the food and takes off his massive backpack. “Acampsite is marked by the firepits we’ve set up. The aim is to have as much control over the fire as possible.”
“That’s understandable.”
“And for the land on the opposite side, I want to create a glamping environment.”
“That’s cute.”
Cole nods. “Yeah, I gotta attract the brunch girlies.”
I don’t know if it’s his word usage of the dry way he said it but I burst out laughing.
“You’re hilarious.”
He winks at me and starts taking stuff out of his big backpack. I move over to help him, follow instructions as he gives them to me. It takes us about an hour to set up camp because neither one of us are pros but we have fun doing it.
I used to roll my eyes when people would say it but Cole just showed me that it truly isn’t about what you do and has everything to do with who you’re with. Without going into deep comparison mode, I know for a fact that Adam and I would have argued if we had to complete the same task.
Even with some of the residual hurt, I can truly say I’m happy that chapter is closed. Cole uses his shirt to wipe his forehead and brings me right back to my current mission. I want to jump his bones.
“We get to watch the sunset,” he gushes, completely unaware that my thoughts went south.
His upbeat personality is damn near contagious. Going with the feeling, I walk up to him and hug him. Cole releases a content hum as he wraps his arms around me. His hug makes me feel cared for and safe. I don’t know why but it does. This level of peace can’t be taught. I breathe in the mix of his scent and the outdoors as his big hand rubs my back. I love that he’s not rushing me or disengaging from the hug. He plants a sweet kiss on my forehead then rests his chin atop of my head.
“This is nice,” I admit.
“It is,” he agrees. “It’s just the two of us in nature. Thank you for trusting me.”
