Maya held up her hands innocently. “All I did was suggest he might want to bring some snacks in case Sam didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast first. Which I thought was a pretty safe bet since they left at 4:00am.”
Maya, Jenn, and Diego all smiled at Noah, while he scowled at all of them.
“Well, I appreciated the gesture, even if it was Maya’s idea,” I said. “I would come over there and thank you properly, but I can’t feel my legs. Tomorrow, we should take a break from mountain adventuring so I can recover. I’ll just spend the day thoroughly documenting the spa.”
“Excellent idea,” said Noah. “I can spend the day recovering my sanity.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening,” said Maya, a dangerous gleam in her eyes. “Victoria wants authentic Colorado content, and that’s exactly what you’re going to give her.”
“But I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow. Seriously. In fact, I may be crippled for life.”
“No problem,” said Noah. “I know an authentic Coloradoadventure you can take, and you won’t have to walk a single step.”
A sense of dread washed over me as the hint of a smile crept over Noah’s face. “Why not?”
“Because tomorrow you’ll be rafting all day.”
“You’re taking me rafting?” My eyes widened in horror.
“I’m not taking you anywhere. You’ll be in Diego’s very capable hands from here.”
Diego waved, his expression far too cheerful for someone about to expose themselves to glacier cold river water. “I hope you’re a strong swimmer.”
I turned back to Noah. “You’re not going?” For some reason, the thought of Noah not being there left me feeling strangely disappointed.
“My role in this little authentic Colorado adventure is done. Jenn and Diego will take it from here.” Noah started heading out the door. “Come on, Yeti.” The wolf-dog padded after him.
“Where are you going?”
“Got to grab my toolkit and go fix the Jeep. Then I’ve got another tour group after lunch. People who actually appreciate a little outdoor adventure.”
“And what am I supposed to do the rest of the day?”
“I don’t know. Probably something that involves putting cucumbers on your face.” He turned back around and was gone.
“So he really made you muffins?” asked Jenn.
“They were actually delicious,” I confessed. “He even used orange zest.”
Jenn and Diego exchanged another look, conveying an entire conversation with just their eyes.
Diego leaned forward. “He made you the ones with the orange zest?”
“Yes,” I said again. “Why? Doesn’t he make muffins for all of his morning tours?”
Jenn nearly spit out her sip of coffee, then started choking.
Diego only shook his head.
“Well, still. Maya made him do it.”
Maya shrugged. “Honestly? I figured he’d just bring a couple of stale granola bars.”
Chapter Seventeen
Defying the laws of vehicular physics, the resort’s activity shuttle wound down a dirt road that grew narrower with every hairpin turn.
“Last stop for river adventures, miss.” The shuttle driver pulled into a clearing alongside what I could only assume was the River Styx, where the damned, the doomed, and the dead were ferried off to hell. “Enjoy your float.”
