And that’s exactly what I did.
A few hours later, as I was climbing onto my mule—a stout fellow named Clumsy—I started to think that maybe that wouldn’t be so hard after all. With so much jam-packed into our schedule, it shouldn’t be too hard to distract myself for a while.
The views and the fresh air were amazing, trotting along a narrow cliff-side trail, and I was surrounded by people who’d become…friends, and who were being their usual ridiculous selves. Ed and Eddie were wearing matching cowboy outfits today, right down to their red leather boots, authentic western hats—even their fanny packs.
Josie seemed to have no fear, leaning sideways, backward, and all around, holding her phone out to capture images of her on muleback with the rainbow canyons in the background. She’d come a long way since her first accidental live video, and any day, I expected her to announce her intentions of becoming a travel influencer.
Patty and Denise were discussing wedding plans for Vegas, and the usually fearless Babs was clinging to her mule like it was a buoy in the middle of the ocean.
Everyone was drinking their water, including me, having learned my lesson back at the Arches. We all helped each other with sunscreen and shared snacks and whatever else we needed, and it felt almost normal, like we’d been doing this for forever.
It was weird.
Weird how much like a family they’d started to feel.
How I actually wanted to hear how Ed’s blood pressure had dropped three points since Moab.
Had it really only been a week since we’d all met?
That night, as we gathered in the El Tovar dining room—a dimly lit space with wood-paneled walls and cream-colored tablecloths that gave off a high-end but rustic feel—everyone was in good spirits. Having worked up a heck of an appetite during the mule ride today, we dug into the food with gusto, given our choice of petite filet mignon, oven-roasted duck, or grilled lamb loin chops,
It was surprisingly pleasant after the disaster that was last night’s dinner.
I’d almost reset my heart to normal when Eddie speculated out loud about what Noah was up to.
“He’s probably eating protein bars and drinking beer,” Mrs. Grady answered, stirring her iced tea.
“I don’t think he drinks when he’s on the river,” I said automatically. “At least?—”
I cut myself off.
Because I was correcting his mom about her own son’s preferences.
That was when Babs, ever so casually, asked the question I couldn’t.
“How long is the tour, Christine? Will he make it back to Vegas in time to fly home with you?” She didn’t look over at me.
What are you doing to me, Babs?
I dreaded Mrs. Grady’s answer. Because…I didn’t want to get my hopes up.
The table quieted just a notch.
“Oh, I hope so, seeing as I have another surprise lined up for him…”
I blinked. Why did that statement fill me with dread?
But she just went back to her tea.
Like it was nothing.
Like I was nothing.
For no particular reason, my eyes shot to my phone. Noah hadn’t texted me since he left. Even if he had, I doubted it would come through.
He was probably miles into the canyon by now, living his dream.
I refused to wallow.
