Too lazy to look for my phone in the endless depths of my bag, I nodded. “Just means we can enjoy our movie even more because I won’t think about having to get up early tomorrow the entire time.”
“Oh, you still have to get up early.”
I frowned, putting the Milk Duds down. This would require my full attention. “But why? I’m not doing anything.”
His trademark mischievous grin stole over his face, and I narrowed my eyes in response. “Why am I getting up early tomorrow?”
“Because we’re going to Sturtevant Falls. It’s in Santa Anita Canyon, so it shouldn’t take us too long to get there.”
Snacks forgotten, I sat up straight. “You’re taking me hiking? Really?”
I loved hiking but didn’t have nearly enough time to go as much as I wanted. I had probably gone about three times in the last year, and I missed it. But I especially missed going with Grayson. He was as much into outdoor sports as I was—at least as I used to be before life took over.
A hike was the best thing he could take me on. No dinner compared.
“It’s only about a three-mile hike, so don’t expect too much. But I haven’t been hiking in years and wouldn’t survive much more than that.”
“I haven’t been in a while either, so it’s perfect.”
He stilled at my words. “Why haven’t you been hiking? You love it and used to do it almost every free weekend. And drag me along too when I was around.”
Grayson had been reluctant at first to accompany me on my hiking trips. But after a few, he’d loved it as much as I did.
I shrugged. There was no denying that I hadn’t been taking good care of myself for years. I’d been too busy making sure the bakery was a success. It moved into the black after only a year of being open, but I always had an excuse not to go. It had been our thing.
“Life got in the way.”
Something I had to remedy when I got back home. Especially since I was planning on asking Willa to become my partner, which would hopefully give me more free time. The bakery had been running smoothly while I was gone, and despite her proclivity for outlandish pastries, she was a damn good baker.
The lights went off, and the projector turned on, ending our conversation. If I hadn’t seen the movie before, I would have had no idea what it was about. Being this close to Grayson and the anticipation of what the next day would bring were too much to concentrate.
He dropped me off at the hotel with promises to be back at six in the morning. I waved him away with a yawn and went to bed smiling.
* * *
Good thingthe hike was short, since I was only wearing sneakers. My hiking boots were collecting dust somewhere in the back of my closet, though who would have thought I’d need them while here?
Grayson looked like he used to. Gone were the suits and fancy shoes. In their place were a T-shirt, jeans, and boots.
I spotted a large scratch on the top of his shoes. “Hang on, are those the boots I bought you for your twentieth birthday?”
“Of course. They’re great boots. Why would I ever get rid of them?”
I didn’t have an answer to his question. Telling him I thought he’d throw everything out that I’d given him seemed wrong. I didn’t know why I’d ever thought he would do something like that.
Grayson indicated for me to go first when we got to a small bridge. My side brushed his front when I walked past—an accident, albeit a welcome one—and I fought hard to push down the sigh that wanted to escape.
There was no reason why I would still be so attracted to him after all these years. Well, there was one. Something I hated to admit to myself but found was becoming glaringly obvious: I was still as much in love with him as I had been then.
The realization made me trip, but Grayson was right there, stopping me from falling on my face. “You okay?”
Embarrassed, I nodded. “Just clumsy.”
His deep chuckle resonated through my body. “I guess that’s one more thing that hasn’t changed.”
I ignored the urge to ask him what else he thought hadn’t changed and forced my attention back on the path. No more embarrassing tripping incidents. We were now walking next to a stream and passed a few small waterfalls along the way.
The hike hadn’t been too challenging so far, and I was enjoying myself. Then again, every adventure Grayson had taken me on had been a win.
