“Out here, Colin,” David called. “We’ve got coffee and pastries. Oh!” As Colin moved to join them, munching his cinnamon roll, David added, “I see you have one already.”
“He stolemine,” Nate complained, then moved past Colin and into the stateroom. “I’m getting my coat! It’s cold out here.”
Colin leaned against the railing and gazed ahead. The ship moved down what appeared to be a wide river with towering mountains on either side, topped by snow-covered peaks that sparkled in the sunlight. He shivered as the chilly air touched his skin and accepted a mug of coffee from David’s hand. For several minutes he stood, sipping his coffee as the beauty of the Alaskan landscape drifted past him. Then, as he lifted the mug to his lips to drain the last of it, he felt a warm body press against his back and smiled.
“I’m going to assume that’s not Nate.”
“Damn right, it’s not,” Nate told him from where he stood at David’s side.
Joshua chuckled and inched under Colin’s arm to stand beside him. “My god, this is so beautiful!”
Colin nodded and handed Joshua what was left of his cinnamon roll. “You finish this while I shower.”
Joshua took the sticky treat from Colin’s hand, accepted his kiss, and watched him wander toward their stateroom. “How long ’til we get to the glacier?”
“They didn’t say,” David told him. “But I suspect it’ll be an hour or so.”
“Look, David!” Nate cried, pointing. “Isn’t that an eagle?”
The three men craned their necks to look as the eagle soared overhead, its wings outstretched against the blue sky. “It sure as hell is,” David replied. He wrapped an arm around Nate, who stood before him and pulled him back against his body.
Joshua leaned against the railing, drawing in deep breaths, soaking in the fragrant air, eyes fixed on the dense forests that clung to the slopes of the mountains. He silently pointed to a glacial stream that tumbled down the mountainside, its small waterfall adding a gentle melody to their passage.
“What did I miss?” Colin asked, returning to the balcony.
“We saw an eagle!” Nate told him.
“We see eagles all the time at your cabin,” he replied, referring to David’s comfortable cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains, which they frequently visited.
“This was anAlaskaeagle, Colin!” Nate snapped. “That’s different!”
Colin smirked and then indicated the water surrounding them. “Is this a river?”
“It’s a fjord,” David told him. “It’s the Tracy Arm Inlet.”
Colin nodded, then draped an arm around Joshua’s shoulders.
“That was a quick shower,” Joshua told him.
“Well, it’s fucking glacier day, so I didn’t want to dawdle.” He accepted another mug of coffee from David, then leaned on the railing next to Joshua and stared at the spectacular view. “Theairhere!” Colin remarked.
“I know! It smells so good.”
Colin sat his mug down. “Need something. Be right back.”
Nate leaned out over the balcony’s railing, trying to peek around the ship’s bow to see further ahead. “Nate, you’re going to fall overboard,” Joshua cautioned.
“Davy’ll catch me,” Nate told him, still leaning forward. “Damn boat’s too big! I can’t see around it.”
Joshua felt a warmth settle around his shoulders and half-turned to see Colin sliding into his own jacket. “Put that on,” Colin told him, tugging on the sleeve of Joshua’s jacket. “It’s chilly out here, and it’ll be way chillier soon.”
“Why will it be chillier soon?” Nate asked him. “The sun’s out.”
Joshua bowed his head, quivering with laughter.
“Do you know what a glacier ismadeof, Nathanial?” Colin asked.
“Of course I know!” Nate exclaimed, halfheartedly punching Colin’s shoulder.
