She rolled her eyes, and I saw the flicker of a smile there that told me she remembered that we’d shared a very similar moment years earlier when I’d helped her over a log bridge. But that wasbefore.Less than a year later, she’d shown me her true colors and everything between us had changed.
Without another word, Jess turned away like it didn’t matter. Likenoneof it mattered.
“Let’s keep going,” she said, smiling, and soon, we were all back on track, headed down the trail.
Again, I brought up the rear, but it was fine by me. Iwelcomed the solitude as it gave me space to shake off the feelings I had no business having after holding Jess in my arms. Even if it was for such a short time, and for a completely innocent reason, those feelings should have been long dead.
The rest of the hike moved quickly, and soon we were back at the trailhead.
“That was so good,” Chase said. “Thank you both so much for doing that. I think we learned a lot.”
“We sure did.” Becky turned to me. “And Preston, I really want to thank you for the way you are with Mason and the things he’s learned with your Teens in the Trails group. It was really fun for me to see him like this, and the way his love for the outdoors is growing.”
I glanced over at the kid who hadn’t heard his mom’s praise, as he was currently sitting on the ground wrestling with the puppy, who somehow still had energy to burn.
“He’s a good kid,” I said truthfully. “And a huge asset to our group.”
“I can’t believe it’s over already,” Tilley cried. “That was so much fun. I’m not ready for it to end. We should go for beers to discuss it all.”
I wasn’t opposed to the idea, and to my surprise, everyone else, including Jess, readily agreed.
“Sounds good to me,” Chase said. “Ethan just brewed a new IPA that I’d love to have a pint of.”
“Great!” Tilley clapped. “It’s settled. Let’s meet there in twenty minutes.” She looked at each of us in turn. “Is that enough time?”
“Perfect. I’ll see you all there.” Jess’s smile lit up her face.
It wasn’t until I was in the truck driving away that I realized it was the first genuine smile I’d seen from her in a very long time.
It was nice.
Chapter Six
Preston
Igot to Peaks & Brews first.
My brother wasn’t behind the bar, the way he normally was, but his assistant manager, Jeff, gestured with his head toward the backroom, so I made my way through to where the scent of hops was thick and the large tanks of what was going to be delicious beercooked.
“Hey, brother,” I called when I saw Ethan. He was looking at dials on one of the tanks. “I hope that’s a new summer brew.”
“You’re going to like this one.” He grinned. “That’s exactly what it is. A raspberry sour. Perfect for you mountain biker types.”
I laughed, but he wasn’t wrong. I knew at least a half dozen riders who would love a fresh new sour for the summer.
“What are you doing here?” Ethan scribbled something else in his notepad before tucking it in his backpack and bending down to say hello to Summit. “I thought you had a committee meeting today.”
“We did. A trail hike.”
“Oh?” Ethan looked up from where he had the puppy on his back and was rubbing his belly. “How’d that go?”
My thoughts flashed back to having Jess pressed up against me in the dirt when I saved her from the mud. “Better than expected.” There was no point mentioning that particular detail. “We’re actually moving the meeting here for a debrief. Tilley thought beers would be a good idea.”
“Beers are always a good idea.” He straightened up and dusted his hands. “Go find a table. I’ll bring you a few jugs on the house.”
“I’m not going to turn that down.” I grinned. “Come on, Summit.”
“It’s a good thing you’re my brother.” He shook his head. “Pretty sure I’m breaking a million health codes with that pup in here.”
