“I’m afraid it’s too poetic for my constitution,” I murmur in her ear. “Besides, you came up with it, so you should take the credit.”
She hesitates. “Nah, I can’t say something so cheesy with a straight face.”
“Guys, turn up the volume!” Alain shouts. “You’re finally flirting, and the audience will want to hear it!”
Us, flirting?
Laura guffaws. This is the first time I see and hear her laugh, and it baffles me how much the sound and the sight of it please me.
She draws a breath, points down to the sea and articulates, “Don’t you think this view is the perfect metaphor for an ideal marriage?”
I turn my back to the camera so the viewers can’t see my face contorting with suppressed laughter. “I really do.”
We stand there for a moment longer, then I turn to her. “Ready to head down?”
“Yep.”
I glance back Alain. “You good?”
He waves a hand vaguely, which I take as a yes, and follows us down.
When we reach a rocky incline that feels more dangerous now than it was on the way up, Laura stops and stares at it. “Seriously?”
“Come on.” I offer a hand. “I’ll help.”
She grabs it. Her grip is firm, her palm warm against mine. We keep going like this for a few minutes. Alain seems to be handling the descent better than the climb.
When we reach an even steeper drop, I say to Laura, “I’ll go first. Then I’ll help you down.”
She nods.
I climb down without much difficulty. “OK. Your turn.”
“You sure?” She peers down at me.
“Just trust me.”
I extend my hands. She hesitates only a second before grabbing them. I guide her down with the utmost care, but she wobbles and loses her balance on the last step. I catch her by the waist. Her body brushes against mine briefly before I set her down on solid ground.
“Thanks,” she says, stepping back.
“Anytime.”
My hands still tingle from touching her, just like they did when we danced LeRoc. I shove them into my pockets.
Her cheeks are flushed.
It’s just from the exertion,I tell myself, focusing on the trail ahead.
The rest of the hike is on much easier terrain. Twenty minutes later, we reach the blissfully cool air of the lobby. Alain says he’ll take an hour’s break to wash and rest.
Woohoo! An hour without a camera tailing me!
“First stop, shower,” Laura declares as we enter the room. “Then I’m collapsing until dinner.”
“Agreed.”
The suite has two bathrooms, so we don’t have to take turns. I’m already envisioning the relief of cold water and clean clothes, when someone knocks on the door.
