“I mean work retreat!” I yell. “Work vacation!” I linger at the door, then do my best to summon a stink eye for my friend. “God, it’s really annoying when you know me better than I know myself, did I ever tell you that?”
She smiles. “Yup.”
“There are waffles in the oven,” I grumble.
“Thanks, Cubby,” she answers with a yawn.
Before she can launch any more psychological warfare, I hurry upstairs to pack.
* * *
Chase and Sully take Chase’s truck to the campsite, all the camping stuff filling the rear, and Meg and I follow in her car. The drive takes over an hour, which gives me just enough time to work myself up over Meg’s morning truth bomb.
It doesn’t even really matter if I am falling in love with Chase, honestly. Sure, he’d be kind of the perfect partner for me. We complement each other’s best qualities. He grounds me, and I pull him out of his routine, and when we’re together, we both smile like a couple of drunk fools the whole time. The sex is amazing, and I’m always thinking about him when he’s not there, but if our lives don’t fit together, logistically speaking, then none of that really matters.
It doesn’t matter how good it feels if I know I can’t have him in the end.
When we pull off at the state park where we’ll be camping, I do my best to focus on the moment. Chase and I are here together now, with our best friends, on a gorgeous summer day. The sky is blue, and there’s nothing but rolling green hills and singing birds surrounding us. I damn well intend to enjoy that.
Chase slides a big backpack onto his broad shoulders and offers us a smile. “Everyone ready?”
“Hike takes about an hour,” Sully adds, his voice as deep and steady as Chase’s.
“Mainly uphill,” Chase says.
“But not too steep,” Sully concludes.
“Absolutely.” I hitch my backpack on, trying not to slump with the weight. “Happy campers. Let’s do it.”
Meg adjusts her sunglasses. “I’ll take some shots on the walk, but don’t worry. I’ll make sure to edit out anyone who isn’t Cubby before I post online.”
I mess with the straps on my bag. “It’s true. You might catch me striking a pose here or there. Strictly work-related, though.”
Chase grunts a laugh. “Sure it is.”
Meg laughs with him. “I caught him striking poses on the deck last night with no one around. I think he was pretending to kiss the lake.”
“Hey!” I yelp. “I was rehearsing.” I waggle my finger between them. “Don’t think I’m going to let this alliance form against me without a fight.” I glance at Sully. “You must have some humiliating Chase stories you can share, right?”
Sully scratches his beard. “I guess there was this one time last week.” He starts chuckling. “We were supposed to be working on a kitchen remodel. Chase shows up, and I ask him, you got that fret saw?” He laughs again, shaking his head. “But he only had the coping saw and bow saw, of all the damn things!” When Meg and I stare at him blankly, he gets a little more serious. “Lots of scrollwork in that project, you know?”
I lay my hand over my eyes. “Oh dear God, I’m outnumbered. Maybe we should just start hiking.”
“Sure,” Sully answers. “This way.”
The four of us take off, following a trail that curves and cuts through the tall trees. Immediately, Meg and Sully walk together, chatting happily about the wildlife in this part of the country, Meg’s documentaries, and Sully’s job maintaining state parks. They’re both experienced hikers, and I have to hustle to keep pace behind them, my legs burning.
Chase falls into step beside me. “No hurry. I know where we’re going, if you want to slow down.”
I hitch my backpack, sweating. “I’m fine,” I say quickly. “You’ve all just got those damn long legs.” I glance up at him. “Those sexy tree-trunk legs,” I add.
Chase chuckles. “All right. Well, just say if you want a break.”
I guess my pride is sore because normally, I’d have no problem insisting on taking a break. But with my videos still languishing in unseen corners of the internet, my usual self-confidence is eroding. It’s one thing for my dream career to flop because I can’t find the online audience. It’s a more crushing blow, though, if my long held belief in my own aptitude proves misguided too.
And I know I can do this goddamn hike.
“Oh!” I say brightly, changing the subject. “I almost forgot. I did something for you.”
