“That’s a hard way to find your calling.”
“Yeah, but sometimes the hard things shape us the most.” She met his eyes. “Although I wouldn’t recommend it as a career counseling strategy.”
Nick smiled at that. “The schedule works out okay? With the running and everything?”
“It does. Twelve-hour shifts mean I have stretches of days off. Perfect for pacing Brooke during her races or doing longer training runs.” She shook her head with a slight smile. “She loves telling people I’m her private medical team.”
“You don’t do the races yourself?”
“Ultras? No way. There’s nothing appealing about going thirty hours without sleep and pushing my body beyond the brink. Besides, I like my toenails.”
He laughed outright. Brooke was complaining yesterday about how she was going to lose another toenail. He knew that even hiking in the Wyoming wilderness could be a problem on the feet, but running added to it. Kicking rocks and hitting root stumps was common.
They played in comfortable silence for a while, and Nick studied her hands as she arranged her cards. Capable hands, with short nails and a few small scars.
The same hands that had gripped his jacket when they’d kissed. The memory sent warmth through him.
This wasn’t going away. Whatever had started between them in his SUV was real, whether either of them wanted it to be or not. The question was whether it would survive once they got back to normal life. Whether she’d look at his circumstances in the real world and decide she’d made a mistake.
She was someone who made responsible decisions and followed through on commitments. Everything about her suggested stability and reliability. Meanwhile, he was figuring out his next move one day at a time.
But she’d kissed him anyway. That had to mean something.
“Gina,” he said quietly, keeping his voice low enough that only she could hear.
She looked up, meeting his eyes. “Yeah?”
“About earlier. In the car—”
“I know.” She glanced toward the others, then back at him. “But maybe not now?”
“Yeah, okay.” He nodded, understanding. They were trapped in a building with three other people during a blizzard. Not exactly the time for a relationship discussion.
But her expression softened slightly. “Later, though. When we’re not trying to survive.”
“Later,” he agreed, and felt something settle in his chest. Not certainty, but possibility. She wasn’t running, wasn’t pretending it hadn’t happened. She was just asking for time and privacy to figure out what it meant.
He could give her that.
They played another round in comfortable silence. Then Gina drew a card, looked at it, and groaned. “You’re destroying me here.”
“That’s the game.” He couldn’t help grinning.
“Rematch. Best two out of three.”
“You sure you want to lose twice?”
She laughed at that, her face lighting up with genuine humor, and Nick let himself hope. Maybe this wasn’t just crisis-induced intensity. Maybe when they got back to Irma, there’d be something worth exploring.
Chapter 7
Gina
“What is that?” Brooke asked, stirring from the nest she’d created on the floor. Her face paled at the question. “You hear it, right?”
Gina tilted her head. “The wind?”
“I don’t think so.” Nick was on his feet, cards face down on the floor. “Someone’s at the door.”
