He looked up at me, his expression suddenly serious. ‘You need to have a little bit more faith in yourself.’ He looked down again and finished tying my laces. ‘Right. You’re good to go. Obviously new boots need a bit of breaking in, so we’ll just take it easy today.’
‘Sounds good.’ I lifted one foot at a time and rolled the ankle, getting a feel for the boots. They were snug but not too tight. Supportive. ‘I can handle a short stroll.’
‘Good. We won’t go too far today. Maybe five miles or so.’
‘I’m sorry, did you just say five miles?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I wouldn’t exactly call that short.’
‘It’s shorter than the ten-mile hike I originally planned on taking you on.’
‘And I am grateful for that. It’s just not exactly how I planned on spending my first day off.’
‘Howdidyou plan on spending it?’
‘In bed.’
‘Ah.’ He looked mildly crestfallen. ‘Not with me, then.’
‘Not unless you were in bed with me,’ I said without thinking.
‘Hey, I’m keen. But maybe it’s a bit too soon for that.’
I replayed the last minute of conversation in my head and caught on to what I’d said. ‘I did it again didn’t I?’
‘At this stage, I’d be worried if you didn’t.’
He lifted a backpack out of the truck and put it on his shoulders.
‘We can turn back at any time you want,’ he said. ‘Just say the word.’
‘What’s the word?’
He adjusted the shoulder straps on his backpack. ‘I didn’t mean a specific one.’
‘I know. I was kidding. You know, like a safe word.’
‘A safe word?’
‘Yeah. For when people are… you know.’
‘Robbing a bank?’
‘Uh, no.’ My face crinkled up, and I could feel my cheeks flushing. ‘Not quite. It’s more for when people are…doing it, and if something makes them uncomfortable, or is going too far, they have a safe word they agree on in advance that means stop.’
As I explained I watched his smirk grow larger.
‘You already know what a safe word is, don’t you,’ I said.
He nodded. ‘Uh-huh. But I enjoy watching you squirm.’
‘Jerk.’
He laughed, and put the snowshoes down in front of me. ‘Pop your feet inside these and I’ll tighten the straps.’
I did as he instructed. ‘That was quick,’ I said, when he stood up again a few seconds later.
