She smiled at me, blinking back tears in her eyes. I kissed her, slower, less urgent than our need the night before.
A thought occurred to me and I broke apart. ‘How’s your ankle?’ I asked. ‘I’m so sorry, I should have asked earlier.’
‘It’s fine, actually.’ She rolled it a few times to demonstrate. ‘No pain at all. I think it was just a mild sprain like you said. But a night’s sleep seems to have worked its magic. That or the expert medical care you gave me.’
‘Right.’
‘What?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Jonah, I can tell there’s something’s on your mind.’
‘It’s nothing, honestly. We can do it another time.’
‘Do what another time? And don’t say nothing.’
I smiled. ‘There’s an ice cave nearby. It’s one of the places I’d include if I ever did run excursions. Originally, I’d planned to show you yesterday. After ice skating. Before Ray and the storm threw the schedule out. I hadn’t planned on us spending the night here. I hope you don’t think it was all a setup just to… you know.’
She smiled shyly. ‘Get me into bed? I know.’ She peeled off the blanket and reached for her clothes. Our jackets had kept our top half of clothing dry underneath in the rain the night before, but her leggings and my trousers had been soaked. I’d hung them over the pole near the front of the tent while we’d slept and thankfully, the little heater had done a great job of almost drying them completely out. ‘Let’s go and see this ice cave.’
‘We can’t.’
‘Why not?’
‘There’s a bit of a long, convoluted walk to get down there, and you need to rest that ankle.’
‘My ankle is fine, honestly.’
‘I don’t want to risk it.’
‘Uh…’ She narrowed her eyes at me. ‘Which one of us isactuallya qualified medical professional in this tent?’
‘You.’
‘Exactly.’
‘You couldn’t even walk on it last night.’
‘We don’t know that. You didn’t give me a chance to try.’
‘You’re upset that I carried you?’
‘God no. That was the most romantic moment of my life. I will be remembering that on my death bed.’
I laughed.
‘OK, let’s make a deal,’ she said. ‘I need to go to the little girls’ room again now anyway, and before you say anything, no, you’re not carryingoraccompanying me there. It’s daylight, I won’t be wandering off any cliff edges, I promise.’
‘I sincerely hope not.’
‘If my ankle is still OK after that, how about we attempt the walk.’
I stared at her dubiously.
‘I promise that I will say if it’s too sore,’ she said, giving me the Girl Scout salute.
33
