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“I wanted more children, and Ethan didn’t. And soon she’ll be pregnant, and I’ll be…”

I can’t talk as I struggle to breathe.

“You don’t know that.”

“Neither do you.”

Scarlett lets out a deep sigh. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Amelia.”

She holds my head on her shoulder, and I cry until I have no tears left.

I wake up early. After I cried my eyes out and Penny went to sleep last night, Scarlett and I emptied a bottle of wine. I’m not hungover per se, but I feel spent. Like all those tears have taken my very essence and there’s not much of me left.

I get dressed in leggings, a formfitting T-shirt, and a sweatshirt to fight off the early-May morning chill. I don’t have any clean work clothes left in this closet. I guess I won’t have that problem next week when Ethan drops off a big box of all my stuff. That is, if he hasn’t given it to Charlotte yet.

All the tourists will be wearing their hiking gear anyway, so I don’t care about being casual. And I’m not expecting anyone at the office today.

I meet the group in front of my office. It’s dark inside, still too early for Ethan to show up. I give them my little speech about the benefits of physical exercise and the beauty that they’re about to witness. The air is crisp and refreshing, and I expect they’ll have perfectly clear skies. Then I tell them to follow me to the big parking lot where two vans wait for us. We divide into two groups and drive off.

The drivers give their usual tour, pointing out all the local spots as we pass on our way up the mountain. When we arrive at Parking Lot A, I spot Blake’s ancient—he's had that truck for as long as I've known him—black Ford pickup through the van’s window, and my heart starts to race.

Blake is leaning against his truck, arms crossed over his chest. His arms are bare despite the chill. And they bulge. Everything about him is large. He’s not handsome like Ethan, he’s too rough. But he’s got a pronounced brow over hazel eyes that have an unnerving way of staring. Those eyes pierce through me as I exit the van, and I have to look away.

I lead the group to gather in front of him. He gives them a speech of his own, mostly about safety protocols while out on the trail. Finally, he claps his hands, ready to go.

I say goodbye to Claudia, the group’s HR manager, and tell her that I’ll meet them back here in five hours.

But Blake approaches me. “Come with us.”

It’s not really a question. Blake can be bossy. We tease him about it a lot.

A wave of homesickness hits me. I miss my friends.

But I also have work waiting for me at the office.

“I have to go. But I’ll be back in time to pick them up.”

Blake grabs my elbow. A zing of electricity shoots up my arm as he pulls me aside to talk privately.

“A walk would do you good.”

I subconsciously rub my face. How bad do I look? “I’m fine.”

“You could use some fun.”

I laugh at that, but not a funny laugh, a you-must-be-joking laugh.

But his face is dead serious.

“Yes, come with us,” Claudia says, and a few of her coworkers cheer.

I raise my hands up in the air. “Fine.”

I like hiking. And Blake who was my bartender, knows you don’t have to ask me three times when it comes to having a good time.

“I’ll take the lead. You take up the back.” Blake grins as he walks past me to the front of the group.

“Let’s go,” I say to Claudia with a shrug.