Page 8

We walk up the mountain trail. I’ve done this one before, but it was years ago when Ethan and I were still dating. I try not to think about that.

Thankfully, the group is very chatty. They’re all curious about small-town life, and I’m happy to answer their questions about Dogwood Grove. I tell them all about the homemade baked goods at the Grove Grind Cafe, owned by our friend Avery. I tell them about Blake’s pub, which results in a cheer of agreement to have a beer at the Dogwood Den after the hike, and then Blake calls out that the first round is on him, and that really gets them going. I tell them about the great schools and our safety record. I love my town, and I love talking about it.

We stop on a hilltop with a great view of the river and valley below, with Dogwood Grove surrounded by nature. I try to make out the school, wondering what Chase is up to.

Blake calls for a break, and Claudia calls her people to gather around her. She has some team building activity planned for them while they snack.

I separate from the group, finding a flat spot to sit and look at the view. My stomach grumbles and I wish I had a snack too. Claudia was nice enough to give me a spare bottle of water, but I don’t feel comfortable asking her for food too.

“Is this spot taken?” Blake asks, pointing at the ground next to me.

I smile and shake my head. “It’s as free as any other spot on this hilltop.”

I don’t want him to feel obligated to talk to me if he’d rather not.

But he plops down next to me, sitting a smidgen too close.

A whiff of his cologne tickles my nose. It’s fresh and zesty with a spicy nutmeg undertone. It's yummy and sexy, and underneath, there’s a richer scent that is all Blake. I’ve smelled Blake before, but in the past I ignored it. I was married. I never breathed it in and lingered in it. But I’m free now. Now I can let it travel through me, leaving goosebumps in all my sensitive places. Now I can wonder what it would be like to rub my nose against his neck and breathe him all in.

I don’t do it though, that would be weird.

He reaches into his backpack and pulls out a sandwich. He tears it in half and hands one half to me. “Eat.”

I can’t help but smile at his terse bossiness. “Thanks. You sure you don’t mind?”

“I invited you on the hike unprepared. It’s my responsibility to feed you.”

I bite into the sandwich and close my eyes. The mustard and meat flavor combined with the hot sun warming my face, and Blake’s smell still in the mix, is a special kind of pleasure. It’s as if my soul is slowly seeping back into my body, and I’m able to feel joy for the first time in a month.

I open my eyes. Blake is watching me with his intense gaze.

“You were right,” I say. “I did need this.”

He bumps my shoulder with his, practically knocking me over.

I laugh. “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.” He looks down at his feet, and it’s like being in the spotlight and then the light suddenly going out. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?” A weight settles on my chest. I know he's about to start talking about Ethan, and the small amount of peace I managed to find here is about to be ripped away from me.

“I should have called you after… I should have stopped by… At a minimum, I should have made sure that you were alright. That’s what friends do.”

“You were Ethan’s friend first.” I shrug. “It’s normal that you would take his side.”

Blake’s head jerks up and his eyes burn with repressed emotion. “I’m not taking his side. No one with an ounce of morality could take his side. But he is my friend. And you can’t stop your friends from making mistakes.”

My heart warms at him thinking Ethan dumping me was a mistake.

He keeps talking. “And you can’t stay friends with someone for forty years if you can’t swallow your judgment and let them make their own choices.”

I wrap my arms around my knees, feeling the need to make myself smaller. “I know.”

“But I’m also your friend. And I should have checked that you’re alright.”

“Shit,” I whisper, not wanting the others to hear our private conversation. “Do I look that bad?”

“No! You don’t look bad, you just look… lost.”