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She primly emptied a packet of sweetener in her tea. “Not thinking anything.” A buzzing sound came from her phone on the table. She turned it over. Shane. She pressed decline.
“Ouch,” Trent said, pressing his tea bag down with his spoon. “I guess that guy doesn’t have a chance. He called earlier, right?”
Liberty started. Trent had noticed who was calling her?
He put his hand to his chest. “Hey, it’s kinda my job to notice details.”
It annoyed her that Trent was clearly pressing her about personal matters, but it wasn’t a big deal. Shane wasn’t a sensitive topic; they could talk about him. “Shane was one of my fellow teachers at the school I worked at.”
“Oh.” Trent’s tone was benign and soft. “That all?”
She didn’t know why, but she felt like she had to explain herself. “Shane isn’t anything but a friend.”
“He sure calls a lot for a friend.” Trent flashed an innocent smile. “Does he think he’s more than that?”
She hit him with a sarcastic smile in return. “I guess a babe slayer would know that.”
Trent grunted out a laugh. “Can’t get out of the question with an insult.”
Nervous unrest filled her. “I don’t have to answer the question.”
He sipped his tea. “True.”
For a few moments neither of them spoke.
Trent sighed. “About that stupid nickname, my brothers call me that. Sure, I’ve dated my fair share of women, but I don’t pretend to get serious and I don’t lead them on. They know what they’re getting into when we go out.”
“So you wouldn’t be leading me on?” she asked, pouncing on his words.
He tilted his head to the side. “Would you want me to?”
“I told you I wouldn’t even date you,” she retorted.
“Right, you don’t date. Period. But, you seem like you’ve got your thing going with Shane that’s keeping you busy enough.”
His words stung. “It’s none of your business anyway.”
“No, it’s not.”
A wave of nervous angst prompted her to explain. “Listen, he is just a friend. He’s just worried about me right now.”
“Why?” Trent pressed.
“Again, none of your business.”
Trent put his tea down and crossed his arms, all business-like. “You mentioned that.”
The man was so unnerving. She knew she didn’t have to answer to him, but she found herself explaining. “I didn’t mention this earlier, but I just quit my teaching job, sold my house, and after I sell this place, I’m hiking the Appalachian Trail.”
“What?” Trent’s eyes widened. “That’s awesome!” He put a hand in the air for a high five.
Shock filled her; she hadn’t been expecting that response. She laughed and high-fived him back. “Thank you.”
Trent leaned back. “Holy buckets, I didn’t know you were an Appalachian Trail kind of girl.”
The words sent a nervous buzz humming through her. She actually wasn’t sure she was that kind of girl either, but she’d read a book about a girl hiking the trail and how it’d healed her. “Well, I am.”
“That’s great.” He nodded and laughed again. “Dang, that’s gonna be great. I have some buddies who did it a couple of years ago. They loved it. They had blisters and bites and got robbed once, but the stories they tell.”
