Page 8 of When Glitter Meets Gold

I scramble to arrange what comes next with the few brain cells I have left.

I dither and shuffle as I think of any trail I can scrape from the dusty corners of my memory. But none exist. Due to the fact that I’m not a hiker.

“Oh,” I exclaim as a foggy recollection surfaces.

The image of the pop-up from the other night blurs in my subconscious. The advert for the trail, what was it called?

What was it? What was it?

OH!

“The Maine trail,” I blurt victoriously.

Astounding silence follows.

Apart from Amber, who utters a strangulated, “What?”

“Do you mean the Appalachian trail?” Drew scratches his head.

Oh. Is that what the Maine trail is?

“Sure.” My laugh is shrill. “A small section of course. A favorite amongst hikers in fact.” I gnaw on my bottom lip, wishing I could remember exactly what that damn pop-up said. The wilderness walk? The valley trail?

“The Narrow Valley Wilderness Hike?” Raj offers.

I slap him on the arm. “The very one. Great, you’ve heard of it.”

Raj rubs his shoulder. “Yeah, I sent you a pop-up…”

I ignore his comment and focus on breathing oxygen.

“If it’s the one I’m thinking of, then it’s the coolest.” Drew gazes at me in a way he’s never done before. It’s something that borders with admiration and intrigue. All I want is for everyone to disappear so we can be alone, and I can swoon over the way he’s watching me.

“The Narrow Valley what?” Walter shakes his head, squinting at me again.

Drew steps into the center of the circle and begins to list off things about this trail. A distant voice of reason tells me to pay close attention. “It’s this awesome hike. Man, I’ve wanted to do it for years. Takes what”—he glances at me—“five days? A week? Anyway, it’s in Maine. There are waterfalls, beautiful scenery, some pretty gnarly ravines, and the rapids can chew a person up.” He laughs. “And there’s a whole stretch where they say you don’t meet another person. Hey, when do you set off?”

Francis chimes in when I don’t reply. “You’ve got a vacation in a couple weeks. Is that when you’re doing it?”

Leave it to the receptionist to know my every move.

I nod slowly as I recall the week I’d scheduled off to visit Boston. A week of shopping and facials and multiple hair appointments. “I mean, I don’t have the exact details yet…” Heat pools at the back of my neck while my palms turn clammy.

“Do you even know how to camp?” Kandi smirks. “You know you have to camp, right? If it takes a week. Or were you planning on checking into one of the hundreds of hotels on route?”

Amber coughs, her elbow jabbing into my side. “I just realized I have to tell you something…about a…thing. Shall we go back upstairs real quick?” I nod, grateful for the escape route, but also scared of the grilling I know awaits. “Great, meet you upstairs.” She relentlessly taps the elevator button without breaking fierce eye contact with me.

Everyone shuffles off. All but Walter, who hangs back. He tilts his head toward me, his expression softening a little. “You’re really serious about this, Kirby. Never thought I’d see the day. I guess I was wrong about you. Sounds like a tough hike, you have my respect.”

My breath catches in my throat. My response is caught between shock and wondering if he merely tossed the words in the air to act as bait. A means of setting me up so that I would utter my thanks so that he could laugh and tell me of course he knew I was only joking, of course he knows I’m not capable of being adventurous or daring.

Yet when the seconds tick by, I discover he’s deadly serious.

He really does respect me.

“Thank you,” I choke out eventually.

And then an axe of guilt and shame rips me down the middle.

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