Page 59 of Keep On Loving You

Truthfully, she didn’t blame them. If the roles were reversed, Kat knew she wouldn’t be able to be so patient.

But she was the youngest, and she was fully aware that gave her certain privileges. She might as well take advantage of some of the perks.

She tilted her head back and so the summer sun warmed her cheeks, and let herself enjoy every single second of the moment. When was the last time she’d simply sat in the quiet of the lake’s edge and taken in everything?

Months? Years? Maybe never?

But her painting class instructor, Denise, had told Kat and the other three students who took her Wednesday night class, that part of painting was to sit in stillness and absorb the world around them before they tried to capture it in art.

For a workaholic like Kat, the first few times she’d tried doingnothing,she’d struggled more than she’d expected to. But her brain just wouldn’t shut off. What about her clients? Or the books? Had she ordered all the product she needed for the shop? Andy.

Just. Andy.

It took a little bit of time, but after a little while she got it. Mostly.

She inhaled deeply, letting the fresh lake air fill her lungs before exhaling and opening her eyes to the scene before her.

The lake was quiet for a late July afternoon. She could make out a rowboat with a fishing line cast over the side, off in the distance, and a few ducks swimming along the shore. But beyond that, the water was flat, and the mountains reflected beautifully in the still water.

Capturing the reflection was the hardest part, and she’d been taking her time working to get it just right so she could get some feedback from Denise at the next class.

Kat dabbed her brush in the paint, touched it to the canvas and repeated that a few times before sitting back and letting her vision scan the horizon again.

After a moment, she blew out a sigh and put the brush down on the easel before standing up and stretching out the kinks in her spine.

She was procrastinating, and she knew it. On the painting, on the day, on…well, everything.

But only because before she’d driven up to the lake, Kat made the decision—and then worse,toldAndy—that she was going to start looking into the logistics of her overnight solo camping trip.

It shouldn’t be a big deal.

But it was.

The idea of hiking alone in the woods with all the bears, mountain lions, and all sorts of other critters was enough to scare her. But camp? Overnight? By herself?

Oh, hell no.

She’d never been a camper, much to her father’s disappointment. Although all the other kids liked to pack up and trek out into the woods, Kat almost always chose to stay home with their mother—who also wasn’t a camper.

It wasn’t until after her mother died that Kat would reluctantly allow herself to be dragged along. But that was only because there was no other option.

She hated every moment of it, and she wasn’t afraid to let everyone know about it. It didn’t take long before her dad started to arrange sleepovers for her with a friend, so the rest of them wouldn’t have to be subjected to Kat’s constant complaining.

Looking back, maybe she should have tried harder. But it wasn’t just that she didn’t like to camp. That would have been something she could deal with. But she was actually terrified of it. Huddling in a sleeping bag with only a thin piece of nylon between her and whatever was out there inthe dark shadows kept her up all night when she was young. She’d toss and turn and drive herself crazy with an overactive imagination of what might happen to her if she so much as moved the wrong way.

Kat never told anyone how scared she was, certain they’d all make fun of her. After all, she was born and raised in the mountains. It was ridiculous that she was afraid of them. But then, as they got older and the camping trips naturally stopped on their own, there was never a need to tell them the truth.

Until now.

Of course, only Andy knew that a solo camping trip was on her list, and Kat planned to keep it that way. At least until it was done and she could put it all behind her. Telling the others would only ratchet up her anxiety. No doubt they’d have questions, and they would absolutely have concerns. It was best to keep it to herself until it was done and over with.

But it was never going to be over with if she didn’t get over herself and at least start looking into what equipment she needed. As far as first steps went, it was a small one. But it would have to do for now.

“I can’t put it off forever.” She spoke to a robin who’d found a snack in the grass nearby. The bird looked at her, snatched up the worm it was working on, and flew away.

“Okay.” Kat laughed. “I can take a hint.”

Twenty minutes later, she was walking through the doors of Summit Style. Run by Kane and Krysta, a brother and sister, the shop was the hub for all things outdoor activities,which meant that in a town like Trickle Creek, it was a very popular place.

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