Page 77 of Keep On Loving You

“I’m hoping you came here to tell me it was a mistake and I don’t need to do it at all.” Just thinking about the backpacking trip sent her pulse racing. It was far more terrifying than anything she’d done already—and that included jumping off the bridge and dancing a sexy salsa in front of the crowd combined.

“Sorry, Kat. But I did come here to give you this.” He handed her a small bag. “The package isn’t to be opened until the first night.”

“Wait.” Her head jerked up. “Thefirstnight? I thought Ionly needed to do one night.” Kat wanted to yell, but she kept her voice low. She really couldn’t deal with her siblings knowing about the backpacking trip. Not tonight, of all nights. It was far easier to keep it to herself.

His smile was kind. “That is the requirement, yes. But your father did hope you might stay out for a bit longer.”

Automatically, she shook her head. “Oh, there’s no?—”

“Don’t make a decision now.” He stopped her with a gentle touch on her arm. “You can wait and decide later. Maybe even once you’re there. Remember, it’s not meant to be opened until you’re there. Whenever that is.”

She looked down at the bag and back at him. “I don’t know when…I haven’t really decided…”

“You don’t need to tell me anything.”

They were quiet for a moment, neither of them speaking while the festival wound down around them. The band was finishing up their set, which meant soon, the lights would come on, and everyone would head home.

After a moment, Steven’s smile dipped a little. “Are you okay, Kat?”

The question was so unexpected coming from him, that Kat almost laughed until she saw his serious expression. She swallowed hard. “Of course. I’m fine.”

“With all of this, I mean,” he said. “You’re handling it okay? I know that…well, I can’t help but notice you haven’t been to your father’s grave lately.”

Automatically, Kat took a step back. “How…how did you know?”

“It was a guess, mostly.” Again, his smile was kind, if nota little sad. “I visit myself, and I know you usually leave fresh flowers when you go.”

It was true. Kat had made it a point to visit her father’s grave on the second Friday of every month, the same day that she would have gone for their father-daughter lunch date.

“I’ve been…” Dammit. The tears that were threatening earlier slipped out. She swiped at her eyes. “I’ve been busy. It’s been a lot.” She shook her head and took a deep breath before looking at Steven again. “I’m fine.” She stepped back, the conversation over as far as she was concerned. “Thank you for this.” She lifted the bag containing the mystery package. “Is that everything?”

The older man nodded slowly. “Just try to remember that your relationship with him was as unique as this list is. He had a reason for everything. And if you take time to let yourself, you’ll see what those reasons are.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

For the week following SummerFest,Kat did a champion job of ignoring everything she didn’t want to deal with, including the fact that Andy was sleeping in the spare room instead of her bed. He said it was because he needed sleep in the week leading up to him leaving with the ski team for a training camp in Switzerland, but given the fact that he hardly touched her and wouldn’t look her in the eye, Kat knew it was because of their fight in the alley.

It wasn’t so much of a fight as a disagreement. Not that the semantics of it mattered. Not when it was evidence that the two of them were on very different pages.

At least Andy thought they were.

She just needed him to leave well enough alone until she could get through her list and put her father’s death behind her once and for all.

Then maybe she’d have the capacity to deal with the inevitable fallout from her family.

Still, when she looked across the backyard at the big house where they’d all gathered for the weekly family dinner, the last one before Symon and Andy would leave for training camp in a few days, Kat couldn’t think of a world where her family—Craig specifically—would be okay with her dating Andy.

She sighed and tipped her head back to the afternoon sun and tuned out the hustle and bustle of the family around her as some of them prepared dinner on the grill, and others set the large patio table so they could enjoy the beautiful late summer day and eat outside.

It was August already, which meant the days were starting to get shorter. Soon, the nights would get cool. Especially up in the mountains. And that meant, if she was going to complete her list, she needed to get moving.

Kat had done a good job pushing thoughts of the backpacking trip out of her head ever since acquiring her gear. And the mystery package Steven had given her. That was still sitting on the hall table, where she was reminded every day of the challenge ahead of her. All she had to do was tie up her hiking boots and choose one of the trails Kane had suggested.

“Kane! Come sit over here.”

Kane?

Kat’s eyes flew open, and she lifted her head to see Kane Nelson walk into the backyard. He held a bottle of wine in one hand, and a bouquet of flowers in the other.

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