Page 2 of The Catcher
“Yeah, yeah. You’re saving yourself for marriage. You want it to be special. I got it.”
“Sam.”
“I’m on the same page.”
Inwardly he groaned, pondering why any deity in the sky gave two craps about what humans did. It was akin to humans worrying about ants. Still, according to her family —yep —the big cheese did. Isabella came from a religious background, church every Sunday; him, not so much. His parents were all about free love, sowing your wild oats, and living life in the now because it was too short.
“Honestly, I don’t get the appeal of this. I like hiking, skiing, and whatever, but trekking through the woods…it’s just so…”
“You’re hiking.”
“Off the beaten path.”
“What is that quote by Robert Frost you keep telling me? Something about two roads diverging in the woods.”
“But we’re not on a road.”
“Isn’t that the point of adventure?”
“Maybe, but I don’t want to end up a missing person or soaking wet,” she said, looking up at the gloomy fall sky. That was her, Ms. Adventure when it was convenient. Everyone online was making out they were adventurous. Half of them talked the big game, but when push came to shove, they bailed.
He laughed. “You’re not seeing the bigger picture, Isabella,” Sam said, gesturing to the dense forest around them. “It’s a treasure hunt, and not far from here, hidden in these woods, treasures are waiting to be found. It encourages people to get out. Besides, they’re everywhere, just waiting for someone to discover them. Take a look,” he said, lifting his phone to show her a map. “All those dots represent a geocache.”
“That’s a lot.” Isabella wrinkled her nose, a hint of skepticism in her voice. “I don’t know, Sam. The idea of wandering around in the middle of nowhere, searching for hidden containers, sounds like a time waster, let alone a disaster waiting to happen.”
Sam chuckled, shaking his head. “That’s the thrill of it! It takes you off the beaten path to places you might never have explored. And the best part is, you can find them all over the world. It’s one massive global treasure hunt.”
Isabella raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued despite her reservations. “All over the world?”
Sam nodded. “From bustling cities to remote wilderness areas like this, geocaches can be found just about anywhere. It’s like a secret world waiting to be discovered.”
Isabella couldn’t help but smile at Sam’s enthusiasm. “Well, I suppose it does sound kind of intriguing. I hope it’s worth it. We’ve been hiking for two hours, and I’m getting hungry.”
“That’s why I brought food.” Sam grinned, taking her hand in his. “Trust me, Isabella. Once you see it, you’ll be hooked. And who knows? Maybe we’ll stumble upon a hidden gem in these woods.”
He stopped to wipe sweat from his brow. Although the temperature had dropped, it was easy to work up a sweat out there.
“Are we close?”
Sam glanced down. “According to the GPS coordinates, it should be right up here,” Sam said.
“Does that give you the exact position of it?” she asked, gesturing to Sam’s phone.
Sam grinned, tapping on the screen. “Not exactly. That would take the fun out of it. This app uses GPS technology to pinpoint the rough location of the geocache. We still have to find it once we arrive.”
“And what if nothing is there?” she asked.
“There will be,” Sam replied, his eyes alight with enthusiasm. “Relax.”
They pushed through the undergrowth, the anticipationmounting with each step. And then, suddenly, Sam stopped.
“Are we here?”
He nodded, his eyes surveying the area.
There, nestled among the roots of an ancient tree, was a container. It was covered in moss and camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings. Sam knew where it was, but he was curious to see if she could spot it.
“Do you see it?” he asked.
