Page 46 of My Return to the Walter Boys
“On a field trip.” His tone was teasing, and I knew he enjoyed withholding information too much to give me a real answer.
Old me would have balked at the not knowing, but Cole had a habit of whisking me away on mini adventures, so I trusted him with this.
That was until he led me straight into the boys’ locker room.
“Cole!” I gasped, tugging my hand out of his grip. “I’m not supposed to be in here!”
“Relax,” he said, flipping the light on. “The football team went home hours ago. This is only a pit stop to pick something up, and then we’ll be on our way.”
The floor was slick in places, most likely from the football players showering after their game, and I kept my eyes on the ground as I trailed after Cole, not wanting to step in a puddle. Leaving my heels behind had been a major mistake. We walked past rows of lockers until we reached a small room with a wide window. Through the gaps in the aluminum blinds, I could make out a desk and some filing cabinets. Cole reached for the doorknob.
“Do you really think it—” I cut off when the handle turnedeffortlessly.
With a grin, Cole gave the door a little push, and it swung open. “Coach always leaves the room unlocked so his players can grab the keys and hit the weight room whenever they want. It’s a poorly kept secret.”
“Couldn’t he get fired for that?” I asked, watching him rifle through the top desk drawer. Worse, couldn’t someone get hurt? The more I thought about it, the deeper my frown grew.
Cole shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “He trusts us to—aha! Found ’em.” He held up a silver ring packed with different keys, but before I could protest the theft, Cole was exiting the office, and I had no choice but to follow.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” By my count, we were breaking at least three different school rules, and the trust I’d placed in Cole dwindled further.
He rolled his eyes. “A few months back in New York is all it takes, huh?”
“A few months is allwhattakes?”
“To forget my advice about living a little.” He shook his head like he was disappointed in me.
Oh, that. I huffed in response but dropped the subject as we left the locker room.
When we climbed up to the second floor, I puzzled over where Cole was heading. There was nothing of interest up here, just the liberal arts and foreign language classrooms, but I doubted any of them were ourdestination. I nearly asked where we were going again, but then Cole stopped in front of a door I’d never noticed before. He unlocked it and gestured for me to go first. The temperature dropped as soon as I stepped over the threshold, but I didn’t realize why until I climbed a final flight of stairs.
A gasp escaped my mouth as I stepped out onto the school roof. It was cold enough to see my breath, and once again, I cursed my decision to abandon my heels.
“Here,” Cole said, shrugging off his suit coat and draping it over my shoulders. He went a step further by kicking off his shoes.
“Those look a little big for me,” I said, even as I danced back and forth on my toes, trying to give the frigid concrete less exposed skin to freeze.
“Well, it’s either that or I carry you.” A wicked grin accompanied Cole’s suggestion, andnope. There would be no carrying of any sort, so I stepped into his shoes before he could follow through with that option.
Cole guided me across the roof, and I clopped beside him, trying not to trip. I felt ridiculous, but my embarrassment was forgotten the moment I saw the view. From our vantage point, I could see the entire town sprawled below us, lights gleaming in the night like embers of a fire.
“See that peak over there?” Cole asked, pointing to one of the mountains Copper Valley was nestled between. “There’s an abandoned ski resort about halfway up. It brought in swarms of tourists in theseventies and eighties, so the population here was much bigger back then. At some point, a second high school was built to accommodate the size of the community.”
“Ah,” I said with a nod. “I see where this is going.”
“The original school was Copper Valley High. This one was constructed at the highest point in the valley, which consequently gave it the best view in town. Hence the name,” Cole answered as he slipped a hand beneath his jacket to caress my bare back in a whisper-light touch.
“So, what happened?” I asked, trying to ignore his fingers, but each gentle brush felt like a sear against my skin, and I shuddered.
He must have thought I was cold, because Cole wrapped his arms around my waist before continuing with his explanation. “The lodge burned down, and the owners never rebuilt. That was before my time, though, so I don’t know any of the details. Long story short, fewer tourists meant fewer jobs, and eventually there was no need for a second high school.”
“The history’s a bit sad, but the name makes sense,” I said. “This really is a great view.”
“Too bad it’s cloudy, though. On a clear night, you can see the Milky Way from here,” he replied, and I tipped my head back to look up at the sky. Not even the moon was visible behind the wall of gray, but I could see how this would be the perfect spot to stargaze from.
“Then I guess we’ll have to come back when the weather’s more cooperative.” Next time with a blanket, snacks, and proper footwear.
“Is that your way of asking me out again?”
