Page 6 of Beck & Coll
“One in the same.”
She repeated my words back to me, causing me to chuckle lightly.
“For some reason, I thought you were a dude. Not gonna lie; I’m not disappointed… at all.”
I watched through the rearview mirror as she fought to keep those same strands of hair behind her ear. Her almond-shaped eyes were down on the floor of the car. I didn’t get how a woman could be so physically intimidating yet simultaneously so unsure of herself.
I left her to her thoughts for the ten-minute ride, turning around to speak only after we’d arrived at the door ofGood Ashes.
“Enjoy your meal, Collins Kingsley. I won’t be the one who drives you back, but I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“I heard that you like to start early and that you’re prompt. I’ll be ready.”
She was out of the car and in the restaurant before I could ask her who she’d heard that from, but I already knew. She heard it from the same person who insisted that I drive a particular guest toGood Ashes… my mother.
As promised, the day started early. I had Collins meet me at the Guided Adventure Tour Office at 7:00 AM sharp. She showed up promptly and dressed properly. I took in her apparel trying hard not to focus on how the clothing rode her curves. The fact that her ensemble was actually practical impressed me.
I furrowed my eyebrows. “Somebody took her time to do research.”
Collins blushed slightly.
“Are you gonna do that every time I talk to you?”
“What?”
And there went those fingers pushing that hair behind that ear.
“Blush. I mean, I’m not saying I have a problem with it. I?—”
“No.” She cut me off, her voice strong. “I tend to blush when I’m nervous, so…” She let her thoughts trail off.
“Do I make you nervous?”
She raised one eyebrow independently of the other. “Don’t be so presumptuous, Beckham. The thought of this hike is making me nervous.”
“There wasn’t no hike last night,” I reminded her.
“Last night, I was nervous about sitting in the restaurant and eating… alone.”
“So, none of these blushes have been about me making you nervous?”
She didn’t respond immediately.
“That’s exactly what I thought,” I taunted.
She remained quiet.
Her silence made me feel duly chastised because she was a client. I didn’t have any right to push her the way I was pushing her.
I cleared my throat. “Your research paid off.” I brought the conversation back around to a more professional plane. “It looks like you made some good selections. I see that you layered up. Do you have a good jacket in your backpack?”
She nodded. “Yeah. I went ahead and spent money on the good stuff. I want to get into hiking and do it more frequently. I don’t want to have to keep buying the same gear over and over because I’m being cheap.”
“Yo, if you plan on making hiking and getting outdoors in general a part of your lifestyle, you did the right thing by investing in quality.”
“Thank you.”
“You ready?”
