Page 13 of Off Trail Love
“It’s slightly ironic to me that my father is the one who told me I needed a break from work and forced me to come on this hike, but he also gets mad when I don’t work sixty-hour weeks like him.”
“That’s not healthy, you know.”
“It pays well.” Plus, I don’t have many friends or any women in my life. So it’s not like working this much is impacting my life. I’ve got a nice little nest egg growing, too.
“Do you like it?”
My heart stops just like it does every time someone asks me this question. Growing up, I always said I wanted to work with my dad. His job looked so glamorous when I was a kid, but I don’t actually love marketing. I like the money, and for now that’s enough. I’m quiet for too long, though.
“So, you don’t.” It’s not a question.
“Does anyone like their work?”
We step over a log that’s fallen across the trail and I take a sip of my water.
“I do.”
“Well, that’s different—you get to spend all your time in nature. Plus, you’re in your late thirties. You get to do what you love now because you paid your dues. We don’t all get to follow our dreams.”
“But if you could, what would you do?” Graham’s question is innocent enough, but my answer lodges in my throat. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. Just think about it. Themountains have a funny way of telling us what we should do with our lives. Maybe you’ll get the courage you need on this trip.”
I shake my head. “I think you have way too much faith in the mountains.”
He smiles. “I don’t think you have enough.”
The sun ishigh in the sky when we stop for our first official rest. We’ve had a handful of smaller pit stops, but this is the first time we’ve actually stopped for more than five minutes.
I sink onto a nearby fallen tree and stretch my legs.
“How you feelin’?” Graham plops onto the log beside me.
“I’m feeling like I wish I’d been hiking more in the past year. I think I’ve gone, like, once. Not exactly ideal when you’re going to hike to the top of a fourteener.”
He nods, face solemn. “Let me know if it’s ever too much. I don’t want you getting altitude sickness.”
“I’ll be fine.” At least, I hope I will be. I’ll get through this hike even if it kills me. I sneak a look at Maggie, who quickly glances away and pulls open her pack. I look back down, because I know what she’s about to find and watching it happen in real time feels like confessing. We always watched our pranks unfold from a distance in high school, and being just a few feet away feels too intimate.
But her voice has me looking back at her a few seconds later. “What in the world?” Maggie pulls rock after rock out of her pack. I mean, if you can even call them rocks. They’re more like pebbles. I bite my lip.
I can’t believe she didn’t notice before now. Her pack had to have been heavier than when she put it on last night. When I came out of the bathroom to find her and Fiona completelyasleep, I couldn’t help myself. I had to get her back for the salt in my water.
“Rocks?” She tosses one in my direction, and it lands a few inches away from my feet. “Seriously?”
“Rocks?” Fiona’s glare might just kill me. “Are you trying to kill the poor woman?”
“Who said it was me?” Maybe playing innocent is the way to go—that’s how Maggie and I always did it back in high school. She tries to hide her smile. Yup, playing innocent was definitely the way to go. Plus, it was only a handful of pebbles. It’s not like it would have made a gigantic difference in her pack.
“Who else would it have been?” Fiona frowns.
“It’s okay, Fee.” Maggie pats her friend on the leg. I clench my fist. I should not be wishing that it was me she’s touching. “It was totally harmless.”
“Harmless?” Fiona asks, her voice rising. “We’re doing a fifteen-mile hike right now. Adding more weight than necessary to your pack isn’t harmless.”
“It’s only been like four miles,” Maggie laughs. She catches my eye again, and there’s a twinkle in her eye. It’s mischievous. War is on—at least, I hope that’s what she’s thinking. “They’re out now, and I’m eating a snack. See, already my pack is way lighter.”
She tilts her chin up at me, a gesture of approval. I respond with the same gesture. This game is officially on, and I’m totally okay with that, because it means Maggie’s got her eyes on me. Whether she planned on it or not, she’s paying attention to me. And I know, because I haven’t been able to stop paying attention to her.
CHAPTER NINE
