Page 7 of Tempted By the Mountain Man
“Alright.”
She disappears back into the bedroom and I load the dishwasher, cleaning up the kitchen. When she returns with a pair of new-looking hiking boots, I head over to my suitcase and grab a pair of socks and my own boots.
Most of my belongings are in storage, waiting to be moved into my new place, but I’m glad that I thought to bring some of my hiking and camping gear up here with me. Camden is filling up her water bottle at the sink and I grab my own water bottle out of the fridge.
“Ready to go?” she asks me and I nod, following her out of the cabin.
A few birds take to the air as we start down one of the trails nearby. We walk in silence for a little bit, both of us enjoying the fresh air. I keep a close eye on Camden as we navigate over some roots and loose tree limbs on the trail.
“Where are you from?” I ask her as we head out.
“Originally, Chicago, but I’ve been in New York for the last seven years.”
“Do you go hiking a lot in New York?” I ask her.
“No, there aren’t many hiking trails in New York City, and I don’t get out of the city often.”
“Is that why you came to Michigan?”
“Kind of.”
I wait for her to go on, both of us pausing to take drinks from our water bottles.
“I just needed a vacation. I haven’t really had a break in a few years, so it was long overdue,” she says and I nod.
“Why’d you pick to come to Michigan?”
“Are you complaining?” she asks me, looking over her shoulder at me.
“Never. I’m glad that we met. It’s going to be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“You sound so sure of that,” she says quietly.
She sounds so sad sometimes and I wish that I knew why. I wish that I could help her, make her happy. It’s all that I want.
“I came to Michigan once before. It was with my family when I was a teenager, but I always remembered it. It was probably the best trip of my life.”
“Have you been on a lot of vacations?” I ask her, wanting to know more about her childhood and her life before me.
“No, not really. My parents were workaholics. They’re both lawyers in Chicago, so it was usually just me and my grandma. She passed away right before I left Chicago.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, and she nods.
“Then I went to college and the only trips I took was to go home to Chicago for the holidays and breaks. After I graduated and started working, whenever I took a break, I always just ended up staying in my apartment and reading.”
“Sounds like a nice way to pass the time to me.”
“Me too, it’s just…”
“Not what you need any more,” I finish for her, and she looks back at me, her green eyes wide with surprise.
“Yeah,” she says slowly.
“Maybe you need more of a change. You could move out of the big city and find some little cabin like this one in some small town somewhere.”
“Maybe. I’d have to find a new job though then too.”
“What do you do in New York?”
