I don’t have much free time with everything else I’ve taken on. Between company parties, charity auctions, and even school events, my plate is full. I’m thinking about cutting back on the number of clients I take on. I can afford to be picky about what type of events I coordinate. And to think there was a time when I was worried about losing Malcolm Ridges as a client. I laugh when I think about that now.
I guess it’s a little ridiculous that I can do all of that, yet I can’t bring myself to climb up a steep path on a trail that no one else seems to have a problem with.
“You’re overthinking it,” Oliver says. “That’s why you were able to get up without a problem last time. You were only thinking about getting to the top as quickly as possible.”
I know that he’s right, but it doesn’t help much to be told this.
“I’m going to leave you behind,” he warns me.
“Can’t you just carry me up?”
“I’ll carry you back down, but I want to see you do this,” he says. “I know that you can.”
I sigh. I turn around and walk the other way, pacing the path a few times before I turn and, without any more thought, I charge toward the hill and run up. When I make it to the top, I jump up and down, cheering for myself. Oliver laughs, then follows me up without even needing a running start.
“I hate how easy you make it look,” I tell him.
When he reaches me, he leans down to kiss me, resting his hand on my lower back. “I guess not everyone can be as agile as I am.”
I stick my tongue out at him. We continue up the trail. It’s mid-summer, and it’s warmer than it was the last time we were here. By the time we make it to the top, I’m tired and sweaty and all I want to do is sit down. I look at the bench, but all I can think of is what we caught Tina and Ryan doing on it.
“I’m sure the rain and sun have sanitized it by now,” Oliver says, reading my mind.
“Thanks for the reassurance,” I tell him. I sit down and pull a bottle of water out of my backpack. I take a long sip while Oliver drinks his own water.
He steps up to the edge of the cliff, looking out at the valley below. I can’t get the full view from my spot on the bench, but it’s still an amazing sight. We’re both quiet for a long moment, listening to the rustling of the trees in the breeze, the chirping of birds, and the complete absence of technology and human voices. It’s perfect.
“I love it out here,” he says.
“It’s beautiful,” I agree.
“And I love you,” he adds.
I smile. “I love you, too.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve said these words to each other, but I still feel giddy and get goosebumps whenever he tells me. I feel like a lovestruck kid who just found out her crush likes her back—except it’s so much more than that.
I get up and join him at the edge of the cliff. I sit down, my feet hanging off, and he does the same.
“Maybe when we get back, we can finish what we started in the hot tub last time we were here,” I suggest.
“I like the sound of that.” He smirks, then looks back at the bench behind us. “You don’t want to see what all the fuss is about over there?”
I grimace. “I’d rather not get a splinter in my back.”
“Fair enough,” he says. “The hot tub sounds way more comfortable.”
“It was certainly very comfortable last time.”
He watches me, a smile teasing the corner of his mouth. “If you keep it up, I’m going to throw you over my shoulder and get you back to the cabin as fast as I can.”
“I’m all for it if it means I don’t have to do any of the work.” I pause, then add, “On the trail, that is. You know I love putting in the work with you.”
He nudges me with his elbow, then stands up. I’m half expecting him to pick me up like he promised, but instead he walks back over to the bench. I stand up and follow him.
“I still can’t believe Ryan put his dog’s initial next to his on here,” I say, tracing the letters on the wood.
“You don’t think me just putting an O all by itself is more embarrassing?” he asks.
