Past the main drag of town, mountains dominated the horizon, and the road narrowed to a two-lane chip-sealed drive through the forest, crunching under her tires as she descended toward the river. The driveways lengthened from neighborhoods to suburban to almost rural, and she passed the familiar driveway of some of her friends before flicking on her blinker and turning into the Riverside Trail Recreation Area.
More of a winding path along the river than a trail, but a motivated hiker could keep going and connect with trails that climbed in altitude. Definitely not on today’s agenda. Although, people changed. Maybe Draven was into outdoorsy stuff now.
As she pulled into a shady parking spot, he rose from his car and strolled to meet her. Long and lean, he’d dressed down to chinos and a polo, standing out like a sore thumb amongst the fleece and denim of the locals. He hooked a grocery bag over his shoulder and leaned against the rental car door, smiling serenely in the dappled light. Yeah. There was definitely a little spark there.
She shut off the engine and hopped out, sporting her brightest smile as she walked around the back of the car to greet him.
“Trace, it’s so good to see you,” he said, stepping close and hesitating.
Not wanting to start the date with uncertainty, she immediately moved in for a friendly hug.
He released a long breath and hugged her lightly before stepping back. “You look exactly the same,” he said, smiling sweetly.
Huh. It hadn’t been that long. Outside of a radical makeover, how different would she look after two years? “Although,” he pursed his lips as he considered. “Has your hair always been curly?”
Wavy, but she didn’t correct him. Her mom had that to-die-for strawberry blond curly mass like a Middle Ages Scot, but Trace had inherited the subdued version, a little darker thanks to her dad’s simple brown, and waves that only became curls in the rain. “I usually pull it back.”
“Oh,” he said, nodding and smiling politely. “I like it. I mean, it looks pretty.”
“Thanks,” she said, indulging in a little blush under her freckled cheeks. Pretty was nice.
He was pretty. Very pretty. Sandy blond hair, crisply trimmed and parted on the side. Fit. Perfect posture. Probably thousands of dollars in orthodontia and cosmetic dental procedures, or, the man was born with toothpaste-model pearly whites.
“Shall we?” she asked, dragging her imagination away from calculating his lifetime dental bill.
She opened the passenger door and took out the picnic salads, and saw that Zoe had stocked napkins and utensils as well, plus her latest attempt at soda bread. As the daughter of a baker, Trace was picky about her baked goods, and Zoe was determined to impress her before adding the soda bread to the menu at Halseth’s Pub.
Across the parking lot, the playground was packed with parents and grandparents enjoying the last scraps of sunshine with the kids. A few walkers heading out, but the trail was quiet. Shit, she hoped she didn’t see any of her students.
Ugh. Last year, her first year of teaching on her own, and she’d quickly learned that teachers dreaded running into students even more than students dreaded running into teachers. Taking a date out in public was probably stupid, as she’d hear about it forever. Dating Finn throughout high school had saved her from the awkwardness of rampant rumors about who was sleeping with who, but she was making up for it now with students—and fellow teachers—gossiping over why she was one of the few single teachers in town, and discussing who they should set her up with next.
As they walked through the shade, sunlight flickering every few steps, Draven filled her in on his latest business venture and the reason for the trip. Not in the same graduate program, yet they’d been part of the same group of friends who had connected in those first few weeks of school. She still didn’t exactly know what he did, but apparently he was presenting ideas across the country for the next few weeks.
Exactly the spot she was looking for. Thankfully, unoccupied. One of many little nooks above the beach that had been set up for picnics. The faux wood recycled plastic table atop crushed rock was tucked back for an isolated little chunk of riverside dining.
“So,” she said, realizing she hadn’t retained a word he’d said. “I have to be honest; I was surprised that you called. It’s been, what, two years since we last saw each other?”
“And two months,” he added, smiling adoringly before reaching into the bag.
Wow. Impressively remembered.
He set out two champagne flutes and filled them with sparkling water. Charming. Seriously. Definitely a date.
Draven handed her a drink and raised his. “To a shared past,” he said with a fondness twinkling in his gaze.
Lovely. Really. Trace smiled warmly and said, “And a pleasant afternoon.”
She drank the bubbles down in a gulp, and knew he was watching over the rim of his glass, sipping slower, so she slowed and savored.
Trace pulled the salads from the bag and set each out.
“Is this a… turkey dinner salad?” he asked, hesitating before settling on a smile.
“My friend is a chef, and she feeds me for free, but only if I eat what she tells me, and I give feedback on whether it would be a good addition to the menu.”
“Must be some friend, to convinceyouto eat salad.”
Well, that wasn’t so pleasant. Trace laughed with feigned chipperness at the tease, pushing the smile into her eyes. “I’m turning over a new leaf.” She giggled at her witty pun.
