“Okay” was a relative term. She’d be signing up for some spin classes when she got home, but sure, she was okay. Would she rather be cuddling with Beckett on a shaded patio with fruity drinks in hand? Hell, yes. But she could do this, too. The benefit of all of the things that had happened recently was learning she could do a lot of things she hadn’t known she could.
At the edge of town, they entered a trail markedOUTER LIMITS. There was what seemed like a narrow opening between towering trees. With the sign and lack of visibility, Presley found it a little sci-fi/horror movie-ish, but she trusted Beckett.With more than the route.
“Smile gets a lot of tourists starting soon. This is one of our hidden gems. People love it,” Beckett called back.
People loved narrow trails away from civilization?To each their own.
Curling into herself so the trees didn’t brush up against her arms, she breathed a sigh of relief when the path widened enough for a biker to pass them going the other way. When Beckett simply waved while the other rider just nodded his chin, Presley smiled, put her feet up on the bars. He wouldn’t notice if she took a small break.
“Did you not know that person? Is there someone in this town that you don’t know?” she called up.
Beckett’s laughter floated back to her. “If you can imagine, yes. There are almost five thousand people in Smile now. I don’t know them all. Though Jilly might. My sister is the social butterfly of the three of us.”
A small bump dislodged her feet, so she put them back on the pedals. Probably safer.
“She passed that on to Ollie.”
Beckett’s chuckle drifted back to her. “And then some.”
Yesterday’s flash storm was nowhere to be seen, but everything looked fresher and brighter as a result of the rain.
Presley started to say more, but the path opened up into a surprising view. In front of them was what felt like a mini-town inside of the town.Hidden gem indeed.Beckett slowed them to a stop when the path turned to cobblestone. On the right was a row of multicolored shops with adorable awnings displaying names. On the left was a stretch of beach, the water, and a wide pier. Along the edge of the pier was a row of houseboats that mirrored the look of the shops. The rainbow of colors made the town name absolutely perfect.
“This is Tourist Lane,” Beckett said when they dismounted. Once the kickstand was up, he smiled, like he was waiting for her reaction, like heknewhow much happiness this would bring her.
How could heknowher already? The shops were open with a fewpeople strolling along the sidewalk, a few more up ahead on the cobblestones, and several on the beach, in chairs, and even a few on the dock with fishing rods. A couple of people were on the flattop roof of one of the houseboats.
Presley walked forward, happiness surging through her with such speed that she couldn’t stop the little bounce in her steps.
“It’s like a rainbow!”
Beckett laughed. “It’s pretty cool. The main street in town has all of your basic needs, but this area was carved out by a few local artisans, including Gwen. Years back, there were just a few people living on the houseboats, but then a couple of locals got permits to build shops here. It’s been growing steadily over the years.”
The array of colors, the canary yellow, meadow green, and sky blue of the buildings, felt like architecture imitating its surroundings. From where she stood, Presley saw a fish and chips shop, a couple of jewelry stores, an art store, and a few other food shops.
She pulled out her phone, opened Instagram, and pressed theLIVEbutton. She waited for it to connect while Beckett watched with patience and a sexy smirk. “I keep thinking I’ve seen all there is to see of Smile,” she started, turning so the camera pulled Beckett into the shot. He ducked his head and pressed a hand to her hip, like holding on to her made the attention more bearable. “But then a certain tour guide goes and surprises me. Put Smile on your list of places to visit, and when you get here, stop by Pete’s diner, Bros’ Pub, and Tourist Lane before settling in for a cozy night at Get Lost Lodge.”
Beckett nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, making her stomach spin faster than the wheels of the bike zipping past them. When she ended the live, tagging the businesses she’d mentioned, she took a selfie of them, knowing that she’d never forget the feel of him against her like this, the quiet, solid strength and acceptance in his touch.
She posted the photo on her feed with a caption:Bicycle for Two.Hashtags could be hit or miss, but she tagged the lodge and added#RainbowTown #grateful #smile
“What? No ‘Hot Mountain Man’?” Beckett asked as she tucked her phone away. Notifications pinged immediately so she silenced it without looking.
She kissed his cheek. “Not this time. Besides, you’re more than that.”And I don’t want to share you.
He laughed. “Thanks. I think.”
Yeah. He was a hell of a lot more than that.
Needing to distract herself from those thoughts, she leaned into his side. “This wasn’t in any of the brochures I saw online.”
“No. It wouldn’t be. It’s a word-of-mouth sort of thing, but people come from all around to visit. Several of those houseboats are vacation rentals.”
“I’m not sure how I’d feel about sleeping on a boat,” Presley admitted. She looked up at Beckett. “Speaking of online, your website is really outdated.”
He nodded. “I know. Jilly was working on it, but with all of the renos and updates, and, honestly, repairs, it just hasn’t been a priority. Before us, the owners hadn’t been renting it out or using it much.”
She didn’t want to push him on the ideas she had brewing in her brain. It was their family, their business. Today, and for the next few days, she wanted to live in the moment. She wanted to get lost in this mini-town, lost in Beckett. She wanted to twirl around with her arms open. Instead, she let the happiness course through her, hoping she’d remember the feeling long enough to pull it out on lonely days back in Great Falls.
