When Luke stood this time, he offered encouragement. “No more breaks. Now we go to the gate.”
“Why don’t we walk the rest of the way with Ann?” Addison suggested. “She looks like she could use a little moral support too.”
In under an hour, they exited the muddy trail onto a wide dirt road. It too was wet, but here they could easily get their footing. To their surprise, they were met from the other direction by several young boys who escorted them the final half mile to the ranger station. Everyone thought it odd at first, but the youths’ friendly presence was a welcome addition. As they rounded the final bend, they got their first view of civilization—such as it was—in the form of several rugged four-wheel drive vehicles and a simple white structure that housed the ranger’s station.
The boy who walked with Addison took her arm and led her to a constantly running faucet that splashed onto a concrete slab. Carefully, she held onto a pole as he took out a ragged scrub brush and began to wash the caked mud from her boots and pants.
“Addison! Look at me.”
She turned and smiled as Mary Kate took her picture. It was a relief to see her come out of her funk. No one had imagined the descent would have been so emotionally draining.
The boy was thrilled with the two-dollar tip, though probably not as thrilled as Addison was to have her boots and gaiters clean.
Luke directed them to the ranger’s logbook, where each one officially signed out of the park, noting the highest point reached. “Tom Muncie will be pleased that all of you reached Stella Point.”
“Too bad about Courtney,” Mei said.
He shrugged. “There is little we can do for those who do not come to the mountain prepared.”
Addison watched the others sign the book, noting the pride of those who had reached the summit. She too was proud of getting there, but this trip had come to mean more than that. She had set out merely to make the most of the experience, one she had hoped to share with her best friends. She had never expected to meet someone like Mary Kate, someone who made her feel things she hadn’t felt in a while.
After a one-hour drive through the countryside, the bus pulled into the View Hotel, depositing them, tired and dirty, onto the same front porch where they had gathered expectantly eight days ago. In their last official act as Summit trekkers, they retrieved their belongings and pooled their dollars to generously tip their guide and the team of porters gathered by the bus.
Addison separated her gear, pulling out only the lightweight items. The rest she stuffed in the Summit duffel with her sleeping bag and presented to Luke for distribution to the porters. “I won’t have much use for this again.”
Mary Kate kept her sleeping bag, but emptied her backpack and added it the growing pile, which now included Jim’s boots, and all of Drew’s donated hand-me-downs.
Luke then presented each hiker who had reached Uhuru Peak with an official certificate from the Tanzania National Parks department, noting the date and time of their summit, and the age of the climber. The others got a Summit Trail and Safari Company certificate that said they had reached Stella Point.
Addison followed Mary Kate back inside and made arrangements to meet in one hour to walk into town to the Internet café. Then she retreated to her room on the second floor and turned on the water in her shower. Even with her diminished expectations about the plumbing, she was disappointed. The shower barely managed a trickle, and it was cold. It would have to do.
After thirty minutes of intense scrubbing and a cursory swipe of her legs with a razor, she called it quits, dressing in clean olive green convertibles with a pale yellow T-shirt. Sandals were a welcome change to the boots she had worn since leaving London.
Mary Kate was waiting on the front porch when she came down. She had on khaki Capri pants with a sleeveless white top and sandals. Small gold hoops adorned her ears, and she wore a necklace with a dainty opal pendant. Addison would have proudly taken her anywhere.
She liked very much where things had come since clearing the air in the Karanga Valley. The more they talked, the more she was convinced her interest wasn’t one-sided, and there was no reason to rein in what she was feeling. Mary Kate was twenty- four, old enough to know what she wanted, certainly old enough to stop things from going beyond what she could handle.
“There’s a little market up here at the corner that sells sodas and candy. I get the feeling they’re open just for us.”
Indeed, as they approached, a man rushed from his shack to push up the window of the snack stand, and two children suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Addison bought drinks and candy for the children and promised to stop by on the way back to the hotel.
They reached the café and paid the host for two terminals. The connection was sluggish, but eventually, Addison signed into her e-mail account. A quick check showed nothing pressing, and not a single reply to her e-mail inquiries about job opportunities. She typed a short note to each of her parents, letting them know she had reached the summit and was now safe at the hotel in Moshi. Next, she wrote to Cyn and Javier:
Get ready to be jealous. Kili was everything they said it would be and more. Six of us made it to the summit—including yours truly— and some of us are headed out on safari tomorrow. Can’t wait to tell you about the “and more” part. Suffice it to say that she’s a Georgia peach and we’re rooming together over the next few days(and nights).I hope to have more to say when I see you, but if not, I expect to add her to my short list of very good friends. I’ll e you again from London, and I can’t wait to show you the photos. Love, Addison
“How do you spell Falk?” Mary Kate asked without looking up.
“F-A-L-K. Who are you writing to?”
“Deb. I’m telling her how you laughed at me when I fell in the water, and how you taunted me when I couldn’t get up the Barranco Wall.”
“Uh-oh. She’s going to come beat the shit out of me.”
“Why, I do believe you understand Southern culture after all,” Mary Kate said, her drawl more pronounced than ever. “I wrote Deb when I got here and told her I was breaking up with Bobby as soon as I got home. You want to hear what she said?”
“Sure.” She closed out her connection and slid her chair next to Mary Kate’s.
“To my dear, dear, dear, dear friend Mary Kate. You cannot imagine the joy it brings me to hear you say that you are finished with Bobby Britton. In fact, I bought a six-pack of Coors Light to celebrate the blessed event with you, but I drank the whole damn thing in your honor. Can’t wait to hear about your trip, and for God’s sake, don’t bring home any parasites!”
“She sounds like a riot.”
“She is. So here’s what I told her.” She leaned back and read from the screen. “After the eight coldest, dirtiest days of my life, I am back at the hotel in Moshi. With the help of my untrustworthy sidekick, Addison Falk from Miami, I have conquered the highest mountain in Africa. Addison will be visiting Mooresville someday, and I told her you would kick her ass because she laughed at me when I fell in the water. Don’t let me down. See you soon.”
“I’m in such trouble,” Addison said before breaking into a grin.
She closed her connection. “We should go back before it gets dark.”
“You aren’t going to write Bobby?”
“No, I changed my mind. I promised I’d call him. He’s supposed to tell everybody when I’m back down. Besides, he doesn’t check his e-mail that often.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to wait and see what comes out of my mouth.”
When they walked past the snack stand on their way back, eight small children came to greet them, obviously on the recommendation of their two friends. They bought another round of drinks and candy for the children, and barely made it back to the hotel before dark. Mary Kate stopped at the counter and asked to use the phone.
“Good luck,” Addison said, wishing for an excuse to hang around. She wanted to hear Mary Kate tell
him to get lost.
Chapter Twenty-One
The line crackled, but finally a familiar voice picked up. “Hi, Dreama. It’s me, Mary Kate. Can I talk to Bobby?”
The school secretary put her on hold for a few seconds before coming back to the phone to ask excitedly if she was calling from Africa. “Yes, but this is costing me an arm and leg. Is he there?”
She watched the clock. Forty-five seconds.
“Hey, Bobby. It’s me. I was just calling to let you know that we’re all back down, and I made it all the way…Yeah, it was pretty tough…No, not everybody. Just half of us.”
That was it for his questions—was it as hard as she thought, and did everyone make it to the top. Nothing else about her experience. Then he started to tell her something about his softball team. She checked the clock again. Just under a minute.
“Listen, I’ve only got a few more seconds. This is costing me twenty bucks, but I wanted to let you know, like I said I would.” She rolled her eyes as he continued his story, only faster. “Bobby, I have to go. I’ll see you at the airport, okay? Don’t forget to call Mom and Dad and let them know that I made it to the top and I’m back down. And tell them to call Aunt Jean.”
Then he said the dreaded words.
“I love you too. Bye.”
Flooded with an array of emotions, she leaned across the counter to hang up the phone. She felt guilty for her last-second pretense, but the stronger feeling was relief to be done with it. It would feel even better once they finally talked about things being over and they could move on from being a couple, maybe even to being good friends. At least now she could spend the next few days not worrying about it.
She found her fellow hikers at a long table on the outdoor patio of the bar. An ice-cold Safari beer sat at an empty spot next to Addison, who was sharing stories with those around her.
As she approached, she noticed something different. Addison’s long hair, which had been tied back in a ponytail since the day she arrived, was now loose around her shoulders. Her casual pose— one arm across the back of the empty chair as she leaned across to talk to Ann—was the picture of relaxation. It was a wonderful contrast to the formality she had shown only last week when she first introduced herself to the group.
Mary Kate interrupted their conversation as she took the chair between them and picked up her beer. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. I wasn’t sure if you drank beer,” Addison said.
“Not often, but sometimes.” She took her first sip of the beer labeled Tanzania’s finest. “Oh…that’s different.”
“The second swallow’s better, and by the third, it’ll be your favorite,” Jim said. He sat directly across from his eighteen-year- old son, who was also enjoying a beer.
“How did your phone call go?” Addison whispered.
Mary Kate didn’t want to get mired in talk of Bobby tonight. It was a special night with new friends and she wanted to savor their triumph. She was saved by a flicker of the lights, then another, before the entire complex was thrown into total darkness.
“Hey, Drew. You just got better looking,” Brad said.
“Very funny, you little rat.”
In a few moments, the bar staff appeared with candles for their table. Jim ordered the next round, which Mary Kate quickly waved off. Two beers would have her singing the Dixie Chicks. Around eight o’clock, the restaurant manager appeared to announce that despite the power loss, the buffet was ready and their table was set.
No one ate the boiled potatoes.
Her plate piled high with seasoned fish, tomatoes and freshly- baked bread, Mary Kate commandeered the seat at the far end of the table. Addison joined her at the corner, brushing their knees together as she sat down.
Mary Kate leaned over and whispered, “It’s nice to see you so relaxed tonight.”
“Hey, I’m from Miami. I can’t relax unless I’m warm.”
“It looks good on you.”
“Thanks.” Addison reached under the table to squeeze her knee.
Mary Kate grasped her hand and held it as they waited for the others to join them at the table. She let go only when everyone began to eat.
A lively conversation recapping their trek accompanied dinner, covering every subject from the toilet paper shortage to their mass meltdown in the mud earlier that day. Mary Kate was glad to feel the exhilaration return, and she couldn’t wait to get another look at the mountain from the street the next day.
As they finished dinner and sipped tea, Addison’s hand wandered back into her lap and she took it. It made her smile to think that no one else at the table knew of their secret sparks.
The candlelight banquet would be the last meal together for the Summit group. Jim, Brad and Drew were heading out for home early in the morning. The others were staying for a wildlife safari, but tomorrow they would split into three groups—Neal and Mei, Ann and Nikki, and Mary Kate and Addison—and not meet again until Saturday at the airport.
Mary Kate wasn’t ready for her evening to end, but the others drifted off to their rooms until she and Addison were alone in the restaurant. “You want to walk me to my room?”
“Love to.”
It was funny after all their time together in a tent to be heading off to separate rooms, especially since it was only for one night. If she had thought about it sooner, they could have canceled one room and stayed together. And once they were alone in their room, who knows what might have happened?
When she started toward the exit, she reveled in the feel of Addison’s hand in the small of her back guiding her through the candlelit restaurant. They reached the lobby and were met by a young girl with a flashlight.
“I take you upstairs to your room,” she said.
Carefully, they mounted the stairs and arrived first at Mary Kate’s room. Their escort waited until she had located the matches on the nightstand and lit the single deep candle by her bedside.
“I’m all set,” she said, resigned that their evening was over.
“Good night,” Addison said awkwardly. Then she disappeared in the darkness down the hall.
Mary Kate closed her door and slid the barrel bolt into place, disappointed at having her time with Addison end so abruptly. All evening, she had fantasized about them coming back to her room, talking into the night and finally exploring the feelings that were flickering between them.
She readied for bed in the dim light, relishing the feel of her cool silk pajamas. The soft cotton sheets would be a welcome change from putting on her clothes to climb inside a dirty sleeping bag.
A soft knock stopped her as she leaned to blow out the candle. Pressing against the door, she asked who was there. The answer made her smile, and she threw the bolt.
Addison leaned casually against the doorjamb, holding a candle. She was barefoot, dressed in baggy shorts and a T-shirt.
Mary Kate grasped her wrist and pulled her forcefully into the room. Then she closed the door again and locked them in. “I’m glad you came back.”
Addison set her candle on a small table at the foot of the bed. “I thought we should talk about”—she waved her finger between them—“what’s going on here, and what we want to do about it.”
Mary Kate swallowed hard, suddenly aware she was shaking. “What do you want to do?” She tossed out the question as though giving Addison authority to decide for both of them.
Addison stepped closer and raised her fingertips to brush the hair behind Mary Kate’s ear. “I want to make sure we both want the same thing. I don’t want to push this if you aren’t comfortable with the idea.”
Lots of emotions filled her—most were good—but comfort wasn’t one of them. “How can I be comfortable with something that’s happening for the first time?”
“What is happening?”
She took Addison’s hand and pressed it into her cheek. “I’ve finally met someone I really want to kiss.”
Addison’s other hand went around her waist and pulled them together
. She leaned in, but stopped momentarily, as if asking permission one last time. Then she finally closed, brushing her mouth and tongue softly against Mary Kate’s lower lip.
The sensation was almost surreal, as excitement and want coursed through her. Kissing had never felt so personal, so intimate. There was no checklist in the back of her head telling her how far to part her lips or what to do with her tongue, nothing that asked her to try harder to concentrate on the emotions.
As if an afterthought, she became aware of her hands, which had slipped beneath Addison’s T-shirt to caress the warm skin of her back. It only made the kiss they shared deeper, more intense.
Breathing heavily, Addison finally left her mouth and moved to the soft skin of her neck.
Mary Kate tipped her head to the side, yielding to the gentle assault and surprising herself with a quiet moan. The heat seemed to rise between them, and she pulled their bodies closer.
Abruptly, Addison stopped and wrapped her in a tight hug, her lips only centimeters from Mary Kate’s ear. “I should have known kissing you would make me crazy. I need to go back to my room while I can still walk.”
“I don’t want you to go.” She had never felt a temptation like this, a desire so strong she couldn’t turn it off. It was already too late to turn back. “Stay with me.”
Even the panic that her invitation evoked felt good, like a congratulatory response to her show of courage. As if to demonstrate her resolve, she blew out Addison’s candle and led her to the opening in the mosquito net.
“And we thought we were through with tents,” Addison said, her voice shaking slightly as she ducked through the slit and stretched out on the far side of the bed.
Mary Kate followed and closed the gap behind her, lying back against her pillow in surrender. The bedside candle flickered with its yellow glow, casting their silhouettes onto the transparent white netting. Whatever happened next, she wanted to see it clearly.
Addison moved closer, draping her knee between Mary Kate’s so their bodies were entwined from head to toe. When she brought their lips together once again for a searing kiss, Mary Kate drove her hips upward with a physical yearning she had never felt before. She pushed her hands through Addison’s hair and synchronized her movements to the rocking rhythm of the thigh that pressed against her need.
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