by Amy Field
She was rudely wakened from this world of culinary ecstasy, however, by presence of another person on the bar stool next to her, creepily invading her personal space. Raising her eyes from the plate to the television screen she chanced a glance and was not even a little surprised to see Lance.
He was mildly handsome, in a conventional sort of way. He had thick blond hair which had clearly been styled and overmoussed—classic metrosexual His shave was close, even for a man with such fair hair, and he had pointy sideburns which came down just below his earlobes. She hadn’t had a chance to check the weirdly arranged clothing before, but from this distance could easily recognize designer labels, and she could smell an expensive body spray that she knew from experience had been specially designed with human pheromones in order to make the wearer more attractive to the opposite sex. It wasn’t working.
“So, come here often?” His smile suggested that he knew the come-on was lame, but the intensity of his gaze and the proximity suggested that he didn’t know, or at least didn’t care.
“First time in Europe.” That was a lie. She’d competed in the last winter Olympics, but had gotten injured in the first round and so didn’t even place.
“And where’s home?” His eyes roamed over her like he was inspecting a piece of livestock, or maybe a new car. “Let me guess? Minnesota?”
“Kansas.”
“Des Moines?”
“Is in Iowa.”
“St. Louis?”
“Missouri.”
“Give me a hint.”
“The state is part of the city’s name.”
“Missouri City?”
“Kansas City.” This was weird. At least he’d looked smart.
“I thought Kansas City was in Missouri.” It was, of course, on both sides of the river. She looked at him now and could see he was playing with her. Jerk.
Katie could tell that she wasn’t going to get rid of him easily, so she set down her fork, motioned to the bartender for more wine, and the turned to look at him.
“So, Lance,” her voice was dripping with disdain. “Just what do you do? “ The bartender refilled her glass and she belted it, setting it back down before he could walk away. He filled it again.
“I’m a lawyer.”
Of course he is. Lance. A lawyer. With perfect eyebrows. Better than hers. Probably no body hair either. This man was the walking, talking incarnation of why she had come here in the first place. Telling him she was a lesbian as beginning to look reasonable again.
“And what do you do?”
My God, he was asking her a question, and actually seemed interested in the answer. Here as her chance.
“I drive a Zamboni. You know, the things that…”
“Clean the ice, yes I know. We have them, even in California.”
Of course, California. Plus he was an interrupter. She knew his type from a hundred miles away. She rolled her eyes, which was a mistake. He apparently thought she was flirty.
“So this is your first time backpacking?”
“It is. We don’t have any mountains in the ice rinks of Kansas City.”
He smiled. “I’m sure that’s true, but you mentioned it before.”
She looked confused and he flashed her a grin she supposed he thought was winning. “Lawyer,” he said in a stage whisper, tapping his temple with his forefinger. “Eidetic memory.”
“And obviously not much social skill,” she thought to herself.
This situation was getting absurd, and she was beginning to feel the tightness in her chest that sometimes plagued her at competition. She took another long drink from her glass, then turned to face him full on.
“Listen, Lance,” she started.
“Lancelot.” Now she couldn’t suppress the eye roll.
“Lance,” she said more firmly. “You seem like a nice guy, and I’m sure you’re a very accomplished lawyer out in San Francisco or L.A. or whatever. But I need for you to know right up front that I’m not on this trip to find a new boyfriend, or to have some European romance, or even just hook-up on a mountaintop…”
“But that would be nice,” his bobbed his head. Actually bobbed his head. She ignored him.
“I’m here for me, to deal with me and with some of the mess that is my life. I’m not here to make friends. So please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’d like a little distance as we start out tomorrow. I’m dealing with too much of my own stuff right now, and I can’t take on anyone else’s, not matter how kind, handsome, or successful they might be.”
“Handsome?” Dammit. She’d oversold herself and now he was only hearing the parts he wanted to.
“Anyway,” she said, belting the wine and standing up. She extended her hand to place some distance between them. “It was nice to meet you. I hope you really enjoy the trip.”
He took her hand firmly in his and then pulled her forward with it, forcing her to either hug him for stumble. She landed in his chest. He held her close, his lips near her ear.
“You say you want distance now, but you know the mountains are awfully cold and lonely at night. I’ll be waiting,” he paused, and she could fairly hear him licking his lips. “I’ll be waiting,” he said again, “for when you really need me.”
She smiled tightly as she pulled away, suppressing a shudder as she walked away.
As Katie lay in bed that night trying to fall asleep, she couldn’t help but feel more anxiety than she wanted to about what lay ahead. She knew there would be adventures in the coming weeks, and she felt safe in the care of Jacob, but she also worried about too many encounters with Lance or other guys like him.
Chapter 3
Katie fell asleep early but rested fitfully. She rose early, just after four, and showered quickly and repacked her bag. She then headed downstairs to find some coffee. As she left her room, however, she saw something which startled her.
Jacob as standing in the doorway of the room next to her, holding the door open slightly and talking in a loud whisper.
“Just make sure you’re down by 5:30, now. I don’t want the rest of the crew to have to wait on you.”
She couldn’t make out the reply but could tell it was from a woman. “Of course,” Katie thought to herself. “He’d have to be with someone. He’s probably even married, though I didn’t see a wedding band. I wonder if that makes it better or worse?”
Her thoughts were interrupted by his handsome face coming closer. “Good morning, Catherine!” He spoke softly, but there was so much life in his voice. “Did you rest well?”
He casually grabbed her elbow and steered her towards the stairs. The physical contact made her shudder, not because she didn’t want him to touch her, but because she did. She realized that he was simply trying to help her avoid waking up her fellow campers. She was grateful for his kindness and suavity.
They chatted amicably as Jacob situated their backpacks against the wall near the fireplace in the lobby of the lodge. He then led her into the bar/restaurant area from the night before, ordered two strong coffees from the old man who appeared neither to have moved from his station behind the bar nor changed, and then sat them at a small table.
Katie was as nervous as she’d been in recent memory. It felt at little like being on a first date, or maybe the restlessness that she got at the start of competition. In any case, she found herself quickly weaving a web of complex half-truths carefully designed to avoid outright lying, but still preserve her identity.
So she became Catherine, the girl from Kansas City (of course she conspicuously left out the fact that she hadn’t lived in Kansas City in ten years; instead her time was split between New York and Chicago). She worked a number of freelance jobs, ranging from Zamboni driver at a local ice rink (something she had done in high school for extra money), and in advertising for some athletic equipment companies (leaving out the fact that she was the advertisement). Jacob seemed genuinely interested which made her immediately regret not simply having confided the whole truth in him, bu
t once she had started she simply didn’t know how to stop.
She tried to turn the conversation back on him, but he didn’t make it easy on her. He admitted that he was Swiss by birth though had gone to school both in the UK and the States. His parents ran a lodge very much like this one just a few dozen kilometers in the wrong direction, and his father had been something of a mountaineering sensation back in the day. He never mentioned the girl in his bedroom and Katie couldn’t figure out how to bring it up tactfully, so she did not.
After about twenty minutes the older man appeared at their table with two large omelettes.
“Oh, my!” Katie’s eyes bulged. “I don’t know if I can manage all of this.”
“Nonsense,” Jacob grinned at her. Unlike Lance’s smile it was warm and confident, but didn’t make her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. “You’ll need all the protein you can muster for the trail today. Your body must still be adjusting to the altitude.”
Katie admitted her restless night and mild headache, and Jacob started to regale her with stories both illustrative and amusing about former clients who hadn’t coped well with the altitude. He had this terrific way of setting her at ease and at the same time demanding—no, that wasn’t quite right—drawing out the best from her. She promised she’d be honest with how she felt, so that if altitude sickness became an issue they could deal with it swiftly.
Jacob inhaled the aroma of his omelette and then looked a little embarrassed. “I’m a-sorry, Catherine,” he apologized. “I have a few last preparations to make before we leave. Take your time here, and when you start hearing people gather in the lobby, come and join us.”
She thanked him, both for his time and the breakfast, and he was off.
The omelet had started off just a little larger than her head. There was, perhaps, about half left. She nibbled absently as her mind flitted back and forth between these two men: Lance, who made her skin crawl, yet was a known quantity, familiar, and whom she could have with a literal blink of her eye. Jacob was a different matter altogether. He was unlike any man she had ever known, and it wasn’t just that he was foreign. He reminded her a bit of her father, with his genuine confidence and strength of character, but there was something else—a life behind those crystal eyes—and she wanted it. She just couldn’t imagine why it was that he’d want to share it with her.
She saw Lance out of the corner of her eye before he sat down and immediately started eating more quickly. He could tell she was angry, so held up his hands defensively as he reached the table.
“Slow down, slow down,” he said dejectedly. “I’ve not come to interrupt your lonely breakfast. I’m just here to tell you that most of the gang is up and ready in the next room.”
“What?” She glanced up at the clock. It read 5:30 exactly. “Shoot, I didn’t realize it had gotten so late.” She stood and wiped her mouth with her napkin. As she did so she caught his eye. “Thank you, Lance. I appreciate the heads-up.”
He nodded his head and smiled. “I figured as much. And I knew you were tired last night from your trip. Don’t worry, you wouldn’t be the first girl to say things to me that she didn’t quite mean.”
They were already walking across the bar and back into the lobby as he said this. She stopped dead in her tracks and looked up at him.
“Excuse me?”
She was a tall girl, but he was taller, if only by a little. He looked down at her.
“Listen,” he said. “I travel all the time for work and handle jet lag like a cramping quad. Don’t even think about it. No apology necessary.”
And then he did the unthinkable. He grabbed her shoulder, leaned in, and kissed her right on the lips. It wasn’t long but it was deliberate, and somehow felt propriety—like a dog marking its territory. She wanted to slap him, but it happened so quickly she didn’t know what to do. And then, he was gone and she was left standing in the doorway to the lobby.
“Alright, gang,” Jacob was already talking as she entered into the great room. “Make sure you have everything that you need and that all of your things are out of your room—either in your pack or in your lockbox.”
There were a few murmurs and a couple of people walked over to the desk to put incidentals into storage. Jacob went on.
“Now, there are a few ground rules as we hike. First, I take the lead. This is what you’re paying me for, and if you remember from your credit card bill, you’re paying me quite well for it.” He paused to allow for some nervous laughter, then smiled genuinely and went on. “This is for your safety. I know these trails and I know these mountains. If anything is amiss, I will be able to tell and then protect each of you. Understand?”
There were some affirmations and nods of assent.
“Now, generally speaking the slowest people need to move to the front of the line. Those behind them will help them to keep pace, plus this ensures that no one gets left behind at the end.”
There were a couple of groans but some more nods.
“Finally,” he said. “My sister, Dina, will be accompanying us. She, too, is an experienced mountaineer and a very able guide. She’ll be bringing up the rear of our hiking crew. So just make sure you don’t get in front of me or behind her, and we’ll all reach our destination safely and have a lovely time.” There was some thumping down the main staircase, and a pretty, slight young woman with straw-colored hair and those same penetrating eyes came down into the group.
“Dina,” he said, motioning to his sister. “The Gang. Gang, Dina.” There was some lackluster applause followed by “Alright, everybody find a buddy to help you with your pack. Stay with your buddy as best you can, and we can get moving here in just a minute.”
And, as if on cue, Katie felt her pack being slipped over first one shoulder and then another, by Lance. He already had his on, and his hands lingered just a little two long as he helped her adjust the shoulder straps and waistband. “Hello, Buddy.”
She shivered again, told herself to put her game face on, and then made a beeline for the door.
Outside the morning air was sharp and cool and the sun seemed to burn the frost off the trees and fields in waves. Dina assembled the hikers in two rows in front of the door to the hotel, and then the old man from behind the bar, who still hadn’t changed and had said hardly a word, took one last picture of the crew.
“Get a good look at one another,” Jacob called out. “This is the last you’ll see of yourselves the way you are now. When we return, you’ll be different people, one way or another.”
“What a pretentious prick,” Lance said, elbowing Katie playfully in the ribs. She grimaced, both at the words and the body contact.
“Alright, friends, it’s time we were off. We’re going to be away from a lot of modern conveniences as we travel; or as I like to call them, ‘distractions’. Embrace the silence, listen to what the mountains have to tell you, and strive to encounter one another more meaningfully and deeply than you have before.”
Lance gave Katie what she imagined he thought was an earnest look. “Can I get to know you more deeply?” Katie rolled her eyes and tried to figure out how to buddy up with somebody else before they left.
“And finally, before we go, give yourself a moment to just take in the mountain. If you believe in God, say a prayer. If you don’t, ponder or meditate or consider whatever is most important to you. Settle on an intention to take with you up the mountain: an idea, a hope, a dream, a need, a question that needs an answer, a prayer that needs a response, and give it to the Mountain-Maker. Then, on our return, use that and not how many miles we hike, or how high up we climb, or how much further you’ve pushed yourself than ever before to measure your success by.”
Lance made an obscene gesture and Katie took that as her cue. She buddied up with Dina, Jacob’s sister, and in just a few minutes they were all heading up the mountain.
The first hour and a half was relatively easy going, with most of Katie’s effort being spent on learning how to balance herself as she wa
lked uphill with fifty pounds on her back. She was glad she’d invested in a more expensive pack, however, because while she could certainly feel the muscle strain in her upper body, she wasn’t growing especially tired and she didn’t seem to be chafing from the straps at all.
Conversations were intermittent as they went. Lance was further up near the front, so Katie felt comfortable getting to know Dina. They were ten years apart, which made Jacob thirty-two. Katie was right; the mountains had weathered him so he looked older than he actually was. Dina had just finished up at the University of London, where Jacob had also gone some years before. She was taking a year off to help Jacob with his hiking business and then hoped to get a job with the forestry service. She was a sweet kid with an easy laugh and those same penetrating eyes that her brother had. Katie made a mental note to make sure that she kept Lance far away from Dina.
They took their first real break about two and a half hours in. They’d come to a decent-sized overlook with a number of scattered stones. As Jacob called the break a number of people unclasped their packs and started to set them to the ground. Katie helped Dina with hers first, and then turned her back to her in order to get help with her own.
“Miss me,” an all-too-familiar voice whispered.
She swore silently to herself. “How’s it going, Lance?”
As she turned around she realized that he was still holding her pack in one arm. The other he had stretched across Dina’s shoulders. The poor girl looked visibly uncomfortable.
“Doin’ well, Bud,” she hoped that this would re-situate him very much in the friend-zone, as well as clue Dina in as to the creep factor. As she watched them, however, she wasn’t really sure that Dina needed much cluing in.