A small smile played across her lips. “No, I’m exactly where I want to be, Ethan,” she replied. “I’ll get over it and I know you’re right—Gabriella’s fine with me being here with you. I just overthink things like this.”
“Well, stop thinking,” he said as he slowly began to lie down and guided her with him. “We’re fine. She’s fine.” Summer rested her head on his shoulder and Ethan felt her body relax.
Honestly, he wasn’t sure what he’d do if she wanted to leave. He’d let her, of course, but it would be hard. He was just starting to get used to her being with him and really getting to know Summer as a woman—not the girl he had grown up with—and he was enjoying the discoveries.
When they were younger, he’d known her to be athletic, but he’d never realized so many of her interests mirrored his own. She loved a challenge and didn’t shy away from trying new activities, but she did it all just for fun rather than because she was trying to prove something.
Which was what he was slowly beginning to realize he’d been doing for a long time through his activities with Zach. They had always competed with each other through school and well into their twenties and now thirties, but Ethan was finally seeing it was time to be done with that. He knew he was a good man, a good athlete, a good friend. There was no need to keep up with the challenges or try to prove that he was invincible. Holding Summer in his arms and enjoying the activities as they had for the last several days made Ethan happier than any adventure he’d ever gone on.
And it wasn’t scary.
It wasn’t an adrenaline rush.
And yet he was completely content.
A soft sigh beside him had him looking down and seeing that Summer had fallen asleep. As much as he loved making the most of their time together, it was moments like this that meant the most. While Ethan knew it couldn’t be like this forever—they were eventually going to have to return to their normal lives and deal with whatever fallout there was going to be from the Montgomerys—that didn’t mean he couldn’t relish it for now.
* * *
“So what’s on the agenda for today?” Ethan asked the next morning as he and Summer joined Gabriella for breakfast.
“Actually,” Gabriella began hesitantly as they all sat down, “I think I’m just going to hang out around the lodge today. I’m going to be lazy, maybe get a massage or something, and curl up with a good book. I’m not used to all this crazy outdoor stuff.”
“But you’re so good at it,” Summer said, reaching across the table and squeezing one of Gabriella’s hands. “We’re supposed to hike today, remember?”
“I know, I know. I’m seriously ready for a day just to veg. You guys go and do your thing. A day of doing nothing is way more appealing to me right now than hiking around with twenty pounds of gear on my back.”
A little part of Summer totally related to that. As much as she was enjoying her time with Ethan, she wouldn’t mind a day of pampering. Just the thought of a nice deep-tissue massage, a pedicure… She almost groaned with imagined delight.
“If you’d rather go with Gabriella,” Ethan said, “that’s totally fine. I think you’d have a great time making it a girls’ day.” He remembered their conversation from the previous night and thought this could be the perfect compromise.
And the thing was, Summer knew he meant it. Ethan wasn’t the kind of man who would make demands on her time or belittle her for wanting a day to relax and be pampered. She was completely torn about what to do and decided to put off making her decision until after breakfast.
“Who’s up for Belgian waffles?” she said cheerily.
Sensing her friend’s distraction tactics, Gabriella chimed in. “While I do enjoy a waffle the size of my head, I think I’m going to be sensible and have a fruit platter.”
“You can’t do that,” Summer said firmly, placing her menu facedown on the table.
“Why not?”
“Vacation. You are not allowed to be sensible while on vacation. This is the time when you’re supposed to break all the rules and not think about diets and whatnot.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
Summer shook her head. “It’s completely true. Trust me. Look around this room. Do you see anyone having fruit for breakfast?” Before Gabriella could answer, Summer continued. “No. You don’t. Why? Because no one eats fruit on vacation.”
“That’s the dumbest logic I’ve ever heard.” Then she paused. “But far be it from me to commit some sort of vacation faux pas.” Picking up her menu, she looked it over again. “Fine. I’m going to have the eggs Benedict with a side order of potatoes. Happy?”
“Not enough carbs in my opinion, but whatever,” Summer said as she continued to scan her menu. “Belgian waffles with strawberries for me.”
“Uh-uh,” Gabriella said disapprovingly.
“Why? What’s wrong with that?”
“If I’m not allowed to have fruit, neither are you.”
“It’s not fruit,” Summer argued lightly. “It’s a topping. Completely different.”
“I don’t agree. Get the chocolate chip ones or I’m getting my fruit platter. And then it will be your fault that everyone stops and stares at me like I’m a freak.”
Beside them, Ethan rolled his eyes. “If the two of you keep up this kind of conversation, the only thing I’m going to be having for breakfast is a strong drink.”
“Ooo…mimosas!” Summer said excitedly. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Seriously?” Ethan asked. “That’s your idea of a strong drink?”
“A strong breakfast drink,” Gabriella corrected.
“Note to self, drink heavily before having breakfast with these two,” Ethan murmured as he looked at the menu. “And in case anyone’s wondering, I’m having the outdoorsman platter—eggs, bacon, home fries, and pancakes. I think I’ve hit all the necessities.” He looked at Summer expectantly. “Did I miss anything?”
“Nailed it in one,” she said and leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before looking at Gabriella. “See? He knows the rules of vacation eating. You don’t see him eat like that at the office, do you?”
“Can’t say that I have. But then again, I’m usually too busy running around for Zach to notice what Ethan’s eating. Maybe I’ll have to call his assistant and ask some questions.” Her eyes twinkled as she looked at the two of them.
“Oh no,” Ethan said with a chuckle. “Leave Donna out of this. No one knows that I didn’t go on the climb, and I’m enjoying the peace and quiet.”
They all grew silent for a moment. “How do you think Zach’s doing?” Summer asked, suddenly serious. “Do you think he’s okay?”
Ethan put his arm around her. “I’m sure he is. I know his leg wasn’t as fully healed as it should have been, but I’d like to think that he’s being careful and not doing anything to aggravate it.”
Gabriella snorted with disbelief and then quickly coughed to try to cover it up. When both Summer and Ethan looked at her expectantly, her eyes went a little wide. “What?”
“Out with it,” Summer said. “Say what’s on your mind.”
“Your brother knows he shouldn’t have gone on this climb, and so does everyone else. He likes to think he’s invincible, but he’s not. This whole thing was poorly timed, and I understand that he didn’t want to wait another whole year before the climbing season came around again, but he’s only hurting himself. I mean, what is he trying to prove?”
It was on the tip of Ethan’s tongue to defend Zach, but he didn’t. Not really. “Zach’s addicted to taking the risks. He’s an adrenaline junkie. We both are. It’s not something that everyone gets, and yeah, maybe he could have been a little wiser about this particular trip, but I think he’s going to be all right.”
“I never understood it,” Summer said. “All my life I sat back and watched Zach do one stupid adventur
e after another, and I just don’t see the appeal. I enjoy going out and playing sports just like the next guy, but I don’t see how practically killing yourself can give you any kind of a thrill.”
“It’s a great feeling when you do it,” Ethan said with just a hint of defense. “I can’t describe it, but it’s an incredible high when you jump out of a plane and soar through the sky or when you bungee jump off a bridge and barrel toward the ground and bounce away just in time. It’s…it’s amazing.”
“It’s stupid,” Gabriella said before thanking the waitress who poured their coffees. “People who do that sort of thing are clearly trying to prove something. We all get it—Zach’s a man’s man. He doesn’t need to jump out of a plane or climb a mountain with a bad leg to prove it. Why can’t he just be happy doing normal things?”
“The things he does are normal to him. He’s a gifted athlete who’s conquered all of the usual sports. So little by little, he upped the ante,” Ethan said, taking a sip of his own coffee.
“To what end?” Gabriella asked. “When is enough going to be enough? I thought the broken leg would have slowed him down a bit, but all it did was make him angry and push him to do something completely stupid!”
“I don’t think it’s the smartest thing he’s ever done,” Ethan said evenly, “but I’m hoping he’s going to see that he needs to slow down a bit. Maybe after he gets back, Zach will realize that his body can only take so much and he’ll finally relax a little.”
Gabriella shook her head with disbelief. “I think something major is going to have to happen for him to see that.”
Summer sat back and quietly sipped her coffee and listened to the exchange. Unfortunately, she knew Gabriella was right. Her brother was so damn stubborn that it was going to take something major to wake him up and snap him out of this obsession for dangerous sports. She’d lost count of the times she had begged him—for his own safety—to wait before going on this excursion. His leg wasn’t healed from jumping out of that plane back in the fall.
Zach had argued that it had been six months and he was fine, but Summer knew better. After all her training as a yoga instructor, she had learned enough about how the body works—and heals—to see the telltale signs of an injury that wasn’t fully healed.
And Zach wasn’t fully healed no matter how much he protested.
“Look, we could go back and forth about this all day, but in the end we have to trust that Zach knows what he’s doing,” Ethan said and smiled as their waitress approached to take their orders.
Time for another change of subject, Summer thought to herself. “So…a spa day?” she asked cheerily. “I’m sure it’s going to be fabulous.”
“You could totally join me,” Gabriella said. “I wouldn’t say no to the company.”
“As much as I know my body would absolutely love it, I’m kind of excited about the hike. Everything is just so beautiful out here, and we have such great weather again today that I don’t want to miss out.”
“Summer, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. I’m the one changing plans. I knew you guys were going to go on the hike. I’m the one crying ‘uncle’ because I’m out of shape.”
A snort escaped Summer’s lips before she could stop it. “Sorry. But um…out of shape? Hardly. Please. Don’t make me smack you.”
“You have no idea,” Gabriella countered.
“Enough!” Ethan said. “I have to stop the two of you right there because I cannot sit through another of these crazy conversations. Gabriella? Enjoy the spa day. Summer? You and I are going to get a bag lunch to take with us and we are going to go and hike like we planned. And tonight when we all meet for dinner, everyone will be happy. Okay?”
Both women looked at him as if he had spoken Greek. “Geez, lighten up,” Summer mumbled.
“I know, right?” Gabriella agreed just as quietly.
With a roll of his eyes, Ethan took his coffee mug in his hands and decided the only way to win was to keep his mouth shut until they were done with breakfast. This was a whole new experience for him—witnessing this much female conversation. He knew that Summer and Gabriella had only known each other for a short time, but they acted as if they’d been best friends forever. He was glad Summer had made a friend here; it might work to his advantage if he hoped to convince her to stay in Portland, even if she didn’t want to work for Montgomerys.
This was probably something he should approach Summer about. While right now everything was wonderful and they were both happy, the truth was that they hadn’t been living in reality. The time in the tepee and now here in Alaska were far away from their normal lives. What was going to happen once they returned to work? To Portland? To being surrounded by nosy Montgomerys?
Their breakfast arrived and Summer looked at her giant waffle and turned to Ethan and smiled. Her entire face lit up, and it just confirmed what he already knew: He was in love with Summer Montgomery.
* * *
“This trail is a little bit boring, don’t you think?” Summer asked several hours later as they made their way down a marked path.
“I hadn’t really thought of it that way. There’s so much to see—different kinds of birds and plants… The weather is just fantastic—perfect for hiking.” He reached out and took one of Summer’s hands in his. “And the company is perfect.”
“Aw, aren’t you sweet,” she cooed and pulled him close for a kiss and sighed. “It is a beautiful day and everything is really pretty to look at… I was just hoping to see a little something more.”
“More? Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Deer. Bears. A moose. You know, wildlife.”
Beside her, Ethan chuckled. “Summer, trust me when I say that you do not want to have an up-close encounter with any of those animals.”
“I’m not saying up close. I’d just like to see one—even off in the distance.” She looked around and then came to a complete stop.
“What? What’s the matter?” he asked.
“You know, that guy at the trail shop said there were a lot of ‘secret’ paths to check out.” She looked around again. “You can see a couple of rough trails through the trees over there. Let’s go and check that out!” Tugging Ethan by the hand, Summer tried to move over to what she thought was a trail.
“Summer,” he began and held his ground, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to wander off the path. We’ve got maps right here and we already chose the longest one to explore. Come on. You have no idea what those paths are like. Let’s just stick to the ones mapped out for us.”
She pulled her hand free of his and crossed her arms. “If you were Zach, would you stick to the mapped-out, boring path?”
“That’s completely irrelevant.”
“Is it?” she asked and crossed her arms across her chest.
Why hadn’t he remembered her stubborn streak? “It doesn’t matter what I would do if Zach were here. You’re here. I’m here. I thought we were having a good time.”
She dropped her arms to her side. “We are,” she said begrudgingly. “I was just expecting something a little more exciting. All those travel and tour brochures showed the wildlife and the only thing I’ve seen is a squirrel. And he wasn’t even doing anything entertaining.”
“What were you expecting? For it to be juggling or something?” he teased.
“No,” she said with a pout. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
Ethan pulled Summer into his embrace and took a moment to enjoy the feel of her in his arms. “What’s going on?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know… I feel like you’re always off doing these really cool, crazy things and that this seems a little tame for you.” She shrugged. “I’m not big on dangerous stuff, but I wanted us to have our own little adventure. Just the two of us.”
“Sweetheart, we’ve been having our own adventures for days,” he said and placed a ki
ss on the top of her head. “I don’t need an adventure. I just want to spend time with you.”
Summer looked up at him and smiled. “Really?”
He nodded. “Absolutely. I’m thankful that we have this time, without any prying eyes, just to get to know one another.”
“Ethan, we’ve known each other for years,” she said with a chuckle.
He shook his head. “No. The Summer Montgomery I knew was a girl. When you showed up at the office for the first time? I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”
“Really?” she purred and snuggled closer. “Do tell.”
“You’ve blossomed into this amazingly beautiful woman,” he said and kissed her temple. “I mean, you were always beautiful, but when you walked into my office that day, it was like you’d transformed. Gone was the young girl I always pictured when I thought of you and in her place was…” He pulled back and looked into her face. “You.” He sighed. “I look at you sometimes and it’s like I can’t breathe. And even standing here right now with you in my arms I can’t believe it’s real.”
“I feel that way too,” she said quietly. “I’d had a crush on you for so long and you never noticed me and…”
“Wait, wait, wait… You had a crush on me?”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, Ethan. You can’t tell me you didn’t know!” she said with a laugh. “Everyone knew! Hell, my brothers used to throw things at me to stop me from staring at you!”
Ethan stopped and thought about that for a moment and then started to laugh. “Seriously? That’s what that was about?”
“What?”
“I remember your brothers always throwing stuff at you…popcorn, socks…I think I remember James throwing a basketball at you once and I thought it was odd.”
“They told me I was being a nuisance.”
Shaking his head, Ethan continued to laugh. “Not to me, because clearly I didn’t even notice.”
“Thanks a lot!” she cried and went to pull away, but Ethan pulled her in close.
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