Trip coughed out a laugh, though his expression appeared far from amused. “I’d hardly call cute boys something you can add to your resume under the topic of Cultural Experiences.”
Josie laughed before I even said another word. “Good thing I won’t be needing that resume, then, huh?”
Trip almost looked as annoyed as Raven, and I couldn’t entirely grasp why. Their family very much had a stake in our family business, since my papa held Trip’s father to such high standards. I’d often sworn that if I weren’t the promised heir, then Thomas Bradshaw would be at the helm and set for taking over the Bells’ lives’ work. It made me sick to think that if anything were to happen to me, that was exactly what would happen.
The conversation shifted to Raven and her post-graduation dreams, and I wasn’t surprised to hear that she wanted to do something in event planning or hospitality. She was always the social director of our little group, setting up parties and outings just like the hike.
I stared back at her as she laughed about how awesome it was that Ridge worked where he did, since the other camps around town were booked, and it hit me like a blow to the stomach.
“Wait. You knew Ridge worked here?”
Raven’s eyes widened because I failed to keep the shock out of my voice. My mind was officially blown, and the shrapnel was freely attacking my heart.
“Well, yeah.” She shot a look at him then turned back to me with a soft smile. “We’ve kept in contact.”
My stomach churned, and it wasn’t from lack of food. The tortillas had done their job of filling me up, but I wasn’t sure how long dinner would stay down. Ridge had left without even a goodbye to me, yet he’d stayed in contact with Raven—of all people. She was the one he’d allowed into his life. I was happy that the sun was in the midst of setting, because it was the perfect excuse to retreat to my tent for an early bedtime.
Tomorrow was a new day, and I was intent on moving forward, metaphorically and physically. I was going to hike the next leg of the trail up the mountain to our second camping destination. And I would do it while leaving my past right where it belonged.
22
Ridge
Camila and Josie’s tent was already packed up by the time I started making rounds the next morning. I, on the other hand, was in no hurry to leave the comfort of my tent after a night of restless sleep. After seeing the look on Camila’s face when she realized how she’d ended up on my tour, I tossed and turned. She looked as if I’d betrayed her, and in a way, I had.
A group of campers was already suited in hiking gear with their bags strapped to their backs, waiting for me near the water’s edge. We would take the next uphill hike up to the middle lake and camp out there for the night before making our way to the very top. The entire point of the backpacking trip wasn’t the strenuous hike but the quiet experience of staying still, getting lost inside a world that didn’t consist of deadlines and watching the clock, and posting everything you ate on social media. The stillness was our destination and where we learned to live.
I scoped out the empty campsite behind me as I approached the group at the water. “Well, this is a first. Usually, I’m the one waiting on everyone else.” I scanned their faces to see if Camila and Josie were among them and quickly confirmed that they were not. “I see we have a couple of ambitious hikers. Camila and Josie already took off?” I looked straight at Trip.
“Yup. Left before dawn. I told them to wait, but of course they didn’t listen to me.” Trip’s jaw hardened as he looked up the hill at his back. “That’s a steep incline.”
“The girls will be fine.” I waved off Trip’s worry. He knew just as well as I did that Camila was more than capable of venturing off on her own. He just didn’t like that he couldn’t watch her like a hawk. “Let’s get going, shall we?”
The group all agreed, and with me in the lead, we took off toward on the next leg of the hike. It consisted mostly of small rocks and a narrower trail, one I’d always managed to navigate with no problem. Unfortunately, I’d figured out the day before that the majority of the group with me wasn’t experienced enough to manage the trails with the same confidence.
When I heard a high-pitched scream and the sound of sliding rocks, I flipped around to find Raven on the ground, her face twisted in pain and a howl bursting from her throat. Shit.
I walked down the hill, careful to not make the same mistake as Raven, and got to her at the same time as her brother. She was holding out her leg and clutching it as she stared at it in shock. “I heard it pop.” She looked more terrified than in pain. “I swear, I heard it break.”
“Are you fucking kidding me, Raven? How could you be so clumsy?”
I ignored Trip while internalizing the fact that he hadn’t changed, not even after graduating from high school. He was still the prick he’d always been. “Where did you hear it break? Where does it hurt?”
Raven pointed at her ankle while tears sprang to her eyes. “It hurts so much. I’m afraid to move anything.”
“Don’t move it,” I warned her. “I’m going to slowly remove your boot so that I can take a look, okay?”
She nodded, her lids pinching together.
After her boot and sock were off, her quickly swelling ankle showed that she’d broken it somehow. I didn’t know whether it was a non-weight-bearing break, but she wouldn’t be able to walk on it for at least a few weeks. I’d seen injuries just as small before, but though it was a little bone that wouldn’t cause any long-term damage, it was a break no less, and it probably hurt like hell.
After doing everything I knew how to do for her—helping her stand to test her ability to walk then taping up her ankle—I sighed and looked up at Trip. “She won’t be able to walk on it, but she needs to get back to Camp Lachey. I can have Jason send someone to meet you on the trail with a stretcher, but you’ll need to help her back.”
“Are you kidding me? We’ve walked like three miles!”
I shrugged, letting him know there was no other choice.
Trip’s expression was a mix between crestfallen and furious as he assessed his sister’s ankle, then he cursed under his breath.
“W-Why can’t you take me?” Raven asked, looking up at me while batting her lashes.
“I’ve got to stay with the group. I’ll alert Jason to meet you, but you might want to take some of your friends with you to help.” I nodded to the four pot smokers, who were taking up the tail end of the group and looked miserable. “Maybe them.”
After Trip talked to the guys, he hauled Raven up into his arms, then they started down the hill, successfully cutting my hiking group in half.
It definitely felt like I was carrying a lighter load for the rest of the hike up. The hikers with me kept up easily, and they reined in their chatter. When we reached the top, I waved them over to the edge of the cliff, where they would get a view of why we’d really came on the trip.
“Unreal,” one camper said breathily.
“Holy shit, this is beautiful,” another said.
I smiled.
The lake below us looked better than any filter on any image I’d ever seen in my life. The water was a crisp turquoise, its surface smooth, and patches of snow were still evident in sections of the land and hills around it. I backed away from the edge to give the group some space and made my way over to the campsite, where Camila’s tent was already set up. The girls were nowhere to be found.