“You’re annoyed,” Cybil whispers as she falls into step with me after everyone else passes, and my chin jerks back in surprise. No one but Blake and Maverick have ever been able to read me, and it took them years to be able to decipher my moods.
“Yeah,” I agree, and she wraps her fingers around mine, squeezing quickly before letting her hand drop away.
“Well, turn that frown upside down.” She knocks my shoulder playfully with her fist. “It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and we’re on an adventure, partner.”
Shaking my head, I smile down at her, feeling lighter than I did a minute ago. “All right, sunshine.” I grin, watching her eyes go to the dimple in my cheek right before she ducks her head.
Fuck, but she’s going to make it really difficult not to kiss her for the next week.
Chapter 5
CYBIL
After picking up sticks and twigs I think will be good for firewood, I carry them to the pile that Parker, Jacob, and I have started, then go back in search of more. My body protests under its own weight as I walk with my eyes on the ground at my feet.
I’m exhausted. I thought I knew what exhaustion was before today, but after hiking uphill, carrying the weight of my pack, I now know I was wrong. I also hope Tanner is right that, as the days pass, it will get easier.
“So Tanner’s cute,” Jacob says casually as he walks past me with his arms full, and my heart skips a beat at the mention of the man I spent the day getting to know.
“Very cute,” Parker chimes in. “Don’t you think so, Cybil?”
“Sure.” I drop my eyes to the ground and start to walk away, knowing where their line of questioning is going.
“He seems to like you.”
Does he? I bite my bottom lip. “It’s his job to be nice to me.” I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know the feelings he stirs in me are ones I’ve never experienced before.
“Honey, that man is smitten,” Jacob says, and I focus on him.
“Can’t you tell?” Parker asks with his head tipping to the side as he studies me, and I shrug. “How did you know your ex liked you?”
“We were friends, so I always knew.” And that’s the truth. Galvin and I grew up together. He, Jade, and I weren’t just close; we were inseparable. It wasn’t until I was about to be sixteen that things between Galvin and me started to change and become more flirtatious. It’s weird to think about it now, but it seemed natural for our relationship to progress.
“Wait.” Jacob frowns. “How long were you together?”
“A little over nine years.”
“Jesus, you were just a baby,” he whispers, sounding horrified.
“We were both sixteen,” I say in my defense.
“And he’s the only man you’ve ever been with?” Parker asks, and my cheeks warm as I nod. “Why did things end between the two of you?”
“Don’t answer that.” Jacob glares at his husband.
“I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” I tell them quietly. “He didn’t tell me why he didn’t want to be with me anymore. He just kept saying it was him, not me.”
“Obviously, he didn’t lie. You’re gorgeous, funny, and—”
“And you don’t know me well,” I tell Parker as I laugh. “It’s okay.” I wave my hand out. “You don’t have to try to make me feel better. Just please don’t start feeling sorry for me.”
“I . . . ,” Parker starts, but whatever he was about to say is cut off when we hear what sounds like a four-wheeler coming through the trees.
“That’s probably Blake,” Jacob says, looking between Parker and me. “We should finish up and get back to camp—I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving and ready to go to sleep.”
Without another word, the three of us split up to finish our task. Once we’re done and are loaded up with firewood, we make our way back to camp, where the rest of the group has been clearing the area and digging a pit for the fire. With my arms full, I clear the trees and automatically search out Tanner, finding him standing next to Blake, the two of them talking quietly. Like he senses me watching him, he turns his head my way, and our eyes lock for a moment before I duck my head and drop my armful of branches onto the pile Jacob and Parker started.
“Everyone, come here and gather around,” Tanner calls out, and everyone stops what they’re doing and heads toward where he’s still standing with Blake next to a four-wheeler that is loaded down with coolers and canvas bags. “Each couple is responsible for setting up their tent when we reach camp each evening and taking it down each morning after breakfast,” he says as Blake passes out canvas bags to each couple. “In the pamphlet you were given this morning were instructions on how to go about setting up your tent. You must follow them and work with your partner to complete the task at hand, and if you don’t, both of you will be sleeping outside in the elements for the night.”
His eyes meet mine when Blake hands me a tent, and it’s not until that moment that I realize I’ll be sharing a tent with Tanner.
Holy cow.
“Let’s get this done so we can eat,” he says, releasing me from his gaze, and I gulp as I numbly carry the canvas bag across the dirt area. I drop it to the ground, then grab my pack and dig out the papers I was given this morning.
“It’s really unfair that she has Tanner helping her,” I hear Lauren complain, and I grit my teeth to keep from saying something to her I might regret. I’ve never disliked anyone, not really anyway, but there’s something about her that rubs me the wrong way and sets me on edge.
“Ignore her,” Tanner says quietly, squatting down next to me, and I sigh as I read over the directions, wanting to have a basic idea of what needs to be done before I start the task and work through the steps. When I finish, I set the paper aside and remove the tent and poles from the bag, then start to unfold it and lay it flat with Tanner’s help.
“We need something to get the stakes into the ground,” I tell him, getting up and looking around for a rock. When I finally find one, he takes it from me and pounds the four posts into the ground with ease, then waits patiently for me to tell him what we have to do next. Even though I’m sure he’s done this a million times, the small gesture makes me feel essential to the process. With the next step being to set up all the poles, I do that; then we work together to weave them through the canvas loops before we raise the roof.
Once we’re finished, I can’t help my smile, feeling proud of myself. Not only did I keep up with the group today but I just helped set up our shelter for the night. I look around and find that everyone else is finishing up as well. I grab my bag and duck my head as I take the bag into the tent, then I take a seat on the floor and lie down, wanting to close my eyes for just a few minutes. “I’m so tired,” I admit when I feel him take a seat near me.
“You did great today.”
“All I did was walk.” My lips twitch into a smile when he chuckles.
“Yeah, but you didn’t spend the entire time complaining, and like I said, every day, it will get a little easier.”