“Hmm?” Graham tilted his head, listening. “All I hear are the thrushes singing. They’re loud little suckers at night up here.”
“Exactly. That’s all I hear too.” Pushing her glasses up high on her nose, Zoey lifted her face to the sky, a soft purple-gray, still trimmed with blue on the horizon. “I didn’t get some of the memories I thought I’d wanted. But right here, just like this, you’re giving me memories I didn’t know I needed. A girl can go a long time on a night like this. Maybe even ten more years while I save enough to come back.”
Even though the idea of returning made her smile, the rest of her words caused the smile to slip from her face. Silence fell between them, a silence she didn’t think she had the courage to break.
Graham did. “Ten years is a long time.”
“Yeah.”
“You’ll probably have a potbellied husband and four kids by then.”
“You might have a wife and thirty kids by then.”
With a low chuckle, he looked up at her. “I might. Poor thing, getting stuck with a guy like me. I’ve been told I’m a pain in the ass.”
“I have physical proof that is one hundred percent true.” She hesitated, then added softly, “Graham? I don’t want to go home regretting anything. Especially you.”
“Meaning what, Zo?”
“Meaning I only have a few days left. I’d like to make the most of them with you.”
Drawing her down into his arms, Graham kissed her, with only the silent majestic mountains rising above them bearing witness to the most perfect kiss of her life. As she closed her eyes, letting the warmth of Graham’s presence lull her into sleep against his chest, Zoey heard him whisper, “Yeah, darlin’. Me too.”
Chapter 15
Things were getting serious with Graham, which meant it was time to book an appointment with Grace. Zoey was in need of some ladyscaping.
They were having a fireworks show by the lake that night to celebrate the Fourth of July, and apparently, the resort went all out, setting off a sheer arsenal over the valley. It was one of the few times a year that the town and the resort came together, with the town adding their own supplies to that of the resort, resulting in enough fireworks to blow a small crater in the side of the mountain range.
According to Lana, the Moose Springs fireworks show was absolutely fabulous.
Last night with Graham had lasted until dawn, and by the time he walked Zoey to her car, whatever this was growing between them hadn’t eased one single bit. She would see him tonight, because the entire town shut down to go watch the fireworks. Like Lana, Graham assured her it was not to be missed. Lingering at the end of their goodbye kiss, Zoey’s desire for him skyrocketed. Only when she was back at the hotel, a couple of hours of sleep under her belt and the promise he would come find her as soon as he could get away from work, did it occur to her that she might be in over her head. It had been a while since she’d dated someone and…well…things weren’t at their tidiest.
Having her eyebrows already threaded by the resort’s expert stylist, Zoey knew Grace was the best. The scariest but the best. As Zoey stood awkwardly in the spa’s reception room, waiting for her turn to be tortured, she embraced how utterly intimidated she was by the other woman. There was something particularly horrifying about asking a cover model-beautiful stylist with perfect eyebrows to make sure you don’t have errant chin hairs or a mustache.
That had been last time. This time, Zoey had more serious hair issues to attend to.
“Oh, Zoey, there you are.”
Zoey glanced up in surprise, not expecting Lana to come around the corner, fresh-faced and dewy, ready for her day.
The fact Lana hadn’t woken Zoey to ask her to do her makeup and went to the spa to have it done instead spoke volumes to her level of guilt. Rarely at a loss for something to say, Lana hesitated, fiddling with the delicate diamond bracelet on her wrist.
“I’m getting a wax,” Zoey blurted out. “I’m trying not to run screaming.”
Lana’s eyes sparkled with interest. “Oh really? Things are going that well?”
Grace the follicle extractor appeared at the desk, a hush going through the reception area. Clearly, Zoey wasn’t the only one intimidated by the stylist. “Zoey Caldwell.”
“That’s me.” Could her voice have sounded any weaker? Grace lifted one sculpted eyebrow, and Zoey found herself shrinking beneath her gaze. “Umm, Lana? Do you want to come with me?”
Relief flashed over Lana’s face as if she thought Zoey would be angry with her. “Of course I will.”
“I don’t think she likes me,” Zoey mumbled as they followed Grace deeper into the salon, past overstuffed pedicure chairs and someone getting their hair styled for the day. Last time when they had their brows done, it had been from a bright and cheery spot near the pedicure chairs.
This time, they were going to a room. A dark, ominous lady cave where terrible things happened to those with insufficient follicle care.
Upon seeing the table and sheer amount of wax waiting for her, Zoey’s body stopped of its own accord, unwilling to move past the doorway.
“On the table.” Grace ignored Zoey’s internal panic attack. “Are we still doing a Brazilian wax?”
“I think so?”
Raising another eyebrow at her squeak, Grace glanced at Lana.
“Of course she is. Now undress, love. We can’t get all spiffy with our clothes in the way.”
Nervously, Zoey did as she was told and lay down on the torture table.
“It’s nothing to be scared of.” Sitting on a chair next to Zoey’s head, Lana gave her a reassuring squeeze of her hand. “I do this all the time. All they will do is—”
Grace gasped, mumbling, “What in the world?”
“What?” Pushing herself up to her elbows, Zoey cast about frantically. “What’s wrong?”
“I mean, do the words daily moisturizer mean nothing to you?”
“Down there?”
Grace and Lana shared a look. “It’s okay,” her friend promised. “It’s never too late to start wrinkle repair.”
“I have wrinkles?”
“Well, they certainly aren’t laugh lines,” Grace said dryly.
“Until recently, that part of you didn’t have much to laugh about, did it?” Lana shrugged. “If nothing else, the handsome boy has put a spring in your step. Now, let’s make it easier for him to see the forest for the trees.”