“Doesn’t it? Come on, you deserve it. Give yourself a few days off, come say hi to my family, and you’ll go back to work refreshed and rested and ready to get started on our new venture.”
She pinned me with a stare, arching one brow. “I haven’t agreed to that venture yet.”
“You will.”
Heaving a sigh, she turned around and started up the stairs again. “Come up here. I need help packing.”
“Happy to.” I watched her ascend, finding it impossible to keep my eyes off her legs in those little shorts she had on. Her limbs weren’t long by any means, but they were strong and smooth and I remembered them wrapped around me like it was yesterday. “I’m just going to grab something from my car. I’ll come up in a sec.”
“Okay. Just let yourself back in.”
I went out the front door and popped open the back of my SUV. I had several things back there: the small overnight bag I’d used at Cloverleigh, a larger duffle bag for a few days in Harbor Springs, a large black backpack full of everything we’d need for the overnight hike I’d planned, and a medium-sized charcoal pack I’d bought for Chloe. With a quick prayer she’d agree to the hike, I grabbed the pack and headed back inside.
At the top of the stairs in her condo, there was a bathroom and two doors off a long hallway. The closest one was open and revealed what appeared to be a guest bedroom and office. It held a twin bed, a nightstand with a lamp, and a desk. I continued down the hall toward the second door, which was also open.
Chloe looked up at me from where she was staring at piles of folded clothing on her neatly made bed. “You can come in. It’s fine.”
I eased into the room and set the backpack on her bed.
She looked at it strangely. “What’s that?”
“It’s a backpack for hiking.”
“I can see that.” She met my eyes warily. “What’s it doing on my bed?”
“Well, you’ll need one for our overnight hike, and I wasn’t sure you had one, so I picked it up for you, ” I said, dropping into an easy chair in one corner of her room. “You’re welcome.”
She stared at me for a few more seconds. “Overnight hike?”
“You’re gonna love it.”
“An overnight hike … with you?”
I locked my fingers behind my head. “Obviously.”
“Where are we going to sleep?”
“In a tent. I’ve already got it packed in my backpack, so you don’t have to worry about the weight of it,” I said, hoping to sound thoughtful and generous.
“One tent?”
“There’s a sleeping pad and bag tucked into your pack already—hope you don’t mind I picked them out for you, but they’re top of the line, of course”—
“Of course.”
—“and I have all the food and water we’ll need as well. All you need are some clothes and a few other items.”
For a second, she said nothing. Then she shook her head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“It’s nothing, really. Just think of it all as an early birthday present.” I smiled benevolently.
She grabbed a pile of clothing and shoved it back into a dresser drawer. “I’m not thanking you, Oliver. Because I’m not going on an overnight hike with you. So you can take the gifts back to the store.”
“What do you mean, not going?”
“You heard me.” She tossed another pile into a drawer.
“You have to go,” I argued. “You said I had one week to convince you. You promised to listen. You said you’d take the trip with me.”
“I didn’t know it involved sleeping next to you in a tent!” she said hotly, slamming one drawer and opening another. “God, I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.”
“Hey. We had a deal. You shook on it.” I rose to my feet in protest, like it was me who’d been duped. “Are you going back on your word?”
Facing me, she stuck her hands on her hips. “I shook on that deal under false pretenses. You should have told me up front what this involved. It was bad enough when I thought we’d have separate hotel rooms, but one tent?”
“Fine. Maybe I should have been more forthcoming with the details.” I held up my palms. “Mea culpa. But I honestly didn’t think it would be that big a deal. You like hiking. You like camping. I didn’t want both of us to have to carry a tent—it seemed like a waste of weight and space in your pack. And the place we’re going is so beautiful, I thought you’d enjoy spending the night there.”
“That’s not the issue and you know it. I told you this morning I wouldn’t share a room with you, and you said okay. You lied.”
“No, I didn’t! It’s not a room. It’s a tent,” I said, as if that made it better, not worse.
She shook her head. “You’re despicable.”
“I promise to behave.”
“Ha! When have you ever done that?”
“I’m serious, Chloe.” I moved closer to her. “I solemnly swear I will not lay one finger on you, I will not say or do anything suggestive, and I will zip myself up into my sleeping bag and stay on my side of the tent. You can sleep with a frying pan in your bag, and if I come near you, you can hit me over the head with it.”
A smile made her lips twitch.
“Come on. Say yes. It’ll be fun.”
“What if I say yes now and change my mind? Is that an option or will I be stranded in the wilderness?”
“You will not be stranded. If you don’t want to stay overnight, you don’t have to. We’ll get on the ferry and come home.”
“Ferry?” She looked curious. “Is it an island?”
I grinned, feeling victory swell in my chest. “Just fill your pack with lightweight clothing good for hot and cool weather. Layers are good. Hat and sunglasses. Sunscreen. I’ve got bug repellent, water purification tablets, and toilet paper.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I have to share a roll of toilet paper with you? That might actually be worse than sharing a tent.”
I laughed. “You’ll survive. Pack a different bag with your things for the cottage and we’ll keep it in my car.”
“Okay. Will I need anything fancy?”
“Nah.”
“But your mom likes people to dress for dinner.”
I shrugged. “You can wear anything you like.”
“Are you sure it’s okay that you’re bringing me to your family reunion?”
“I’m positive, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll call my mom right now and let her know you’re coming.”
“Please do that. Thank you.”
I headed for the door. “Just give me a shout when you’re ready, and I’ll help you carry everything to the car.”
“Okay.”
I went downstairs and pulled my phone from my pocket. But after giving it a moment’s thought, I went outside to make the call.
9
Chloe
NOW
Unbelievable.
How had he done it? One moment I was putting my clothes back in my dresser, and the next I was pulling things out again, tucking them into a backpack so I could go on an overnight hike with Oliver Ford Pemberton.