"This is a nice little place,” Kay observed, looking around at the simple but elegant decor of the sprawling restaurant around them.
"Yes, Randall has done wonders with it. I did some work on his other businesses for a few years. I didn't even know he owned this one."
Their conversation turned to light chatter about the ranch and her endeavors to make the house a bit more to her liking, though she was mostly considering his taste when selecting items, since he would be the one left with it. She wanted to ask him some questions, but she knew it was just curiosity and really none of her business. She would be gone soon enough.
They finished their meals and he paid the check, walking out the doors with his hand gently resting on her back as if they were the perfect couple he had paid for them to be. There was something almost comical about the little dog and pony show they put on for the masses and she found herself chuckling to herself as he repeated the ritual of opening her door and then sauntering around to his side. She couldn’t help but wonder how much of this was natural for him, if he was this attentive in an actual relationship. Something told her he was not.
During their time together, he had been pleasant but distant. Nothing in his demeanor indicated that he was the least bit attracted to her or had any intention of making anything more of their arrangement. He was quick to compliment her in public scenarios, but once they walked into their “bedroom”, he said a polite goodnight and went about his business while she went directly to her own room.
Even today, while in the restaurant, they had chatted almost lovingly, like any other newly married couple would, but back in the car, conversation was almost non-existent. They drove quietly toward the edge of the lake that sat on the edge of town and he parked in a hiker’s parking lot, grabbing a backpack from the trunk and hoisting it onto his shoulders before pointing her toward a trail head just to the right of the car.
“That’s where we head in. You ready?”
“We’re hiking?” she asked incredulously, looking forlornly down at her sandals.
“Yeah,” he replied, then noting her gaze down at her feet. “Oh.”
“I thought we were just going for an easy walk.”
“I know. It’s a surprise. I came prepared. I just forgot,” he said, walking back to the car and opening the trunk again. He pulled out a pair of her walking shoes and clean socks and handed them to her.
“So I see,” she said, a bit confused as to when he had gotten her things. Then she remembered that she had been downstairs for a while when he was getting ready for them to leave. He must have snuck them out then. She had been so pre-occupied at the time that she hadn’t even noticed.
Kay slipped off her sandals and he reached for them, putting them in the trunk and closing it while she sat on a nearby bench and changed into her walking shoes. Hiking boots would have probably been better, but she supposed he knew the trail and didn’t think them necessary. She could only surmise from that, that it wasn’t too rough. With her shoes and socks now on, she stood up and smiled at him.
“All right. Let’s go,” he said, returning her smile.CHAPTER TENThe hike wasn’t difficult, but it was long. It wound around the lake for a bit and they strolled quietly, side by side, listening to the water ripple and animals filling the air about them with calming sounds of nature. After a while, they strayed from the main path and began to climb upward into the nearby forest, pushing deeper and deeper into the woods on a path that seemed little used.
Arriving in a clearing at the top, they were looking at a completely secluded area surrounded by the forest on all sides and mostly covered by the overhang of the trees on top. It was beautiful, and Kay found herself wishing she had brought a proper camera instead of just the one on the cheap smartphone she had purchased to use until she was back out on her own. Once she left here, she wanted no more ties to this place than necessary. She would get a new phone, a new number, a new life.
“Isn’t it spectacular?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s perfect. Took a while to get here though, nearly two hours.”
“Is that a complaint?” he teased.
“No. Not at all,” she laughed, looking around at the gorgeous evergreens mixed in with a variety of oak and elm trees. To one side stood a large willow tree that swayed gently in the breeze that blew around them. It was incredibly serene here.