“Big words back there, Prude.”
Her glare could burn a hole in the back of his head. “I’ll show you something big.”
Brendan only laughs, heading out of town. “Trust me, mine’s bigger.”
Their banter continues the entire half hour south until we pull into the wooded nature reserve.
“What is this?” Asra asks, a nervous tick in her voice as she glances from one window to the next.
“Hiking.” I turn around and offer her a smile. I hope she likes hiking and nature. She runs almost every day, hiking isn’t much different. It’s slower. Maybe we should have asked her first. “There are lots of shady trees, and there’s still a few hours of sunlight.”Balling my hands into fists on my lap, I force myself not to cringe. Of course, there are trees. We’re surrounded by the evergreen forest. There are huge trees everywhere.
Brendan gets our ticket from the entrance and winds his way to the parking lot, ignoring my insecurities. “And when it gets darker, we’ve got marshmallows for s’mores.”
“Hiking.” She stresses every sound in the word, like she’s trying it out.
My blood pressure rises. Maybe I assumed wrong. This is a bad idea.
“Haven’t you ever been hiking?” Brendan asks, parking in the half-full lot.
“Um . . . It’s. . .” She presses her head to the window, peering up at the sky.
“There’s trees,” Brendan echoes my words as he twists in his seat, “lots of trees for shade. Come on, it’ll be fun.” He hops out and opens her door. “And if you get tired,” he winks, “I’ll carry you.”
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes, but laughs as she hops out.
I let out a long breath, then follow them out of the truck, and grab the picnic basket from the bed. Well, more like a picnic backpack with its shape and straps, but I still call it a basket. Either way, it does the job, and it’s insulated enough to last for our short hike to the spot I have picked out for our meal. It should take less than an hour, even at a slow place. I’ve studied the maps and reviews enough. I’ve never been here, but all my internet searches say this place is perfect for what we have in mind.
“What’s that?” Asra rounds the back of the truck, hat and sunglasses on.
“Dinner. Well, breakfast,” I stammer the words, hoisting it onto my back.My dinner. Her breakfast. I’m screwing up again. Messing everything up.
“Hope it’s better than your breakfast yesterday,” Brendan jokes, wrapping his arm around Asra’s shoulders. “Come on, Little Girl, trail’s this way.”
I take another steadying breath. All the yoga breathing in the world isn’t going to save me today. I need to quit overthinking. Asra’s here. We made it this far.
“Are there any bears in there?” she asks, still looking from one side to the next.
Brendan shrugs. “If there are, we’ll just throw Breckin at them and run.”
There are a few bears in the forest. Black bears to be exact. As well as mountain lions and wolves. I did my research. Always best to be prepared. But there’s no way I’m admitting that to her. “As long as we stay on the trails we’ll be fine. We’re more likely to see an elk or a bald eagle.”
Her eyes scan the tree line, still weary.
“Bears tend to stay away from heavily populated areas.” We may be in the state forest, but this place is far from secluded. Far less secluded than I would have liked. But given Asra’s caution, I’ll take the safety in numbers. Coming up on the opposite side of her from Brendan, I take her hand. “You’re completely safe.”
“Yeah, the only thing you have to worry about trying to eat you here is me.” Brendan adds with another wink.
She rolls her eyes, but her shoulders relax. “Keep dreaming.”
“Every night, Little Girl.”
So much for subtlety. With her hand still clasped in mine, I lead her to the trail.
Overhead, a few birds chirp. The children in the group ahead of us chatter on as they stomp along the dirt trail. A slight breeze floats through the trees, rustling their leaves and the ferns covering the shaded forest floor. The symphony of muted sounds surrounds us as our own soft steps join the melody.
Massive, brown trunks lurch into the sky. Their vibrant, green leaves and evergreen needles blanket the sun from our view, enveloping us with their shade. After a few steps, her shoulders relax even more. Her arm sways connected to mine, a warm heat spreading up my hand from our connected fingers.
Everything seems more vibrant. Warmer. Better.