My stomach drops.
What is going on? Is he just going to ignore me?
“The burned one is yours, obviously,” he tells Sarah and pushes her plate over to her. She giggles and playfully hits him on the arm like those shy cheerleaders in high school when they flirt with the school’s football captain.
My blood is boiling as I grab my own plate and start eating in silence while my colleagues discuss the schedule for today with Nick. Apparently, we’re going out on snowmobiles into the park for the week, so the crew can film Nick setting up camp, then leading a trek through the park. He’s too busy talking to Sarah to notice how upset I am sitting in front of them. Perhaps, he’s one of those guys who does things like that with you and forgets about your existence the next morning. Who knows? He might crawl into Sarah’s bed tonight.
The idea causes me to clench my fingers around my knife and fork.
***
“Grizzly bears aren’t out of hibernation yet, but there are still plenty of wildlife that you should be aware of while camping,” Nick says as Cory and Sarah follow him with their cameras, and Roy directs the angles and lighting. Meanwhile, I trail behind them, trying to keep up and cursing my feet that keep sinking into the snow that still covers the ground. We’re walking up a rise, and the view from here is gorgeous. Something to keep my mind off the whole Nick situation, I suppose. We’ve been in the park for hours. Roy has already filmed Nick setting up base camp for all of us, and I noticed he only set up three tents. I wonder angrily who will be sharing a tent with Sarah tonight, him or me.
“In this area, you have to keep an eye out for signs of larger animals like wolves and moose, but also smaller ones like porcupines. So, it’s really important that you keep an eye out for tracks—”
“Bla bla bla,” I mock him under my breath. They can’t hear me anyway since they probably don’t remember that I’m here. Maxine told me I would learn so much from this trip, but how am I supposed to do that if nobody lets me help?
Now, they’ve all gathered around him to film him pointing out signs of different animals in the area. I would try harder to join, if I wasn’t still upset about him and Sarah. I’m not sure if they’re flirting with each other, or if I’m just being paranoid, but I’m definitely upset about being totally ignored. I can’t help wondering if Nick has decided a virgin is too much work after all.
“So, you’ll want to make sure to avoid game trails when you’re choosing a place to set up camp. You’ll also need to consider the weather—”
“Cut!” I shout.
“Cut!” Roy shouts after I did, and all eyes are on me. “Jess, you’re not allowed to say cut.I’mdirecting.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well. Can I go back to camp? It’s not like I’m needed here,” I say, staring straight at Nick to let him know he’s the problem. If he gets the hint, it doesn’t show in the neutral look on his face. I love the way his cheeks turn red from the cold, and his blue eyes are even bluer against the white surrounding us. I’m struggling to hold onto my anger as I look at him, which is all the more reason to get out of here.
“She’s got a point. I mean, we don’t really need her,” Sarah says and shrugs when she receives a reprimanding look from Cory.
“Okay, fine. But you’ll have to go back alone. We still have to film this,” Roy says.
“I can take her back and return to film,” Nick cuts in. Why is he referring to me as if I’m not right here? I want to roll my eyes, but I remind myself to be professional.
“It’s alright. I know the way back,” I insist, then without waiting for a response from him, I turn and start heading downhill to the area where we left the snowmobiles.
I reach my snowmobile and settle myself on the seat, removing a compass from my coat pocket. I remember Nick saying that we rode out directly north from camp, and we rode for about an hour before stopping to film. I haven’t been riding for too long when snow begins to fall. I think I might have overestimated my ability to navigate in the wild. Even back in the city, I am terrible with directions. Now, the snow is falling harder and covering all the earlier tracks. Still, I keep a close eye on my compass and continue heading south. As I keep going, all I see are trees and snow.
I pull the collar of my big coat up, covering my nose. Everything is white, and the wind is blowing stronger and stronger. My lashes are white with frost, and my fingers are numb. Suddenly, I hit a bump on the trail, and the snowmobile jumps beneath me, sending my compass flying. I stop themachine as quickly as possible and race back. I realize that I hit a fallen log that was covered by snow, but no matter how hard I search, I can’t find my compass.
Shit. Now, what am I going to do? Trying hard to quell my panic, I go back to the snowmobile and look around. My surroundings are thick with trees and brush, everything covered in a blanket of white. I’m afraid to move, afraid I could end up going further in the wrong direction. Just as my panic begins to swell, I hear the hum of a snowmobile nearby and look around quickly. A blue snowmobile cuts down the trail, and I sigh in relief.Nick. He’s found me, thank God.
He parks next to me, and before I can climb off my own machine, he’s grabbed me by my arms and pulled me tightly against him. I look up, blinking the snow off my lashes as relief washes over me when I see his handsome face.
“You ridiculous girl,” he mutters under his breath. “Come on. Let’s get you somewhere safe.”
Chapter 5
Nick
I tether Jess’s snowmobile to mine, and unwilling to have her apart from me for even the few minutes it will take to find shelter, I position her behind me on my snowmobile and drive us to a nearby cave I’d explored the week before. I know these woods like the back of my hand, every corner, every stone, every tree. We’ll be safe here while waiting for the storm to pass. I have Jess wait while I double check that the cave is still empty. The last thing we need is to disturb a sleeping animal. I’m relieved to see that it’s still unoccupied.
I guide Jess into the cave and get her settled, then go back to drive the snowmobiles inside so they don’t become buried in the late season snowstorm. This is exactly the kind of weather that I always warn my clients to be prepared for. Fortunately, I am good at heeding my own advice, and I have everything we’ll need in my pack.
The crew returned safely to the base camp because I could feel the storm coming and decided to halt filming for the day. I guess I should never have let Jess leave on her own. What was I thinking? I knew that she was upset, but I believed her when she said she could find her way back. I shouldn’t have, she’s a city girl after all.
As I sit her down on the cave floor, I instantly regret letting this happen to her. She’s shivering while holding herself tightly, looking even smaller than she already is. It’s not too dark in here, and I can still see the heated look she’s giving me, which makes me feel a lot guiltier, though I still don’t understand why she’s so upset with me.
“How are you feeling?”