Page 62 of Shared By the Mountain Men

“Don’t want to talk about it,” he replied, still not looking in my direction.

As soon as I closed the truck door, he was driving away.

Great job, Melissa. Amazing work.

I wallowed in self-loathing with my Kindle until a knock came at my door. It was Noah, smiling warmly like he always did.

“You’re half an hour early for our date,” I pointed out.

“I figured we could get some pre-dinner drinks. There’s a new pop-up bar I want to check out.”

“I need fifteen minutes to do my hair and makeup,” I said.

Noah’s blue eyes scanned me like a caress, settling on my mouth. “You look perfect to me.”

“As much as I like the compliment,” I said, “I don’t look perfect tome. And that’s what matters more.”

“Fair enough.”

Noah hung out on the couch while I teased my hair. I hadn’t broughtmuchmakeup with me since this was a hiking trip, but I did have enough to make myself presentable on the occasions that I stopped in a town rather than camping, and I was grateful to have it with me now.

“How’d it go with Ash today?” Noah asked from the other room.

I was grateful he couldn’t see my facial expression. “What do you mean?” I asked in a tone that I hoped sounded casual.

“He told me he was taking you back up to finish the climb!” Noah replied. “How’d it go? You didn’t fall this time, right?”

“We made it to the top,” I answered, masking my relief. “It was great! I’m so glad I went back and finished it. I don’t like leaving things incomplete.”

“Ash is the same way. I think he realized that about you, too.”

I frowned at myself in the mirror.

“I could never do something like that,” Noah continued. “I’m terrified of heights. If I get within ten feet of a cliff edge, I break out in a cold sweat.”

I poked my head into the doorway. “See, Iloveheights. That tingling thrill I get when I know I’m in controlled danger… I live for that.”

Noah shook his head. “Pass.”

Dinner was at a little Thai place that served amazing yellow curry. Noah was as charismatic and engaging as always, which took my mind off what had happened today.

But the guilt kept bubbling to the surface.

I wanted to tell him. Sure, we weren’t exclusive. Yes, this was just a dolled-up fling. But Ash and Noah werebest friends. Every minute I sat here with him and didn’t say anything, the lie of omission became worse.

Yet there was another problem: if I told Noah before Ash, would he be mad at his friend for keeping it from him? Should he hear it from his friend rather than me? I didn’t know what the right answer was, but it was enough to keep me quiet for now.

Maybe I would get a chance to text Ash about it later and figure out what to do.

Or maybe I could ride it out until I fled town to resume my hike.

Ugh. Following my gut was a terrible idea. This was why I was an overthinker: it usually kept me out of situations like this.

Noah drove us back to his place after dinner under the guise of having a nightcap, although we both knew we wouldn’t reach his liquor bar. That was a good way to take my mind off my mistakes: by losing myself in the mindless drive of our bodies.

But when we pulled up to his house, we saw that there was a campfire roaring out in the field close to Ash’s tent. A dark silhouette sat next to the fire, poking it with a stick.

“Great night for a fire,” Noah said. “Want to join him?”

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