Page 20 of Me and Mr. Just Right

“I know you well enough,” he said, in a tone that brooked no arguments and warmed her insides despite herself.

Thick pine trees towered overhead, and the sun was covered by both clouds and leaves, creating a misty, overcast atmosphere. Her mind spun with an eerie melody, and she hummed out a few notes. Her fingers itched to pick them out on her guitar. It sounded different than her usual upbeat pop songs, but for the first time in weeks, a tiny spark of creativity flared.

Haydn turned around to face her, every part of him radiating excitement. “The cabin is getting close.”

“How many times have you been out here?” she asked.

“Dozens,” Bennett answered, exasperated.

“Hundreds,” Jules said, drawing out each syllable to sound like its own word.

“Not enough,” Haydn countered. “I don’t know why I think it’s so cool. It just is.”

“Is it haunted?” she asked teasingly.

“Probably.” He rubbed his hands together, while the other two groaned.

“Don’t get him started,” Bennett pleaded with her.

“Too late,” Jules grumbled. “He already rubbed his hands together like an evil villain.”

Bennett shook his head. “Villainous monologue starting in three … two … one …”

Haydn ignored them. “In the 1920s, a family moved from Pennsylvania to Alaska and built this cabin in the middle of nowhere.”

“I cannot hear this story again,” Bennett interrupted to say. “I’m going to take the shortcut to the cabin and meet you there.”

“Yep,” Jules agreed. “He’s worse than a defense attorney grandstanding for the jury.”

“Good luck, Lia.” Bennett waved goodbye as he and Jules cut off into the forest, where the leaves and trees swallowed them up in seconds.

“Shortcut?” she asked.

“Yeah, but …” He looked down at her legs, lingering just a beat longer than necessary. It took everything in her not to flex her calves. As if realizing he’d been caught checking her out, he raised his gaze to her face quickly, his cheeks a little redder than before. He cleared his throat. “Your legs will get chewed up by thorns on it.”

She winced. “Yeah, that doesn’t sound pleasant.”

He shrugged. “I like this path better anyway, because two people can walk side by side for a lot of it.”

She’d been walking beside Bennett for most of the hike because he made her feel the least unstable. She had her guard up with Jules, and Haydn had a way of smiling at her that stirred up emotions inside of her she wasn’t quite ready to feel yet. And if their hands accidentally touched—well, she wanted that a little too much for her own peace of mind. Besides, the view from behind had been too good to give up.

“So what’s the story?” she said to distract herself from the fact that she could feel the warmth radiating off his arm. What was it about him that drew her to him so fully? She liked watching those reality dating shows, and the couples always bonded after a high-adrenaline activity. So maybe that was it: they’d bonded after their turbulent flight. The thought put her at ease, and she was able to relax a bit. It made sense. It was human nature. And it wasn’t like he was making any moves on her—appreciating her legs aside. And hadn’t she just been appreciating his?

She could handle a mutual appreciation of legs.

“You sure you want to hear this story?” Haydn asked with a raised eyebrow. He had a shadow of scruff on his chin and cheeks that contrasted with the boyish gleam in his eye.

“The suspense is killing me.” She jokingly jumped from foot to foot like a child who can’t contain their anticipation. He chuckled, and she loved the sound of it. Deep and throaty, like he was accustomed to laughing. Like it came easy to him.

“Okay, I’ll start at the beginning. At least the beginning I know … the family arriving on the island.”

Haydn wove a story about a husband and wife with two young children who came to Alaska from Pennsylvania for adventure. “Travel journals were big business in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many of them painted a romantic view of the Alaskan wilderness. This family followed the siren call of the northwest. That first summer they were here was a harsh one, followed by an even harsher winter. People in town saw the family less and less, until spring came and no one saw them at all.

“After the winter snow melted, someone came out here to check on them, and the only person who remained was the husband, half dead and mostly frozen. No one knew where his family had gone, not even him. If they’d moved to a different part of Alaska,someonesurely would have heard something. Maybe they’d gone back to Pennsylvania because the adventure proved to be too much …”

“Or maybe they didn’t survive at all,” Lia said quietly.

Haydn took her arm as she slipped on a particularly mossy rock, and she shivered. Whether from his touch or the story, she didn’t know.

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