Page 69 of Stealing Sunshine

She drops her leg and props the other, stretching it just as hard. “No. I haven’t gone a lot since Poppy left. If I go, it’s when she’s in town and is leading a class.”

“Do you not like the new instructor?”

“I like her fine. It’s more so that I don’t want to attend with anyone else.” She stares straight ahead at the tree trunk, stuck in her thoughts for a moment. “It was our thing. I started out ofsupport for her, and it’s not the same now. Anna thinks it is, and she attends class here more than I do. It’s just not as easy for me.”

My smile is one of understanding. “I get it. It’s sacred to you.”

She sets her foot on the ground and reaches behind her head to tighten her ponytail. Her eyes flick between mine. “Yeah. Exactly.”

“Well, I’d love to go up sometime and try one of her classes. Maybe we could go together? The next time you go up to Calgary?”

It’s obvious that I’d like to be her friend. We may be pretending to be something more than that, but I enjoy Bryce’s company outside of that agreement. She’s surprising. A person that I didn’t expect to be able to find such a calm and comfortable connection with but have. I’ve already begun holding that bond close to my heart.

Bryce holds my eyes for a few beats longer before nodding. “I’d like that.”

She’d like that.Not just a simple yes.

Success.

I beam at her and plant my hands on my waist. Jerking my head at the sloped trail we’ve swerved off, I say, “I guess I should get in better shape first.”

“I was terrible at it for a long time,” she reveals, falling into step beside me as we start up the trail again.

Given that we chose to go after I finished work, there isn’t much time left before the sun begins to set on us. I’m not familiar with this trail, but Bryce seems to be, and that’s good enough for me. Getting stuck in the woods after dark isn’t on my bucket list.

“Is pole where you got your abs from?” I ask, stepping over a thick tree root.

She curves a manicured brow and glances over at me. “Have you been checking me out?”

“As if you don’t have people checking you out all the time.You’re gorgeous,” I blurt out, waving a hand down her body to emphasize my point.

Bryce cuts me a surprised look, her cheeks taking on a deep red hue. My stomach pinches, happiness flowing freely through me.

“So are you,” she murmurs, dropping her head, eyes on the dirt trail.

Mischief twirls through the happiness, creating a mess of bright and exciting feelings. “I didn’t take you for the shy type.”

“I’m not.”

“You can be.”

“Don’t tell anyone. It’ll ruin my reputation.”

Despite her attempts to hide her face, I catch the twitch at the corner of her lips.

“Your secret is safe with me,” I promise.

She points to the right at the fork in the trail, and we pause. “There’s a mountain-fed river about a minute down that path.”

“Let’s go!”

I’m already headed down the path when she huffs a laugh and jogs to catch up. I take a deep inhale of the mountain air and make a promise to myself that I’ll come out here more often. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and I haven’t been taking advantage of it.

“How many times have you hiked this trail to be able to remember where this river is?” I ask.

“Too many to keep track of. But I haven’t come here in a couple of years. I’ve been too busy with work to find the time.”

“Office work keeps you that occupied?”

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