Page 18 of Yours and Mine (Friends with Benefits)

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ve heard that one from my mother as well.”

I took a deep breath in and felt my heart rate slowly begin to settle.

“Well, at least the view from up here is nice.” The scenery past the forest of rolling hills and little towns in between was postcard-worthy. It stretched for miles beyond us, and despite the bear above, I couldn’t wait to tell my father about the scenic landscape. Although if we got out of here alive, I was pretty sure I’d get an earful about how we’d gone out into the forest without bear spray.

I heard a deep sigh from Nick and lifted my head. He had apparently been looking at me this entire time. “You’re a beautiful girl, Joelle. You deserve someone better than Carter.”

I felt my cheeks heat. “Thank you. I mean that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“How long do you think he’ll keep this up?” Did the bear think we would climb up and introduce ourselves? It didn’t look like he was anywhere near giving up.

“Until we come back up and serve him dinner?” Nick shrugged, his wide shoulders rising. Standing so close to him, I noticed for the first time just how wide they were. Lifting those bags of flour at his mom’s bakery had definitely paid off. His body was composed of muscles on top of muscles. I’d seen him work out in his room in the mornings sometimes, but I didn’t tell him that.

“That’s not very encouraging.”

“Or we could leave this place right now.”

“The only other way is down.”

“Exactly.”

I looked into the frothing waters below. “Nick, that’s gotta be more than twenty feet down. Broken bones guaranteed.”

We’d jumped off rocks into a lake plenty of times before, but never from this height. Both of us knew how much it hurt when you hit the water, pancake style.

“Not if we jump the right way. There,” he said, pointing, “see that black spot? It’s gotta be deep there. It’s our best shot.”

I hunched over just a bit and felt the world spin. Then I pressed myself harder against Nick, who grasped me by my waist and held me close to his body.

“I’m not sure I can do this.”

“Jo, you can do anything you put your mind to. I know that. I believe in you.”

I looked up and down again, and then back at Nick. His eyes held enough confidence for the both of us.

“Are we really going to do this?” I asked.

Nick looked up again. The bear’s muzzle shrank back, his expression as fierce as before.

“I don’t think we have a choice, Jo.” He took another look below, determination rolling through his body. “Okay, you’re going to cross your legs and keep your arms over your chest. Point your toes to go straight in. Just slice through that water. Got it?”

I nodded. I still couldn’t believe this was happening, but once Nick made a decision, I knew he’d go through with it. He was as brave as his father. Nick carefully shifted so that his back was against the cliff beside me, and took my hand.

“Wait, what are we going to do after we jump?”

“Swim.”

“No, I mean, swim where?”

“There’s a town down the river. But I’m not sure how far down.”

I took three deep breaths, trying to control the sudden rush of nerves running through my body. If there was anyone I trusted, it was Nick.

“Okay, I think I’m ready.”

“On three?”

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