Page 39 of Wilder

Wilder left the quiet house and jogged over to his car. Everyone was at work or school or, in Shiloh’s case, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.

He couldn’t wait until there was enough snow on the slopes for him to start work. Being alone in the big house wasn’t his idea of a fun time, especially when he’d finished all his work.

He’d used part of his morning to finish up the edit on his Iceland collaboration video, getting it ready to be uploaded once he had the approval from the Icelandic company he’d worked with. He’d also taken the time to reply to emails and check in with the handful of marketing clients he had.

Now, after eating a quick early lunch, he was on his way to pick up Alexandra. When he’d called his buddy who owned the Segway tour company, Marty had been more than happy to give the two of them their own personal tour that afternoon at two.

Wilder was actually a little surprised that Alexandra hadn’t backed out. However, he wouldn’t be one hundred percent certain of her going until she was seated in his car next to him.

When he pulled up in front of her building, he sent Alexandra a text to let her know he was there, then he got out of the car to wait for her. She didn’t reply, and it was several long minutes before she appeared, and when she stepped out of the door, she had a tall blond man with her.

After she gestured to Wilder, she turned away from the man and quickly headed in Wilder’s direction.

Though her was tempted to ask who the man was, he bit his tongue. This wasn’t a date. They were just two friends hangingout together. He cared that she was new in the area and likely hadn’t made a lot of friends yet.

Plus, she’d seemed rather stressed the night before. Whenever he was stressed, doing something fun helped to put him back in a better frame of mind.

“Good afternoon,” he said, smiling as she drew close.

“Hi.” Her return smile was fleeting, but he thought it was genuine.

He opened the door for her, then waited for her to settle into the passenger seat before closing it again. After rounding the front of the car, he slid behind the wheel and started the engine.

“How was your morning?” he asked as he pulled away from the curb. “Anything exciting?”

“Not really. I was up at the rink early to skate, then worked out for a while.”

“You skate even on your days off?”

“Of course. For the most part, I try to skate every day, usually early in the morning before anyone else is at the rink.”

Wilder wanted to ask her why she did that if she wasn’t going to skate professionally anymore, but he wasn’t sure the question would be well-received. And possibly, it wasn’t any of his business.

“That’s some good devotion you’ve got going on there.”

“It’s more like a way of life that’s engrained in me now. I can’t remember a time when I haven’t skated every single day. My skating sessions aren’t as long as they once were, but I’m still trying to keep up my skills.”

“I know it can be hard to get back on track after a time away,” Wilder said. “My first time back on skis in the season is always fun as I try to get the feel for it again.”

“Is it like riding a bike?” Alexandra asked.

“It does come back rather quickly, so I guess it must be.”

They fell silent for a couple of minutes as Wilder drove through town to the road leading to Coeur d’Alene, with only music from a Christian radio station playing softly in the background.

“So you said it’s about an hour's drive?”

“Yep. Did you want to grab a coffee or anything for the trip?”

“No. I brought my water, so I’m good.”

“Still can’t believe you don’t drink coffee.”

“If I get sufficient sleep, there’s no need for the pick-me-up coffee might offer.”

“I admire your discipline. If you’re going to treat yourself or splurge on a food, what would it be?”

“I’d probably eat more pasta,” she said.

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