Page 42 of Wilder

Since deciding he was going to spend half the year traveling, Wilder hadn’t been sure how to fit a relationship into his life, so he hadn’t even tried. Over the years, he’d wondered what his life might look like in the future, but he hadn’t envisioned anything that would make him eager to settle down.

Alexandra was uptight and so emotionless at times that Wilder never knew what she was thinking or feeling. He couldn’t imagine a more stressful relationship than one where he’d have to be constantly trying to guess what the woman was feeling.

He had no idea what had made Alexandra that way, but he wasn’t about to take on the job of trying to figure her out. Friendship he could do. He had friends with all kinds of personalities. Some types made friendships a bit more difficult than others, but he still made an effort to keep in touch with each of them.

“Sometimes opposites attract,” Marty mused as he glanced in the direction Alexandra had taken.

“True, but there are a lot of things going on in her life. I’m sure she’s no more interested in me than I am in her.”

Marty seemed to accept that and let the subject drop. As they waited for Alexandra to return, Wilder told him how he’d spent his summer, updating him about the orphanages. Marty had become a financial supporter of one of them, so he was interested in what was going on with the ministry.

“Here she comes,” Marty said as he pulled his legs in and got to his feet.

Wilder stood up as well and turned to see Alexandra striding toward them. Her cheeks were pink from the slight chill in theair, and her expression appeared to be more relaxed than Wilder had ever seen it.

“Ready to get back on the wheels?” Marty asked as she joined them.

“Yep. I’m really enjoying it.” She turned to Wilder with a smile that reached her eyes, making them warm and sparkling like the waters of the South Pacific Ocean. “Thank you so much for planning this. It’s not something I would have ever thought to do.”

“You’re welcome,” Wilder said, trying not to think about how beautiful she looked when she smiled like that. “I’m glad you’re having fun.”

After they had their gear back on, they set off for more of the tour. Wilder once again followed behind Alexandra, watching as her hair flowed out in gentle waves behind her as she guided her Segway with total confidence along the sidewalk.

He was relieved that Alexandra was enjoying the afternoon. He hadn’t been sure she would, but he’d hoped she’d at least give it a shot. Which she had. And then some.

Right around the two-hour mark, they made their way back to the lot. Once there, they got off their Segways and returned their equipment to Marty.

“Thank you so much,” Alexandra said as she held out her hand to Marty. “This was a wonderful experience.”

“You’re very welcome.” Marty gave her hand a shake and smiled. “Maybe you can come back again once the snow has melted in the spring.”

Alexandra glanced at Wilder. “I think I might.”

Wilder wasn’t thrilled at the idea of her coming back on her own, but he also wasn’t sure he’d have the time to come with her again in the spring before he left.

“See ya around,” Marty said as he gave Wilder a hug.

“Let me know when you want to ski, and I’ll set you up.”

“Sounds good.”

After saying goodbye, they made their way to the car. Once inside, Wilder said, “Hope it wasn’t too cold for you.”

Alexandra gave a huff of laughter. “I’ve lived a big portion of my life on the ice. The cold doesn’t bother me.”

“You sound like Elsa.”

“The dog?”

Wilder turned to stare at her. “You’ve never seenFrozen?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t watch a lot of television or movies.”

“I might have to set up a playdate for you with Layla and Amelia to watch it.”

“Is it a good movie?”

“It’s an animated princess movie that was very popular. I think you might like it.”

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