Page 38 of How to Write a Rom-Com

“That sounds perfect. What kind of attire does this perfect small-town setting require?”

“Something you can hike in. I’ll come back to pick you up in a half hour,” Liam says, turning on his heel. Before I can process what he just said, he’s jogging off my deck.

“I’m sorry, did you just say hiking?Hiking?” I yell, but I’m only met with a deep chuckle in return. “Do I look like I hike?” I yell, knowing Liam is already out of earshot.

*

An hour later I’m in the best hiking attire I could find—capri leggings, a moisture-wicking tank top, and a pair of sneakers. I tie my hair into a single braid and let it fall over my shoulder. I throw a water bottle, sunscreen, and my sunglasses in a bag and meet Liam out front.

“Ready to jet?” Liam asks, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

“Just so you know, Elle can track my phone. And if I don’t call her when I get back, she is going to go all New York detective on you,” I say hurriedly. “Just in case, you know, you’re taking me on a hiking expedition to murder me in the woods,” I add for clarification.

Liam scoffs. “Well, you’re the worst planner ever. You can’t tell your captor your rescue plan! Now I’ll have to have you call EllebeforeI kill you, leave your phone at the house, and drag you all the way back into the woods to bury you. That just makes way more work for me.”

“Okay…” I start, taking an obvious step back from him. “I’m slightly concerned at how much you’ve thought this through.”

“I’mslightly concerned about how muchyouthought this through.”

With the way he accentuates his words, I can’t help but burst out laughing. I don’t think I’ve ever physically keeled over before, but Hudson Hollow, and Liam, are providing so many firsts for me. I laugh until a tear forms in the corner of my eye. Liam’s laugh is magnetic. Before I can stop myself from thinking it, I’m wondering what it would be like to stop his laughter with my lips.

My expression must be telling because Liam’s smile quickly fades. “You good?”

“Oh, fine, perfect,” I say, wiping the tear from my eye with a big smile. “Ready to not get murdered.”

“Let’s do it.”

When I approach the passenger side of his Jeep, I notice it’s missing a few key elements.

“Uh, Liam? How are we driving up a mountain with no doors on the car?” I ask skeptically.

“I never said we weredrivingup a mountain. We’re driving to the entrance of the trail. Then we’re hiking,” he says with a wink. “Come on, City Girl, let’s see how country you can be.”

Well,damn. If that line doesn’t make a girl want to hop in that truck, I’m not sure anything will.

With Blue sequestered to the back seat—he wasnotpleased—we head down the highway.

As we drive with the wind battering our skin and my hair whipping in the wind, I take a moment to marvel at myself. I’m in a strange place, away from home, away from my parents, with a somewhat stranger, in a car with no doors, about to hike up a mountain. Who the hell am I and what have I done with Lucy Bowen?

Hudson Hollow Lucy is independent. She can go where she wants, with who she wants, and doesn’t feel guilty about it. (Okay, she’s working on that last part.)

Liam catches me smiling and flashes a brilliant one back at me. I try to remember the last time I was this happy.

Nothing comes to mind.

On impulse, I unbuckle my seatbelt, ground my backside into the seat behind me, plant my feet on the floor, and stand up.

“Woohoo!” I scream, stretching my arms out wide. I can barely hear Liam’s laughter over the wind. He revs the engine and picks up speed, and I let out a screech.

We only travel a few miles before Liam pulls into a gravel parking lot where a few other cars are parked.

“Witnesses,” I jest. He lets out a light chuckle.

“You watch too much T.V.,” he says, shaking his head. He clips a leash on Blue who quickly jumps out of the truck behind him. When Liam takes a few steps toward the one and only break in the towering trees where the path begins, I hesitate by the truck, an anxious feeling in my stomach.

“Lucy,” Liam’s voice snaps me out of my panicked state. He returns to my side in a few quick strides. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh nothing. Just planning my escape route in case things turn sideways,” I say with a nervous smile.

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