Page 56 of Between Here and There

“And lastly, enjoy it,” he says with a softer tone, his eyes sweeping over the group.

Everyone nods, and Bon looks more excited than ever, practically bouncing. As we start to disperse to grab our things, Joshua leans in close, his hand still around mine. “Nervous?” he asks, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“Not at all,” I lie, feeling the butterflies in my stomach start to flutter.

“Good,” he murmurs. “Because you’re with me, and I won’t let anything happen to you.” There it is again. The steadiness. The reliability. The competency. All the qualities that make me want to believe him.

Before I can say anything in response, Haley swoops in, looping her arm through mine and dragging me a few steps away. “Hair emergency. Save me, Emily,” she demands, thrusting a rubber band into my hand. “Make it sturdy. Like, won’t-move-an-inch sturdy. I refuse to be the friend whose braid disintegrates halfway up the mountain.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I reply with mock seriousness as she sits cross-legged in front of me, facing away. I pull my fingers through her hair to detangle it before beginning a tight, practiced braid.

Kate plops down beside us a moment later, her brows furrowed as she glances across the room. “Should we do something about Denise? She looks like she’s on the verge of bolting. I don’t want her to feel left out.” She frowns adorably. Kate has always been the kind one. The kind of person who would apologize to a lamppost if she bumped into it.

“Go ask her to braid your hair then,” Haley jokes. I gently tug on her braid to ask her to be nice, and she groans. “Ouch!”

Kate giggles and nudges Haley. “I’m serious, though. I’ll go invite her to sit with us in a minute.”

Bon bursts in, skipping toward us with all the energy of a caffeinated child. “Ladies, I come bearing gifts!” She raises a hand dramatically and reveals a bundle of brightly colored whistles hanging from cords.

“Gifts?” Haley quips.

“Yep,” Bon replies with a grin. She ceremoniously drops a whistle over each of our heads. “Emergency whistles. If you get lost, blow the whistle, and like magic, help will come running. You’re welcome.”

I inspect mine, holding it up to eye level. “Should I blow it right now just to test your theory?”

“Don’t you dare—”

I blow it. Loudly.

Haley winces, slapping her hands over her ears. Kate jumps, startled. Across the room, Joshua glances over with a raised brow like he’s silently questioning my sanity.

“Dear God, Emily. Have some pity on my scalp!” Haley screams as I accidentally pull her hair too hard.

I laugh and finish up her hair. “You’re good to go, you complaining princess.” I give it a final tug and she glares at me.

Bon, on the other hand, just chuckles, unfazed. “Emily, you’ll be fine. You’re the smartest person in the world. Hiking should be easy for you.”

“Exactly, Bon. Iamsmart. That’s why my brain has been screaming at me that this entire idea is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Have you ever seen a picture of Albert Einstein hiking? No. Because the most nature-related thing Einstein did was walk in a garden. A very safe, flat garden. I’m a garden person. Not a mountain person.”

I have never been the spontaneous type that tries things on a whim. I plan these things. Usually weeks on end.

“You done monologuing, Einstein?” Haley says, shifting to face me. “You can do this. You can do anything.” She shrugs.

There it is—the belief they’ve always had in me. The faith that I’m capable, no matter how much I might doubt myself. I press my lips together to stop the smile that threatens to break through.

“Let’s hope you’re right, Hale,” I say with a sigh, twisting the whistle’s cord between my fingers.

From the corner of my eye, I spot Joshua, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed. He’s watching us with that same unreadable expression—the one that makes me feel like he knows me better than he has any right to.

I don’t linger on it for too long, though. Bon suddenly claps her hands, her voice loud and cheery. “Alright, troops! We’re leaving in ten minutes. Grab your bags, your snacks, and whatever dignity you still have. The mountain awaits!”

I swallow the lump of nerves rising in my throat as we stand to grab our things. Because no matter how much I might grumble, there’s no turning back now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Joshua

The drive is exhausting, and I can already feel the stiffness setting in. My body is going to hate me tomorrow. I’m in the car with Emily, Haley, and Kate, while Ryan has the others. For the first two hours, it’s all noise—loud conversations, the girls talking over each other, belting out Taylor Swift, laughing so hard my ears feel like they need a reset. As much as I’m grateful for the chaos, there’s a certain relief when the car quiets down and the energy dials back as everyone starts to get hungry.

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