Page 40 of Where Are You Now
“Hey, that’s why I liked you.”
He looked down at her again, that veil of contemplation sliding over his face once more.
They walked together quietly, climbing the final steps of the long staircase. They stopped at the top to allow herto rest, but Ava didn’t notice any of the discomfort with him there. Lucas made her forget about everything that had happened after she was fifteen.
The walking trail at the top was shaded, with pockets of cooler air.
“You know what I realized today?” she asked.
“What’s that?”
“If I don’t talk about my job or my accident, I have very little to say about my adult life. That’s not a good thing.”
They turned down one of the trails leading into the woods.
“I should be able to list all the places I’ve traveled or the people I know … the fun nights I’ve had. But I can’t. Instead, I wrapped my entire life around one stupid job. And then I was up for partner and I didn’t get it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Surprisingly, I’m not anymore. I never thought I’d say this, but I think I might actually be thankful that some idiot rammed into my car and knocked some sense into me. There’s a whole world out there, and I haven’t seen any of it.”
They rounded the corner of the path, which led further up the hill toward the overlook of the city. As they walked, Lucas seemed contemplative.
“I’ve always loved the way you think,” he said.
“You have?”
“Most people aren’t able to step outside themselves, including me, but you seem to be able to.”
“You can probably do it too.”
He shrugged.
They made their way down the path until a tree caught her attention. Ava stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.
“Look at the low branches on that tree and the even spaces all the way to the top. It’s perfect for climbing.”
“I’ll bet some kid would love it,” he said.
“We should climb it.”
His eyes widened. “Um, I’d advise not.”
Would her injuries be healed enough to scale it to the top? The branches were pretty close to one another, and she could almost step up to each one; it might be as easy as climbing the stairs they’d just done.
“I’d advise yes.” She walked over to it and wrapped her fingers around the lowest branch.
Lucas jogged up to her. “That’s not a good idea.”
“I think it is.”
“People who are currently receiving therapy for head injuries, with broken ribsandwith stitches should probably abstain from activities in which they have the chance of falling twelve feet to the hard ground below.”
“When we climbed our first tree, I was scared. Do you remember what you told me?”
He shook his head.
