Page 4 of Wrong Turn, Right Bear
Theo. Even his name was perfect.
“Ash.”
“Ash,” he repeated.
Theo placed his pack at his feet and stroked the hand I’d held as if trying to conjure up a memory. But perhaps I was reading too much into his actions. He might be thinking I had a dirty hand and he was desperate to wash his. Ewww!
“Belt up.”
“Huh?”
“Put on your seatbelt.”
“Right.”
Our one or two-word sentences didn’t make for a great start, so I had to get the guy talking. “Is this yourfirst trip to Boulder Pass?” I was certain it was, but we had to start somewhere.
“Yes.”
Great, another one word.
“I hope you enjoy your stay.”
“Me too.”
I was no better at this than him. “What made you decide to come here for your vacation?”
He glanced at me. “Honestly, I’m not sure.”
“Let me guess. You work like eighty hours a week and you made a spur-of-the-moment decision to do something different.”
His brow furrowed, reminding me of the curves on old tin roofs.
“How did you guess that? You a mind reader or something?” His tone was wary, tinged with a hint of annoyance, and I had to tamp down my eagerness.
“Sorry if that sounded creepy. But I get a lot of clients who do the same thing.” Most wanted to live a little because their work had them on a treadmill.
“Oh yes. I do work long hours and maybe I made a rash decision.” He took in the scenery rather than staring at me. “But even if I’m hopeless at kayaking and zip lining, I’m glad I came because it’s so beautiful.”
“I agree.” I filled him in on how I’d grown up in the area.
“You’re very lucky.”
I was, but he didn’t know how much because meeting him was the best thing that had ever happened to me. But he sounded almost wistful. That I’d seen and heard plenty of too, but no one ever said to heck with my old life, I’m starting a new one. They always returned home, back to what they were used to.
It didn’t bode well for our relationship.
THREE
THEO
I wished the drive to the lake had taken longer for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, I was worried about learning to kayak in front of other people at the lake. I’d hoped the place where Ash taught was empty of people. But he pulled up in an area where tourists and maybe locals too were swimming and sunning themselves on the pebbly shore.
Damn! People were going to snigger when I went ass up in the water, unable to balance in the kayak.
Secondly, I needed time to consider why my hand was so tingly. I kept looking at it and rubbing the skin but there was nothing to see, except the more I rubbed the pinker my palm became.
