Page 30 of Wild in the Woods
“Mmm-hmmm.”
“Have you had students drop out of the course early?”
“Yeah, a few.”
She crossed her arms on the table and cocked her head at him. “Has anyone tried to walk back to town without waiting for transport?”
This felt very reporter-y. “No.”
She looked a bit relieved. “So, no one has died during one of your courses?”
Fox cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t say that.”
The look on her face was priceless.
“No, Lulu. No one has died while taking one of my courses and that’s because I take safety seriously.”
Their eyes locked. It was strange having her across from him at his table. What would she think if he grilled a slab of steak, fried up some potatoes, and warmed up a pie from the bakery? She’d dig in while he watched, making sure she ate enough before he joined her—
What the actual fuck was that? Fox dug a hand through his hair, completely taken aback at the tangent his thoughts had gone on. Why was the thought of feeding Lulu such a turn on?
He pointed out a few things in the handbook. Went over an itinerary and a map.
"Can I take pictures?"
“You’re here to learn, not get photographer of the year. You can bring your phone but be aware that you won’t have service by the third day.”
Lulu tapped her pen against the table. "How do we get a hold of civilization in the event of a true emergency?"
Fox retrieved two handheld radios from the kitchen counter. Pulling a chair beside her, he sat and immediately regretted his decision. His knee was close enough to her thigh that he could feel her body heat.
"This is an emergency satellite radio. It has a channel that connects directly with our dispatch. All communications are recorded so they can be played back. And it also has a GPS which monitors this device wherever it goes. I've used it all over these mountains in areas without cell phone coverage and I've never had it failed me."
She picked the device up and looked it over.
"Since it’s just the two of us, you get to keep this radio with you. We’ll practice how to use it on the way."
Lulu took a sip of her coffee, glancing at him beneath her eyelashes. Was she thinking about how close they were? She was inches from him. His eyes roved the delicate rise of her shoulder. The creamy length of her neck. Her smooth thigh.
She slid the packet of papers his way, breaking some of the tension. "There, everything signed.”
Fox took the papers and tap them into a neat pile. “Who knows that you’re doing this with me? Family, friends…?”
“Just my boss, and Olive.”
He took another piece of paper from his folder and slid it to her. “Text them these coordinates for every stop of our route. It’s a safety measure, and also gives your loved one’s piece of mind that they can get to you if they need to. Also, text them this number. It goes directly to my satellite phone.”
She balked at sending the information to Rudd and sent it to her editor instead… who would probably share it with Rudd anyway. Olive responded to the text Lulu sent her with an emoji of a round yellow face with heart eyes.
“There, done.”
“Okay, that’s it.”
“All that didn’t take too long so why did I have to show up at the ass-crack of dawn?”
Fox tried not to look her over as she stood. It was time to get this party started. The sooner they got busy, the sooner he’d stop having these weird thoughts about her.
"Because I wouldn't want you to miss breakfast."
