Page 33 of Only Ever You
Kincaid snorted. “Yeah, I can do without complete darkness for a few months. I love snow, though. Always have.”
“Well, Alaska will give you snow,” I commented. “This is the time of year when we should see more northern lights. If we luck out tonight, hopefully we’ll get a show.”
“What brought you to Alaska?” Hudson asked.
“Aside from the job, I always wanted to see Alaska. So, I’m here. It’s that simple,” Kincaid said. “Maybe I should have a more exciting reason, but I figure moving to Alaska is worth it.”
“Oh, definitely,” Hudson chimed in. “I grew up here, but Alaska is so beautiful it never wears off.”
“I completely agree. I feel lucky. Even the flight out to the fire was amazing,” Kincaid said.
“Seriously,” I said. “Alaska is God’s country. Flying over the landscape is mind-blowing.”
“Can I bunk up there?” Kincaid thumbed up toward the lookout. The single room was situated on a tall stand with windows on all four sides.
“Go for it. There’s enough room for maybe four people to sleep up there. Down here, it’ll be crowded, but we can easily fit half the crew in there. Everybody else, we’re outside,” Graham said with a shrug.
“Should we draw straws?” Hudson quipped.
“I never mind sleeping outside,” I offered.
“Same here. Unless it’s raining, in which case we’re happy because that helps put out the fire,” Jonah chimed in wryly.
Cooper plunked down on the ground beside us, returning from a bathroom break. “There’s a stream not far away, maybe half a mile. Should we aim for that, for anybody who needs to take a bath?”
“You call that a bath?” Hudson teased.
“I call it less stinky,” Cooper replied with a chuckle.
Hudson pulled out his cell phone, eyeing it. “No fucking reception.”
“Usually isn’t. They don’t have a lot of cell towers out here. You missing Stella?” I asked.
Hudson glanced over. “Always. How about you and Luna?”
I glanced over, trying to read his gaze. “What do you mean?”
Leo rolled his head to the side, where he sat nearby with his head leaned against a stack of gear. “Casey,” was all he said.
Casey was Leo’s girlfriend and one of Luna’s good friends. Of course Casey might know what was going on with Luna and me. It was unsettling to feel my heart kick into an unsteady beat. The way I felt about Luna was disorienting. I wasn’t used to worrying about someone else, thinking about them and missing them when I was away. At all. In fact, it was safe to say I’d never done that.
“I don’t know,” I finally replied.
Hudson, who knew me well, narrowed his eyes. “You are freaking out.”
“I’m not freaking out,” I insisted, wishing my voice didn’t sound defensive.
Leo’s brows hitched up. “I might not’ve known you as long as Hudson has, but you seem a little, well, something.”
I leaned back, running a hand through my hair and glancing down as it dropped to my lap. There were some scrapes and streaks of soot visible from days of dealing with a fire. “I don’t know. I’ve never been serious about anyone.”
“Are you serious about Luna?” Leo asked slowly.
“I guess maybe I’m thinking I might be serious about Luna,” I finally said.
Kincaid glanced from me to Hudson to Leo before he shrugged. “I’m the new guy here, but either you’re serious about someone, or you’re not. I don’t know. I’m not prone to giving romantic advice, but you should probably settle on something there.”
Hudson snorted a laugh while Leo gave me a knowing grin. “Oh, hell, I like Luna a lot.” My heart felt as if the ground underneath it was wobbling.
