Page 21 of No One Wants That (Blitzen Bay)

“Fine. Here,” he says, pulling a backpack out of the closet. “Take this. It has a knife, a flare, bear spray, a first-aid kit, snacks, and water.”

“Jesus, Nash. I’ll be gone an hour. Turn down the Army Ranger a little bit.” I grab my stuff off the table. “I have a phone and pepper spray. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh good,” he says. “You have pepper spray. That’s really effective on snakes. Make sure you get it right into their eyes.”

“You know sarcasm turns me on. Don’t tease me.”

He tries to push the backpack into my arms. I shove it away.

“Do you even know what poison ivy looks like?” he asks, still holding the backpack out to me.

“Leaves of three, let it be,” I say, putting up three fingers. “You might have been an Army Ranger, but I was a Girl Scout.”

He sighs loudly again. “Just stay on the path. Don’t wander into the brush to pick flowers or whatever.”

“I promise,” I say, my hand still in the air. “Girl Scout’s honor.”

Elle folds my fingers down. “You were kicked out of the Girl Scouts in the fifth grade.”

“You were kicked out in the fourth grade,” I say, bumping her with my hip. “And as with everything else in my life, it was entirely your fault.”

She shrugs. “Sorry, not sorry. Too many rules.”

“Come on. We need to go.” Nash pushes both of us out the front door. “Kit, that’s the path. Take it to the right. Keep going until you come to the marina. There’s a bunch of pontoons and fishing boats moored there. The docks lead into the back of Izzy’s. The inn’s across the street.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, saluting him. “I’ll see you in an hour or so—unless a bear eats me or something.”

“That’s not funny,” he says, opening the truck door for Elle. “There are actually bears here, but they usually come down on the other side of the lake where it’s quieter. They avoid noise, so be loud while you’re walking. That should be easy for you.”

I stick my tongue out at him. “How are you going to deal with more of me when I move here?”

“Heavy drinking to start with,” he says, smiling as he gets into his side of the truck. “Seriously, be careful. Call me if you need anything.”

When they pull away, Elle keeps her eyes on me until they disappear over the hill. I can tell she’s going to be obsessing about my safety until she sees me again.

“You’re Noelle’s cousin, right?” I hear a man’s voice behind me. “Kat?”

“Kit,” I say, turning around to see Nash’s neighbor walking toward me. “And you’re Nicholas, right? I didn’t meet you the last time I was in town, but Elle told me all about you.”

He grins as he makes his way across the driveway. “My middle name is Nicholas. I think Noelle likes to call me that because she thinks I look like Santa Claus. My first name’s Sam.”

“Nice to officially meet you, Sam,” I say, shaking his outstretched hand.

“Noelle’s told me a lot about you, too.” He smiles so warmly that my body almost melts into a puddle. “You live in Spain, right?”

“I do now, but I’m getting ready to move back here.”

“Does Noelle know that? She’ll be so happy to have family near her.” His glowing smile disappears. “I don’t think she has much to do with her parents—at least since I’ve known her.”

“She knows I’m moving back. I told her this morning. And yeah, her parents—especially her mom—still haven’t forgiven her for leaving her fiancé at the altar. Well, her ex-fiancé. I found out this morning that she has a new one.”

“Yes,” he says, the comfortable smile spreading over his face again. “The day they got engaged was one of the happiest days of my life. I love them like they’re my own kids—or probably more accurately my grandkids.”

“Elle loves you, too. She told me you always give her the best advice. I could use some of that right now.”

“Any cousin of Noelle’s is a grandchild of mine.” He puts his hand on my shoulder. “I’m always here if you need to talk. We can talk right now if you want.”

“Thank you, but I can’t now. I need to get into town to meet everyone. Can I get a raincheck?”

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