“Yes, and it never expires. I’m at Izzy’s every morning for breakfast. Join me if you need a chat.”
“I just might do that.” I slip my phone into my dress pocket and hold out my arms. “Can I have a hug for now?”
“You can have a hug any time you want one,” he says, wrapping me up. “That’s another reason why I love Noelle. She gives me a hug every time I see her—even if we’ve only be apart for an hour.”
“She’s definitely a hugger,” I say, looking toward the lake. “I better get going. Nash said it takes about an hour on that path.”
“Are you walking around the lake dressed like that?”
I point at him. “Sam, so far you’re the perfect man. Don’t get all Nash on me and try to tell me what to do.”
“Never.” He holds up his hands and backs away. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I promise. See you later, Sam.”
* * *
After about a half hour, I’m regretting not taking the water out of Nash’s backpack. I’m still a little hungover from all of the wine I drank on the plane and my mouth’s starting to feel like a desert. I sit down on a rock at the water’s edge to rest.
The lake is so lusciously blue that I’m tempted to sneak a drink, but I’m guessing it has some kind of bacteria that would make me sick. As completely parched as I am, I don’t want to give Nash the satisfaction of being right about my lack of hiking preparedness.
As I’m considering at least taking a dip in the water to cool off, the sweetest little raccoon walks out of the trees and scampers to the water. He must be a baby because he’s no bigger than a kitten. He starts dipping his paws into the water and then splashing it on his fuzzy face. It’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen.
I look around for his mom but don’t see anything. I feel the sudden urge to make sure he’s okay. I start tiptoeing toward him. He looks up as I get closer but doesn’t run away. He goes back to splashing his face. He’s so sweet that I can’t resist trying to pet him. I tiptoe a few more steps. He looks up at me again.
“It’s okay,” I say. “I come in peace.”
I crouch down beside him and slowly reach out my hand to pet him.
“Holy shit!” I hear a man shouting behind me. “Don’t touch the raccoon!”
As I whip my head around, I see an enormous guy running toward me. I scream and try to stand up but slip on the wet rocks and tumble backward into the water. My butt lands hard on something sharp. As pain shoots through me, I lose control of my body and slip completely under the water. I flail around a little bit to try to surface. When I finally get my face above water, the man is only about twenty feet from me.
“Don’t take another step!” I yell, fumbling for my key chain. “I have pepper spray!”
* * *