Page 17 of Too Late

“I’ve never had any enemies. Always trying too hard to please people to make enemies.” She laughed at herself, half in disbelief that she’d admitted that out loud.

“I don’t see you as a people pleaser. As long as I’ve known you, you’ve always been content to do what you thought was right, regardless of what others thought or said.”

“That’s really how I come across?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t think it.” He ate a handful of popcorn.

She loved that about him. Honest. He was also kind, sensitive, and adventurous.

His cup of tea stopped just shy of his lips. “What?”

“What do you mean, what?”

His eyebrows rose. “That look on your face. You were thinking something. Care to share with the class—err—waterfall?”

She bit her lip and took the biggest piece of jerky she could find, popping it in her mouth, so it was impossible to speak.

“Don’t think you can get away with that coy behavior around me.”

She giggled but refused to share her thoughts. Thankfully, Josh didn’t push.

Josh adjusted his pack on his back as they went down the trail. The afternoon was waning, and they’d be lucky to get to the car before dark—the biggest problem with hiking in the winter.

He dropped his hands to his sides, and his hand brushed against Chloe’s as they walked side by side on a wider section of the trail. He was so tempted to take her hand in his, but he didn’t. Instead he elbowed his quiet companion.

She shot him a mischievous expression.

Reaching over, she yanked the hood of his sweatshirt up onto his head and pulled the strings before skipping ahead of him.

“Hey!” He struggled out of the now-narrow opening and went after her, grabbed her pack, and tugged her toward himself.

She fought to get away and burst into a fit of giggles.

Losing hold of her backpack, he managed to snag the poof on top of her ski cap, and he pulled it off.

Her hands went to her head. “Seriously!” She lunged at him.

He held the cap up as high as he could reach. He wasn’t exceptionally tall, but he was enough taller than her to make the game amusing.

She jumped for it, but he turned farther.

His heart pulsed at having her so close, and he could barely contain his laughter. Facing away from her, he stretched the hat farther from her reach.

She ducked under his arm and snagged the hat.

Wrapping his arms around her, he tried to get the hat again, but she twisted and spun out of his grasp, her hat in hand.

He righted himself and crossed his arms. “Don’t think you’ve won just because you have the hat right now. I will best you in the Great Hat War.”

“You can try, but . . .”

“But what?”

Her nose scrunched up like it always did when she was flustered.

“You really like wearing a rabbit’s butt on your head?”

Her hat flew at his face. Instinctively he dodged it, and it flew past him.

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