starving and don’t wanna be late.”
He gathered
some cleaner clothes than the ones he was already wearing and
headed outside to go take a shower.
After I
showered, I put on a pair of jeans that fit me like a second skin,
and I slipped into a matching denim shirt. I pulled my hair into a
long French braid and used very little makeup, since I was sure I’d
sweat it off anyway.
When Jake came
back from his shower, I couldn’t help sweeping my gaze over his
well-fitting jeans and white t-shirt, a classic look I’d always
found sexy. The t-shirt clung to his broad shoulders, chest, and
bulging biceps. His jeans fit him perfectly and emphasized his
narrow waist. I knew if I didn’t stop drooling, he was going to
notice.
He touched the
brim of his cowboy hat and tipped it toward me. “Ya ready to go git
some vittles, pretty lady?” he asked in his best John Wayne, which
was humorous at best.
“ I’m starving,” I said, smiling. “Let’s go.”
The scrambled
eggs, bacon, and coffee was delicious and helped to wake us
up.
After the
scrumptious meal, I mounted my mule, and we took off on our journey
out of the canyon, back to the top. The mules rested a few times as
we went uphill, making for the perfect photo opportunities,
allowing me to snap some fantastic pictures, memories I’d treasure
forever. Again I had to be thankful for the cowboy hat, because the
sun was beating down hard.
Finally, Earl
had gotten me back to the top, and I couldn’t have been more
thankful. We hung out for a while, walked some trails, and observed
the canyon from that perspective before we headed back to the
hotel.
* *
*
Once we
returned to our far less rustic accommodations, I unpacked, took
another shower, and put on clean clothes to lounge around in. I
called Nadia, only to discover that she’d been going crazy trying
to run the boutique all by herself.
I looked at my
watch and realized I had just enough time to call one of our
vendors right before they closed. I looked up their number and
dialed, only to be passed from one person to another. “Listen,” I
said, “we need that material ASAP. So help me God, if this delay
causes us to miss the deadline for getting this design in our
collection, I will cancel all future orders and tell all of my
colleagues to do the same.”
Jake peeked in
his head, excitement flooding his face. “You’ve gotta see this
sunset.”
“ Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” I snapped.
Jake ignored
my hostile tone, then motioned for me to come outside.
I just rolled
my eyes at him and continued, “I need that shipment…and I need it
now!”
Click .
After I hung
up in a rage, Jake softly touched my arm and led me outside. The
horizon truly was something to see, with vivid, flaming reds and
fiery oranges in swirls spreading out as far as my eye could see,
as if the whole sky was made up of some kind of psychedelic paisley
pattern that I would have killed to have in a nice cotton blend.
Once again, the chasm took my breath away.
I turned to
face Jake. “This is spectacular.”
“ You miss out on so much when you won’t get off that phone of
yours,” he scolded.
I wanted to
lash out at him and tell him to mind his own business while I was
minding mine, but he was right.
“ When was the last time you
left that stupid thing at home and actually took a look at the
world around you? Before this trip, when did you take time to enjoy
forest or grasslands or all the tiny details of nature? You used to
love the outdoors. Heck, we even counted ridges on a leaf once,
remember? When was the last time you looked at the dewdrops on an
intricate spider web or walked barefoot in the sand?”
I bit my lip hard in thought. “So I’m
a workaholic. What’s it to you?”
“ It’s just…sad. I still love to backpack, hike, and camp. It’s
my way of being out here in nature. I work hard too, but I take
time out to enjoy nature’s beauty.”
“ I
guess since I’ve grown up, I’ve never
He gathered
some cleaner clothes than the ones he was already wearing and
headed outside to go take a shower.
After I
showered, I put on a pair of jeans that fit me like a second skin,
and I slipped into a matching denim shirt. I pulled my hair into a
long French braid and used very little makeup, since I was sure I’d
sweat it off anyway.
When Jake came
back from his shower, I couldn’t help sweeping my gaze over his
well-fitting jeans and white t-shirt, a classic look I’d always
found sexy. The t-shirt clung to his broad shoulders, chest, and
bulging biceps. His jeans fit him perfectly and emphasized his
narrow waist. I knew if I didn’t stop drooling, he was going to
notice.
He touched the
brim of his cowboy hat and tipped it toward me. “Ya ready to go git
some vittles, pretty lady?” he asked in his best John Wayne, which
was humorous at best.
“ I’m starving,” I said, smiling. “Let’s go.”
The scrambled
eggs, bacon, and coffee was delicious and helped to wake us
up.
After the
scrumptious meal, I mounted my mule, and we took off on our journey
out of the canyon, back to the top. The mules rested a few times as
we went uphill, making for the perfect photo opportunities,
allowing me to snap some fantastic pictures, memories I’d treasure
forever. Again I had to be thankful for the cowboy hat, because the
sun was beating down hard.
Finally, Earl
had gotten me back to the top, and I couldn’t have been more
thankful. We hung out for a while, walked some trails, and observed
the canyon from that perspective before we headed back to the
hotel.
* *
*
Once we
returned to our far less rustic accommodations, I unpacked, took
another shower, and put on clean clothes to lounge around in. I
called Nadia, only to discover that she’d been going crazy trying
to run the boutique all by herself.
I looked at my
watch and realized I had just enough time to call one of our
vendors right before they closed. I looked up their number and
dialed, only to be passed from one person to another. “Listen,” I
said, “we need that material ASAP. So help me God, if this delay
causes us to miss the deadline for getting this design in our
collection, I will cancel all future orders and tell all of my
colleagues to do the same.”
Jake peeked in
his head, excitement flooding his face. “You’ve gotta see this
sunset.”
“ Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” I snapped.
Jake ignored
my hostile tone, then motioned for me to come outside.
I just rolled
my eyes at him and continued, “I need that shipment…and I need it
now!”
Click .
After I hung
up in a rage, Jake softly touched my arm and led me outside. The
horizon truly was something to see, with vivid, flaming reds and
fiery oranges in swirls spreading out as far as my eye could see,
as if the whole sky was made up of some kind of psychedelic paisley
pattern that I would have killed to have in a nice cotton blend.
Once again, the chasm took my breath away.
I turned to
face Jake. “This is spectacular.”
“ You miss out on so much when you won’t get off that phone of
yours,” he scolded.
I wanted to
lash out at him and tell him to mind his own business while I was
minding mine, but he was right.
“ When was the last time you
left that stupid thing at home and actually took a look at the
world around you? Before this trip, when did you take time to enjoy
forest or grasslands or all the tiny details of nature? You used to
love the outdoors. Heck, we even counted ridges on a leaf once,
remember? When was the last time you looked at the dewdrops on an
intricate spider web or walked barefoot in the sand?”
I bit my lip hard in thought. “So I’m
a workaholic. What’s it to you?”
“ It’s just…sad. I still love to backpack, hike, and camp. It’s
my way of being out here in nature. I work hard too, but I take
time out to enjoy nature’s beauty.”
“ I
guess since I’ve grown up, I’ve never