showed up to go riding.
He didn’t know how he knew it, but Grace was different. She was the kind of girl you didn’t forget, the kind his advanced-English teacher said famous writers immortalized in novels. It was a crummy time to have her come into his life. Why couldn’t they have met a couple of years from now?
The thought that they could manage something long-distance flashed through his mind, but was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. Things like that didn’t even work out in movies.
Chapter 9
Kyle stopped to offer Alison a drink of water. They were on the outbound side of the loop to Pfeiffer Falls in Big Sur. It was the second hike they’d taken in the area in as many days. The redwood forest was everything Alison had dreamed it would be, with lush vegetation creating a thick bed of ground cover, streams running clear and cold, and waterfalls that made you want to put your hand out to feel their power. Best of all was sharing the experience with Kyle. He was the perfect tour guide, his eclectic interests covering everything from the history of the elephant seal in California to the best places to see wildflowers in the spring.
Being with him brought back memories of what it felt like to be with a man she liked. At one point she was stunned to realize she was actually flirting with him. It made her feel so good that she didn’t stop, even knowing the insanity of starting something she couldn’t finish.
She took a drink and handed the water bottle back to Kyle. Pointing to an innocent-looking plant, she asked, “Is that poison oak?”
He nodded. “And that.” He pointed to another cluster of leaves.
Alison gave the plants a wide berth. “How much farther to the falls?” she asked, spotting a sign with an arrow pointing straight ahead at the same time. Below the sign was a small metal plate warning to be on the lookout for mountain lions. She’d been watching for two days, but hadn’t seen any. Still, even knowing the danger, she couldn’t help wishing they’d at least catch a glimpse. Safely. She liked to think of herself as brave but not stupid. And she liked knowing Kyle felt the same way. He introduced her to bear spray, giving her a canister to carry and teaching her how to use it.
“Tired?” Kyle asked.
“Excited,” she said. “The pictures at the information kiosk were amazing.”
The day before, they’d spotted a couple of California condors riding the thermals near the entrance to the park. Even at a distance, their ten-foot wingspan made the birds look like soaring dragons. She’d watched them so long she’d gotten a crick in her neck.
Kyle kept insisting that he hadn’t had as much fun in years. He loved showing her places no one else he knew wanted to see. She told him it was a little like all the New Yorkers who’d never been to the top of the Empire State Building or visited Ellis Island. It had seemed only natural that she would offer to show him her part of the country—should he ever find himself in New York.
Expecting a polite excuse for not taking her up on her offer, she was surprised when he asked, “Would fall be a good time to visit?”
The sun was headed for the offshore cloud bank that would be tomorrow’s morning fog when they were on Highway 1 headed north again. A mile or so after crossing Bixby Creek Bridge, Alison’s phone chirped, letting her know that she was back in service and that she had a message.
“Sorry,” she told Kyle. “I need to check this.”
“I understand.”
She looked at her missed calls and saw that the first two were from Linda—undoubtedly filled to bursting with gossip after last night’s charity ball. The third was from Nora and the fourth from Christopher. She listened to Nora’s first and was relieved there wasn’t any crisis—Nora just wanted to let Alison know that they were leaving Italy and headed for France. Next, she picked up the one from Christopher.
“Hey, Grams—I need to talk to you about
He didn’t know how he knew it, but Grace was different. She was the kind of girl you didn’t forget, the kind his advanced-English teacher said famous writers immortalized in novels. It was a crummy time to have her come into his life. Why couldn’t they have met a couple of years from now?
The thought that they could manage something long-distance flashed through his mind, but was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. Things like that didn’t even work out in movies.
Chapter 9
Kyle stopped to offer Alison a drink of water. They were on the outbound side of the loop to Pfeiffer Falls in Big Sur. It was the second hike they’d taken in the area in as many days. The redwood forest was everything Alison had dreamed it would be, with lush vegetation creating a thick bed of ground cover, streams running clear and cold, and waterfalls that made you want to put your hand out to feel their power. Best of all was sharing the experience with Kyle. He was the perfect tour guide, his eclectic interests covering everything from the history of the elephant seal in California to the best places to see wildflowers in the spring.
Being with him brought back memories of what it felt like to be with a man she liked. At one point she was stunned to realize she was actually flirting with him. It made her feel so good that she didn’t stop, even knowing the insanity of starting something she couldn’t finish.
She took a drink and handed the water bottle back to Kyle. Pointing to an innocent-looking plant, she asked, “Is that poison oak?”
He nodded. “And that.” He pointed to another cluster of leaves.
Alison gave the plants a wide berth. “How much farther to the falls?” she asked, spotting a sign with an arrow pointing straight ahead at the same time. Below the sign was a small metal plate warning to be on the lookout for mountain lions. She’d been watching for two days, but hadn’t seen any. Still, even knowing the danger, she couldn’t help wishing they’d at least catch a glimpse. Safely. She liked to think of herself as brave but not stupid. And she liked knowing Kyle felt the same way. He introduced her to bear spray, giving her a canister to carry and teaching her how to use it.
“Tired?” Kyle asked.
“Excited,” she said. “The pictures at the information kiosk were amazing.”
The day before, they’d spotted a couple of California condors riding the thermals near the entrance to the park. Even at a distance, their ten-foot wingspan made the birds look like soaring dragons. She’d watched them so long she’d gotten a crick in her neck.
Kyle kept insisting that he hadn’t had as much fun in years. He loved showing her places no one else he knew wanted to see. She told him it was a little like all the New Yorkers who’d never been to the top of the Empire State Building or visited Ellis Island. It had seemed only natural that she would offer to show him her part of the country—should he ever find himself in New York.
Expecting a polite excuse for not taking her up on her offer, she was surprised when he asked, “Would fall be a good time to visit?”
The sun was headed for the offshore cloud bank that would be tomorrow’s morning fog when they were on Highway 1 headed north again. A mile or so after crossing Bixby Creek Bridge, Alison’s phone chirped, letting her know that she was back in service and that she had a message.
“Sorry,” she told Kyle. “I need to check this.”
“I understand.”
She looked at her missed calls and saw that the first two were from Linda—undoubtedly filled to bursting with gossip after last night’s charity ball. The third was from Nora and the fourth from Christopher. She listened to Nora’s first and was relieved there wasn’t any crisis—Nora just wanted to let Alison know that they were leaving Italy and headed for France. Next, she picked up the one from Christopher.
“Hey, Grams—I need to talk to you about
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