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The latch is under the steering wheel, and I pull it. The hood clicks, and Lexi stands on a metal step attached to the reinforced steel bumper.
“The battery terminals are corroded,” she says, shaking her head. “Do we have a wrench? Maybe we can loosen it and try to clean it off?”
After Lexi steps down, I take her place.
“I might kill Philip.”
“Me too,” she says as we move to the back of the Jeep to see what we have on board.
We have a small tent, a sleeping bag, and a toolbox with an axe inside.
“Reasons why I have trust issues,” I mutter.
Lexi checks the storage compartments and under the seats. “Any sodas in that ice chest?”
“No,” I tell her as she leans against the Jeep.
“Well, using that to remove the corrosion was our last hope. What are our options?” she asks.
“Hike down fifteen miles, use the satellite phone in the helicopter, and call someone to pick us up. Hike to the bottom and wait in the helicopter until morning. Or wait here becausePhilip will return for the Jeep when the sun rises, so he’ll find us.”
Lexi turns to me. “You swear this isn’t one of your tests?”
I hold up my hands. “This wasn’t planned. I had dinner reservations made for us at one of my favorite steakhouses in town. The entire back room was supposed to be ours so we could have privacy during dinner. I handpicked our steaks.”
“Aww, that would’ve been awesome. What time is it?”
“It’s a little past five,” I tell her. “Sunset is at nine. That gives us a solid four hours until dark.”
“Let’s not waste any time then.”
I tilt my head at her. “Wait, you don’t mind camping in bear country?”
“I should be askingyouthat question, considering our backgrounds,” she says, moving to the Jeep’s back storage area. “We have a tent, a mattress pad, a sleeping bag, an axe, a flint fire starter, one foldable chair, and a can ofexpiredbear spray.”
I stand behind her, looking over everything. “Add four sandwiches, water, and a bottle of Fireball.”
Lexi turns to me. “You and these serendipitous events are going to do me in.”
“You nearly begged for adventures.”
She laughs. “And so far, you haven’t disappointed.”
23
LEXI
Easton takes the expired can of bear spray and enters the trees to search for wood. I suck in a breath, wishing my body would acclimate to the altitude quicker, looking around at my surroundings.
It’s a beautiful place, and I’m glad we’re camping. As I walk around, I find a fire ring with some old coals and know where those who stay here usually camp.
When I dump the tent out of its bag, all I can do is laugh. I laugh so hard that a few tears stream down my cheeks because it’s a one-person backpacking tent. It takes me less than ten minutes to set it up. I stand with my hands on my hips, trying to figure out how this will work.
Easton walks up behind me with an armful of wood. He sets it next to the fire ring, and his face contorts when he notices our shelter for the night.
“No, this is the fucking joke.” He points at it.
“Does that look miniature to you?” I ask, covering my smile with my hand and laughing. “I don’t have any words for this.”