Page 25 of If the Summer Lasted Forever

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Even though it’s a four-hour drive to Glenwood Springs, it goes by surprisingly quickly. I’m fine when we first leave Gray Jay, but by the time we’re taking the exit for the small mountain city, I’m less so.

“Nervous?” Landon asks, glancing over with a grin. We took my Jeep, but I was happy to let him drive.

“No.” I shake my head to emphasize my point.

“Are you sure?” he asks, smirking at my shaking leg. “Because you look a little nervous.”

I turn to him. “Did you know that miners used to carry canaries with them when they were going through caverns?”

He shakes his head, still smiling.

“You’re probably wondering why,” I say, though he didn’t ask and probably doesn’t care. “If one keeled over, it meant there was toxic gas nearby, and it was time to get out of there.”

“And yet another lovely story.” He smirks. “You should consider writing children’s books.”

I crack a smile despite myself.

Landon pulls into the parking area, turns off the Jeep, and pivots in his seat, resting his arm on the wheel. “If this particular cavern was dangerous, I don’t think they would allow people in there.”

“What if someone has a heart attack or an allergic reaction or…breaks a leg in the middle of the tour? Then what?”

“Well, I’m assuming the first step would be getting them out of the cave.”

I know I’m being ridiculous, but the thought of walking underground…with the cave walls closing in on me…

Panic rises in my chest.

Landon studies me for several minutes, and then his smile softens. “We don’t have to do this, not if you don’t want to.”

“But you want to. You’ve been looking forward to it.”

“I’ve been looking forward to spending the day with you . The caves are just a nice bonus.”

I inhale slowly and then exhale through my nose, trying to calm myself. “I can do it.”

“You sure?” He raises a questioning eyebrow as if he doesn’t believe me.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to get some lunch first?”

“No, I’ll change my mind.” I roll my head, stretching my neck. “Let’s get this over with. Forty-five minutes, right?”

“That’s what the brochure says.”

I softly close the door, on the edge of chickening out. As I’m giving myself yet another pep talk, Landon comes around the front of the vehicle, sets his hands on my shoulders, and presses me against the side of the Jeep. “Thank you for being brave,” he murmurs.

Startled, I laugh. Or I try to laugh…I was hyperventilating before, and now my air’s gone.

His mouth meets mine, the pressure of his lips just firm enough to make my knees tremble, and then he lets me go.

“You can’t just sneak up on a girl and kiss her,” I say lightly, holding his sides to catch my balance while pretending my entire world didn’t just tilt on its axis.

He raises an eyebrow, giving me a wicked look. “I can when the girl does it to me the night before.”

Well, there you go.

Twenty-five minutes later, we’re in the caverns, and I’m breathing just fine. You know…mostly.

“You okay?” Landon asks, gently setting his hand on the small of my back.

I nod, focusing on the rock formations and colors, and ignoring the fact that the mountain is surrounding me.

“Just pretend you’re a dwarf, mining away in your mountain home,” Landon teases quietly so the other people on the tour won’t overhear him.

“Did you really just say that?” I whisper back.

I’m rewarded with a swift grin, and we hurry to catch up with the tour.

Even I can admit the caves are spectacular. They’ve added lighting, so it’s not too dark, and it makes the different minerals easier to see. Parts of the cave are extremely moist, and we pass a pool of water. Just above it hangs dripping stalactites made of calcite.

Occasionally, when the passages grow narrow, I have to remind myself to breathe. Landon, however, is fascinated. He spoke ahead of time with the tour company, and they’ve allowed him to take footage of the cave for his family’s channel.

We stop several times, and our guide tells us about specific minerals and rock formations. Every time, Landon finds a way to connect with me. Sometimes he pulls me next to him. Other times it’s just a hand resting on my back or an arm around my shoulder.

It’s so natural with Landon, so comfortable.

Before we go home, I’m going to tell him how I feel. That I’m ready to label this—us. I want to be his girlfriend. I want to hear him say it out loud.

And I know the Tillmans are going to leave at the end of the summer, but we’ll deal with it then. At least we have now.

We reach the very last cave, and our guide thanks us for joining him for the tour. Before we rejoin the rest of the world, a few people ask questions, Landon included.

I stand here, feeling pretty proud of myself. The caves were interesting enough; I’m almost sad to reach the end.

Almost.

Just as we’re stepping into the glorious Colorado sunshine, both Landon and I receive texts.

“No service in there,” Landon says, nodding toward the mountain we just exited.

I glance at my phone. Paige wants to know if I was stolen away by Gollum.

Still alive , I write. Call you later.

When I look up, I see Landon’s still staring at his phone. His expression is different. I can’t place it because I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

A ball of ice forms in my belly, and it spreads through my veins, chilling me despite the hot day.

Landon pockets his phone. “It was my dad.”

“Okay,” I say, waiting for him to elaborate.

He stares at the mountains across the Colorado River, looking at the red hillside and deep-green pine trees that grow on it. “There’s a big meet up and RV convention in California. This morning, someone invited us to speak at it.”

I wrap my arms around myself. “When’s the convention?”

But I already know it’s soon from the look on his face.

Slowly, Landon drags his gaze from the mountains and meets my eyes. “It starts next weekend.”

“Next weekend? ” I ask, feeling like the air has been knocked out of me. “Like seven days from today next weekend?”

Landon nods. “The first of August.”

“And your parents want to go?”

Again, he nods.

I knew he’d leave—I never denied it, not even to myself. But I didn’t think it would be now.

“When do you leave?”

“Wednesday.”

“Are you going to come back when it’s over?”

He looks away again, and his eyes are troubled. I’ve never seen him like this, not even when Evie showed up out of the blue. I don’t like it.

“I don’t know,” he finally answers.

After that, we walk back to my Jeep, neither of us speaking. Landon doesn’t start the engine right away. We both sit in our seats, staring forward, trapped in our own heads.

What a strange life he leads—always leaving, always saying goodbye. Maybe it’s not so bad being stuck in Gray Jay.

But I’m lying to myself. If I could go with Landon, I would. I would love nothing more than to see the things he’s seen, do the things he’s done.

And though we just met, the idea of doing those things together is incredibly appealing.

But I still have a year of school, and Landon’s leaving now. Not to mention the fact that I can’t abandon Mom and Uncle Mark. They need me. I know they tease me, but I do so much for the campground. Maybe they don’t realize how hard it would be without me, but I know.

Landon finally turns the key, and we head back on the highway, toward home. It’s earlier than we planned, and we still haven’t eaten dinner, but Landon must feel as out of sorts as I do.

“Where are you going?” I ask when he takes a random exit.

He follows a few signs, and we end up parked in front of a hiking trail in National Forest.

“I could use some fresh air. What about you?” he asks.

I study him for a minute, memorizing the flecks in his pale green eyes and the way his dark blond hair just brushes the tips of his ears. He already needs another haircut. “Yeah.”

As a last-minute thought, Landon grabs a water bottle and leads us onto the trail. Though it’s now evening, there’s still plenty of light left. With Daylight Savings, the sun doesn’t set until nearly nine this time of year.

We take our time, talking little, until Landon spots a tall outcropping of granite.

We veer off the path, making our way to the top, and dangle our legs over to watch the sun sink lower in the sky.

It’s a picture-perfect view of the mountains in the distance, but Landon doesn’t take out his camera or his phone.

Eventually, he turns to me. “I’m not sorry I met you, even if we didn’t have a lot of time together.”

My heart shatters.

“Me too.” I blink quickly.

Landon tugs me next to him, and together we watch the sunset. We have a long drive ahead of us, but I don’t mind putting it off.

He doesn’t try to kiss me. I don’t try to kiss him. We just sit together, coexisting, soaking the moment in.

It’s well after dusk by the time we finally make it back to the Jeep. Just as I’m unlocking the doors, Landon’s cell phone rings.

“Hey, we’re on our way back,” Landon answers. “I know it’s getting late—” Landon frowns. “What do you mean he’s missing?”

I stand by the hood, growing worried because of the look on Landon’s face.

“How long has he been gone?”

From the sound of it, George must have gotten out.

Landon rubs a hand over his face. “We’re still about three hours away, but we’re on our way. We’ll hurry.” Before he hangs up, he assures the caller on the other line, “Yes, I promise I’ll drive the speed limit—we’ll be careful.”

“Who was it?” I ask. Though a dozen questions are on the tip of my tongue, I catch myself before I bombard him with all of them at once.

“My dad.” Landon gets into the Jeep, and so do I. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know we need to get back. As I’m buckling up, Landon starts the engine and heads for the highway. “Caleb’s missing.”