Page 27

Chapter twenty-four

Naomi

“Hold on tight,” Robbie says, squeezing my hand as he cradles it carefully behind him. I grip tightly as he leads me up the narrow rocky path.

“Where are we going?” I’m not sure why I’m whispering, but for some reason, it feels necessary out here in the elements. As if the rustling wind and faint croaking of distant frogs feels somehow too sacred to interrupt. As if I’m not meant to be encroaching on their space.

“You’ll see,” is all he says, continuing down the path.

The sun is just high enough on the horizon to make the vast burnt-orange canyons of Lake Powell still visible in the daylight, and the lake water slowly glistens below us.

I tighten my grip on his hand when we walk carefully over some uneven rocks, my shoes slipping on a particularly loose one. Eventually, the path levels out into a flat surface, and he comes to a stop in the middle of nowhere.

“This’ll do,” he announces. My hand falls abruptly to my side as he releases it to spread the thick wool blanket he was carrying across the ground.

“So…are we sleeping out here?” I ask, still not clear on what we’re doing, and truthfully, feeling hesitant about the prospect of spending the night out here.

“No.” He laughs then lowers down to lie on his side. “There’s too much wildlife in this area. It wouldn’t be safe.”

“You know it’s about to get pitch dark out, right?

” I ask as I accept his outstretched hand to settle next to him.

I lie on my back with my elbows propped up behind me, shifting to get comfortable, and then bite my lip to hide a smile when he scoots closer to my side once I’m situated. Like a moth to a flame.

“That’s the point,” he says.

“Are we safe here?” I look around, keeping a watchful eye out for snakes.

“To be determined.”

“I still don’t understand what we’re doing, but I’m along for the ride. I’d do anything to hang out with the famed bass guitarist of Copper Snake, after all,” I tease.

He smirks, lazily roaming his gaze over my face. “Did you have fun at the show?”

“Ugh, Robbie. It was…” I struggle to find the right words for what I felt while watching him and his band play. “Absolutely incredible.”

“Ah.” He waves his hand, shrugging me off.

“I mean it.” I nudge him with my elbow. “You should be proud of yourself, Robbie.”

The night sky is almost completely dark now, but I don’t miss how his expression changes. It goes neutral somehow. He shrugs and looks off in the distance, as if he doesn’t put a lot of weight in my words. I wonder how often he’s been told that he makes anyone proud.

I open my mouth to ask him about it, but he moves, shifting to lie flat on his back. The moment passes by before I can figure out how to approach the subject again.

“This is it.” He taps my leg with his hand then leaves it to rest just above my knee. “Look up.”

“What?” I ask in confusion.

“Look up,” he repeats, pointing to the sky.

I tip my head and suck in a sharp inhale at what I see.

An obscene number of stars blanket the sky from one end to the other.

Grayish-white tiny beams of light illuminate the darkness as far as I can see in every direction.

It’s magnificent and breathtaking all at once, and its beauty brings a rush of emotion that tingles my nose.

“Wow,” I breathe, settling all the way onto my back, my arm now pressed firmly against his.

“Isn’t it cool?” I can hear the grin in Robbie’s voice without even turning my head to see it.

“It’s incredible. How do you know about this spot?”

“Dane drew me a map.”

I snort a laugh. “Seriously?”

“Yup. Apparently, he stumbled on this perfect stargazing spot the last time we played a show here.”

“It’s truly stunning,” I whisper while rotating my head, wanting to see the entire sky.

Sure, we can see stars in Minnesota, but being here on top of this canyon makes me feel like I’m literally immersed in them. Close enough that if I reached my hand out, I just might be able to touch one.

“Absolutely incredible,” I murmur. “All of it. The concert. This evening with you. This is the kind of stuff I’m always dreaming about, Robbie. This kind of adventure. I want it so badly.”

He falls silent for a moment next to me in the dark while I taper down the sudden ache in my chest…the yearning for a life like this.

“You can have it, you know,” he says quietly. “What’s tying you to Pine Falls?”

It’s a question I’ve asked myself countless times over the past few years. One that always ends up confusing me more than anything as it points out the mixed opinions I clearly have.

“You mean other than my family and friends? My job? This new business endeavor? Everything I’ve ever known?” I point out gently. “That’s what’s holding me back from leaving. Those aren’t just small things to me, you know? I enjoy living in Pine Falls.”

“So, you don’t think you’d ever leave?” His voice is small and quiet.

I know what he’s implying, and it makes my next words catch in my throat.

“Never say never, I guess. But what would be the point of building this baking business if I ended up leaving it all behind?”

“Yeah,” is all he says.

“It’s weird,” I admit. “I have this strong urge to leave Pine Falls and explore the world, to have adventures exactly like this, but I stall when I think of actually making such a drastic change like that. I honestly don’t know if it’s lack of courage, or if it’s knowing, deep down, that my heart wants to stay.

Either way, it’s a strong enough feeling to make me hesitate. ”

He doesn’t say anything back, so I silently watch the stars, ruminating on my own words and what they mean for us.

“What about you?” I ask him. “Is there any realm of possibility where you would stay in Pine Falls?”

I hold my breath for his answer, knowing this conversation has a direct impact on what our future looks like.

“No,” he says emphatically almost instantly, causing my heart to sink. I already knew that would be his answer, but to hear him verbalize it again makes it feel like my heart is being ripped out.

“Is it that terrible being there?” I whisper.

“I just…can’t, okay?” He squeezes my hand in what I know is an effort to smooth the roughness of the conversation.

I breathe out a slow and steady sigh, wishing he would open up to me. Tell me why it’s so hard for him. Is there even any point of pursuing something with him if there’s no chance he’ll stay? How would this ever work between us?

The questions run through my mind repeatedly, but I respect the finality of his tone and fall quiet, keeping them for another day.

“Hey,” he says, rolling onto his side, letting his head fall against his fist that he props up on an elbow.

I tilt my head toward him, staying flat on my back.

The starlight makes the outline of his face just visible enough that I can see the warmth behind his eyes, and I note the way it soothes something inside me. Calms me in a way.

“Thank you for coming with me. To the show. Up here tonight. All of it.” The sincerity in his voice is almost palpable.

I smile as he scooches even closer, pressing his torso to my side and snaking an arm across me to tuck under my hip.

“Thank you for bringing me.” I bring my free hand up to run it through his thick hair, watching as the waves fall back into place as I go.

Being affectionate with Robbie has always been a part of our friendship, but lately, every time I touch him, it’s like I’m discovering a new part of him that I’ve never known before.

Each touch feels brand new and sparked with an electricity that’s never been there—or perhaps it has, and I just never looked closely enough.

He squeezes my side, clutching my waist as he brings his head forward, softly connecting his lips to mine.

My heart races, and my eyes flutter closed as I press myself against him, relishing the heat from his hand as it slides up the center of my back.

He kisses me with a softness that somehow soothes the uncertainties of our situation. A promise that, while he doesn’t know the right answer or the direction we should be taking, he’s right here with me, feeling this connection and cautiously exploring it just like I am.

When he pulls back, we lock eyes, exchanging more with this shared gaze than words ever could.

He pulls me to him as he lies on his back, and I curl onto my side, melding myself to him.

When I rest my open palm against his chest, I zero in on the way it rises and falls with each breath he takes.

The movement comforts me in a way I can’t explain.

I do know one thing is crystal clear. Regardless of the future, I would like nothing more than to fully enjoy the present with him, to soak up every minute I can, starting with this quiet night under the stars.