by S. E. Rose
I close the drawer. That’s it. I’m turning over a new leaf. I’m going to explore things that I think would interest me besides romance.
“Time for a change!” I announce to myself.
“What change is that?” a voice says from the doorway. I turn and my face pinkens as I see Garrett leaning against the doorframe.
“Uh…I…” I stammer as I try to think of something intelligent to say.
I stand and start placing my papers in my bag to take home. “I’ve just decided that I want to explore new hobbies.”
“Oh?” he inquires with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes,” I reply resolutely.
“No more romance book signings and Hallmark movies?” he asks. I groan because he knows this about me. He knows it because I probably rattle on about it at every happy hour.
“Nope. Not anymore.” Secretly, I promise that I will only attend one book signing per year instead of the normal three that I budget for each January.
“Wow. A whole new Diana Moore.”
“Yep, new and improved.”
“So, what are your new hobbies?” he asks.
I walk toward him, turning off my classroom light. He doesn’t budge, but instead stays right in the middle of my doorway, blocking me from exiting.
“I don’t know. Any suggestions?” I muse as I step closer to him.
He slowly peels himself away from the door and walks beside me down the hallway. “How about hiking?”
I shrug. “I mean, I’m not saying no, but I’m…” I start to say that I’m not an outdoorsy girl, but that counters my “new self” thing. “OK, yeah. I can hike.”
“I was going to go with my friends this weekend. You want to come with us?” he asks.
“Fudge it. Why not?” I answer.
“Fudge it? Really, Moore? The kids are all at home by now. I think you’re safe to cuss.”
“Habits die hard,” I declare as he opens the door for me.
“I’ll text you the details. But I think we are going to leave at eight on Saturday morning,” he says as we both begin to walk home.
“Sounds great,” I state. He nods and I cross the street toward my apartment. “See you later.”
I give him a wave before stewing over my potentially newfound hobby. Hiking. Do I even like it? I try to recall the last time I went hiking. Nope, no idea.
I text the family chat.
Me: When did I last go hiking?
Kent: Uh, never.
Mothership: We went hiking on that trip to the Grand Canyon. Oh, and that time we had to hike to see the northern lights in Iceland. You were there that time.
Dad: That time we went up the mountain in Hawaii and the trip to New England.
Me: OK, clarification, when have I gone hiking as an adult?
Kent: Refer to my first comment.
C-Dog: Hiking…(laughing emoji)
Lanie: We sort of hiked around that vineyard on our girls’ trip two years ago.
Me: OMG, people! When have I just gone to some park and hiked? Not drunk. Not on a family vacation as a child.
Lanie: Yep, I got nothing, then.
Kylie: You don’t like getting dirty. I don’t like getting dirty either unless it’s softball. I’m OK with that.
Lanie: Kyles, no one asked you.
Kylie: (sticking-out-tongue emoji)
Kent: Why are you asking anyhow?
Me: Decided to try some new things. I’m going hiking with Garrett and his friends this weekend.
C-Dog: Di and Garrett, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…
Me: (middle-finger emoji) (angry-face emoji) WE ARE JUST FRIENDS!!!!
C-Dog: Geez. Sensitive much?
Kent: When have you ever been “just friends” with a guy?
Me: Since now.
Dad: Would you all stop picking on your sister.
C-Dog: But, Dadddd
Mothership: Well, I think it sounds like fun. You tell Garrett we all say hi.
I turn my phone’s screen off because I have decided that this conversation is officially dead.
I text Lanie separately.
Me: Can I borrow hiking shoes?
Lanie: LOL. Yes. I’ll leave them on the porch when I take Ash to soccer practice.
Me: Thanks.
I’m not sure what I’ve gotten myself into, but hey, it’s a new activity. Maybe I’ll love it.
Garrett
“Hey, Adam. Mind if I bring a friend along on Saturday?” I ask my buddy. Adam Spitz has been my best friend since we pledged a fraternity together in college.
“Sure. Who’s coming?”
“Di Moore. I teach with her. I think you’ve met her. She was looking to maybe get into hiking and I mentioned we were going.”
“Wait? Di, like the Di that I met at happy hour that’s obsessed with romance?” he asks.
“Yep, same one.”
“I didn’t think you were into her,” Adam says, his voice laced with confusion.
“I’m not. She’s just a friend.”
“Oh, OK. I mean, I’m cool with it. Greg bailed on us. His new booty call has off on Saturday and wanted to see him.”
“Bros before hos!” I say.
“That’s what I said, but I guess pussy is persuasive.”
“I barely remember if it is,” I lament.
“Me either. We need to find some women soon,” he whines.
“Whatever. I’m in no rush. If I get desperate, I’ll just call up Missy Sizemore,” I declare. Missy is a hookup buddy of mine. We decided after hooking up in college that we weren’t compatible in any way except in the bedroom. We’ve stayed hookup buddies since. As long as we are both single, if the need arises, we call each other.
“How’s she doing?”
“Don’t know. I was dating April and then she was dating some guy and I haven’t circled back to her in a few months,” I muse as I wonder if I should call her soon.
“Well, tell her hello if you talk to her,” he says.
“Cool, will do. See you Saturday,” I say as I hang up and text Di the details. We are going to a local state park and hiking a five-mile trail. It shouldn’t take long, maybe two or three hours because some of it is uphill and rocky terrain.
I open my mail as I sit with a beer contemplating what room in the house is going to get molding first. I’d picked up the new wooden trim pieces last weekend but hadn’t bothered installing any yet. The house was slowly taking shape. I had the kitchen finished and new floors and paint throughout. Now I was working on the bathrooms, one down, two to go, and adding a deck on the back of the house. I’m just thankful the roof was in good shape and the outside only needed a new coat of paint and a few wooden shingles replaced around the tower.
Yeah, I have a tower. This old Victorian has taken over my life. I even named her. She’s Margaret and she’s painted in pinkish purples and light greens because I am a man who sticks to historically accurate details, even if it means that my home is purple.
I move out to my front porch and sit in the swing that my neighbors Ethan and Sam gave me as a housewarming gift. They’ve spent the last ten years restoring the Victorian next door and it’s beautiful. Ethan is an architect and Sam is an interior designer. They have given me a ton of tips as I’ve worked on Margaret. I’m not sure I could have done half of it without their input and pointers.
“Hey, stranger!” Sam yells as he opens his front door.
I smile and wave. “What’s up?”
He raises a watering can and starts watering the flowers in boxes under his windowsills. “Not much. We’re having a party in two weeks. You should stop by.”
“Will do. Oh, and tell Ethan if he wants a workout, he can come help me install some trim on Sunday,” I reply.
“Sounds like a good excuse for Chinese food and wine,” Ethan responds.
“You’re on, you bring the labor and I’ll spring for food.”
“You got a date,” he says as he heads back inside.
I
groan. Great, the closest thing I have to a date in weeks is my married neighbors helping me install wood trim in my house. I need to get back out there. I just hate the dating game. Women are always looking for Prince Charming and want to live happily ever after and I just want to date, only date.
Chapter Five
Di
The door buzzer startles me as I fill my water bottle.
I press the call button. “Hello?”
“Hey. I’m a few minutes early,” Garrett’s voice calls out from the speaker. I press the open button and hear it buzz as the door downstairs opens.
I unlock my door and find Garrett already standing there.
“You ready?” he asks as he looks around.
I grab my water bottle and keys. “Yep.” I look down and back up to him. I have no idea if I’m dressed appropriately but based on the books that I’ve read and the movies that I’ve seen, my attire seems correct. I went with a t-shirt, khaki shorts, and Lanie’s hiking boots. My hair is pulled up in a messy bun on top of my head.
“OK, let’s get going. I told Adam that we’d meet him there. It’s faster that way. Greg couldn’t make it today.”
I follow Garrett down to his car that’s double-parked. “Is Adam that friend of yours I met at happy hour last year?” I try to recall.
“Yeah, you met him and then our friend Greg another time.”
I nod, vaguely recalling it as I get in the car.
“You can put your stuff in my backpack if you like,” Garrett offers, motioning to the pack that’s on the floor behind my seat. I toss my things into it as we head off toward the interstate.
“So, how long is this hike?” I ask. I have zero intentions of admitting that I couldn’t even remember the last time I went hiking.
“It’s about five miles. Should take us about two or three hours,” Garrett states.
“Two or three hours?”
“Yep.”
I frown, trying to do the math. I run three miles every day. It takes me about thirty minutes.
Garrett glances over at me. “What’s wrong?”
“How can five miles take two or three hours? Even if you walk a mile, that’s like twenty minutes. So, that’s under two hours.”
Garrett chuckles and looks away. “You aren’t running up a hill with boulders, are you?”
“Nooo.”
“Well, then, it only takes you ten or twenty minutes. This will take you about thirty minutes per mile.”
“And this is supposed to be fun?” I question. Because boulders and mountain climbing don’t seem like fun to me.
He glances back over at me. “Maybe hiking isn’t your thing.”
I huff. “Well, at least let me try it first,” I argue, crossing my arms.
“OK, let’s give it a try,” Garrett says as he cranks up the radio. At least the guy has good taste in music.
We jam out karaoke-style for the next twenty-five minutes until we reach the park. I’m quiet as we park and walk toward a bench.
“Hey,” Garrett calls out to his friend as we approach.
Adam turns around and smiles at us. “You guys ready?”
“Hell yeah,” Garrett says.
“I guess so.”
Adam laughs. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad. The view is gonna be great today.”
We walk in silence, passing a few groups of hikers as we make our way down a paved park path. So far, it’s easy, I still don’t get why Garrett said three hours. Then, Adam makes an abrupt turn. I frown and look around and see a small postmarked, Billy Goat Trail, 5-mile loop.
I follow behind Adam, Garrett trails behind me as we climb higher and higher. It’s steep, but not torturous. The woods are fairly thick in this part of the park, but I soon hear water running. And then I see the stream. It’s rocky on either side of it, but manageable.
Garrett
I can tell the moment that Di realizes we have to cross the boulder-laced stream because she freezes in her tracks, watching as Adam begins to climb the boulders as he crosses the water and then scales a rocky incline up to the other side of the trail.
“Fuck me,” Di whispers under her breath.
“Having fun yet?” I say into her ear.
She turns to me and glares. “You didn’t say we were scaling a mountain.”
I shrug. “The whole trail isn’t like this, just this first part.”
She rolls her eyes. “Right.”
“Come on, let’s get a move on,” I say to her. It takes all of my reserves not to smack her ass that’s been shaking in front of my face for the last quarter mile. Dear God, the woman has the perfect ass. Even in those ridiculous khaki shorts that are too big for her, she looks like a model, a cute, petite model.
She reaches out and uses her hands and feet to crawl over a few larger boulders before stepping strategically on a few more with me calling out to her with where she should place her feet. She finally manages to reach Adam, who’s sipping some water and leaning against a tree.
“You gonna make it there, Spiderwoman?” he asks.
She groans. “Please tell me there’s a winery at the top of this mountain.”
He laughs and turns, starting back on the trail. “Maybe we can make that happen afterward.”
“There better be some kind of reward,” she mutters as we continue walking.
The next hour is somewhat silent as we continue up the incline, each of us in our private thoughts.
“The scenic lookout is just up here,” Adam says as we approach the final climb.
“Great, another boulder city,” Di mutters.
“Oh, come on, Spiderwoman, you got this,” Adam encourages.
She laughs. “OK, but I still want that bottle of wine when we finish.”
“Noted. I think we can arrange it,” Adam says with a laugh as he begins scaling the incline that’s covered with boulders and rocky outcroppings.
Di grabs a hold of a tree limb to help her get to a boulder and slips. She comes crashing against me. I manage to brace myself, keeping us both standing upright as my arms come around her, locking her body to mine.
“Oh fuck! I’m so sorry,” she yelps as she gets her footing.
I admit I don’t want to release her. She’s never been this close to me, and even after hiking nearly three miles, she smells of honeysuckle and lavender. My hand nearly covers her entire waist and my finger brushes the underside of her breast.
“You OK?” I ask her, my lips dangerously close to her earlobe.
I feel her steady herself, leaning away from me and I’m forced to release her from my grip.
“Yeah, I’m alright,” she announces as she brushes off her hand. I look down and see some minor scrapes.
“We’ll get you cleaned up. Come here,” I say to her, taking off my backpack and pulling out a small first aid kit I keep in it. I grasp her wrist and wipe away the dirt and blood from the scrapes with an antiseptic wipe. I blow on it a little when she winces.
“Thanks,” she says quietly as she pulls her wrist away.
“Want to sit out the climb?” I ask, motioning to the top where Adam is no doubt waiting for us.
She shakes her head. “No, I’ve come this far. I’m not turning back now.”
I grin. “That’s the killer spirit. Come on, Spiderwoman, let’s go check out this view.”
I carefully spot her as she tries again. This time she successfully gets to the top. I make it a moment later.
“Holy shit! This is…wow…” Her voice trails off as she looks out over the valley below. A river cuts through the middle of it. “How high up are we?”
“Not that high, about seven hundred feet or so,” Adam says as he sits on a boulder and drinks some water.
“I have a whole new appreciation for the early settlers,” she huffs as she leans against a rocky wall and takes in the view.
I laugh. “I take it you won’t be applying to hike Mount Everest, then?”
She glares at me. “Watch it, Henley. I know w
here you live.”
Adam chuckles. “Come on, Spidey. Let’s get you back down to sea level.”
“Wait, we have to take a pic,” she says, reaching into the backpack I have strapped on my back and pulling out her cell phone. I lift it and snap a photo of the three of us with the vista of rolling hills and low mountains in the background.
“Thanks,” she says as she places the phone back in the bag.
“Come on, let’s finish it. It’s downhill from here,” Adam states as he starts to climb back down the small rock wall we scaled to get up here.
“We have to go back down,” she says to me, her eyes wide at the prospect of climbing down the way we came up.
“That’s physics. What goes up, must come down.”
She groans and fake cries. “If I die, make sure they hire a good sub for my class.”
I laugh. “Maybe a drama teacher?” I tease.
She glares at me again as she slowly starts climbing back down. This is going to be a long last two miles.
Chapter Six
Di
I chug the beer. I don’t care that I’m making unladylike slurping noises. I down that sucker like I was dared to do it at a frat party after having had three tequila shots already. I place the empty glass down on the table and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand.
“Fuck, that tastes good,” I declare as I lean back in the booth seat at a local pub.
“Shit, woman, that’s impressive,” Adam says as he takes another sip of his beer.
I hold my hand up, motioning for our waitress to bring me another. I don’t even care that I’m sweaty, dirty, tired, and sore.
“How long will this hurt?” I inquire.
“Huh?” Adam asks.
“My muscles were just used in ways they were not designed for. Will I be impaired from walking tomorrow?” I clarify.
Adam and Garrett laugh.
“So, what’s the verdict?” Garrett asks as he takes a drink of his beer.
The waitress comes and sets down another beer for me along with an appetizer of cheese fries. I devour a few fries as I contemplate my answer.
“I…let’s be honest. I was shit at this activity and I didn’t find it fun. I mean, the view was great, and it was nice being outside and all, but scaling rocky walls and climbing over massive boulders isn’t my thing,” I admit before chugging half my beer.
