The Stars at Night

by Gerri Hill

  Granted, now that she was here and poking around, it wasn’t that big of a chore. In fact, it wasn’t a chore at all to do it manually. But if she could get the files working, set them to download and upload on a schedule, then the reservation system would basically run itself. It was already set up to send out confirmation emails and reminders.

  “Then what will I do all day?”

  A smile lit her face. Well, she could go bike riding with Kyler. She rested her chin on her palm, picturing the other woman. Kyler wasn’t really like any of her friends. Like most people, she had different groups of friends. Trish and a handful of others in one group. Her work friends who she’d shared many a happy hour with. Her gym friends, some she’d known for years now. They intermingled only rarely.

  She couldn’t think of a one that Kyler reminded her of. The gym friends were just that—gym rats. They rarely exercised outside the confines of the club. Not the ones she’d gotten to know, anyway. Her work friends were a combination of geeky computer nerds and intellectual snobs. Her old college friends—Trish included—were in professional jobs, most of them married or partnered up, some with kids. She was the outlier. Which was why, after her relationship with Cathy fizzled, most of them tried to fix her up with someone in one way or another.

  Oh, but Kyler was different, wasn’t she? She was fun. She was pleasant. She was cute. She was easy to flirt with and she flirted back. And flirting was something Lexie should not be doing.

  She didn’t want to send her mixed signals, for one thing. And two, you don’t flirt with friends. She needed a friend, she knew that. Someone other than her family. Kyler could be that person, couldn’t she?

  She was fun, and she was nice, and she was cute. Of course, the cute part shouldn’t factor into whether they should be friends or not.

  The bell on the front door jingled and she looked up, surprised—and pleased—to find the woman who had been invading her thoughts walking through the door. A smile lit her face and she got up, going to the counter.

  “What brings you around?”

  Kyler held up a paper bag. “Lunch.”

  Lexie’s smile widened. “You brought me lunch?”

  “I heard you were holding down the fort.”

  Kyler walked around the counter to the office like she’d done it a hundred times before. She scooted a chair up to the desk and plopped down.

  Lexie arched an eyebrow as she sat down again. “What’d you bring?”

  “Veggie burger.”

  Lexie’s eyes widened. “Where in the world did you find a veggie burger?”

  “Potters.”

  “Oh, my god! The little grocery store in town sells veggie burgers?” She took the offered sandwich that was wrapped in a paper towel. It was still warm. “How did you manage this?”

  “I took the frozen burgers over to Mark and had them make one up for you.” She held up another. “I got the real thing.”

  “You are too sweet.”

  Kyler blushed slightly as she unwrapped her burger. “You may have a kindred spirit in town. Bobby said they ordered them for Mary Rudolph. She’s got heart disease and she read some book about changing her diet. Gave them a list of stuff she wanted.”

  “Really? That’s good to know. Maybe they can order me some tofu.”

  Kyler bit into her burger and nodded. “Mine’s good. How’s yours?”

  Lexie took a bite too, and yes, it was delicious. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a whole wheat bun instead of white, but she kept that comment to herself.

  “Fabulous. This was so thoughtful of you.”

  “Well, I saw them when I was getting the pizza for our football party.”

  “And here I was all prepared not to like you.”

  Kyler looked up at her. “Why?”

  “Well, not you specifically.” She paused. “Maybe. I mean, I wanted to like it up here, but I was prepared not to. And when my mother first mentioned you, I assumed they were going to try to play matchmaker and I convinced myself that I wouldn’t like you. At all. I mean, you were Mark’s friend and all.”

  “But I’m irresistible?”

  Lexie gave a quick laugh. “I like you. I wouldn’t say you’re irresistible.”

  “I like you too. And give it time. I’ll grow on you.”

  Lexie took another bite of her burger. “You’re not my type, Kyler. And I think you already said I wasn’t yours.”

  Kyler put her burger down and wiped her mouth. “So, the wind shifted.”

  “Okay.” So that was an odd changing of the subject. “The wind shifted. That’s a good thing?”

  Kyler nodded. “South.”

  “That means what?”

  “It’s gonna be warmer tonight. And tomorrow, we’re supposed to hit low sixties.”

  “Oh.” She smiled then. “For our bike ride?”

  “Yep. We’re still on?”

  “Yes. I’m looking forward to it. Where are you going to take me?”

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “A tour of the whole park.”

  Kyler nodded. “We can do that. Although I think we should skip going up Skyline Drive. But you used to do spin class. Your thighs are probably in good shape.” She smiled quickly. “Are they?”

  “I’ve seen Skyline Drive in your Jeep and, no, I’m not ready to tackle it on a bike. It’s straight uphill.” Then she smiled too. “But yes, my thighs are in good shape. I think.”

  Kyler nodded. “Did you order some biking pants?”

  “Oh, I did. And shorts too. I should get them today.”

  “Shorts? Gonna stay around for shorts weather?”

  Lexie put her burger down, pausing to gather her thoughts. Kyler was someone she could talk to. From that very first morning when they’d watched the sunrise, she knew that. Kyler was watching her now, an eyebrow raised questioningly.

  “As I said, I was prepared to not like it here. I find it a little shocking that I actually do.” She met her gaze. “You are a part of the reasons why, as you’ve probably guessed. I was dreading not knowing anyone other than my parents and Mark. I was dreading not having any friends. Part of me was convinced that by Christmas, I’d be counting down the days—hours—until I could get the hell out of here.”

  “So you find yourself liking it…yet what?”

  She sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I’m thirty. I fear I’ll get stagnant. Running a lodge wasn’t ever something I thought I’d be doing. I’m afraid I’ll lose whatever technical skills I still cling to—I mean, I haven’t worked in nine months now, almost ten—and if I eventually go back, I’ll never get a job.”

  “Ah. So you think if you stay, then you’ll be stuck here forever.”

  “Yes. Mom and Dad want to get an RV, they want to travel. They’re counting on me staying to run things while they do that.”

  “You can’t base your decision to stay or go on that, Lexie. You still have a choice.”

  “I know. But do I really have a choice? I’ve got to be out of my apartment by the end of January. There is no job to go back to. And it’s not like I hate it here. As I said, surprisingly, I like it up here. I feel comfortable. There’s certainly not any stress.” She pointed at the laptop. “This thing can run the whole lodge by itself.”

  “Can it fix hot water heaters and change lightbulbs?”

  “That’s another thing! If Dad is gone, who’s going to fix stuff? Mark?”

  “I’m pretty handy.”

  “You already have a job.”

  “Stuff doesn’t really break that often. Your dad just likes to fiddle with things. ‘Tinker,’ as Susan calls it. If he’s gone and you have a major issue with an appliance or something, then you might have to get someone from Alpine to come up. If you have plumbing issues, there’s a guy in town to call.” Kyler finished off her burger. “I happen to be pretty good with plumbing too. I do it in the park all the time. And believe it or not, Mark is pretty handy too.”

  �
�So I shouldn’t use that as an excuse?”

  “No. But I understand what you’re saying. Your parents know it too. This is not Austin. It takes a certain kind of person to love it up here. Yes, we’re in a remote place in a very sparsely populated area of the state.” She shrugged. “You get used to it. If there’s something you need that you can’t buy locally, you go to Ft. Stockton. Or you order online.”

  Lexie folded her hands together and rested her chin there. “Do you miss going out? Nightlife? Dinners?”

  “Honestly, no. At first, I think I may have. It’s hard to remember now. You find different things to do. My nightlife is watching the stars. Going out means I get on my bike or I go over to Irene’s or Tammy and Phil’s ranch and ride horses. And dinner?” She smiled at her. “Well, I’m hoping you get that menu redone so that I can get fish now.”

  “Do you think Mark is serious about that? I mean, I don’t want to get into his business.”

  “From what he said, the menu is pretty much exactly like it was when he got here. If he got a grill, then there are so many things you could add.”

  “I liked those breakfast tacos. I had one this morning.”

  “Yeah, that’s new. Maria has worked here for years and one day she made those for me and Mark. There were no customers and she brought those out for us, and Mark was like, why haven’t you made this before? The next week, they were on the menu.”

  “Okay. I guess I’ll talk to him then. If he’s serious, then I’ll get with the cooks and see what we can change.”

  Kyler held her hand up. “Not so much ‘change.’ ‘Add to.’ Take baby steps. Mark will say baby steps.”

  She nodded. “Yes. Change is hard. I should know.”

  Kyler wadded up her napkin and tossed it into the bag. “I guess I should go. I have laundry to do.”

  “Do you have a washer and dryer at your cabin?”

  “No. They’ve got a little laundry room for us at the maintenance shed. I’ll start it, then go fill the bird feeders while it washes.”

  “So you tend to the bird blinds even on your day off?”

  “I don’t mind. If I asked one of the guys to do it, they would, but it’s kinda become my thing.”

  Lexie walked her to the door. “Thank you for lunch. That was very sweet of you.”

  “Sure. If you want another tomorrow, I left the box with Mark. There are three left.”

  “Thank you.”

  They stood staring at each other, smiling. Kyler finally nodded. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Kyler.”

  She closed the door, then stood at the window, watching as Kyler got in her Jeep and drove off. She was still smiling when she went back to the desk. She cleaned up the remnants of their lunch, tossing a napkin and the paper bag into the trash. So, she’d made a new friend. She was becoming very fond of Kyler, wasn’t she? She hadn’t even known her two weeks yet—was that even possible?

  She decided it was.

  Chapter Twenty-three

  The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and the wind was nothing more than a lazy, gentle breeze. Perfect for a ride. She lifted the bike from the rack and leaned it against the Jeep. She found herself whistling a Christmas tune—“Frosty the Snowman”—as she went to Lexie’s door. Before she could knock, it opened, and Lexie greeted her with a smile.

  “Hey. I thought I heard you drive up.”

  Kyler grinned as she looked her over, her gaze sliding over black biking pants with a bright yellow stripe on the side of each leg. “Wow. Nice pants.” She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. “Tight.”

  Lexie came outside, posing for her. “You like them?”

  “I love them.”

  Lexie slapped the back of her butt. “Got one with extra padding.”

  “Were you sore last time?”

  “A little.” Lexie looked her over. “Your pants don’t look padded.”

  “Not the pants, no. I’ve got cycling shorts on underneath.”

  Lexie’s bike was leaning against the wall, her helmet hanging by the strap on the handlebars. Kyler watched as she pulled her hair into a ponytail again before putting on her helmet. Kyler simply ran a hand through her hair, brushing it back before slipping on her own helmet.

  They headed out, passing by the restaurant before hitting the park road.

  “Oh, yeah. These pants make all the difference,” Lexie said. “I have several pairs of cycling tights back at my apartment in Austin that I used in spin class. I never once thought to bring them along.”

  “So you were gym all the way? No outdoor running or anything?”

  “No. I fell into a routine, I guess. I ran, but always on a treadmill. I used to bike with Mark and Mia some but not often enough to warrant the money I spent on that bike. Then after Mia’s accident, I got rid of it. I had no desire to get back on the road.”

  “This is different.”

  “Night and day, yes. They would hit the road and ride for thirty miles. I like this much better. It was fun on the trail the other day.”

  Kyler nodded. “We can take the trail first if you want. We can get out where we started last time, or we can stay on it. It comes out near the entrance, close to the tent camping area.”

  “That’s fine with me.”

  When they got to the picnic area, Kyler rode across the little bridge and took the trail along Limpia Creek. She didn’t look behind her—she could hear Lexie following. She relaxed, slowing her pace just a little, giving herself—and Lexie—time to enjoy their surroundings. They weren’t racing, she reminded herself.

  The trees were a little less dense here along the creek and canyon, allowing for more of a view. Some people might call this land barren, and in parts, it was. Below four thousand feet, the woodland trees gave way to thorny brush and below that it was a desert landscape with Chihuahuan scrub bush, creosote bush, and mesquite more prevalent. Up here though, piñon pines mixed with the fragrant junipers, and several species of oaks competed for what little moisture there was. Near Mt. Livermore, where Irene’s ranch was and where Tammy and Phil lived, ponderosa pines and even stands of quaking aspens could be found—the terrain more like the Rocky Mountains than the Trans Pecos.

  And she loved it all. She took a deep breath, enjoying the now familiar scents. Sure, she’d loved being at the coast and she’d enjoyed the smell of the salt air, but this was different. She’d found a peace up here that she didn’t know she’d even been searching for. The wide-open spaces, the endless sky—both day and night—the slow, unhurried pace of living and the sense of community had all been missing in her life.

  What was missing then and was still missing now was having love in her life. After having her heart ripped out by Britney, she wasn’t sure she wanted to give it a try again. Maybe she’d be like Mark, hanging on to old memories instead of making new ones.

  No, she couldn’t compare herself to Mark. He’d been truly, deeply in love with his wife and her death had devastated him. She’d only thought she’d been in love with Britney. No, that wasn’t true either. She was in love with her. The person she was back then was in love with her. Who she was now? No. If she met Britney today, there’s no way she’d fall for her.

  Then why was she attracted to Lexie Walton? Didn’t she tell Mark that Lexie reminded her of Britney? Did she really? Britney had been fun and flirty, yes. So was Lexie. They were both more comfortable in a city than out of it. Is that where the comparisons ended? Would Britney have ever ventured out on a mountain bike with her? No. She couldn’t see it. Lexie, however, seemed to be enjoying it immensely.

  “Can we stop at the overlook?”

  Kyler shook her thoughts away and pulled over to the right, the same place they’d stopped the other day.

  “Need a break?”

  Lexie pulled her bike up beside her and gave her a beaming smile. “Not a break, no. I feel great. But I want to take a picture.”

  Kyler hadn’t even noticed the small fanny pack Lexie had strapped to her waist. Fr
om inside she pulled out her phone and, without warning, snapped a picture of Kyler.

  “You didn’t give me time to primp,” she complained.

  “You’re gorgeous as you are. You don’t need to primp.”

  Lexie leaned her bike against Kyler as she moved to the edge where the wooden fence stopped her progress. Kyler watched as she took several shots from different directions.

  Gorgeous? Kyler smiled but shook her head. No, so not gorgeous. She had on a biking helmet, for god’s sake. She knew what she looked like with a biking helmet on.

  Lexie turned around to face her, her gaze questioning. Kyler looked back at her with an equally questioning gaze, she assumed.

  “Am I in your space?”

  Kyler shook her head. “No. Why?”

  Lexie moved closer. “You’re used to doing this alone. I’ve run on the treadmill so long—alone—lost in my own thoughts or music, I wouldn’t know how to act if I ran outside with someone. Especially a chatty someone.”

  “I wouldn’t exactly call you chatty. But yes, I am used to doing this by myself. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy company. If you see something beautiful”—she motioned to the canyon—“you want to share that with someone. Late last spring, I was riding the loop across the road. I came upon a doe and her twins. I stopped and watched, probably twenty minutes or more. They got used to me. The twins nursed. It was a beautiful sight.” She shrugged. “It would have been more special if someone had been there to share it with me.” She smiled then. “When I told Mark what I’d seen, he wasn’t nearly as impressed by it as I was.”

  “Well, if I’m getting into your space, I hope you’ll tell me. If you don’t want me to ride with you all the time, tell me no. I can go by myself. I doubt I’ll get lost.”