“Hey.” She’d said one goddamned word, yet he got a weird, stressed-out vibe. She wasn’t her bubbly self. He walked around the car and picked up the groceries she couldn’t carry, shut the back, and stood in her path to the door. “Are you okay?”
“Sure, fine. Why?”
He scanned her face, searching for the answer to that question. She looked as beautiful as ever, her face vibrant and fresh, her eyes warm, yet…something wasn’t right. “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug. “Just checking.”
Her smile was sincere and warm and…sad? She pushed up on her toes and leaned across their bags of groceries to kiss him. Then kissed him again.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” she said, almost a whisper.
He pulled back, frowning. “What’s wrong?”
She laughed. “Why does something have to be wrong for me to tell you I think you’re amazing?” She pushed past him with, “Get. I’ve got to get these put away before we go.”
Noah followed, his feet shifting on unfamiliar ground. “Where are we going? I thought we were working out when you got home.”
“We are. I decided to change it up a little today.” In the kitchen, she unpacked bags and stocked the fridge. “Go change into warm stuff while I put these away. We’ll be working outside today.”
“Doing what? And where?” he asked again, setting the bags on the granite. “What’s this sudden spontaneity, and why are you being so cryptic?”
“It’s a surprise, and I’m plenty spontaneous. Now go.”
Noah jogged up the steps to his room, only realizing just how huge an accomplishment that was once he was on the landing. He automatically looked down toward the kitchen for Julia and found her frozen in the act of pulling something from the bag, watching him with a triumphant, excited grin.
They shared the awesome moment silently, making it that much more intimate, until Noah couldn’t hold the joy back and a laugh bubbled out. “Never thought I’d be so thrilled over something so simple.”
“You deserve the thrill. You’ve come a long way in a very short time.”
“We’ve come a long way,” he corrected.
She acknowledged his statement with a nod, though he couldn’t tell if she agreed.
By the time he’d changed into jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved Henley, Julia was ready to go. Noah drove, taking directions from Julia. They headed toward Heavenly, but then passed the massive resort and continued into the mountains beyond.
“The only thing out here is Zephyr Academy,” he said, trying to figure out her game plan.
“I know. Finn told me you spent a lot of time there.”
“I pretty much grew up there.” A smile slowly turned Noah’s mouth as memories drifted in. Great people, great experiences. “It was more of a home than a school. I haven’t been out here for a long time. Not since one of the camps I used to give clinics at moved to a new location about five years ago.”
The SUV’s tires slipped, slipped, slipped, then stuck. Noah pressed the brake and crossed his arms on the steering wheel, staring out the windshield at the place he’d called home for many long winters.
“Looks like we’re walking from here.” Julia reached for the door handle, and Noah reached for her arm.
“What? Why?”
“Because, as you know, walking on unstable surfaces works your fine muscle control. You’ve got the major muscles supporting your ankle built. Now you need to work those small muscles to get your finesse back.”
“Dude, did you just call me finesseless?”
“That’s not even a word.”
“Says who?”
The door closed, and Noah climbed out, meeting Julia in front of the SUV’s grille.
“So…” She pulled on gloves and tugged her knit cap down to cover her ears. “Let’s just get up there and make a loop around the property.”
“Do you realize how big this place is?” he asked, trudging along beside her. “There are at least a dozen buildings.”