Wallbanger (Cocktail #1)(44)
Author: Alice Clayton

I breathed deeply. There was nothing like the smell of an actual fire—not a gas fireplace, not a bunch of candles, but an honest to goodness fireplace with snaps and crackles and funny little whizzing screeches when the steam came out of a crack in the wood.

“So, Caroline, have you asked Simon to teach you how to windsurf yet?” Mimi asked suddenly from her perch on the arm of the couch. We’d been quiet for a while, drowsy and almost dreaming, and I started a little when she spoke.

“What? I mean, what?” I asked, startled out of my pillows and back to the present.

“Well, these boys here all windsurf. You want to learn to windsurf, and I bet Simon here would show you, wouldn’t you, Simon?” She giggled, polishing off the last of her coffee and sliding off the arm of the chair into Ryan’s conveniently placed lap. They smiled at each other for a moment before they realized what they were doing and Ryan jokingly launched her off his own lap and into Neil’s. He’d not been awakened by her earlier question, but he now seemed wide awake with a lapful of Scheming Mimi.

“You want to learn to windsurf?” Simon asked, turning toward my pillow pile.

“Actually, yes. I’ve always wanted to try it.”

“It’s tough—not gonna lie. But totally worth it.” He smiled, and Ryan nodded from across the room.

“Sure, Simon’ll show you. He’d love to,” Ryan chimed in, earning a wink from Mimi and an eye roll from me.

“We can plan something for when we get back to the city,” I suggested.

“No more talk tonight. This girl has had it,” Sophia said. “I’m pooped. Where are we all sleeping?” She poked her head over the back of the armchair where she’d been curled up.

“Well, how many rooms we talking about?” Simon asked as I sat up and yawned.

“There are four bedrooms, so take your pick,” Sophia answered, then wisely drained an entire bottle of water.

“Are we doing boy-girl, boy-girl?” I asked, laughing when I saw Simon’s surprised face.

“We can, sure,” Mimi answered, looking a little nervously at Neil.

I stifled a giggle when I saw Sophia and Ryan trade a similar spooked look. Simon caught it as well.

“Yeah, sure! Don’t let Caroline and me stand in the way of the lovebirds! Mimi, you and Neil pick a room, Sophia and Ryan can pick a room, and Caroline and I will take the rooms that are left over. Perfect. Right, Caroline?”

“Sounds perfect to me. I’ll just rinse out these mugs. Now, off to bed with you all. Scoot! Scoot!” I cried. Simon and I scurried about cleaning up while sneaking peeks over our shoulders at the four of them. They looked like they’d just begun a death march.

“Oh, man, I hope this works out…for my sake.” I stood behind Simon as we watched the four become two pairs as they parted ways by the bedroom doors.

“Why for your sake?” he whispered, turning his face just a little to be inches from mine.

“Because right now, behind those doors? Sophia and Mimi are trying to figure out the best way to hurt me. Physically hurt me,” I sighed, backing away to rinse the last of the coffee cups and place them in the dishwasher.

Simon added the soap and switched it on. As we walked around, turning lights off for the night, we talked about the hike we’d be taking tomorrow.

“You’re not gonna slow me down, are you?” he teased.

I shoved him into the wall. “Please, you will be eating my trail dust tomorrow, bucko,” I warned, grabbing my bag and heading for the bedrooms.

“We’ll see, Nightie Girl. Speaking of, got any nighties in there for me?” He poked his hand into my bag as he followed me down the hall.

“Stay outta there. Nothing for you in there, or anywhere for that matter.” I stopped at the room I was taking.

He went past me to the room next door. “Look at that, sharing a bedroom wall once again.” He smirked.

“Well, I know you’re in there alone, so I’d better not hear any banging,” I warned, leaning in the doorway.

“No, no banging. ’Night, Caroline,” he said softly, leaning in his own doorway.

“’Night, Simon,” I answered, giving him a little waggle of my fingertips as I closed my door. I placed my bag on my bed and smiled.

“Come on, guys, not that much farther,” I yelled behind me as I surged up the final leg of the trail. We’d been hiking for about two hours now, and while everyone stayed together for a while, in the last thirty minutes or so, Ryan had slowed considerably, and Neil hung back with him. Simon and I kept the pace together, and were about to reach the crest of the trail.

I’d managed to avoid being alone with Sophia or Mimi, although the puffy eyes and tired faces on all four of them proved no one had gotten a good night’s sleep—except Simon and me.

After breakfast, I dodged the firing squad by changing quickly and waiting outside for the boys before the hike. I knew once I returned to the house I’d be in for it, although I admit I was curious to see how they were planning to rage without acknowledging that sleeping with the guys they’d been seeing for weeks now was not, in fact, what they wanted to do.

But as Simon had said, “Here’s to things staring you in the face.” Tonight should be interesting.

I pushed up and over the last little ridge and made it to the top. Simon was only a few yards behind me, and I could hear him on his way. I breathed deep, the clear air prickling at my lungs. It was chilly, but I was warm with exertion. It had been a while since I’d gotten out of the city, and my body had missed hiking like this. My legs were burning, my nose was running, I was sweating like a pig, and I couldn’t remember when I’d felt better. I laughed out loud as I looked down at the lake below, spying a few hawks gliding on a downdraft. The steely blue of the lake, the deep green of the forest, the clean whites and creams of the rocks: it was beautiful.

And then there was my new favorite blue. Simon appeared at my side, breathing as deeply as I was. He stretched his arms wide and took in the valley below. He’d peeled off layers as we climbed and was now wearing a white T-shirt with a flannel knotted at his waist. Khaki shorts, hiking boots, and a wide grin completed the wet dream I now stared at, instead of looking at the natural wonders all around us. And those blue eyes—I could see them framing each shot as he looked around.

“Beautiful,” I breathed, and he turned to me. I got caught staring. “I mean, isn’t it beautiful?” I stuttered, gesturing widely with my arm.