should be play makes Olivia an unhappy bunny. I can recommend a guide for you and your sister. Dash is good. He’s a local and he’s guided for years.”
“Dash doesn’t sound nearly as sexy as Olivia.”
“He has his own kind of appeal. I’m sure your sister will approve—if she’s of age, that is.”
“She’s of age, but I’d prefer to have you as a guide. Any chance we can schedule an off the clock adventure?”
“Is this you asking me out?”
“Would you say yes if it was?”
“No. Like you, I like to look before I leap”
Quoting their earlier conversation was a very good sign. “Are you free to schedule us for a private guided session?”
“That’s a definite no. My brother would kill me.”
“How about if I find you when we get to the valley and see if I can change your mind?”
“If you can find me when you get here, you’ve got yourself a challenge.”
“Ah,” Jack laughed, “I love a good challenge.”
“What’s your name?” Olivia asked. “In the spirit of keeping things fair.”
“Now where’s the challenge in that, love?”
***
Where was the challenge, indeed? And what had possessed her to flirt with a total stranger over the phone again and encourage him to stalk her while on vacation? She wouldn’t be hard to find. Not in her tiny town where everyone knew her by first name alone.
She looked around the shop and wondered if her life as a guide was over. Would she spend her summers working at the Golden Rule or pursuing other interests? Take fabulous vacations? Continue her education?
She felt as though she stood on the edge of her future, straddling the line between child and adult. No more classes, tests, or feeling like a student. She would be the teacher, responsible for educating her own students. She was ready. If she could navigate nervous adults down raging rapids, certainly she could shape young minds and encourage a lifelong love of learning.
Although laborious, school had always fascinated her with its mix of personalities and facts to learn. No one ever expected anything from her; pretty girls didn’t have to read or study or perform well on tests. She had only to smile and flutter her lashes and the world was hers for the asking. She was tired of having the world at her fingertips because of how she looked.
And yet she’d just flirted with a stranger, a man whose interest in her was unrelated to her looks. They’d never met. Whoever he was, he had a leg up on all the others already. Please, God , she begged. Don’t let him have only three teeth