12. Maggie

CHAPTER TWELVE

maggie

The air is cool when we wake up and my nose is frozen, even though in a couple of hours, I'll be dripping with sweat. I lie in my sleeping bag for a few minutes after I wake. It's still dark out, but everyone around me is moving. It's time to go. But I want to take a few more minutes to just be right here, in this moment.

Sleeping under the stars wasn't as nerve-wracking as I expected. In fact, I slept like a baby. Which is funny, because I thought that after telling Jack we'd have a conversation later today about what happened between us, I'd be more nervous. But I can't help it. There's a part of me that really wants to hear his explanation for what happened that night. I was hurt and angry for so long—years—that once I finally felt like I had moved on, I wished I could just get some closure.

Now, I have my chance. We can have a conversation and I can move on with my life and stop wondering why the guy who flirted with everyone decided to pick me to stand up. Especially when he had to have known my feelings. My mom always said I wore my heart on my sleeve. And I did. Before that night.

"Time to get moving if we want to reach the summit and see at least some of the sunrise," Graham says, and it's enough to get me out of my sleeping bag.

After I come back from the bathroom, everyone is sitting on the ground around Jack.

"What's going on?"

"He's got altitude sickness," Graham tells me. "At least, that's my guess. He says he's dizzy and nauseous and has a headache."

"And he can talk for himself," Jack says. "I'm fine, really. I just stood up too fast. Once I get some food in me, I'll be good as new."

"I don't want you to risk it." Graham is still sitting next to Jack. "You can wait here for us to hike up to the summit and come back. It'll be a few hours, so you can just rest. Then we'll all head down. You'll feel better if you stay at this elevation."

"I want to go." Jack looks straight at me as he says this. "I made a deal."

I feel Fiona's eyes on me, but I don't look at anyone but Jack. "It's okay."

"It's not."

"It is. You really don't want to risk it. If you do have altitude sickness, that's no joke. You're not supposed to go higher, which we will be doing," I say. Is it bad that part of me doesn't want him to come simply so I can have a little bit of time to think without having him around?

"But we'll still have a deal?" he asks.

I swallow hard. "Yup. You stay here. We'll talk back at the cabin tonight."

The sky is already getting lighter. We didn't get up early enough to see the sunrise from the summit. Disappointment fills my belly.

"All right, you hang out here," Graham tells Jack. "And the rest of us will head up. We'll see you in a few hours."

Jack grunts but doesn't stand. Once we know he's got breakfast and anything else he might need, we set out.

The morning mountain air is fresh and makes me feel more alive than I have in days as we set off. So what if my ex-fiancé fired me last week? So what if that was probably not legal? I can't exactly afford a lawyer, so my best bet is to just move on. It's time to move on from him. I've been stewing about it all summer; it's time to think about something else.

"Where would I stay if I came to Starlight Springs?" I ask Fiona as we start our trek toward the Keyhole, the next major spot in our hike. It's the last stop before we hike the rest of the way to the summit.

She grins at me. "You're really thinking about coming?"

I shrug. "I'm entertaining the idea."

"You could always stay with me, but I live in a studio apartment and you might hate that. I can ask around, though. If all else fails, you can stay at the lodge."

"The lodge?"

She raises her eyebrows. "You really know nothing about Starlight Springs, do you?"

"Not really. I know it's a small town in the mountains."

"It's a touristy town with a ski lodge. Not as big as Breckenridge or some of the other big ski towns in Colorado, but we get a decent crowd. They also have long-term units available in the off season. Which is now."

"I'll think about it, Fee."

"Good." The finality in her voice makes me think she knows that if I'm already mulling it over, there's a good chance I'm going to be moving to Starlight Springs in the near future.

Maybe I will.

With each step today, I feel more invigorated. I'm sore from yesterday, but in the best kind of way. This trip was completely out of my norm, impulsive, yet exactly what I needed. Maybe a change of pace would be good for me. Maybe the little mountain town of Starlight Springs could be just what I need. Even if it's only temporary.

I'm out of breath when we reach the Keyhole, and the sun is already rising.

"Look at that." Graham points to what I assume is Glacier Gorge. Words can't even describe the view from up here. We all pause a moment, breathing heavily as we take in the mountains around and below us. I can see the summit from here. We're so close, I can almost taste it.

"If anyone is feeling bad, or too tired, this is a good place to stop." Graham looks at each of us. "You can either head back down to where Jack is, or wait here and enjoy the view. This next part of the hike is probably the hardest, and it will take a lot of hard work and determination. I don't want to have to pull anyone along. That would be dangerous for all of us."

"I'm going to the top," Fiona declares, just like I knew she would.

"Me too," I say, though I've got a new set of nerves. Can I really do this? Hike to the top of the mountain?

Graham gives a single nod. "Let's do this then."