Chapter 24

Okay, Natasha thought as she huffed and puffed her way up the mountain trail, maybe there is something to be said for fresh air after all.

Usually, the main form of exercise she got was trotting on the treadmill at her gym while frantically answering emails on her cell phone over lunch. She’d thought she was in pretty good shape, for someone with as demanding a job as she had – so of course she’d thought she’d be able to easily handle a little bit of hiking on the trails through the parklands here. But she was pretty quickly coming to realize that no, treadmill-trotting in no way prepared her for any of this – but also, to her surprise, she didn’t really mind it.

Exercisewas just something she’d had to do in the past because her personal trainer would yell at her if she didn’t – and likewise, she’d really only had a personal trainer to begin with because it had just seemed like the thing to do – but she’d never gotten any particular joy out of it. But now she was starting to wonder if there hadn’t been a secret athlete locked away inside of her all this time: it had just been waiting for her to get out of the gym and go run around on a beautiful trail that wound its way between the tallest, most majestic trees Natasha had ever seen in her life.

Well, you used to see them all the time,she reminded herself as she started her way up a steep, slightly muddy path that led over some enormous gray boulders, straight past a crystal-clear stream. But you weren’t very enchanted by their majesty then.

It was true: Natasha had never been one for the outdoors when she’d been a kid. She’d been kind of… bookish, she supposed she’d call it, though she’d hardly been shy. She just hadn’t really been interested in sports, or going on camping trips with the other kids in the woods, or really doing anything that took her away from the creature comforts of her home, her bed, her shower, and her bookshelf.

But maybe now that she’d spent the last several years pretty much doing nothing but living in comfort, Natasha was beginning to wonder if perhaps there might not be some benefit to reconnecting with nature and touching grass or whatever the kids were calling it these days.

Even if she was getting all sweaty even in the crisp early spring air, and even if she had just stepped in the world’s largest mud puddle and gotten her socks all wet.

“Eugh!”

Okay, maybe scratch that last part – she could do without the soaking wet socks and the weird squelching sounds she now made as she walked. But despite even that, Natasha was a little reluctant to turn around and head back to her BB down the mountain – the sun had been up for a while already, but it was still cool enough that despite the fact she was sweating like a hog she wasn’t uncomfortably warm, and she really was enjoying the way the pale gold sunlight filtered through the vibrantly green new leaves that were just beginning to unfurl, and the twittering of the birds as they flew between them.

Everything somehow seemed fresh and new and clean – and, she reluctantly admitted, she herself was included in that. She’d even allowed herself to sleep in a little this morning – sleep in! All right, so it had only been until eight o’clock, but for someone who usually rose at six a.m. in order to get to her office by seven-fifteen, that was an absolute luxury.

But to be honest, she hadn’t exactly slept well last night – and it wasn’t, for once, because she was up answering emails or checking on the status of the projects she was working on, or staying up late so she could be on a Zoom call with international clients in some topsy-turvy timezone.

Natasha felt her lips twitching, threatening to break out into a smile.

No, what she’d been up last night thinking about had been… well, weird, but also exciting, for reasons she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

I cannot believe I asked some guy out on a date in the middle of a supermarket.

True, he’d been cute – kind of flustered and adorable with a wide smile and a mane of dark blond hair and – from what she could tell, with his jacket covering up most of his torso – very nicely built.

But she hadn’t come out here to find romance – and to be honest, today she was feeling more than a little guilty about having been so impulsive. She couldn’t really explain it to herself – she wasn’t usually like that, and the last time she’d asked a guy out on a date, or been asked out had been…

Oh my God, I can’t even actually remember,Natasha thought, feeling just the slightest bit mortified. ‘Not for a while’ was a pretty safe bet, then.

But was it really a good idea to do it now?

She wasn’t in town for long – but then, neither, it seemed, was he. She hadn’t thought to ask him where he’d come from, but it seemed a bit too much to hope for that they were from the same city. Maybe they weren’t even from the same state.

And I don’t know how I feel about a long-distance thing… wait, what?!

They hadn’t even gone on a date yet, Natasha thought, shaking her head. Thinking about how she wasn’t interested in a long-distance relationship seemed, to put it mildly, getting a little bit ahead of herself. She couldn’t be making future plans based on a five-minute conversation over a can of beans!

God. What a disaster. I don’t go on a date for a few months – or whatever – and suddenly I’m thinking these kinds of things. Get a grip!

But she had to admit… she’d felt a bit of a spark there. Natasha wouldn’t call herself the shy and retiring type. If she wanted something, she had the gumption to go and get it, and she didn’t like wasting time. There was no point in dancing around things if she knew what her goals were, and so far that philosophy had served her well in life. She’d always achieved everything she’d set out to achieve.

Well, it doesn’t have to be a serious thing,she told herself, though something in her gave a little bit of a pang at the thought, even though she’d never had a problem with casual flings before. Just a holiday romance. Maybe that’s all he was after too.

At the least, she supposed, she should have one full date with him before planning out their wedding. And who knew – maybe it’d be fun and refreshing. Some things weren’t meant to last forever, and when was the last time she’d done something with no strings attached? She deserved a little fun.

And it’s all thanks to Charlson,Natasha thought, as her foot let out another wet squelch. Maybe I should fall asleep at my desk and send him cryptic emails more often.

As little as she wanted to admit it, however, her sock situation was coming to a head. She could feel muddy water seeping into her skin and wrinkling up her toes with every step she took. It was probably time to admit defeat, and head back down the trail – at least to change her socks and shoes.

Though by the time I get back it’ll be lunch time… if it isn’t already…

And as if to punctuate that thought, her stomach let out a sudden, extremely loud gurgling sound.

Natasha had to shake her head at herself – she hadn’t been back out in the middle of nowhere for even a full forty-eight hours yet, and she was already somehow beginning to lose track of time… and that was aside from the whole ‘asking random – but extremely hot – men out on dates’ thing. Back home, every minute of every day was carefully guarded and kept track of – it had to be, if she wanted to make sure she was staying on top of the mountain of her work commitments.

At this rate I’m gonna get a little too relaxed, she thought as she began heading back down the path – but to be honest, Natasha wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She’d always said she thrived in high-pressure environments.

Well, I’m sure I’ll get bored in a day or so.

As nice as the fresh air was, she couldn’t exactly spend all her time looking at trees. Surely they had to get a bit samey after a while?

But I didn’t notice that little cave last time I walked along this bit of the path!

It was true – she’d come up behind the collection of boulders and fallen rocks that must have slid down the hillside at some point, but which had fallen in such a way as to create a little hollow against the slope. They’d been there long enough that a little sapling had started growing on the earth that had collected on top of them, and vines had started to cover the sides of the rocks and hang down over the entrance. It looked like a secret little area, private and secluded, like something out of a storybook of enchanted places…

Uh. But wait,Natasha thought, just as the – pretty silly – idea formed in her head. Is that… something sleeping inside it?!

Natasha stopped in her tracks. The little cave wasn’t too far from the path, and despite the hanging vines, she could very definitely see something lying down inside the cave. Adrenaline shot through her as she thought that perhaps she might have accidentally stumbled upon the lair of a sleeping mountain lion or – oh God! – a bear, but a second glance told her it definitely wasn’t either of those. It wasn’t nearly big or shaggy enough for a bear, and, she thought, blinking, cougars tended not to wear leather jackets and jeans.

It’s… it’s a person, then?

Thatdidn’t exactly put her mind at ease – if it was a person, why were they lying out here in the middle of the woods?

Have I just found a dead body?!

Horror wound its way through her stomach, but Natasha forced herself to leave the path and creep a little closer to the cave, even as she reached into her pocket for her phone. She knew she shouldn’t disturb anything if she really had just found a dumped body, but she wanted to be a little more sure of what she was actually seeing before she called the cops. Part of her really didn’t want to believe it, though why else would there be someone just lying out in the middle of the woods, in a place it was difficult to spot?

Oh, hey, wait a minute –!

Shocked recognition fired through Natasha’s brain – it’s the guy from the supermarket yesterday! Oh my God! – at almost exactly the same moment that the body – less dead than she’d assumed – stirred and then sat up.

Natasha stood frozen, her fingers still wrapped around her phone in a death grip, as the guy – Kieran? Yeah, that was definitely his name! – groaned, rubbing his hand over his face as if he was still groggy with sleep, before slowly, almost painfully starting to get up.

He’s going to think I’m weird if he sees me just standing here staring at him, like I was watching him sleep,Natasha had time to think – before, Wait, I’m not the one sleeping in the woods! How does this make me the weird one?!

The words had no sooner entered her head, however, when Kieran did in fact look up, see her standing a few feet away from him, and jump up, his eyes wide, his hands held up in front of him.

“Natasha!”

She felt a mad giggle trying to crawl its way up her throat as she looked at him, an absolutely mortified expression on his face, mud and dirt staining the knees of his jeans, leaf litter clinging to the wild blond mane of his hair.

And, Natasha had to admit, completely against her will, he looked kind of cute with it.

But cute or not, who just went to sleep in the middle of the woods?!

“Um,” she said, wondering what exactly to say. This wasn’t your average everyday awkward social interaction! “Are you… all right?”

“Yes, yes of course. I’m completely fine! Absolutely great.” Kieran seemed just a tiny bit manic in his rush to reassure her that he was, in fact, quite healthy.

But if that’s the case…

“You were just, uh, sleeping in that cave there,” Natasha had to point out. In case it might have escaped his notice.

“Uh. Yeah.” Kieran’s mortification was rapidly turning into sheepishness. “I guess I just kind of… dropped off.”

Natasha frowned. “Were you out for a walk or something and just got tired?”

“I guess… I guess so.” Kieran ran his fingers through his hair, dislodging a few of the leaves that were stuck in it. “I was… out for a walk, and I guess I just got tired, and thought that looked like a good place to have a little lie down. I didn’t really mean to sleep for a long time, but I guess I was more tired than I thought.”

Natasha could feel her frown deepening, but… she guessed that made sense? It wouldn’t be the first time someone had thought they’d just take a little break and rest their eyes, only to find themselves blinking awake several hours later.

And, she was forced to remind herself, she wasn’t exactly in any position to be throwing stones when it came to falling asleep in inappropriate places.

Maybe he has a stressful job too, and being out in nature was just so relaxing he just… nodded off watching the wind in the trees?

That was a theory she thought she could live with. It was pretty peaceful out here, after all.

“Ah, this is really embarrassing,” Kieran muttered as he looked down at himself. “I really wasn’t expecting anyone to be using this trail. It seemed pretty quiet.”

“Oh… I just came down here as a spur of the moment thing,” Natasha said. “The park ranger – Kira, if you happened to speak to her, she’s an old acquaintance of mine from my school days – said these trails are all new, after she was able to get some help to explore some of the parkland that hadn’t been properly mapped yet.”

“Oh, I see,” Kieran said, as he brushed the last of the leaves from his hair – somewhere within herself, Natasha had to admit she was kind of sad to see them go. “I’m afraid I didn’t get to talk to the ranger. I just sort of… found my way here, I guess. My great uncle’s house is on some land a little way up the mountain. It must border the parklands.”

Well, I guess that explains everything, then,Natasha told herself. He was out for a walk, stopped for a rest, and accidentally fell asleep.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” Kieran said after a moment, before he stepped out of the cave. He still looked very embarrassed. “I guess it must have been a bit weird to see someone just lying around in the middle of the forest.”

“Just a bit,” Natasha admitted. “But… well, let’s just say compared to my first thought, I’m happy you were just sleeping!”

Kieran looked at her, a stricken expression crossing his face. “You thought I was dead?”

“Only for a moment!” Natasha felt that weird, hysterical laugh bubbling up inside her again. And besides that, a sudden burst of warmth in her belly – even covered in dirt and moments after having woken up from a little nap in the middle of the forest, Kieran was, if anything, even hotter than she remembered him being. Maybe the sleeping-on-the-forest-floor look suited him.

Or maybe it’s the just-woken-up look… it’s something I wouldn’t mind seeing again…

Unbidden, the image of Kieran blinking awake, his kind of goofy, kind of charming grin spreading across his face as he became fully conscious, rose in her mind – but this time she wasn’t picturing him in a cave in a forest, but rather, on the bed of the BB she was staying in –

Natasha squashed the thought as quickly as it came. True, she’d been thinking a holiday fling might be nice, but if she didn’t stop this fantasy right now she couldn’t say her imagination wouldn’t get completely away from her, and right now, she actually had to have a conversation with the guy without turning into a stammering, blushing mess.

“A moment when you think you’ve found a scene out of CSI: Middle of the Forest is still probably a moment too long,” Kieran said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry I startled you. I really don’t usually just fall asleep in random places. But I guess I’ve just… had a lot on my mind recently.”

“Oh,” Natasha said, as more and more of the puzzle began to fall into place. “Is it work stress?”

“Not quite.” Kieran grimaced. “I suppose it’s more… personal. But definitely being out here will help. Well, I hope, anyway.”

Well, that certainly sounds very mysterious,Natasha thought, blinking. But it’s not exactly like I can just start quizzing him on his personal issues. We only just met. And anyway, I don’t want to know about my prospective casual fling’s personal problems! I’m just trying to have fun here!

“I was just heading back to my BB,” she blurted out. “And then I was going to grab some lunch. I know we agreed to meet up tomorrow, but… maybe you’d like to get something to eat with me now?”

No point in beating around the bush, after all!

For a moment, Kieran looked overjoyed, as if all his Christmases had come at once. Natasha had to admit it was kind of flattering – she’d never seen a man’s face light up like that at the prospect of spending time with her. But then, Kieran’s face fell, and he glanced down at his dirty, muddy clothes.

“I really would love that, but I’m not really fit to be seen at the moment,” he said regretfully. “And… well, I think there’s some stuff I need to do back at the house. It was pretty late when I got there, and I really need to, uh, to check things out by the light of day, I think.” He heaved out a sigh, before glancing at her. “But I could walk with you some of the way along the trail?”

He looked so hopeful that Natasha had to admit she was touched – and more than a little guilty. He seemed to really like her. Was it right for her to just be thinking of him as a bit of fun while she was on vacation?

“Oh, sure, if you have the time,” she said, trying to sound cool – perhaps if she played up the ice princess act a little it might help him to get the picture a little more. “But don’t worry about it if you need to get back home. I don’t want to be any trouble.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” Kieran said, his smile returning eagerly. “It’s my pleasure. I’d love to walk with you.”

Well, so much for cooling him off a bit,Natasha thought, as together they walked back to the trail, her sock squelching all the way. But… do I really want him to cool off?

She almost shook her head at herself. Of course she did! She couldn’t play with the guy’s feelings like that! She had to find a way to let him know the score.

“You said you were out here for a month,” Kieran said as they walked, while Natasha was still mulling over how to break it to him that all she was after was a casual thing. “So you’re just on vacation?”

“Uh, something like that,” Natasha murmured. She didn’t really want to spill her guts to this guy – but something seemed to be compelling her, against her will, to keep talking. “I’m taking a bit of a break from work, and I figured this might be a good place to help me get some RR… and maybe help me remember why I left in the first place.”

“Really?” Kieran looked surprised. “It’s beautiful out here, though – I used to adore coming here when I was a kid, playing in the forest and just running around in nature. It’s something I always looked forward to. Or did you mean something else?”

“Uh, no, that’s what I meant,” Natasha admitted. “I guess I wasn’t really what you’d call the outdoorsy type.”

Unlike you, apparently, she thought, allowing her gaze to linger on the outline of his pectoral muscles, visible beneath his t-shirt and open jacket.

“I always dreamed of escaping,” she continued after a moment. “I guess I just… wanted something more. A bigger challenge. To prove myself. When I was young, everything here seemed really just… small. The same thing every day. But I admit, that was kind of through my cynical teenaged self’s eyes. Looking at it again now… well, it’s changed a lot. Or maybe it just seems that way.”

“You mean you think you see more to appreciate in it now, perhaps?” Kieran asked, cocking his head.

“Maybe,” Natasha admitted, not without a little reluctance. “It has changed – or maybe it’s that I have. I guess I achieved everything I wanted to in the city, and now…”

She trailed off, blinking. She hadn’t meant to talk about herself so much, and nor, until she’d said – or half-said – it out loud, had she realized what exactly all the mixed feelings that had been swirling within her chest had meant.

And now I feel like maybe I want something else out of life.Is that really how I feel?

“But listen to me, blabbering like this,” she said quickly, with a laugh that sounded strained even to her own ears. “I haven’t really asked you anything about yourself. Or should I leave that for tomorrow?”

Natasha bit her lip as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

No! Don’t make him think you’re interested in him as a person! It’s a vacation fling!

But… the truth of the matter was that she did want to know more about him. Where did a guy like this even come from? She didn’t know men like him – men who were that tall, that broad, with that dazzling a smile and that kind of irresistible magnetism – even really existed in the world.

If only I’d known he spent his childhood summers here, then maybe I wouldn’t have been quite so quick to run off!

“Me? Oh, there’s not a lot to tell, I have to admit,” Kieran said, flashing her another of his wide, dazzling smiles. Natasha almost felt like she had to blink the stars from her eyes – at least until he frowned a little. “Or… well, I suppose there are some things to tell. But I guess the main things to know are that I work in horticulture – which sounds fancy, I guess, but it’s really mainly just doing maintenance and landscaping at the botanical gardens I work at. Operating machinery, caring for trees, pruning them, making sure the whole area is safe for visitors, as well as creating new garden beds and planting them. Maybe it doesn’t sound like a lot, but I really enjoy it.”

“Ah, I knew you were the outdoorsy type!” Natasha exclaimed – before remembering that that had been a little bit of internal commentary as she’d checked out his bulging muscles, rather than anything she’d said out loud. “I mean, uh, you just look like you’d enjoy the outdoors,” she added, aware that she really wasn’t making anything better.

“Well, as outdoorsy as I can be, in the middle of the city,” Kieran laughed. “But the park I work at is pretty big, and there’s always plenty to do in the way of clearing up the garden, planning new beds, and checking for hazards. And it’s better than sitting behind a desk… I mean, for me, anyway, more power to people who love that kind of thing.”

“No, I understand what you mean,” Natasha said with a light laugh. “To be honest, even though I’m not completely desk-bound I still get a little tired of it sometimes. I’m lucky enough I get to go to events, go visit clients, go on buying trips… all that kind of stuff. So there is a little variety.”

“You sound like you’re a pretty high flier, then,” Kieran said musingly. “Can I see if I can guess what you actually do?”

“Oh, be my guest.” Natasha found herself laughing again, relaxing into the easiness of being in his company. It wasn’t what she’d planned to do, but…

But can I really help it if he’s going to be that cute?

“Hmm.” Kieran looked her over, a considering expression on his face. “Expensive hiking boots. Nicely fitted jacket. Is that scarf mohair? You clearly know what looks good on you, and you like looking good.”

“Are you guessing my job or flattering me?” Natasha said, laughing – but to be honest, she could feel just the slightest blush rising in her cheeks, and also, perhaps, her heart fluttering just a bit.

“Can it be both? Though is it really flattery if it’s all completely true?” Kieran asked, flashing her another of those dazzling smiles. “I mean… well, I just meant you do look good. But I think you already know that – you don’t strike me as someone who doesn’t know her own worth.”

Natasha, almost despite herself, found herself disarmed by his honesty – he didn’t say it as if it was a subtle put-down, or as if he was trying to suggest she was arrogant. Kieran just said it as if it was a fact; something that should be obvious to anyone.

“So… I’m going to guess some kind of corporate high flier. Maybe you work in design or something like that? You’re well-dressed and put together, so it’s something where appearances matter. Maybe it’s something with expensive clients, who want to know they’re dealing with a professional and don’t mind paying for the privilege.”

“You’re pretty observant, I’ll give you that,” Natasha laughed. “You’re getting warmer, so I’ll just tell you: I work in marketing and advertising.”

“Ah, my guess was going to be interior design or architecture,” Kieran said, joining in her laugh. “You just seem like someone who cares about things looking nice.”

“Well, to be honest, I studied design at college – it was my first job at the company I work at now, but then I got promoted. And I guess I just found my way up to where I am now.”

She realized she sounded modest about achievements she didn’t really feel that modest about – she’d worked damned hard to get where she was – but nor did she really feel all that much like boasting to Kieran. In the world she came from it was necessary not to be shy about yourself and your skills, but Kieran wasn’t a prospective client or someone who was interviewing her for a job, where she had to puff herself up.

No, he’s…

Natasha frowned.

I thought he was going to be a vacation fling. But the more I talk to him…

The more she talked to him, the more she found herself warming to him – in more ways than one.

He wasn’t like the men she’d gone on dates with back in the city. They were either slick corporate types with paychecks to rival her own – which often meant they were insufferable prigs – or they were men who seemed not to mind her dedication to her career at first, only to reveal themselves as completely insecure about it after a couple of months, telling her they needed a woman who’d be waiting at home for them with their dinner on the table.

It’s not even as if I mind doing those kinds of things!Natasha thought. She liked cooking, actually! She wanted romantic candle-lit dinners at home with her special someone! But she just wanted it not to be a requirement. Eventually she’d just given up, and thrown herself even more wholeheartedly into her job.

And she couldn’t imagine any of those guys just… lying down and falling asleep in a forest. That was way too… quirky.

But quirky could be good? Natasha thought, glancing up at Kieran through the filter of her eyelashes.

“I think we’re pretty much back to civilization,” Kieran said as they rounded a bend in the path, and the parking lot came into view.

Natasha couldn’t help the sinking feeling of disappointment in her chest. She’d been enjoying their talk, and while they’d been surrounded by the forest it had felt almost as if it might go on forever – as if they’d carved out some little place for themselves, secluded from reality, from the fact that she was only here for a month, and Kieran probably wasn’t staying all that long either.

“Oh, I guess we are,” Natasha said, as the sound of cars on the road leading to the parking lot began to find its way to her ears – she wasn’t sure she was able to keep the disappointment from her voice, and she also wasn’t sure she cared.

She bit her lip, confusion rising within her.

I know we already organized a date for tomorrow, but we’re here now… maybe we could just –

“I should probably be getting back to where I’m staying, anyway,” Kieran said, a slight grimace crossing his face. “But… I’m really happy we happened to cross paths. Even if it was under kind of embarrassing circumstances.”

“Oh, no, don’t worry about it,” Natasha said, laughing. “Really – I mean, going to sleep in a peaceful forest doesn’t even rank on the embarrassment scale. When I think about it, it actually seems like one of the most sensible things you could do.”

To her surprise, she found she kind of meant what she said, too.

“Um – so you said you were staying with your uncle?” she blurted out in a desperate attempt to keep the conversation going – and probably totally destroying the cool, icy fa?ade she’d been hoping to cultivate. Though it was probably too late to be worrying about that now, anyway.

Oh, God, didn’t he say that he died?Natasha thought wildly, horrified at how she’d shoved her foot into her mouth.

“Oh, wait, I’m sorry, I remember now –” she began, hoping the conversation could still be salvaged.

“Oh, no, don’t worry,” Kieran said. “He lived a good life, doing exactly what he wanted to do. Which was living in a big house in the middle of the forest. He was a bit of an eccentric that way – but I like to think he lived on his on terms, and he seemed at peace when he went.”

Natasha bit her lip. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“Don’t worry, you didn’t,” Kieran reassured her. “Like I said, it was a while ago, though of course I do still miss him.”

Natasha was relieved she hadn’t unwittingly dragged up a painful memory, but then Kieran grimaced, and she wondered if perhaps he was only being polite by telling her she hadn’t offended him. But the only thing he said was, “I don’t want to rush off, but I really need to be getting back. I left… uh, a ton of things that need doing back there. It’s a pretty run-down old place and if I’m going to stay there, I really need to get on to them.”

“Right. I understand.” Natasha nodded, trying not to let how disappointed she was show on her face. What he said was perfectly reasonable, after all – he had stuff he needed to do, and he couldn’t neglect it for a chance meeting. It wasn’t like he was blowing her off! “So… tomorrow, then?”

The smile that broke out across Kieran’s face was bright and dazzling enough to allay any fears she might have had that he was trying to escape her company.

“Absolutely. I can’t wait. Really, I can’t. I’ll be counting the hours.”

Natasha swallowed heavily, turning away as she walked on up the path, the fluttering in her heart becoming almost unbearable.

Why he is so… so… so…!

Behind her, she heard a rustling of leaves and felt a sudden gust of wind, as if it was rushing down the mountain to cool down her heated cheeks. She clutched at her woolen hat, even though it was in no danger of flying off, to give herself an excuse to take a moment to calm down before she spoke again.

Taking a deep breath, she turned back to where Kieran had apparently stopped on the path behind her – only to see absolutely nothing there at all.

Huh?!

Natasha blinked, staring at the empty path.

“Where… where did he go?”

She couldn’t help murmuring the words out loud, staring around her in open-mouthed surprise. She’d thought he’d have had to go back down the path to follow it to wherever he’d initially come from.

Well, that’s obviously what he did, he just… moved a lot faster than I thought he would,she thought, frowning. Maybe he really wasn’t kidding about needing to get a lot of stuff done.

She couldn’t help but feel just a little bit miffed as she made her way back to her car, getting in and starting the engine. For all that Kieran had seemed genuinely delighted to see her and hadn’t been feigning anything about looking forward to seeing her tomorrow, he certainly had run off pretty quickly!

Maybe I’m just grumpy because I’m hungry,Natasha thought as she guided her car back to the main street – hadn’t Sylvie told her that Mrs. James, their former substitute teacher, ran the diner here now?

Ah – there it is.

Natasha pulled into a parking space, still trying not to let her bafflement and slight annoyance overwhelm her. Up until he’d disappeared in a seeming puff of smoke – or gust of wind – Kieran had been a perfect gentleman and a lot of fun to be around, after all. And it wasn’t as if he’d just vanished without a word – he’d told her he had things to do and that he’d better get back to them.

What were you expecting, a goodbye kiss?Natasha asked herself as she pushed open the diner door. Well, maybe not expecting, but I can’t say I would have said no either –

“Is that Natasha Scott? No – don’t tell me, of course it is. Like ol’ Eula would ever forget a face.”

Natasha found a smile spreading across her face at the sound of the voice from behind the counter – and she was mildly surprised to find that Eula James looked hardly any different to how she had back when Natasha had been in high school. Maybe there were a few more smile lines around her eyes, and maybe her dye job was, somehow, even more brassy, but otherwise she remained completely unchanged.

“Mrs. James,” Natasha said, letting her smile fully break free. “You remember me, then?”

“Please, it’s Eula.” The woman waved a hand. “We’re not in English class anymore, and you’re grown now – and looking good. You were always an ambitious one. You worked so hard in class.”

Natasha laughed, a little self-conscious. “Well, I really wanted to get into a good college, and I knew I’d need as much financial aid as I could get.”

“And we were all so proud of you when you went off to get what you wanted,” Eula laughed, her voice low and booming. “So what brings you back here now?”

“Oh, just a short vacation. Just thought I’d come and see how things were in my old stomping grounds.”

“Things’ve changed a little,” Eula said, as she began putting something together behind the counter. “Girdwood Springs is on the map, now.”

Natasha wasn’t sure she’d go quite that far, but she smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I can see there’s been some changes, that’s for sure.” She swallowed, a sudden curiosity rising up within her. “Do you get many people coming through here now? Strangers?”

“Oh, yes,” Eula said breezily. “Too many to count these days. For the skiing season especially.”

“Of course.” Natasha nodded. “But… just recently too? It’s just I met someone I hadn’t seen around here before, and he said he used to spend his summers here, so…”

“Can’t say that rings a bell, darlin’,” Eula said, but there was a spark of curiosity in her eyes. “You said he’s staying in town?”

“No, in a place over the other side of the mountain, on that land next to the parklands,” Natasha said, as Eula finished whatever she was making and began wrapping it. She paused, however, one eyebrow shooting up beneath her curled bangs.

“That old abandoned house? No, darlin’, you must be mistaken. No one goes up there. That place has been empty for a while.” She paused, leaning forward. “Besides which, it’s haunted.”

Natasha stared at Eula for a long moment, as Eula reached over the counter, putting down a wrapped sandwich in front of her.

“There you go, on the house,” Eula said, grinning. “A little welcome back present.”

“Oh – thank you,” Natasha stuttered, reaching out to take it. “That’s – that’s really kind of you. But uh, you said… haunted?”

“That’s right, darlin’.” Eula nodded sagely. “Everyone knows that.”

Well, I didn’t!Natasha thought – before thinking, Probably because there’s no such thing as hauntings!

“Local teenagers used to use it as some kind of dare – go up and spend a night in the haunted house – until their parents caught wind of it and started forbidding them to go. Not that that ever stopped any of ’em, but none of ’em would ever last a full night up there anyway. They were always running screaming back into town before dawn.” Eula laughed again. “These days everyone keeps their distance!”

“Oh, I see.” Natasha nodded, but she didn’t really believe anything Eula was saying – she knew only too well how easily the rumor mill got started in small towns. “Thank you for the sandwich – I really appreciate it. Are you sure I can’t –?”

“Sure’s sure,” Eula said, nodding. “Anyway, one bite of that and you’ll be back. Call it advertising.”

“That’s really generous of you,” Natasha said. “And, uh, thanks for the warning. About the haunted house.”

“You weren’t planning on going up there yourself, were you?” Eula asked, raising her eyebrows skeptically. “Not that you’d have any reason to, I guess.”

“No, no.” Natasha shook her head. I mean… if that’s the same place Kieran is staying in, then… but no, hauntings aren’t real. It’s just some teenagers with an overactive imagination. “None at all.”

“All right then, well, you take care of yourself,” Eula said, dismissing her with a wave of one thick hand. “And don’t be a stranger.”

“No, of course not. Thanks again.” Natasha turned away with a wave, but to be honest, her mind wasn’t really on the sandwich, despite her hunger.

No matter how much she tried to tell herself that hauntings weren’t real, she couldn’t put the way Kieran had just disappeared into thin air out of her mind.

No… it couldn’t be… could it?

She shook her head.

You met him over beans! Ghosts don’t go to supermarkets or buy beans!

But try as she might, the unsettled feeling that something wasn’t quite right here wouldn’t leave her – she just had absolutely no idea what it could be.