Chapter Fifteen

Alex felt herself blushing as she entered the breakfast area the next morning and immediately glimpsed Val sitting at a table in the center of the room. Instinctively, she lowered her eyes, the memory of Val’s arms around her vivid in her mind despite her best efforts to displace such thoughts. He had been so kind to her the night before, listening patiently, offering comfort. It was no wonder Alex had been overcome with tender feelings. The fact that Val had reciprocated her impromptu embrace only showed how compassionate and understanding he was.

Shaking off the sentimental thoughts, Alex looked up to find Val’s eyes on her. He smiled warmly as she approached.

“You beat me this morning,” she said, proud of herself for making it to the table under Val’s gaze without stumbling. The exotic location and spirit of romance and adventure that seemed to permeate this place had made Alex very silly. And the fact that her boyfriend still hadn’t emailed her didn’t help matters. She had sent Billy another email that morning, in case something had happened to the earlier message. It was the middle of the night for him right now, though, and he wouldn’t see the email for another four hours, at least.

“I didn’t think it was right to make you wait for me two mornings in a row,” said Val.

“You didn’t have to wait for me to get your food,” she said, hoping he couldn’t read her thoughts in her expression.

“I’m in no hurry. But now that you’re here, what do you say? Are you hungry?” Val pushed his chair away from the table and stood up.

“Starving, as usual.” She chuckled, following him toward the buffet.

****

Val had wondered what Alex would be like this morning, after all that had transpired the previous evening. Would she be distant, embarrassed, or more cautious? So far, though, all he could detect was a sparkle of excitement in her eyes, and he relaxed a little.

As he stood near Alex at the omelet station, Val couldn’t help quietly admiring the flattering jeans and burnt orange t-shirt she was wearing. Her hair was in a casual ponytail this morning, and already several strands had fallen free from her hair tie to hang down on either side of her face. A pair of large-framed brown and black speckled sunglasses sat on top of her head, completing her beautiful tourist look. Val had arranged for a tour guide to pick them up and drive them around to various spots of religious and historical significance in the area, and although Val had seen many of the sights on past trips, he was eager to spend the day exploring with Alex.

When they were both sitting at the table again, Val talked about the plan for the day. He continued to watch for any signs that something had changed between them from the previous evening’s walk. On the one hand, he was afraid of things becoming awkward between them, and on the other hopeful that she might start seeing him in a different light. As they sat there, eating and talking, Alex looked him in the eyes, laughed at his little jokes, and even accepted a piece of the pastry sitting on his plate when he asked if she wanted to try it. As far as Val could tell, their walk on the beach the night before hadn’t changed a thing.

They met their tour guide at a quarter to ten just outside the hotel. His name was Ben, and he greeted each of them with a heartfelt handshake and a small bow in front of a pale yellow Volkswagen van that was to serve as their tour bus.

Both Ben and his VW looked like they had been plucked from the set of an old movie about archeologists on the hunt for the tomb of King Tut. The tour guide’s coarse dark locks were streaked with silver, making Val guess the man was in his sixties. Ben’s skin was tan and leathery, and he wore a short-sleeved white polo shirt with all three buttons undone.

The van was clean and smelled of cinnamon, compliments of the oversized air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror alongside a bead necklace. There was room enough for seven or eight people to sit comfortably in the back of the van, but Val had requested a private tour. Val and Alex sat in the two bucket seats closest to the front so they could hear Ben talk, and it was apparent from the outset that Ben liked to talk.

As Ben pulled out onto the road, he briefly discussed his own personal beliefs. He was not a religious man, he explained, but he knew a lot about religion from a historical perspective. He knew the Bible cover to cover, Old Testament and New, and knew Israel like the back of his hand. It didn’t matter whether they were pilgrims on a spiritual journey or avid historians—his job was to tell them the documented historical facts about the places they were about to visit.

Their first stop was the old city of Jerusalem, which was about an hour’s drive from the hotel. “The Old City of Jerusalem is a magical city,” began Ben in his heavy Israeli accent as they entered the suburbs of the Old City and made their way slowly through the stop-and-go traffic. “With its towering stone walls and sacred buildings, it has been considered the center of the world for all of history. It is a holy place for three major religions—the Jews, the Christians, and the Muslims. It is enchanting and colorful; conflicted and holy; dynamic and constant. It has seen war and peace; love and hate; death and resurrection.”

Ben’s attempt to be a dramatic narrator caused Alex to look at Val with a smirk.

Unnoticing, Ben beeped twice and shook his head at the car that had cut him off as they approached another light. Then he went on with his poetic discourse.

“The Christian Quarter is a common destination for tourists of all faiths and no faith. It has more than forty churches, monasteries, and hostels for Christian pilgrims. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the heart of the Christian Quarter and is believed to be the site where Jesus Christ was crucified and buried.

“The Christian Quarter also holds the marketplace, called souq in Arabic, which is one of the Old City’s most popular tourist attractions. There you can purchase pottery, candles, souvenirs, clothing, jewelry, rugs, food—many, many things. But if you decide to buy something, you must bargain for it. You cannot pay the original price. Bargaining is expected.”

Ben didn’t wait for any response from his captive audience. He simply kept on talking.

“And then there is the Jewish Quarter, which is the main residential area for Jews in the Old City. This is where the Wailing Wall is located. The Wailing Wall was part of the Temple, and people write their prayers on a piece of paper and leave it at the wall for God to grant.

“There are many important archeological sites in the Jewish Quarter. The Cardo, for example, is a typical Roman street that was built in the 6th century.”

At this point, Ben made a left turn from the right lane, maneuvering himself across two lanes of traffic by sticking his hand out of the window and making generous use of his horn.

“Finally, there is the Muslim Quarter, which is the largest quarter in the Old City. The Muslim Quarter has churches, mosques, and Jewish homes and Yeshivas. There are of course many important religious sites for Muslims in the Muslim Quarter, such as the Dome of the Rock on Mount Moria, which is a holy place for the Jews as well.”

They had come to another stoplight, and Ben looked over his shoulder at Val and Alex. “So, where would you like to visit?” he asked. “After Jerusalem, we will be heading north to the next site Mr. Val has requested on this tour, which is about a two-hour drive, so we may have time for one or two of the Quarters. Which would you be interested in?”

Val looked at Alex, making it clear it was her decision. When she responded only by looking back at him, he said, “I’ve seen a lot of this stuff on my other visits. You choose.”

Alex looked back at Ben’s face in the rearview mirror. “I guess I would like to see the Jewish Quarter and the Christian Quarter, if we can’t see all of them.”

“Very good,” replied Ben, making a right-hand turn when the light turned green. “We will go to the Jewish Quarter first, then I will drive you to another gate to enter the Christian Quarter. There is an alley that connects the two quarters, but it is narrow and winding, with many dark corners for people with ill intentions to hide in. Just last week, a man was stabbed to death in that alley. This is why I will drive you to another gate to enter the Christian Quarter. Don’t worry, you will be safe in the open spaces.”

Alex looked over at Val again and raised her eyebrows. He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly in response, eliciting a smile from her in return.

Once he had parked, Ben took two scraps of paper and a pen and handed them to Alex and Val. “Write down your prayer, then roll it up and stick it in one of the cracks along the Wall. And remember, Jews believe the Wall to be a very holy place—they believe the Divine Presence is in the Wall. When you approach, you will see that there is a men’s section and a women’s section. Young lady, you may want to cover your head with your scarf. And when you leave the Wall, you should both back away until you are a reasonable distance from the Wall, for you do not turn your back on God.”

“You’re not coming with us?” Alex asked.

“No, young lady. I will stay here with the car. When you come back, I will take you to the Christian Quarter.”

Val and Alex found their way to the gate for entry into the Jewish Quarter, and the metal detectors and soldiers in charge of security at the gate were a comforting sight to Val. Despite his unconcerned response to Ben’s little story about the stabbing, he questioned if it had been a good idea to take Alex away from the safety of the quiet beach town of Herzliya to bring her to a place so close to the conflict of the West Bank.

Inside the gate, they made their way to the Wall. Before parting for their respective sections of the Wall, Val touched Alex’s arm. “I’ll meet you right back here when you’re done, okay?”

She nodded, a sweet smile on her lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll be okay. See you in a few minutes.”

Their separation troubled Val. The fact that he couldn’t see the women’s section from where he stood at the Wall in the men’s section was even more troubling. As a result, his prayer was short, and soon he was back at their rendezvous point, watching as the most beautiful woman in the crowd, wearing a cream-colored fleece and a beige scarf on her head, slowly backed away from the Wall and finally turned to walk toward him.

Later, when they were finished with the Jewish Quarter and were heading back to Ben’s van, Alex asked, “Are you religious, Val?”

He took his time in answering. “I believe in God, but I’m not sure I’m what you would call ‘religious.’ I don’t go to church unless it’s for a wedding or a funeral, but I have been known to pray every once in a while. I did just now.”

Although Alex did not respond in words, the graceful tilt of her head and quiet footsteps beside him conveyed that she heard and understood exactly what he meant, how he felt. And in that silent connection, Val felt the need to say more.

“My grandmother was religious. Eastern Orthodox Christianity is the predominant religion in Bulgaria, and that’s what she was. The closest Orthodox church was forty minutes away from our house, and I remember how upset my grandmother was when my father stopped taking her to church, a couple of months after she moved in with us. But she continued to pray, every day, for my parents, my aunts and uncles, me and my brother and sisters. She had this morning ritual, where she prayed as she got dressed, washed her face, brushed her hair, and got ready for the day. It took her maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, and she would not respond to any distractions during her prayers, even the incessant attempts of a mischievous nine-year-old to divert her attention.”

Here, Val chuckled, remembering how he used to tug on her sleeve, ask her questions, sing out loud, and do countless other things that would have annoyed even the most saintly of individuals, all without the slightest acknowledgement by his grandmother until her prayers were over.

“My grandmother was also very superstitious,” he continued, “which I always found to be an amusing combination, although some people might say that there is a fine line between religion and superstition, if there is a line at all. She gave me all sorts of advice and directives about how to ‘avoid the Evil Eye.’ From spitting over my left shoulder when someone complimented me to wearing underwear with holes in it on the day of a big test, she was adamant that I steer clear of anyone’s envy or ill wishes. Little did she know that no one envied me growing up.”

He looked over at Alex and found her grinning at him. “Do you still spit over your left shoulder and wear porous underwear?” she asked teasingly.

Val nodded, a little embarrassed to be admitting to something he had never told anyone. “Old habits die hard,” he replied, “and in the end, you never really know.”

At his confession, Alex laughed out loud. “I guess you’re right about that. And it’s worked for you so far. I wouldn’t do anything different. Just remind me not to give you any more compliments.” She leaned in and added with a whisper, “Especially if I’m standing to your left.”

He laughed with her, reveling in their playful exchange and the closeness he felt telling her bits and pieces of his strange childhood.

They took their time touring the Christian Quarter. The sun had warmed up the air from earlier in the day, and Alex had unzipped her fleece and loosened her scarf. Val could see the wonder in her eyes as they made their way down one of the stone pathways that led to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The shops that lined the pathway on both sides were like caves, hewn from the same-color stone. Eager merchants called out to passersby in whatever language they thought would be most effective, and Val watched as Alex made eye contact with several of them and politely declined.

“Do you want to look at any souvenirs?” asked Val when they had passed over a dozen vendors.

“I’m not really into the bargaining thing,” she replied. “It makes me a little uncomfortable.”

“That’s just because you’re not used to it. You probably feel like you’re trying to cheat them out of their profits, but it’s not like that at all. It’s a dance, and if you do it right, both parties feel like they got something out of it. Pick a vendor and I’ll show you.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “I promise, it’ll be exhilarating.”

They walked past a couple more shops before Alex motioned toward a vendor of religious souvenirs. “I think my mom would like a rosary from the Holy Land.”

“The perfect gift for a very Catholic mother,” Val teased, eliciting a grin. “Let’s go in.”

Ten minutes later, Alex and Val walked out, each of them carrying a bag.

“That was amazing, Val. You were so good at that. And you’re right, nobody was upset, and the guy was actually happy because we ended up buying more than just this rosary.”

“And at half the original price.” Val looked over at her bright, smiling face. He liked impressing her.

“So, what are you going to do with that big wooden crucifix you bought?” she asked.

“I’m going to give it to my niece with instructions to display it prominently in her dorm room. Nothing works better to deter college boys with lustful thoughts than the sight of a cross.”

Alex laughed. “I never knew college boys were so much like vampires, but, in a way, it actually makes sense.”

By the time they had finished touring the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and made their way back to the mini-bus, where Ben was patiently waiting, it was almost one o’clock. “We go to Cana next, right, Mr. Val?”

“That sounds good, thank you, Ben.”

Cana was a city to the north of Jerusalem, an hour and forty-five minutes away, but the time passed quickly with Val and Alex talking comfortably about the people and places they had seen together. During the pauses in their conversation, Ben was quick to interject with interesting facts about the various landmarks they passed along the way.

As they got closer to Cana, Ben went into dramatic narrator mode again to give his audience some context for what they were about to see.

“As you may know, it was at a wedding in Cana where, according to the Gospel of John, Jesus performed his first public miracle when he turned water into wine at the request of his mother Mary. What you may not know is that there is much speculation as to where the biblical Cana is truly located. Five places are suggested as the location of the Cana mentioned in the Bible. One of these is Qana, Lebanon, also known as Qana al-Jalil, which, as it is in Lebanon, is obviously not where we are going today.”

At this, Alex chuckled under her breath. Val looked at her and agreed with a smile of his own.

“Another candidate is the Arab town of Kafr Kanna in Israel, which is about seven kilometers northeast of Nazareth. Still, another potential location is the old and now-ruined town of Khirbet Kana, also in Israel, which overlooks the Beit Netofa Valley from the north and is about nine kilometers north of Kafr Kanna. Khirbet Kana has long been recognized as the true location of the wedding at Cana, and recent archaeological discoveries have supported this theory.

“The fourth candidate is a city just north of Kafr Kanna that was more recently excavated by a female Israeli archaeologist, a place called Karm er-Rasm. Although she is convinced this site is the true Cana, most scholars do not agree with her.

“Finally, we have our last candidate, Ain Qana in Israel, which means ‘the spring of Cana,’ located a couple of kilometers north of Nazareth.”

When Ben paused, Alex asked the million-dollar question, “So which Cana are we going to?”

“An excellent question, young lady. We will be visiting Kafr Kanna, also known as Cana of Galilee. I will take you to the center of the city where the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George was built in the late 19th century at the place where some believe Jesus performed his miracle. At the very least, it will be interesting for you to see an Arab village, and even if it is not the exact spot where the miracle at the wedding occurred, it is close enough.”

Parking was not readily available at the center of the village, but that didn’t seem to bother Ben. He simply turned on his flashers and stopped the car by the side of a busy road. Alex looked at Val with wide eyes, as though saying, “We’re not supposed to be parked here,” and he shrugged, chuckling quietly at her reaction.

The two of them walked along the road Ben indicated, up an incline, to a stone plaza between the entrance to two churches, which were situated along adjacent sides of the busy plaza.

Alex leaned closer to Val. Distracted by her nearness and an overwhelming urge to turn his head and kiss her, Val focused his efforts on staring down at the cobblestone path as she spoke. “I thought Ben only mentioned one church, a Greek Orthodox Church. This looks like two churches, doesn’t it?”

The church straight ahead of them was a pale-yellow stone structure with three arches at the entrance. Above the entrance were more arches, with a statue of Jesus under the middle arch and angels on either side. On the roof were perched two more angels and another statue, which looked like Mary.

Putting some space between himself and temptation, Val turned to a European-looking man who happened to be walking past and asked if the man knew what they were looking at. Luckily, the man understood English and quickly answered that the church with the arches was the Catholic Wedding Church, and the church on their right with a green dome was the Orthodox Church of St. George.

“Something for everybody,” quipped Alex when the man had gone on his way.

After they had toured the churches, they followed a path behind the seminary that was connected to the rear of the Orthodox church. At the end of the path, they found a hidden garden, which was a welcome surprise. They spent a few minutes wandering amongst the different blooms before continuing to some shops selling more souvenirs.

“Look at this,” Alex called quietly to Val, who was a few steps away from her. They were in one of the shops, and Alex was holding up a bottle of wine labeled “Cana Wedding Wine.”

The shopkeeper, an old Arab woman who had been watching them from behind the counter, came over with a small tray and two plastic shot glasses filled with wine.

“You try some?” she asked in broken English.

“Thank you,” replied Alex, taking one. Val did the same.

The wine was a little sweet for Val’s taste, but Alex seemed to enjoy it, and the old woman looked like she could use a sale. Val put his empty cup back on the old woman’s tray and turned to Alex. “Should we get a bottle of this stuff?”

“Sure,” she answered, without any mention of who would pay or splitting the cost.

In the warmth of Alex’s simple acquiescence, Val didn’t feel like bargaining with the old lady and paid her the price that was marked on the bottle, considering the over-priced purchase an act of charity.

As they headed back to the mini-van, or the spot where Val hoped Ben was still waiting with the mini-van, Alex asked Val if he knew what time it was. Val glanced at his watch. “It’s almost three-thirty. Are you hungry?”

She laughed shyly. “Am I that predictable?”

“No,” he smiled, “I’m hungry, too. I saw a food vendor across the street from where Ben parked the van. Let’s see if we can grab something there and eat it in the van on our way to the last stop.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Val was relieved to see the van in the same location they had left it an hour ago. They told Ben about their plan to get something to eat, then jaywalked across two lanes of traffic to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant Val had noticed earlier.

The smell of fresh bread made his stomach growl in more urgent demand, and he watched as a teenager removed large, freshly-baked loaves of pita bread from the huge clay wood-fired oven in the wall behind the counter where they would be placing their order.

Val ordered two of the large loaves with labaneh yogurt spread and a thyme and sesame seed topping, along with a small bag of black olives. Back at the van, Ben had arranged a homemade wooden table between the two bucket seats and handed Val and Alex each a bottle of water as they stepped into the vehicle. When they were seated and buckled in, Ben started the van and pulled out into traffic.

Val watched as Alex opened the wrapper for her sandwich, folded the round loaf in half, then tore it down the middle. She placed one of the halves onto a paper towel and said, “Are you hungry, Ben? There’s some here for you, if you are.”

Val was annoyed with himself for having forgotten about Ben and, at the same time, touched by Alex’s thoughtfulness. She was a very caring person, always thinking of others and their feelings, but never made a big show of it.

As Ben reached a hand back, taking her up on her offer, Val wondered if it were possible for a person to be too caring, too empathetic. After all, here she was now, hungry, with only half a sandwich to eat.

Val tore off a quarter of his sandwich and quietly placed it on Alex’s wrapper, which she had laid out on the makeshift wooden table.

“You don’t have to…”

“Just take it,” Val said, a little more gruffly than he had intended. “It’s a big sandwich, I can’t eat it all.”

Alex nodded, smiling, and he knew she appreciated the gesture.

“So, what’s next on our whirlwind tour, Ben?” Alex asked, turning her attention to the driver who was unaware of the exchange between Val and Alex.

“Next, we go to Mount Precipice, our last stop today. It is only a short drive from here, about half an hour. Mount Precipice is located about two kilometers south of Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus. It is believed to be the site of the Rejection of Jesus by his people, who did not accept Him as Messiah and tried to push him from the mountain.”

Ben took another bite of the bread before continuing. “You may recall the following from the Gospel of Luke, where Luke describes what happened when Jesus addressed the people in the synagogue and told them that the scripture he had been reading to them had just been fulfilled in their presence. Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.’”

“How does he remember all this stuff?” Alex asked Val under her breath, causing him to chuckle softly.

Ben paused, and Alex straightened up, as though she had just been caught passing notes in class. But Ben simply took a long breath, then continued. “Luke tells us that ‘All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.’ This hill that Luke describes is believed to be Mount Precipice.”

Alex nodded quietly, obviously trying to behave herself.

“I was uncertain when you added Cana to the stops for today, Mr. Val, that we would be able to make it to Mount Precipice before sundown. But it looks like we will make it after all.”

As the driver uttered the words, Val instinctively glanced at Alex to see if the full meaning of what the driver divulged had registered with her, but her expression remained the same, and he wasn’t sure one way or the other.

“What time is sunset?” Alex asked.

“Today, the sun sets at four forty-five. We will be there about twenty minutes before, which should give us time to go up the mountain and see the buildings of Nazareth in the last of the day’s light.”

When they pulled into the parking lot at the base of the mountain half an hour later, the desert air was cooling down significantly, and Val and Alex both put on their fleeces as they stepped out of the van.

Ben led them up the mountain slowly, showing his age more with each step, and Val understood now why he had not accompanied them on any of their other on-foot sightseeing. At the top of the mountain, Ben pointed out the city of Nazareth down below, with its own religious and historical sites that they would not have time to visit, as well as some of the other significant landmarks they could see from their vantage point, including Mount Tabor in the distance, which was believed to be the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus (according to Ben).

With the history lesson over, Ben motioned for the two of them to find a spot to watch the sunset, while he began to make his way back down to the van. “The climb down is more difficult for me,” he explained, “and I have seen the sun set over this land many times.”

When Ben was out of earshot, Alex leaned over to speak to Val. “Poor Ben. He doesn’t seem to be doing very well. I guess I didn’t realize that earlier in the day.”

“Neither did I,” replied Val.

They found a spot near the edge of the hill and stood near each other in silence as the sky turned all manner of beautiful colors to honor the setting sun. Val wasn’t sure if he had swayed, or perhaps it had been her, but their shoulders touched at one point, then remained there in contact, passing warmth between their two bodies.

“Are you cold?” he whispered, finally, as the sun kissed the earth.

“Yes,” she whispered back, which made him wonder if she were challenging him to do something about it.

Val wanted very much to wrap his arms around her in reply, but then she added, “I don’t mind the cold right now, though. It makes the night more memorable, somehow.”

They stood there, shoulders touching, for a while after the sun had dipped out of sight. As darkness fell around them, Val realized how much he had enjoyed the last few days with Alex. It pained him to think about going back to the stark contrast of his everyday life. Waking up alone in his condo. Eating breakfast and lunch, and sometimes dinner, alone at his desk. Arriving at work before the sun rose in the morning and leaving after the sun had set on most days. How could he go back to that solitary existence?

It was true, he would see Alex at work for at least a couple more weeks, but then she would be gone, and he would have no one.

“Should we head back?”

Alex was looking at him, a concerned expression on her face. Val shook off his gloom and smiled at her. “Yes. Hopefully Ben made it back to the van all right.”

It was another hour and a half drive to get back to the hotel from Mount Precipice, but, at Ben’s suggestion, they stopped at a roadside restaurant half an hour outside Herzliya to have dessert and tea instead of dinner after their late lunch.

By the time Ben dropped them off at the hotel, it was almost eight o’clock. Val didn’t want the evening to be over just yet, but he realized he had spent almost twelve hours straight with Alex. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome.

As they walked through the hotel lobby on the way to the elevators, Alex slowed down and touched his arm. “Val?”

Val stopped and turned to look at her.

“Do you think they would give us wine glasses at the bar? I’d hate to get stuck in customs because we were trying to smuggle a single bottle of wine in our luggage.” The corners of her mouth turned up in a sweetly devilish smile as she patted the bag she was holding with the bottle of wine they had bought from Cana.

Relieved that he wouldn’t have to say goodnight to Alex just yet, Val grinned unabashedly. “I’m pretty sure they can find a way to accommodate us.”

****

A few minutes later, Alex was sitting comfortably beside Val on one of the couches in the lobby, sipping the wine he had poured out into the two glasses the bartender had provided.

“I can’t believe it’s back to reality tomorrow,” she said as Val poured her a second glass. Though she didn’t say it, the thought of their adventure ending the next day had prompted her to suggest prolonging the evening. Their day together had been perfect in every way, and Alex just wasn’t ready for it to end.

“Well,” replied Val, touching the rim of his glass with an outstretched finger, “first it will be an incredibly long flight, then a long layover in Newark, then another shorter flight, and then back to reality.”

Alex laughed. “True. Nothing like a full day of arduous travel to help you transition back to the real world.”

The real world. It seemed so far away in that moment. Her car, her townhouse. Billy. She hadn’t thought about Billy all day, and now, sitting with Val and reminiscing about their sightseeing, Alex wasn’t sure she wanted to think about him—at least, not quite yet. She wanted to linger just a little while longer in this dream-like place of new sights, sounds, and tastes—this world that Val had brought her to and shown her, where there were no complications or stress. Where she had a friend who seemed to genuinely care about her and how she felt.

Looking up from her glass, Alex found Val watching her, and heat immediately rushed into her cheeks. Despite her first instinct to look down again, she had to ask the question she had been pondering since that afternoon.

“What did Ben mean when he said that he wasn’t sure we would make it to Mount Precipice when you added Cana to the tour? Were we not supposed to go to Cana today?”

It seemed that Val stopped breathing for a second. He didn’t answer, at first, but then finally chuckled and shook his head from side to side slowly, as though she had caught him in a grand scheme.

“No, Cana was not originally on the schedule.”

“Did you add it because of our conversation last night? Because of what I told you about wanting to get married?”

It was what she’d thought when Ben mentioned the timing of their stops. But if that were true, if Val had added a stop just because of what she was going through with Billy and what she wanted in her life…

“Yes,” he replied simply. “I thought it would be meaningful for you. I thought you would like it.”

“I did. It was perfect. The whole day with you was perfect. It was the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for that. Thank you for all of it.”

Val nodded, saying nothing, but there was something in his eyes that made her think that, perhaps, he wanted to thank her, too. Maybe it was meaningful for him, as well.

Alex sipped what was left of her wine, conscious of Val’s nearness, wondering what he was thinking. But as she tipped the last drop from her glass, he still said nothing, and she couldn’t find the right words to ask what his silence meant.

Val was quiet as they rode the elevator together, and when she ventured to glance at his face, the hint of melancholy in his expression made her heart squeeze. The sound of the elevator doors sliding open when they reached their floor jarred her from her contemplative state, and Val gestured for her to step off the elevator before him.

Alex stopped at the door to her room and withdrew the room key from her back pocket as Val came up behind her.

Suddenly wary of the fluttery feeling in her stomach, Alex unlocked the door and gripped the handle to push it open. Seconds passed as she paused, her hand unmoving, and the door locked again with a click.

She found herself turning away from the door and boldly looked into Val’s eyes. The confusion and, quite possibly, panic she saw written on Val’s face made her smile and, oddly enough, gave her courage.

“Thank you again for a wonderful day, Val.”

Whether it was due to the wine or the look in his eyes, the tenderness Alex felt for Val overwhelmed her, and she reached up to hug him. Without hesitation, he leaned in to wrap his arms around her, his strong arms holding her, making her feel both protected and powerful. They held each other for longer than was necessary, but neither of them seemed inclined to let the other go. With her eyes closed, she felt his chest rise and fall against hers, and without effort, their breathing fell into sync.

Finally, after what could have been one minute later or ten, Alex slowly released her hold on Val and felt him do the same. As she withdrew, Alex turned her head and brushed her lips against his cheek.

It was an innocent gesture, like the kisses she had given her brother at least a hundred times before, and she told herself she merely wanted to convey how much she cared for Val, as a friend. But then Val’s hand slid into hers, and of their own accord, her fingers spread apart, weaving with his.

Val bent his head toward her, and Alex froze, watching as his lips drew closer to her cheek. As he placed a chaste kiss just under her cheekbone, she closed her eyes and sucked in a quiet breath.

His lips lingered on her skin, and when she heard him whisper her name, felt his breath on her neck as he spoke the word, Alex realized with equal parts exhilaration and dread that she had made a terrible mistake.