Sam seemed to take a long time answering, and when he finally said yes, Ava let out a relieved breath. Not that she should be inviting him to do anything. It was crossing some sort of line between hostess and guest, a line she should honor if she didn’t want to lose her heart.
She took a bite of pizza to cover her confusion, wishing Sam was a local. They could explore Seahaven together. Go on all kinds of adventures.
Could she fall for Sam? She looked at him again, trying not to be too obvious. Luckily, he was engrossed in preventing the cheese on his slice of pizza from sliding off it all at once. From what she’d seen, he was kind and attentive. He was interesting. Athletic. For all his talk of online education, he seemed to enjoy being outdoors.
“What are you thinking?” Sam asked.
Whoops. He’d caught her staring. She couldn’t tell him what was on her mind, so she deflected his question.
“Is there hiking near Chicago?” she ventured. He looked like an outdoorsy guy, despite making a living with his computer.
He shrugged. “You have to drive a little, but then there are plenty of places. Of course, our winters are pretty brutal.”
“But there’s skiing?”
“Plenty of cross-country around. If you want real slopes, you have to drive a few hours.”
She nodded. “So you’re able to be active and outdoors quite a lot, even though you live in the city.”
He took a drink of his beer. “In theory, yes. In practice, I’m part of a start-up. I don’t have time for anything.”
“You look like you’re in shape.”
“I’m in the kind of shape you get from working out in the gym downstairs in the condo where you live, not from getting out in the great outdoors. I wish I were able to be more active. Hopefully in a year or two when we hit our goals.”
Ava couldn’t imagine waiting a year or two to get outdoors and play. She’d had a whole lifetime of that so far, and it hadn’t occurred to her that might ever change. She wondered if she’d have a hard time transitioning to her teaching job. Would she end up inside too much, even if it was an adventure school? After all, the kids had to learn as much as their peers.
No, she decided. The school was run by people like her who valued movement and exploration as much as she did. Even when she’d taught at a regular school before, she’d never allowed herself to be cooped up indoors for too long.
“I hope things go the way you want them to and you’re able to get back outside,” she said.
“Me, too.” He raised his beer and took another drink.
An hour and a half later, they were paddling their kayaks in Sunset Slough, Ava’s favorite place to go when she wanted to look for birds and other wildlife. The slough was full of activity if you were quiet and patient enough to listen and watch for it.
Sam seemed to understand the situation called for silence. Ever since they’d slipped their kayaks into the water, he’d held his tongue, pointing now and then to an interesting plant, a duck gliding by or something else he wanted her to see.
He was a better companion than Todd had been in similar circumstances, she admitted to herself when they’d nearly traversed the slough. Todd was wonderful when it came to tricky situations that called for action—rigging up a rappelling system for a steep part of a climb, fixing a broken sail on a boat, carrying her to camp once when she’d badly twisted an ankle on a remote hike.
He wasn’t as suited to situations like this, though, in which you had to exert restraint if you wanted the kind of wildlife encounters Ava lived for. She hadn’t been lying when she said she was interested in the whole web of life. Out here, she could see for herself all the ways every living thing depended on another. Even the non-living elements came into play. Sunshine, wind, rocks—they were all part of a system. A system she was a part of, too.
Sam glided close in his kayak and pointed to where a great blue heron was fishing in the shallow water. They watched the bird wait motionlessly for several minutes before it spiked into the water with its long beak and swallowed a small fish.
“Are you getting tired?” she asked, then bit her lip. That’s what she used to ask Todd whenever he got bored. Phrasing it that way meant if he agreed, he had to admit a physical failing, which he never wanted to do. Invariably, he said no, and she got another half hour to enjoy her time in nature while he got more and more impatient. She always tried to make up for it later by pushing herself past her comfort level to accompany him on some extreme adventure that scared her to death. Now she wondered why she’d bothered. Her efforts hadn’t made up for the way she’d bored him most of the time.
“I’m not tired at all. I could stay here for weeks,” Sam said. “There’s so much to see. Did you notice those dragonflies back there? They’re like little dinosaurs.”
A rush of some emotion—surely not desire—swept through Ava as she realized Sam wasn’t teasing her. He wasn’t bored at all. In fact, his whole face was lit up with enjoyment. He understood that tiny discoveries could be just as joyful as rousing activities.
“I did see them.”
Sam set his paddle on his kayak, stripped off his shirt and stowed it away.
“I love stuff like that. I love being outside,” he said and laughed. “Sounds ridiculous, I know, but these days I sit all the time…” He trailed off, his expression closing. Was he worried she’d pounce on what he’d just said? Point out that he intended the customers for his educational software—his students—to do just that?
Ava didn’t say that. For one thing, she was too absorbed in the sight of his muscular arms and torso. However he worked out, he was in peak physical condition. For another, let him come to his own conclusions. He was right, after all: plenty of kids didn’t have a shot at attending a school like the Seahaven Outdoor Adventure Academy.
She realized she was staring again, so for lack of anything better to do, she pulled out her phone and started filming the slough, the way she’d done when she was on an adventure with Todd. It had been so long since she’d done this, she felt like a novice as she focused on one of the dragonflies Sam had commented on. She took a panoramic shot next and then turned the phone to face herself, trying to recapture her old comfort with the process. “This is Ava Ingerson, and I’m coming to you from Seahaven’s lovely Sunset Slough, accompanied today by Samuel Cross, dedicated educational software developer. Sam, say hello to the kids.”
Sam grinned. “Hello, kids!” He waved at her phone, playing along.
“Today I want to talk to you about great blue herons.” She focused on the bird still silently fishing some meters away and went through her spiel, outlining its life and habits. Sam paddled in and out of view in his kayak, doing his best to illustrate the concepts she was outlining with hand gestures and facial expressions that sometimes had her in stitches. “And that, kids, is what it would be like to be a great blue heron. What do you think? Would you want to be one?”
She wrapped up the video with a plug for her channel before she remembered it wasn’t live anymore. Todd might have something to say if she tried to revive it, since he considered himself the star of their old series. If she wanted to upload this video to the internet, she’d have to start all over. Ava stopped filming and slipped her phone into a pocket, remembering how much time it took to get a video ready for public consumption.
“That was cool. Are you going to post it?” Sam asked, paddling close to her.
“Would you mind if I did?” She was torn about doing so. On the one hand she missed the interaction with her viewers. On the other hand, she didn’t really miss the hours of work it took to get the videos viewer-ready. She had a feeling it was going to be far more fun this fall to simply teach the children in her class than to continue to try to connect with people online.
“Not at all. As long as I can plug my software in the comments,” he added with a wicked grin.
“Hey!” Ava splashed him with her paddle. The great blue heron lurched up into the air and flew clumsily away.
Sam splashed her back, but she was good at this game. She’d done a lot of kayaking in her life. She angled her paddle just right and hit him with a sheet of water. Gasping and coughing, he lunged for her kayak. Instinctively, Ava jerked away. When Sam landed in the water, she shrieked, then outright screamed when he surfaced right next to her, reached up and pulled her in, too.
By the time they pulled their kayaks onto shore, they were soaking wet and out of breath from exertion and laughing. Ava pulled out her phone. Still working. Thank goodness for the waterproof cover she’d bought long ago. “I hope I still have my keys,” she said accusingly.
“I’ve got my wallet.” He produced a dripping leather mass.
She’d left her purse in the car, and she always attached her keys to a belt loop when she kayaked, just in case. They were still there when she checked.
“Hey, I’m sorry about dunking you.” He caught her wrist as she went to move past him. “Did I go too far?”
“Not at all. Everything’s fair in a water fight,” she assured him.
“Good.” He leaned forward and kissed her.
“What was that for?” Ava asked when Sam finally pulled away.
“An apology kiss,” he said lightly. He didn’t want her to suspect how badly he’d wanted to touch her again ever since they’d shared that moment at the stream in the redwoods. All day he’d watched her emotions play over her face. He’d witnessed curiosity, joy, humor—and interest in him, if he wasn’t mistaken. His body was making it clear it wanted to get a whole lot closer to Ava. Her dripping clothes were molded to her figure, and her curves begged to be touched.
“We should dry off.” She opened the door to her vehicle and pulled a couple of towels out of the back seat. “I come prepared for anything,” she told him.
“I’m impressed.” He did his best with the towel she gave him, but his shorts were still dripping water.
Ava bent down, flipped her hair over her head and squeezed the excess moisture out of it before straightening again. Something about the movement revved up his already too-active libido. When she spread her towel over the ground and lay down on it, it took him a moment to realize it wasn’t an invitation.
“The sun will have us dry in no time,” she said.
“Good thinking.” He joined her, spreading his towel close to hers, lying down and closing his eyes because that was the only way to stand the brightness of the day from this angle. He moved his hand until it found hers, twined his fingers through hers and gave them a light squeeze. “You’re a fantastic tour guide, Ava Ingerson.”
“That’s my job.”
By the time they left for home, Sam was logy from the sunshine, hungry from a day’s exertion—and thoroughly confused.
He was having a hard time remembering why he’d ever wanted to buy a condo in downtown Chicago. Why he’d signed on to do an educational software start-up—and why he’d stuck with the company after his best friend and business partner stole his fiancée. Every decision had made sense at the time, but now they added up to a life he didn’t recognize as his. He remembered how good it used to feel when he camped and hiked and pushed his body to the limits, then went to bed thoroughly exhausted—a feeling he hadn’t had in years. He’d definitely sleep tonight. When was the last time he’d played all day?
Sam thought about that. When had he stopped camping and hiking—and all the other outdoor pursuits he used to make time for? He’d done a lot of it during high school and college, and even after they started Scholar Central, he and Ben used to go on adventures several times a year. Then Chloe came along.
Sam sighed. Chloe had changed everything. First she’d taken over his life and then she’d taken over Ben’s. He’d never even considered how Ben must have felt when he began to cancel the activities that used to be their lifeblood. Before they let Chloe derail everything, they’d worked and played together, shooting for a shared dream.
Did Ben miss the old days, too? If Chloe were gone, would they get back to the kind of easy friendship they’d once had?
Probably not. Too much water under the bridge. Besides, he didn’t want to go backward in life. He wanted to move forward.
Sam couldn’t help looking at Ava, who was driving them home. Why had he never met someone like her in Chicago? He’d had more fun today than he’d had in years, and when he tried to picture going home and re-creating the adventure with someone else there, he couldn’t imagine it.
“Here we are,” Ava said, pulling into the parking area behind her house. “Uh oh. I think you’re in trouble.”
Chloe was standing by the door in a tan skirt and wine-red blouse, an outfit more suitable for the office than the beach. Her arms were folded across her chest. Ava was right; she looked pissed.
Sam opened his door as soon as Ava parked and climbed out. “What?” he said to Chloe. He wasn’t interested in drawing this out.
“Where the hell have you been all day? Do you have any idea what you’ve put us through? Ben couldn’t focus on anything because he was so worried. We didn’t buy a single thing. And did you forget about dinner? We have reservations at one of the best restaurants in town. You’re going to make us late.”
Sam didn’t bother explaining himself. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes.” He nodded at Ava. “Thanks for everything.”
She nodded back and made her way around the house to the stairs to her place. Sam hoped she understood he didn’t want to drag her into this drama. He’d talk to her later and let her know what a great time he’d had today.
“That’s all you’ve got to say for yourself?” Chloe followed Sam inside. “I knew it was a mistake to let you come on this trip, but I had no idea you’d be such a child about it. I can tell you’re doing this to get back at me. Well, it’s time to grow up. Go get ready.”
Sam, who was already halfway up the stairs, had intended to ignore her, but when Ben appeared at the top of the stairs, he found himself trapped between them. Ben, in khakis and a polo shirt, squared his shoulders. “I think you owe Chloe an explanation for disappearing on us today,” he said quietly.
Anger, pure and clear, welled up in Sam’s chest. “Really? You think I’m the one who owes someone an explanation?” He held Ben’s gaze until Ben looked away. They’d never actually talked about the fact that Ben had jumped at the chance to hook up with Chloe before Sam’s engagement to her was officially over. Evidently, he was surprised Sam would bring it up now.
“Chloe set up a nice dinner for everyone—you included,” Ben went on doggedly, still not looking at Sam. “The least you can do—”
“The thing is, I don’t want to be included,” Sam said angrily. “In fact, it’s entirely inappropriate for me to be included. I don’t know why you even invited me.” He wondered if everyone in the house was listening to this argument. Standing in the stairwell like this, their voices would carry.
“Ben invited you because you’re supposed to be friends. I told him you’d be spiteful,” Chloe said from the downstairs hall. “You want to ruin this for me.”
“No, I don’t.” He’d had enough. “I’m here, which I admit was a mistake on my part. I will try to accompany you on some of the activities you’ve lined up.” He said this to Ben. He didn’t give a damn about Chloe’s feelings, but once upon a time, Ben had been a good buddy of his. If they were going to keep working together, they had to try to get along. Besides, he did need to keep an eye on Chloe, even if spending time with the two of them was beginning to feel like torture.
Ben swallowed hard. “I can live with that.”
“Enjoy your meal.” He clapped Ben on the shoulder as he passed him and kept moving, feeling better than he had in weeks now that he had a free night ahead of him.
Ava hoped things would go okay for Sam when he went inside, but she heard the sound of raised voices, so she wasn’t optimistic. The way Chloe had followed him suggested she wasn’t ready to drop the argument they’d started in the parking area. Ava considered going after them to try to keep the peace, but it wasn’t her place to interfere in the lives of her guests. She made her way around the house to the stairway to her suite instead, but once there she found it difficult to settle down.
When she heard the passenger van’s doors shut a few minutes later, she waited until she figured her guests were gone and retraced her steps. As she’d suspected, the parking area only contained her RAV4. The door to the lower unit was shut, and the place was quiet. Chloe must have strong-armed Sam into attending her dinner.
Upstairs again, she changed, showered and stepped out onto her deck, eager to breathe in the ocean air and let the view soothe her. She’d had such a wonderful day with Sam; it was a shame it had ended so abruptly.
Ava leaned on the wide railing.
“Hi,” Sam said from the deck below hers.
“Oh!” She laughed at her own surprise. “I thought you went with the others.”
He shook his head. “I made it clear I’m going to pick and choose what events to join them at.”
“And Chloe accepted that?”
“Ben did, which is what matters. Chloe wishes I’d just disappear.”
Ava wondered if he was really as dispassionate as he pretended when it came to his ex-fiancée. If Todd and his wife were here in the house, she’d struggle to keep her composure. She tried to picture it and winced, glad the two of them were miles away.
“You all right?” Sam asked.
“Fine.”
“Hi, Ava!”
When Emma called a greeting from the house next door, she startled Ava all over again. It wasn’t time for sunset yet.
“Just wanted to say hi now, since you’re going to see the owls later,” Emma reminded her.
“Right.” She’d forgotten all about the owls.
Emma craned her neck. “Hi, Sam,” she called. “Having a good time here in Seahaven?”
“I’m having a great time.”
“Well, I’ve got a few things to do. See you two in the morning.”
“See you!” Ava said.
Emma disappeared inside, and Ava wondered if Sam would join them on their sunrise walk again in the morning.
“Want to get some dinner?” Sam asked.
“Yes,” she said slowly. “If you’re game to visit some owls afterward.” She told herself it was okay to spend more time with Sam if they were doing something educational. Maybe he’d go home with some ideas to add to his curriculum.
“I’m down for that.”
They stopped on the way for a leisurely dinner at a Mexican restaurant, so it was dusk by the time they reached the eucalyptus grove at Two Arches State Beach where the owls were reported to be nesting. No one else was around, and Ava wondered if the rumor Penelope had heard was just that—a rumor. They approached the trees through a picnic area that was probably packed during the daytime. This late in the evening she spotted one couple walking some distance away and could hear the voices of teenagers down at the beach. Other than that, the place was empty.
“Would owls really hang out this close to where people congregate?” Ava whispered.
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “Why don’t we sit here and see if we notice anything moving in the trees?”
“They’re supposed to sleep pretty high up,” Ava said. She sat on top of a picnic table. Sam joined her, his shoulder pressed against hers. She welcomed the friendly contact. It was quiet here, a light breeze playing through her hair, the sound of the surf in the distance an ever-present ebb and flow.
A minute passed and then another as the sky grew darker. The trees were shadowy, and Ava saw no signs of life among their branches. She was beginning to wonder if Pen had been pulling her leg. Maybe Emma was in on the joke.
Sam sucked in a breath. “There.”
She followed his pointed finger and at first didn’t see anything. Then there was a shifting in the shadows among the branches of a tree. Was that—?
It was. An owl swiveled its head. Ruffled its feathers. Preened a little, then went still again. She could barely make it out in the dusk, but when it moved, it was easier to see.
“It’s so big,” she whispered, terrified any noise she made would scare it away.
“Imagine it up close.”
She shivered a little. Sam put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him, still watching the trees. The owl preened some more, using its beak to bring its feathers into proper alignment. Ava appreciated having the place all to themselves. If there had been a crowd watching its performance, it wouldn’t have been so special.
A flash of shadow through the trees made her sit up straight again, her heart beating hard. Another owl. The first one’s mate? It settled in a separate tree, and Ava waited, barely breathing. A few minutes later, it hooted, a low, compelling sound that made the tiny hairs at the back of her neck stand on end.
Sam’s arm tightened around her. The owl hooted again, paused and then sounded a third time. Its soft calls echoed through the growing darkness for several minutes before the first owl answered. Her call was slightly higher, and it was a joy to hear them talking back and forth. Ava wondered what their conversation meant.
When the owls lifted off from their perches several minutes later, almost as one, her heart soared with them for a moment, until they were gone and she was left alone with Sam. She turned to him, already knowing what would happen next. His arm tightened around her as he gathered her close, and he kissed her.
Was there ever a more perfect time for a kiss? Sam mentally thanked the owls for favoring them with their presence. He knew Ava was feeling as blessed as he was to have been given a glimpse into the lives of two such wild, independent creatures. Now she was in his arms, kissing him back, melting against him, and his body was reacting to the soft feel of her in his arms.
He’d kissed her before, but this was different. He explored her mouth with his own, brushing his lips softly over hers, but soon grew more urgent, his arms tightening around Ava, wanting to feel more of her.
When Ava pulled back, it was almost painful to let her go. He knew she wanted him as badly as he wanted her, but he recognized her hesitation. She’d been hurt—badly—by a man not so long ago. Sam controlled himself with difficulty, knowing a few more kisses would end up with her in his bed. He wasn’t going to push this woman, though. If they were together, he didn’t want her to regret it.
“It’s early,” she said, having a hard time meeting his eye.
He searched her face in the growing dark, although he couldn’t see much. Coming to a decision, he stood up and took her hand again. “What do people do for fun in Seahaven?” he asked.
Ava thought about that and hesitated so long he was afraid she was going to say she was ready to call it a night. “Live music,” she finally answered. “The Pelican’s Nest is a restaurant and bar on the wharf that also has a dance floor.”
“Then let’s go there.”
“I guess we could do that.”
Back at the car, she drove them to the wharf. On the bar’s rooftop deck, he ordered drinks for both of them. They’d secured a small table where they sat across from each other. Ava still seemed happy to let him hold her hand while they listened to the music play and waited for their drinks. She liked him.
Maybe too much.
Sam considered that thought as the band began a new song and people filled the small dance floor. Was Ava afraid she could lose her heart to him? He could see why she wanted to avoid that. So much disruption came with a long-distance relationship. He wasn’t sure he was ready for one. Yet here he was, pursuing her. If he was a gentleman, maybe he’d bring her home right now.
He didn’t want to be a gentleman, though.
He moved his chair to the same side of the table she was sitting at and entwined his hand with hers. When their drinks came, he toasted her, but as soon as he could, he pulled her to her feet.
“Let’s dance.”
She followed him onto the floor. The music was a fast-paced, upbeat tune, but Sam pulled Ava close into a slow dance.
“I don’t think this is what we’re supposed to be doing,” she said in his ear, laughing.
“I don’t care.” He held her close and swayed slowly, keeping them on the outskirts of the crowd so they wouldn’t get bumped by the other, more vigorous dancers.
Every fiber in his body wanted to take Ava home right now and make love to her. He let himself enjoy being turned on, aware of every place where her body pressed close to his. This is what being alive felt like, he told himself. He’d been sleepwalking his way through life since Chloe dumped him. He didn’t want to go back, but he’d lost track of where he was headed, except for focusing on Scholar Central.
Sam told himself he could worry about the future another time. Right now all he wanted was to dance with Ava. Song after song, they swayed that way, going back to enjoy their drinks now and then, until Sam felt more intoxicated by Ava’s proximity and his own desire for her than from the alcohol.
“Sam,” she sighed when he kissed her for the dozenth time. It was a helpless plea. Did she feel like he felt? Was she buzzing with anticipation of the moment they came together? He—
“Oh.” Ava pulled back suddenly and clapped a hand to her hip. Withdrawing her phone from her pocket, she pressed it to her ear. “I have to take this,” she said. “Hold on.”