David needed a moment to catch his breath.
“I never thought we’d do that again,” Aria murmured.
“I don’t think we should make it a tradition.”
She cracked a half smile and threw a thumb over her shoulder. “That path is still there, around the corner. I think it’ll wind us behind some of the buildings and, if I remember right, get us a lot closer to the cottages.” She lifted her face and closed her eyes as if welcoming the drizzle. Her eyes flashed open, and she groaned. “But we’ll have to find a place to cross the creek.”
“I’m really getting sick of water.” He jumped up. His shoulder throbbed but seemed to have stopped bleeding. The path was easy to find and, to their advantage, hugged the cliff’s edge. The tall beach grass and boulders outlining the dirt would act as good hiding spots should the men still be scouting for them. Over their heads was the state park. It was an outcropping of forest that sat almost like a floating peninsula above the coast.
They took turns stepping over a chain that hadn’t been there years before. It held a metal sign that read Restricted. Aria squeezed her hands together, the distress evident on her face. The state park likely deemed the trail unsafe, but it was safer than facing the gunmen. It’d have to do. He plowed forward, determined to get to the cottages in record time.
“David!” Her body slammed into his back.
* * *
Aria knew David’s physique was different since the last time she’d seen him but now her sore cheek attested to the rock-solid change. She patted his back. “Sorry. I’m fine. Just slipped.”
“I hope no one heard you,” he grunted before continuing.
She pursed her lips. Apparently, he’d turned into quite the charmer in the past couple of years. The nice boy she’d held hands with was clearly long gone. She couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to change him so much. What had been going on in his life after he broke up with her?
Aria took a tentative step on the next black rock, before lurching down and stumbling once again into his back. He huffed. “Would you like to save some time and use my back as a punching bag?”
“It was an accident,” she objected. “Are you angry with me?” She put her hands on her hips. In her mind, he had no right. She was trying to be nice without rehashing the past, but it wasn’t working. The man had a chip on his shoulder, and she wasn’t referring to the rock that had hit him. And with George gone and two men trying to kill them—
David stilled for a short moment but didn’t turn around. “No, I’m not angry with you,” he muttered. “I’m angry at the situation. Please bear with me, Aria. I’m having a hard time with all of this. I don’t mean to take it out on you.”
Her eyes blurred again. She needed to think about something else before she started crying, for she feared that once she started she wouldn’t be able to stop. Never had she ever felt so alone, and that was saying something.
She stared at the back of David’s head. His hair used to be as curly as her own locks. Now, it looked trimmed—wavy, but no curls. The lower half of his face was covered with the same brassy dark blond hair. The beard made him look older, as well as the extra bulk his shoulders sported.
“Did...did you grow the beard for the job?”
He spun and raised an eyebrow.
“To look older?”
He shrugged and moved forward.
“Please,” she said. “We don’t have to be friends, but I need...I need to talk to keep my mind...”
“I get it,” he said, his voice softer. “Yes. The beard helped. When you’re one of the youngest on the crew, you need to earn their respect to lead them.”
“So it’s rare to be young and be foreman?”
He nodded. “My construction management degree came in handy.”
She smiled. “You went back to school? I thought you had an automatic job with your dad.”
“Mom encouraged me to get some extra experience outside of Dad’s crew.”
She’d always liked David’s mom. It seemed like smart advice. “Living the dream, then?”
He grunted a noncommittal response. “What about you?” He leaned up against the side of the rock wall for a moment and surveyed the layout of the land. “What’s up with the cleaning?”
Her spine tingled. She hadn’t expected the conversation to turn personal, and she was a little bit embarrassed to share with him her career decision. She had a feeling he wouldn’t agree. And unlike George, who’d also questioned her choice, David wouldn’t quietly respect her new direction. She’d no doubt have to hear his thoughts on the matter and she wasn’t sure she could endure that just yet.
David continued down the path. She lurched again onto yet another rock and decided the best route was to keep it short and simple. “I took a break from school for a while. Now I’m back. Cleaning pays the bills.”
He narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment, as if expecting she’d say more, but she didn’t reward him.
“So why didn’t George tell me you were here when he hired me?” he asked. “You’d think he could’ve mentioned that little tidbit, unless someone had asked him to keep it quiet.”
“I told you, he kept me in the dark too.” David had a point, though. When she had reconnected with George over a year ago, he’d asked after David. And she’d told him, in detail, about how their relationship ended. George had known it would be awkward for both of them and yet he kept it to himself. She huffed.
David’s gaze darted behind her and down the hill. “What? Did you see something?”
“No. Sorry. I just realized George was trying to play matchmaker.” She spotted a white tail bouncing up the boulders. This area of the coast had wild bunnies. They were a treat for visitors ever since she could remember. A rustle in the grasses revealed more bunnies, bounding up their way.
“Wonder why they’re all coming this way,” David mused. He pointed to a bend in the creek. “Think we can make it over on those boulders?”
If her shoes weren’t sopping wet, it’d be a piece of cake. She steeled her nerve. “I can manage.”
David lengthened his stride. “Barbara was the matchmaker, wasn’t she? Didn’t she set up your mom and dad?”
Aria cringed. He was hitting all the painful memories today. “Yes. Did you know Barbara passed away?”
He jutted his chin out. “Yeah.”
“Did you know George remarried last year?”
“Yes, but I haven’t met her yet. What’s she like?”
Trophy wife came to mind, as well as gold digger. The woman was probably twenty...maybe thirty years younger than George. “Uh. George loves—loved her. I know that much.”
“That’s all you can tell me?”
“I was raised if you don’t have something nice to say...”
David turned and raised an eyebrow. “Point taken.” He sighed. “We should warn her in case those men come after her. Do you have her number?”
Her face burned. She should’ve thought of that first. George would’ve wanted her to make sure Valentina was safe. “No,” she admitted.
David reached out for her hand and together they crossed the creek one boulder at a time. The first boulder was easier than she thought aside from a little slipping, which he helped remedy. He let go of her hand and crossed to the