Page 67 of A Cup of Autumn
The guy had a kind heart to care that much about a dog. “You should go. The hike has some gain in elevation, but you can make it to the falls in less than an hour. There are a few benches if you want to write there.”
“Tomorrow, I want to pass out and hang flyers for the Boo Bash, but I could go on Saturday.”
“It might be a little more crowded on the weekend, but if you can write at the coffee shop, that shouldn’t bother you.”
He nodded. “Would you want to go with me?”
The question caught her off guard. “To the falls?”
“Yes.” He ate his cookie.
“I thought you wanted to write.”
“I don’t want to take my laptop on a hike. I can jot down some notes up there. You could bring a journal.”
“I don’t have one.” The words flew out like the crows in the apple tree grove when the hawk kite had been installed. “My old one might be in a box in the attic. It’s not something I’ve wanted to reread.”
“Understandable.” He rubbed his hands on his khakis. “You could still go. Maybe with the leaves changing colors, you’ll get inspiration for a new autumn tea blend.”
It sounded like he wanted company. “Well, it is my first full Saturday off. Timmy and Parker are working.”
“Do you have other plans?”
“Only to not set an alarm and sleep in.”
“I’m more of a planner, but I don’t mind waiting until you’re up. You need the sleep.”
“I do.” Saying anything else would be silly. “But a hike might be just the self-care I need.”
“And the inspiration my creativity needs.” His grin made him look more like a college student than a professor. “Text me when you wake up then we can figure out the time.”
His eagerness to plan was adorable. “I will. And in the meantime, we need to go through all the stuff you bought and sort it. Mr. Jones gave us buckets, which will make it easier.”
“That will make the job easy-peasy.” Keaton pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. “I made a list of which shop gets what.”
“That will save us a ton of time. Thanks.”
“Sometimes my being a planner comes in handy.”
“It does.” But did he plan out his life the same way? She might have to ask during their hike tomorrow. Right now, they had work to do.
Chapter Thirteen
The drive tothe trailhead on Saturday morning was quiet. Keaton focused on the road while Raine dealt with a problem at the coffee shop.
She lowered the phone. “Sorry about that.”
“Need to go back?”
“Nope. Timmy has dealt with this before, but he’s not on for another hour so Parker wasn’t sure what to do.”
“I had papers and exams to grade, office hours to keep, and emails to answer, but no one’s ever called me at nine thirty on a Saturday with an emergency.”
“The life of a business owner. If your company’s bigger then there’s more than one person to answer the phone. In my case, I’m it. But I don’t mind. Well, not as much now that two new people have started, and I’ve hired two more.”
“Congrats.”
“Thanks. They’re in high school so can’t work during the day, but they’ll take afternoon, evening, and weekend shifts. I have a few more interviews set up. More is less is my new motto.”
