Love without a Compass. Lindy Zart

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      Avery appears beside me, her jaw set. The sun catches strands of her hair, causing it to shine like gold. “I’ll lead.”

      “You don’t know where we’re going.”

      “Up.” She gestures in the direction we’re heading. “We’re going up, just like the Extreme Retreat employee said to do. It’s not hard to figure out.”

      Everything is a competition with her. I misstep on a twig, and losing my balance, bump into her. It’s completely by accident that my elbow happens to shoot out at the exact moment it connects with her biceps.

      “Ow!” Scowling at me, she rubs her arm. “You did that on purpose.”

      “Whoops,” I say evenly, eyes trained forward.

      Avery hurries past, her perfectly rounded ass emphasized by her microscopic white shorts with each upward lunge of her legs. Who wears white shorts to go hiking through a national forest? Really, I want to know. Turning from the view I wish I didn’t enjoy, I look at another one. Blue skies and green trees have taken over the world. I drop my gaze to the unseen valley below, wondering how far our coworkers have gotten. I’m sure none of them are enjoying their time with their partner quite as much as I am.

      “I hate this,” Avery mutters once we crest a small hill. She sets her palms to her knees and draws air into her lungs. Her pale face is flushed, and dewy with perspiration. Avery’s hair, normally smooth and straight, is forming waves I didn’t realize it had.

      “Hate what?”

      “This. Walking. The heat. Bugs. Outside.”

      “Outside?” I give her a sidelong look. “You hate outside?”

      “That’s what I said.”

      “That’s a pretty general statement.”

      We lock eyes, hers like smoldering fire. “Meaning?”

      “Meaning it covers a lot of areas. There’s nothing you like about outside?”

      “No. Wait. Air. I like air. Air is outside.”

      “Yes. It is,” I agree, and wait.

      Avery sighs. “You’re getting to a point, aren’t you? What is it?”

      “I find it interesting that you hate everything—besides air—that has to do with outside, since you were gushing to Duke about how excited you were to go on this wilderness team-building quest.”

      Avery’s golden eyes land on mine and skirt past.

      I gesture to her spotless pink Pumas. “I bet you bought those tennis shoes just for this, didn’t you?”

      The corners of her mouth tighten. “So?”

      “I find it interesting, that’s all.” I tell myself I will not be the first to look away, but I still blink in surprise when she does.

      Avery scowls. “Hiking in the mountains is not my idea of fun, but I always do what is necessary.”

      “With a lying smile in place,” I murmur.

      “Can smiles really lie?” she returns with an arched eyebrow.

      “Yours do.”

      Her jaw shifts, but Avery doesn’t reply.

      After a couple minutes of walking, I ask, “Aren’t you from Montana?”

      “What’s your point?”

      “Do I have to say it?”

      She gives me a look.

      I guess I do. “How can you be from somewhere that is known for its mountains and have not a clue as to how to navigate through them?”

      “Illinois is known for its high crime rate. Does that make you a criminal?”

      Touché.

      Avery straightens, running a hand through her hair. “I might have overstated my level of enthusiasm over this.”

      “You mean you lied.”

      She scowls. “Overstated.”

      “Lied.”

      She’s been sweetness and goodness to everyone since she walked through the red door of Sanders and Sisters. She even has Duke Renner, the owner of Sanders and Sisters and a man who cannot be manipulated, captivated. She’s a fraud, and I plan on exposing her. It could be said that, so far, my attempts have backfired. Case in point: where we presently are.

      “Okay. Fine. I lied,” Avery says.

      “Was that so hard to admit?”

      Avery rolls her eyes and faces the rocky walkway. “How much farther do you think we have to go?”

      “Duke said it should take around five hours to find the flag and get back to the lodge, so, for us, it’ll probably take twenty lifetimes. Here’s to many, many years of torture,” I tell her cheerfully.

      “He said this is mandatory continuing education, whatever that means.” She complements her next statement with a pout. “What is the purpose of this, really? Other than to make us miserable.”

      “True. The same outcome could easily have been accomplished by sticking us in a room together for two minutes.”

      “You’re hilarious,” Avery replies mockingly, swatting at something that dares to try to touch her. Probably a speck of dirt.

      Twigs snap under the weight of my hiking boots. I squint at the landscape before me. In the distance, brown and gray rocks climb a path to the clouds. We both know why we’re here, and it isn’t because of any continuing education bullshit. “I wasn’t kidding.”

      A prolonged pause follows that.

      “I can’t believe he did this to me,” she finally says.

      “Well, he did. And what’s worse is that he did it to me.” I’ve been Duke Renner’s star employee for years; Avery’s been around less than seven months. It chafes. It chafes a lot.

      “At least you have something nice to look at. I just have…you,” Avery says.

      I turn around, studying the woman. “Careful, Avery. You’re starting to show your true colors.”

      Avery crosses her arms and turns her head to the side. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

      “What’s wrong with the way I look?” I don’t know why I ask it, or why I care what she thinks. I know I’m not the best-looking guy around, but I’ve never had a problem getting dates.

      “You’re, you know…” She gestures vaguely to me.

      I stand up straighter, hands on hips, СКАЧАТЬ