Charlie’s peals of laughter rang through the phone.
“Stop it—no laughing. What am I going to do?”
“Why do you care so much? I thought you and Spencer were just friends.”
“We are just friends. But now I have to spend two hours hiking with these two bimbos.”
“Really? Are they that bad?”
“One has like double-D’s absolutely spilling out of her top, and the other girl is charming, tanned and beautiful.”
Charlie giggled again. “Em! You’re the only person I know who can say ‘charming, tanned and beautiful’ like a horrible insult.”
“Arghhh! You’re not helping.”
“Come on. What’s wrong with you? Since when do you compare yourself to anyone else? Especially not a couple of bimbos. And you know you’re beautiful. You must be—people tell us we look alike all the time, and I know I’m beautiful.”
“Interesting argument, Sister. But you’re right. I don’t know why I’m comparing myself to these girls. That’s not like me.”
“Have you figured out anything else about Mom? How does she seem today?”
“She seems fine. Steven’s really attentive and protective, but maybe no more than normal. It could just be my imagination.”
“Well, let me know what you find out. Have fun on your first hike.”
Spencer called, “Hey, Emily. Ready to go?”
“Coming.” She smiled down at her new hiking shoes and her matching lime green top. She didn’t really care much about clothes, but she liked her colors to coordinate. It soothed her artistic sensibilities. She was determined to have a good time. She detested pouty people who spoiled the fun, so she wasn’t going to be that person.
Steven and Anne took the lead as Spencer motioned Emily to follow, falling into stride beside her on the broad path.
They hadn’t gone twenty-five yards when Becca said, “Hey Spencer. I think my Camelback has a pinched hose. Could you check it for me?”
Emily continued on behind her mom, while he dropped back with the other two.
“You need to keep drinking the whole time,” Steven told Anne. “You can’t risk getting dehydrated.”
“I will and I am. I’m practically floating. I’m sure I’ll have to pee numerous times on the hike.”
Emily’s stomach constricted. She hadn’t considered what type of restrooms would be on the hike. “Where do we use the bathroom, anyway?”
Her mom smiled. “There was a bathroom at the parking area. Out on the hike, you have to make a little side trip into the trees.”
Emily gasped in horror. “Outside? On the ground? With people walking by?”
Steven laughed. “Hopefully you’ll get far enough away from the path you’ll have some privacy.”
“No way—the hike’s only two hours long, so I’m holding it.”
Anne chuckled. “I expect you will.”
Candace appeared beside her. “Hey, Mrs. Gherring. Don’t you have some good stories to tell about Mr. Gherring? You know, things we’d never hear about in the magazine articles?”
“Oh I’ve got lots of stories, but if I start revealing things about Steven Gherring’s personal life I might lose my job.”
“You work?” Candace asked in surprise.
Steven answered for her. “We work together now. We make a great team, and I like spending time with my wife.”
“Wow, that’s really romantic. It’s just not what I’d expected to hear after all the stuff they say in the tabloids.”
“What stuff?” A concerned frown creased Anne’s forehead.
“Nothing, sweetheart.” He reached out to take her hand. “We don’t care what they say in the tabloids.”
“Oh, I know it’s not all true,” said Candace. “Especially the stuff about Mr. Gherring having a love child and all that.”
“A love child?” Anne voice became a bit shrill. “They said that in the papers? Can’t you sue them or something?”
“If it were a legitimate paper, I might sue them; but it’s not worth the trouble with the tabloids.” He sent a cold look in Candace’s direction. “I could really care less about the opinions of the type of people who read the tabloids, anyway.”
Candace’s face blanched, and she stepped off the trail, mumbling about trying to find her lip balm before falling in behind Becca. Emily chuckled inwardly. Her stepdad could be truly intimidating if he wanted to be.
Spencer moved into stride beside Emily. “How’re the shoes doing? And the socks? I’m a little worried about you getting a blister. It’s not a good idea to hike in brand new shoes—it’s better to break them in first.”
“No problem. I brought moleskin with me in case I get a blister.” She was proud of her thoroughly researched preparation.
“So you’re not much of a hiker?” Becca’s voice sounded behind her. “I’ve been hiking with Spencer for a long time. How many hikes do you think we’ve done together, Spencer? I mean the group hikes, not our private ones.”
“I’ve been on a lot of hikes with the club, Becca. I really can’t remember which ones you were on.”
Emily noted he didn’t address the private hikes, but she wasn’t about to ask for clarification.
“You haven’t forgotten that overnight hike have you?” Becca grabbed Spencer’s arm, pulling him back to walk beside her. He slowed with Becca, speaking to her in low tones.
“Comin’ through.” Emily passed her mom and Steven, taking the lead and distancing herself from Becca and Spencer as the trail narrowed, entering the woods.
“Follow the yellow blazes,” directed Steven.
Emily set a slightly faster pace to prevent any possible criticism from the two experienced hiker girls. The trail became a bit steeper, but she managed to maintain her speed. She’d always been extremely disciplined about exercise, so she was undaunted by the cardiovascular challenge. Back home in Fort Worth, she’d managed to squeeze in a ballet class once a week. But the other days she followed a vigorous workout routine that included thirty minutes on an incline treadmill. After pushing her speed for about fifteen minutes, she realized she’d forgotten about her mom. She glanced behind her.
“Hey, Mom. Is this pace okay? And are you drinking
