then Carson would return. If he decided to stay out there, he could look into expanding the business. The American wasn’t the only river in the Western United States. It just happened to be the one in which he’d first dipped his paddle.
He just hoped he could handle having Lily in such close proximity every day. He was already troubled by how strongly he reacted to her. Part of it was the physical contact. Too much, too soon. He’d have to be careful not to cross that line, because the instant he did, it would be like fireworks. And in this part of the state, they were a fire hazard. Not to mention illegal.
But mostly, he was shaken by the way she made him feel. Like there was something he’d been missing his whole life, and she was it.
Carson did one last sweep to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind when they got off the water. He breathed in the faint smell of the river, damp, fresh, and full of life. It soothed him, almost like a drug, as he felt the tension drift away with the current. He would miss that most of all. He didn’t know the names of all the plants that grew here, but he knew their smell. Familiar. Comforting. Smelled like home.
He’d still be living on the river. He’d never trade the lulling sounds of moving water for city streets. But it would be a different river. The sounds would be different, the water gliding over sandstone instead of granite. The wind whispering through rock cliffs instead of pine and oak. The smells would be different, too. Different plants, different trees. Even the air would be different. Drier, quieter, and at around five thousand feet, thinner.
Cody wouldn’t be there. Wasn’t that the whole point? To see who he was as his own person, not as one of the twins. They had never been separated since the second week of kindergarten, when it had become painfully obvious Cody couldn’t handle school without his brother right by his side.
Maybe he was taking a big risk, leaving Cody to fend for himself. He’d always done more than was necessary to help him out. Probably even more than was healthy. But he had been the reason their mother died. He’d been the reason their father left. So he felt like he had to keep an eye on Cody. He had to make it up to him.
The problem was that Cody had become too dependent on him. He seemed reluctant to be alone, even for the eight hours or so he spent sleeping. Carson had started to wonder if going back to bunk beds was the only way to get Cody to stop using women to keep from getting lonely at night. At some point, his good looks and fun-loving manner weren’t going to be enough. Someday Cody might want to actually get a life.
“So that’s one way to make sure we get to see more of Lily.” Cody waited until she was on her way home to start talking about her. “Maybe this way she can take her time figuring out which one of us she wants.”
“If she’s working here, she’s off limits.” Carson hoped he could follow his own command. “We don’t mix business and pleasure.”
“Sure we don’t.” Cody laughed. It wasn’t that funny. “We never meet women on our trips. We never spend time with them once we get off the river. And two guides never hookup by the end of the summer.”
“That’s different,” Carson reminded him. “If Lily is our employee, she’s not someone either one of us can just hookup with. There’s a little something called sexual harassment.”
“Look, I know where the line is, and I won’t cross it,” Cody said. “Lighten up. You know me, I’d never do anything with a woman that’s not one hundred percent consensual.”
“Still, you’re technically her boss,” Carson warned. “So you need to be even more careful.”
“And what about you? Are you going to be careful? Are you going to keep from thinking about how hot she is? Are you going to be able to work next to her, day after day without thinking about kissing her? Touching her? Wanting her?”
“Yes,” Carson lied.
He just hoped he could handle having Lily in such close proximity every day. He was already troubled by how strongly he reacted to her. Part of it was the physical contact. Too much, too soon. He’d have to be careful not to cross that line, because the instant he did, it would be like fireworks. And in this part of the state, they were a fire hazard. Not to mention illegal.
But mostly, he was shaken by the way she made him feel. Like there was something he’d been missing his whole life, and she was it.
Carson did one last sweep to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind when they got off the water. He breathed in the faint smell of the river, damp, fresh, and full of life. It soothed him, almost like a drug, as he felt the tension drift away with the current. He would miss that most of all. He didn’t know the names of all the plants that grew here, but he knew their smell. Familiar. Comforting. Smelled like home.
He’d still be living on the river. He’d never trade the lulling sounds of moving water for city streets. But it would be a different river. The sounds would be different, the water gliding over sandstone instead of granite. The wind whispering through rock cliffs instead of pine and oak. The smells would be different, too. Different plants, different trees. Even the air would be different. Drier, quieter, and at around five thousand feet, thinner.
Cody wouldn’t be there. Wasn’t that the whole point? To see who he was as his own person, not as one of the twins. They had never been separated since the second week of kindergarten, when it had become painfully obvious Cody couldn’t handle school without his brother right by his side.
Maybe he was taking a big risk, leaving Cody to fend for himself. He’d always done more than was necessary to help him out. Probably even more than was healthy. But he had been the reason their mother died. He’d been the reason their father left. So he felt like he had to keep an eye on Cody. He had to make it up to him.
The problem was that Cody had become too dependent on him. He seemed reluctant to be alone, even for the eight hours or so he spent sleeping. Carson had started to wonder if going back to bunk beds was the only way to get Cody to stop using women to keep from getting lonely at night. At some point, his good looks and fun-loving manner weren’t going to be enough. Someday Cody might want to actually get a life.
“So that’s one way to make sure we get to see more of Lily.” Cody waited until she was on her way home to start talking about her. “Maybe this way she can take her time figuring out which one of us she wants.”
“If she’s working here, she’s off limits.” Carson hoped he could follow his own command. “We don’t mix business and pleasure.”
“Sure we don’t.” Cody laughed. It wasn’t that funny. “We never meet women on our trips. We never spend time with them once we get off the river. And two guides never hookup by the end of the summer.”
“That’s different,” Carson reminded him. “If Lily is our employee, she’s not someone either one of us can just hookup with. There’s a little something called sexual harassment.”
“Look, I know where the line is, and I won’t cross it,” Cody said. “Lighten up. You know me, I’d never do anything with a woman that’s not one hundred percent consensual.”
“Still, you’re technically her boss,” Carson warned. “So you need to be even more careful.”
“And what about you? Are you going to be careful? Are you going to keep from thinking about how hot she is? Are you going to be able to work next to her, day after day without thinking about kissing her? Touching her? Wanting her?”
“Yes,” Carson lied.
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