and his eyes followed her actions, then swung back to her face. “Marc, I know I’ve pulled away. I’m sorry. I imagine that’s been confusing to you.”
“I figured I’d pushed you too hard. Or misinterpreted what you were feeling.”
“You didn’t.” Hopefully the squeeze on his arm reassured him. “What I feel for you makes me nervous. And it makes me feel guilty, if I’m honest. Because I like you, Marc.” Her gaze drifted back to the floor. “And I understand if it’s too late to say that to you now, but . . .”
“Eva, look at me.”
She did—and whew. How handsome he was.
“What I feel for you makes me feel the same way, you know. Brent was my best friend. I’d never try to replace him in your life, and yet, what if that’s what he’d think I was doing? I mean, would he bless the thought of us together—or would he punch me in the throat?”
“First of all, I know you’re not trying to replace him. He’d know that too. And second, Brent was never violent a day in his life.”
“A man can do crazy things when he loves a woman like you, Eva Jamison.”
Okay then. She swallowed. Hard. “Well, if you don’t want to give this a shot after what I’ve put you through, I totally get it. But if you’re open to exploring what this could be . . . then I am too.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Marc dropped the bag from his shoulder and set the flower on top of his luggage. “I’m all in. But how about we’re both totally honest from here on out? No more pulling away, no more pretending. Just open communication about a situation neither of us saw coming, and that, if we admit it, is a little weird.”
A light chuckle rose from her throat. “Deal.”
“Good.” He tenderly cupped her cheeks between his hands and brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “If it’s okay with you, I’d really like nothing more than to kiss you right now.”
Courage, Eva. Courage.
“It’s more than okay with me.”
And then his lips met hers in a gentle whisper that quickly grew into a shout.
30
In less than twenty-four hours, what had started as a dream more than six months ago would become reality.
Eva stepped out of the hotel elevator with Angela and Sherry into a lobby bustling with people from all walks of life. A mix of Spanish, German, English, Chinese, and other languages she didn’t recognize swirled around her as the three women crossed the lobby. The energy buzzing in the air created a palpable presence.
They exited a side door of the rustic hotel, which was situated in a town near Wanaka. Kylee had volunteered to stay with the younger kids, who were asleep in their room, and Marc was finishing up some last-minute work on his computer. Sherry had suggested a walk to calm the women’s last-minute nerves. Immediately following tomorrow’s compulsory briefing and lunch, competitors would be bused to Camp 1, so this was Eva and Angela’s last chance to decompress.
Emerging into the night, they followed a curving path through outdoor seating, past a hotel restaurant playing music and alongside one of the hotel’s pools. Goose bumps attacked Eva’s arms despite her thin jacket.
“You’ve both been rather quiet all evening. How are you feeling?” As Sherry strolled between them, she pulled her sweater tight across her middle.
What a question. Eva’s lips twitched. “There are highs and lows for me. Incredible excitement mixed with tension. The question of whether we can do this. Whether my ankle will hold. Whether my mind or my body will want to give up first. Whether we’ll let down everyone who pledged money to the heart center by not finishing.”
And then there was the question of what happened after this was all over.
“You’ve put so much pressure on yourself, my dear. You both have.” Sherry pointed to a short grassy hill that overlooked yet another gorgeous New Zealand lake. “How about we sit and talk for a bit?”
No one protested, so all three lowered themselves onto the grassy embankment.
“And how are you doing, Angela?”
At Sherry’s question, Angela crossed her legs and picked at a blade of grass, pulling and twirling it in her fingers. “The nerves aren’t exactly getting to me. But it’s all becoming more real.”
Angela had really upped her game in the last few weeks, training harder and longer than she had before. Did any of that have to do with Simon? Unlike Eva