was the end of it.”
“Have you had any contact with your mom at all?”
“I get a present on my birthday and at Christmas.”
“Maybe I should’ve been more sensitive when I asked you to call your dad,” she said, guilt pecking at her. “I didn’t know the whole story and I pushed you into seeing him. I’m sorry. Do you feel like you’re ready?”
The nerves seemed to emerge again in his smile. “You gave me a nudge, but I had to agree, so don’t feel bad.” He leaned in and gave her a tiny kiss. “Your heart is so good,” he said. Then he pressed his mouth to her ear and asked, “What do you say we go somewhere?”
“For what?” she asked, reeling from the tingles he’d sent down her arm.
“Our first official date.”
“Did you just say date?” she asked in mock surprise, but unable to hide her delight. “Where?”
“Rock climbing,” he said, biting back his amusement.
Her smiled dropped. “Come on. Our first official date will not be rock climbing.”
Theo gazed into her eyes, his features becoming serious. “Trust me.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “It’s freezing outside. The rocks will be slippery…”
He took her hands, his gaze locked with hers. “Trust me, Lila.”
While her brain screamed out that climbing rocks in the middle of a snowstorm was a terrible idea, her heart reminded her that Theo was asking for her trust.
“I trust you,” she said.
Theo leaned in and kissed her softly. Just when she’d taken in the gentle movement of his lips and the warmth of his breath as it mixed with hers, he stood up. “More of that in a little while. We need warm socks, coats, scarves, hats, gloves… With all the trails nearby, I’ll bet Eleanor has hiking gear.”
“I don’t know…” She was still processing everything he was telling her, in shock that she was actually considering this. “Gloves? For rock climbing?”
“You’ll see.”
“Wait,” said, grabbing his arm. “I thought I wasn’t the type of girl you’d take rock climbing. You said so when we first met.”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t. I said it depended on the girl as to whether rock climbing was a good idea for a first date. You assumed I meant you weren’t the type. What I didn’t elaborate on then was that it also depends on the guy.” He kissed her forehead. “Grab your coat. Let’s head over to Eleanor’s.”
Lila wondered what Theo had up his sleeve. She couldn’t wait to find out.
A narrow path led through the woods. It began at the sign where Lila and Theo parked and snaked along the hill in front of her, disappearing between the trees.
“We’re standing on a massive slab of rock at the moment,” Theo said, slipping on the backpack he’d borrowed from Eleanor and taking her hand. “Let’s get climbing.” He led her onto the path and into the endless expanse of woods ahead.
As they walked, they got higher and higher, the woods beside the path giving way to a drop-off into the valley below. On the other side of them was a wall of solid rock. Lila kept her eyes on the path with every step. “I’m nervous,” she said, her gaze flickering over to the drop-off and then back to the path.
“There’s a four-foot bank beside us,” Theo said. “It’s a long way down, but we’ve got plenty of room. You’ll be fine.” He stopped her and came up close behind her. “I’ve got you,” he said, the same way he had on the horse, and she felt her shoulders relax. “In just a minute, we’ll be there.”
They continued on, the valley below getting further down the higher they climbed through the snowy hills. The snow was continuing to fall, making her fretful. It feathered down around her, landing on her shoulders and in her hair. Her nose was getting cold so she covered it with her mittens, breathing into them to try to generate warmth. Finally, Theo pointed to a hollow in the rock beside them.
“It’s a cave,” she said in wonderment. She’d never seen a real one before.
“We’re going inside,” he told her.
“What?” She twisted her head around to make eye contact. She wanted him to see the genuine shock on her face. Bats and other creatures could be lurking in there.
He chuckled. “Listen.”
Lila’s hearing sharpened as she leaned in toward the cave. She could hear a static shushing sound. “What am I hearing?” she asked.
“Go in and find out,” he urged her.
Once she edged in a little