understood that better than most. Or were there other things in her past holding her back?
She smiled at me. “Take the next left up there and then a right. We’re almost there.”
“Almost where?”
“Nice try.”
We drove in comfortable silence the rest of the way. The tires of the truck left the paved road and once again I found myself driving through the thick brush and dense jungle foliage of St. John island. We drove down an ever-narrowing road for at least five minutes. The truck jostled and rolled through potholes until the road ended and we couldn’t go any farther. I looked for signs that might forbid parking or trespassing, but there were none.
Katie got out of the truck. “We go the rest of the way on foot. Come on.”
She reached for the picnic basket but I beat her to it and got out of the truck. I followed her around the hood and into the brush, where she picked her way through a path made by others’ footsteps. Tall grass was crushed flat to the ground, but without her as a guide, I doubted I’d have found my way through the winding path around bushes, trees, and puddles of swampy-looking water.
After walking for about five minutes, I heard water.
Katie pushed her way through the dense branches of a massive tropical plant and then stepped free of it. I came out behind her and found myself standing on a flat rock overlooking a swimming hole below. Directly ahead of us was a waterfall. It was at least twenty feet high, and water poured off the edge to fill the crystal-clear hole with fresh spring-fed water.
Katie turned to look over her shoulder with a grin. “Surprise!”
“This is incredible.”
“I found this a few months after I first came to the islands,” Katie said as she picked her way across the rock and down the side to a flat grassy bank below. “I read a book about the Virgin Islands from a travel writer I like, and he mentioned this place. It’s funny that I’ve never stumbled across anyone else when I come. Somehow it’s remained a well-kept secret on the island.”
I followed her down to the banks. “Do you come here often?”
“When I want to disconnect and give my head and heart a break.” She giggled to herself as she stepped out of her sandals and waded into the water up to her ankles. “I know how wishy-washy that sounds but it’s true. This place has always felt like a sanctuary. Or a place to refill the well, you know?”
“I don’t think that’s wishy-washy at all.”
She held out her hand to me.
I set down the picnic basket, took off my shoes, and joined her at the water’s edge. It engulfed my ankles. “Oh shit, that’s cold.”
Katie laughed. “Yes, much colder than the ocean. That’s for sure.”
She wiggled her toes in the sandy and rocky ground. They were painted a soft, feminine pink, and I wondered if she’d had them done when she went to New York. Not that it mattered. She let out a contented sigh and tilted her face upward to face the sun for a moment. Its rays lit up her face and cast long shadows across her cheekbones from her eyelashes. I stared and admired for as long as I could before she cracked open her eyes and shot me a look.
“Should we eat before we swim?” she asked. “I’m famished.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Katie and I set up our little picnic spot together. First, we laid down the blanket on the driest patch of grass we could find. Then we went to our knees and Katie began unpacking the rest of the basket. She withdrew a container of diced strawberries, another full of pineapple, and a third of dried coconut shavings and chocolate. My mouth was already watering when she revealed two sandwiches made on fluffy, crumbly croissants, and by the time she pulled two bottles of beer from the bottom of the basket, I was quite convinced that I was in love with her.
“A woman after my own heart,” I said.
She giggled and searched for the bottle opener. When she found it, I took it from her and opened the beers. We tapped the necks to each other before taking a first sip, and I was delighted to find the beer was cold due to the freezer packs she’d lined the basket with.
“This just might be the best date I’ve ever been on,” I said.