Especially if this awkward silence continued. Obviously, the ten years between them might be about ten years too long.

Erika started to sweat beneath her coat, suddenly feeling like she’d accepted a ride from a stranger.

Which was ridiculous. They’d been best friends. They’d shared their deepest secrets. Time couldn’t have changed them that much, could it?

She cleared her throat, unwrapping her scarf from around her neck as a blast of warm air reached her. “So...you like living here?”

“I do.” Cassie glanced at her. “And you—you’re happy living in the city?”

“My apartment’s a few blocks from the hospital, so it’s convenient.”

Cassie nodded.

Silence.

“You’re an adventure tour guide?”

“I own a mountain adventure company.”

“Own it? Wow.”

Cassie shot her a questioning look.

Erika’s face grew hot. “Not like wow as in I didn’t think you could own your own company...but wow as in, I’m impressed... Owning a business is really hard and a lot of work...” God, she was making it worse. “Just that I’m happy for you.” Just shut up, Erika.

“I knew what you meant... I think,” Cassie said, looking over her shoulder as she changed lanes.

Other than the fact that her friend’s blond hair was now shoulder-length and not hanging down her back, she looked exactly the same as she had when they’d graduated high school. At five-two, Cassie had always had a petite, athletic figure... Erika had always envied her friend’s perky B cup boobs and muscular body. Erika had skipped training bras and gone straight to double Ds the moment she hit puberty, and without the stress of her job and her too-busy-to-eat schedule, she’d be two hundred pounds. All she had to do was think about eating a stale donut in the hospital staff room and she’d gain weight.

And unlike the dark circles Erika tried desperately to cover with concealer, Cassie’s skin was still smooth and wrinkle free. If running her own company was stressful, you couldn’t tell by her friend’s relaxed, easygoing demeanor.

“Is the company busy this time of year?” she asked. With the holidays approaching, the mountains would soon be bustling with families enjoying the Christmas festivities. Wild River boasted the best year-round ski resort in Alaska. Unfortunately, their five-star lodge was completely booked until New Year’s.

Cassie nodded. “Summer and fall are our busiest. Winter months tend to be slower because families are here mostly to hit the slopes, but we still keep busy with snowmobile and snowshoeing tours.” Her expression clouded slightly.

“You okay?” Years might lie between them, but she could still read Cassie’s face.

“Yeah, I’m fine...now. There was just a rescue last night for a little girl who’d gone missing on a snowshoe tour a few days ago.”

Instantly Erika was yanked back in time to her own misadventure in the mountains, being lost overnight...with Cassie’s brother, Reed. She shivered even now just recalling the incident she usually refused to think about. That day had been one of the worst days of her life.