“Okay.” He walked on in silence.

“No.” Julia swatted him again. “I meant ‘Shut up’ as in ‘Shut up, yes, you can talk to me.’”

“Hm. No clue why that response might be confusing.” He dodged a third smack and grinned. “I think the question should be: How does someone so short walk so fast? The three of you were way ahead of everyone else.”

“Hey, I was just trying to keep up with my friend.”

“My point exactly. Her legs are even shorter than yours.”

Julia giggled.

“I like it when you laugh.”

His abrupt confession caught her off guard. Julia’s chest tightened, heart rattling against her ribs. She stared at the ground, trying to get a handle on the sudden burst of light that bloomed inside her at his words. The candle had become a bonfire.

“I’m sorry.” He hesitated. “Is it weird that I told you that?”

“It’s fine. It’s not weird.” It wasn’t weird, and it was more than fine. It was wonderful. It was simple and honest and … real. She kept her gaze trained on their feet, her shorter legs seeming to take two steps for every one of his. She laughed again and could sense more than see the grin that spread across his face in response. The bright, toasty-warm feeling expanded.

Meanwhile, the trail ahead dimmed. Julia glanced up. “Uh-oh.” The sky was turning an ominous color, the summer sun swallowed by a swath of dark clouds. “That can’t be good.” Abruptly, the cool breeze Julia had been longing for swept over her, the wind kicking up and making the trees lining the path shudder.

Luke cursed and reached for her hand. “There’s a storm blowing in from the lake. We better pick up the pace.”

If it had taken two of Julia’s steps for every one of his before, it took at least double that now, maybe triple. But he kept a firm grip on her hand as they raced along the trail. They were running into the wind, the force of it stinging Julia’s cheeks and sending her hair into a frenzy.

It felt good. And when the skies opened and a torrent of rain spilled down, drenching her instantly, that felt good, too. Fresh and clean and cool. Julia inhaled deeply, wanting to absorb the cleansing newness deep inside.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Luke muttered

“I am.” She gulped more air. “But I gotta slow down.”

“Oh, thank God.” He slowed his pace. Beneath the thin cotton of his shirt, his chest heaved. “Man, I’m out of shape.”