Read Online The Drifter by Kate Hoffmann - Free Book Online

his arms before she fell asleep. It would be so simple to fall in love with Charlie Templeton, if she’d only allow herself that luxury. But Eve had learned a few things from her failed marriage, the most important being never to depend upon a man for her happiness.
    Charlie picked up a hiking boot from a display and handed it to her. “These are the best,” he said. “I have a pair. They’re easy to break in and they’re waterproof.”
    “Why would they have to be waterproof? We’re not going hiking if it rains.”
    “We may have to walk through streams,” he said. “And if your feet get damp, they get cold and you get blisters. Believe me, dry feet are important.”
    “These boots weigh a ton,” she said.
    “They’re sturdy. You can’t hike in Birkenstocks,” he said. “Or those silly plastic clogs you wear in the kitchen.”
    “Why do we have to hike at all? There are perfectly decent sidewalks all over Boulder. We could just…stroll,” Eve said.
    “Nope. We’re going to get some real exercise. You’re feeding me far too much and I have to work it off. Since I want to spend as much time as possible with you, I figure you can come along and get some exercise, too.”
    “I hate exercise,” Eve said.
    “For someone who is so conscious about what you eat, you don’t do a very good job with the rest of the equation.” He turned to the salesperson, a petite college student with a nose ring. “We’d like to see these in a size…”
    “Seven,” Eve said.
    “Bring us a seven and a half, too,” Charlie added. “You should wear heavy socks with them.”
    Eve sat down on a nearby bench and kicked off her Birkenstocks. “You know, I eat well because I hate to exercise. I’ve had to make compromises.”
    Charlie sat down next to her, wrapped his arm around her neck and kissed the top of her head. “You’ll like it. I promise. I’ll make it fun. We’ll go camping. And you can cook over an open fire. Won’t that be a challenge?”
    Eve had been so busy at work the past weekend, she and Charlie hadn’t had much time together beyond their time in bed. But carving out hours in the day for recreation seemed a bit strange—and a waste of what little time they had left. But she’d given him a peek into her world at the restaurant. Maybe he was interested in doing the same. His world was the great outdoors.
    Since the moment she’d set eyes on him again, Eve felt as though the connection they’d made five years ago had survived their time apart. Everything felt comfortable and easy with Charlie. And there was no denying the sex was good.
    But she’d fooled herself once before with Matt, imagining that everything was perfect between them, only to discover that she’d been wrong all along. She’d have to try harder to maintain her objectivity with Charlie, especially when he was doing everything in his power to charm her.
    “I thought we could leave tomorrow afternoon,” he said.
    “Leave?”
    “We’ll drive up into the mountains. I know a beautiful spot to camp, right by a lakeshore. It’s about a two-hour hike in. We’ll spend the night and then hike back out in the morning.”
    “I have to work,” Eve said.
    “Come on,” he replied. “You know as well as I do that the restaurant can do without you for a night. It’s a Tuesday. No one eats out on a Tuesday.” He leaned closer. “Have you ever had sex in the great outdoors?”
    “No,” she said. “Have you?”
    “No,” he said.
    “You are such a liar.”
    “Eve, when I’m with you, everything feels like the first time.”
    There wasn’t much she could say to that, Eve mused. She knew exactly how he felt. When they were together, her past experiences with men seemed to fade away until her only memories were of Charlie. “Good answer,” she said.
    The salesperson handed Charlie two shoeboxes and he removed the larger pair and strung the laces through the hooks and eyes. Then he retrieved a pair of wool socks from a nearby