Free Meant for You by Samantha Chase Page B

There were too many times when he and Zach had been around the Montgomerys and talked about their adventures with Summer right there, and she’d never once made a negative comment. If anything, she had been excited by the stories. This was different. He shook his head. Maybe she was onto something. Maybe this trip was more about ego than anything else. He glanced over at Zach, who was busy chatting up the flight attendant. Typical.
    Zach smiled appreciatively as he watched the curvy brunette walk away before turning back to Ethan. “Like I told you yesterday, I promise to spend some time with Summer when we get back. I’ll even try to be nice and not pick on her for being such a royal pain in my butt over this trip or pressure her about moving back east.” They were interrupted again by the flight attendant as she served them their drinks.
    â€œSo was it awkward when you went in there all hell-bent on confronting a guy and ended up face-to-face with a puppy?” Zach barely contained his laughter at his own question.
    Ethan grimaced at the memory. “It wasn’t one of my finest moments,” he said with a shake of his head. He told Zach how Summer had tried to play it off as another woman before finally introducing him to the dog.
    â€œIs it wrong that I’m majorly relieved that it was a dog?” Zach asked.
    â€œNot at all. I can’t tell you how relieved I was.” He took a sip of his beverage. “Cute little thing; she’ll be a nice distraction for your sister.”
    â€œRemind me to buy it a hundred pounds of doggie treats if that’s the case,” Zach said with a laugh before holding up his glass to Ethan’s. “Cheers, buddy. Here’s to another great adventure!”
    Ethan toasted, but he wasn’t really feeling it.
    * * *
    It was after midnight by the time they checked in, and Ethan was alone in his hotel room, alone with his thoughts. After the conversation about Summer, Zach had talked nonstop about the climb. Realistically, Ethan knew he was prepared; he had been training for six months and had purchased all of the gear the guides had recommended. If there was anything he was missing, he’d be surprised. The problem wasn’t skill or preparedness though; the problem was him. He didn’t want to go. The prospect no longer appealed, and he couldn’t really be sure if this was something that had been building up in him for some time or just within the last twenty-four hours.
    Because of Summer.
    Pacing the confines of the plush hotel room, Ethan wracked his brain for a way out. There was no way he could fake an illness or an injury—Zach would see right through that. If he came right out and admitted he didn’t want to go, he had no doubt Zach would talk to him until his ears bled and he’d have to cave and go anyway just to shut Zach up. There was no way to fake a work emergency either, because they worked together. From every angle, he was screwed. And not just kind of screwed, but royally screwed. He was stuck going on a three-week hike up a mountain he really didn’t want to climb just so someone else would be happy.
    But are you deciding not to go on the trip for the same reason?
    He hated when his inner voice decided to chime in. There was no easy answer to this dilemma, but if Ethan had to choose, he’d say he felt stronger about not going on the climb than he did about going on it. That was saying something, right? Now he just had to figure out how he was going to break it to Zach.
    Cursing, he flopped down on the king-size bed. When had life gotten so damn difficult? How had he let things get this far out of control? If he didn’t go with Zach, Ethan knew he’d still need a little time away from work—time to try to get his head together and figure out what he was doing with his life and where he wanted to see himself in the next five years.
    The immediate answer was that he wanted to see