Candice paced by the den window the next morning and tried not to peek around the curtain again. She'd spent the past hour pacing and peeking, and her nerves couldn't handle much more. Why in the world did she agree to David's bet? Was she insane? It seemed as if the more she tried to be logical about their situation, the worse she reacted. Instead of remaining adamant about the two of them being friends, she was steadily losing her grip and succumbing more and more to his charm.

She sucked in a breath when she heard the sound of wheels crunching against gravel, and she peeked around the curtain just as David turned into her driveway. Candice glanced around the den one last time, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything and all the lights were switched off before grabbing her purse and heading for the door. David had parked his truck and was halfway to her front porch when she met him outside.

"Good morning!" she called.

He looked between her and the house a few times, and a confused expression crossed his handsome face for a fraction of a second before he started smiling.

"Good morning," he replied. "Ready to lose this bet?"

Candice grinned. "I put a big glass of pickle juice in my refrigerator, so it would be nice and chilled for you when you lose."

He cringed and laughed at her response, and the deep, hypnotic sound gave her goosebumps. He was dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and boots, and his hair was damp like he'd just stepped from the shower. He was so gorgeous, it literally took her breath away, and she started walking to his truck to keep from gawking at him.

David walked around to the passenger side and opened the door for her, and the loving gesture tugged at her heartstrings. While he walked around to the driver's side, she happened to notice a picnic basket and blanket in the back seat, but she decided not to mention it, though, just in case it wasn't meant for her. Candice set her purse on the floorboard and buckled her seat belt just as David opened the door and hopped inside.

"I probably should've asked this last night,” he said. “But you’re not scared of heights, are you? Do you have asthma?"

She was surprised by his questions and slightly alarmed, but she tried not to show it. "No and no, and why am I suddenly afraid?"

He laughed softly before reaching over the middle console to hold her hand. "There's no reason to be afraid. I promise. I would never do anything to put you in harm's way."

His emphatic expression and serious tone were reassuring, and as he backed out of the driveway and headed east, her fear was replaced with curiosity. He let go of her hand and opened the console and retrieved a handheld GPS device, which he switched on and placed on his lap.

"Hmm. I take it we're going off the grid today," she remarked with a nervous laugh.

He looked at the device and grinned. "You guessed right. I found this spot one day while I was out hiking the Traverse Mountains, and I decided to mark it with my GPS. I haven't been back since that day but if memory serves me, it’s not that hard to find."

Candice smiled. "I've been to the Traverse Mountains before, so I'm afraid you've lost this bet."

He waved a finger at her before she could say anything else. "Not so fast. I said I would take you somewhere in Lehi you've never been before, and there are a lot of different spots on the Traverse Mountains I bet you've never seen. Am I right?"

She thought back to the last time she visited the mountains when she was in the fourth grade, and her science teacher, Mrs. Powell, attempted to take her class on a field trip. They didn't get very far when a couple of the boys decided to tussle in some poison ivy, and the assistant teacher, Mrs. Lowe, nearly collided with a hornet's nest. Needless to say, it was a short-lived trip.

"Okay, we'll see, but don't start getting cocky just yet," she jokingly warned.

He laughed at her reply, and as he drove them to the foothills of the Traverse Mountains, her excitement grew. She enjoyed David's daring and carefree spirit, and it helped lull her out of her comfort zone, which most people weren't able to do, including Barry. When he parked the truck and grabbed the picnic basket and blanket from the back seat, she was downright antsy with anticipation.

He locked the truck and stuffed the keys into his pocket before pressing some buttons on his GPS. "Ready to go?"

Candice pointed to the basket and blanket. "I’m ready, but do you need help carrying some of that?"

He handed her the blanket. "I'll keep the basket. I have a surprise in here, and I don't want you peeking when I'm not looking."

He winked at her before they started for one of the hiking trails, which was nearly deserted except for the two couples they met who were also out hiking. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the temperature was perfect, not too hot and not too cold. The birds were chirping, the wildflowers were in bloom, and fortunately, the largest animal they encountered was a fox that darted across the trail in front of them.

They stopped a couple of times on their trek up the mountain to rest, and Candice was relieved when David removed two bottles of water from the basket since she'd worked up quite a thirst. The trail wasn't difficult, but it was more rugged than the trails at Antelope Island, so it took some getting used to. David referred to his GPS often, and after almost an hour of walking, he grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"We're here," he said.

Candice looked around them, but there was nothing but trees. "Where exactly is here?"

David pointed to a thick grove of oak trees to their left before clipping the GPS onto his belt and reaching for her hand. "Just a few more feet and we'll be there. Now, I want you to close your eyes."

She glanced at the trees before giving him a worried look. "Are you sure about that?"

David squeezed her hand. "I told you I won't let anything happen to you. Trust me."

The look he gave her was so sincere and his voice was so reassuring, she was instantly put at ease. She closed her eyes, and as he safely guided her through the forest, she held on tightly to his hand. A few minutes later, he motioned for her to stop walking.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now."

Candice slowly opened her eyes, and her jaw slacked when she saw the view in front of her. They were positioned several yards from a precipice on the side of the mountain that overlooked Lehi, and it was the most incredible sight she'd ever seen. Behind them was the mass of oak trees, and it was as if they stepped from one world into another.

"Oh, David, it's … it's breathtaking."

She was so overcome with emotion, she didn't know what else to say. She noticed some familiar sights like the tall steeple on one of the Baptist churches downtown and the water tower just outside of town, but otherwise, it was like looking at a whole new territory for the first time.

"So, I'm guessing I won?" he asked.

Candice nudged him in the side and laughed. "Yes, you won. I guess I'll save my pickle juice for another day."

He grinned and set the basket down, and she handed him the blanket, which he unfolded and spread on the ground before sitting. He motioned for her to sit beside him and then started unpacking the basket.

"How in the world did you stumble upon this place?" she asked.

David removed two Styrofoam containers, and she grinned when she recognized Mr. Rudy's signature logo imprinted on them. "That's exactly how I found it," he replied. "I stumbled on it while I was out hiking. I must have sat here at least two hours just admiring the view. It's amazing, isn't it?"

She nodded and breathed deeply, soaking it all in. "It is. I've never seen Lehi from this viewpoint before, and I have to say, it is a lovely town. I guess I've lived here so long, I've become jaded to its charm."

David handed her one of the plates while he removed the rest of the items from the basket, including two bottles of soda, a small package of cookies, napkins, and some utensils. "Mr. Rudy told me you like chocolate chip."

Candice nodded and blushed when he handed her the cookies. The container was filled with one of Mr. Rudy's signature sub sandwiches and potato salad, making her mouth water. Everything looked heavenly, including the company and the view.

"This is wonderful, David. Thank you for going through so much trouble."

He opened one of the sodas and gave it to her. “It’s no trouble at all. I enjoy doing things for you.”

Their fingers touched when she reached for the soda, and she abruptly looked away when she felt her cheeks flush again. They ate in silence for a little while, but it wasn’t an awkward silence, and in-between each bite, she admired the view and tried to pinpoint other buildings that were familiar.

“Candice, do you mind me asking if you and Barry were able to travel and do things together as a family before he passed away?”

She was surprised when the mention of his name didn’t cause her to tear up, which she considered a big step in the right direction. It also didn’t cause a pang in her heart to think back on their time together. “Barry worked for a transport company, driving an eighteen-wheeler all over the United States, and he rarely had time off, except during Thanksgiving and Christmas. We took Sarah to a couple of the parks here in Lehi, but that’s the most we were able to do since he didn’t have many vacation days. On some of the rare weekends he was home, we went camping, but that's about it.”

David was quiet for a bit. “I hate that you and Sarah have missed out on so much.”

Candice shrugged and took another bite of her potato salad. “We built a good life together, and Sarah was happy, so I was content. I never felt like we were missing out on anything because we had each other, and that was all that mattered to me.”

David drank some soda and gave her a curious look. “You mentioned to me that you’d like to visit Italy someday. Is there anything else you’ve dreamed of doing?”

Candice shook her head. “I’ve never been to a concert before, so that might be fun, but nothing else comes to mind. I don’t dwell on things like that too often, because right now, my main focus is taking care of Sarah. That's what’s most important to me.”

David put his plate down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Candice, I would love to take you and Sarah on some adventures if you’d allow me to.”

As soon as he said it, she was overwhelmed with a plethora of different emotions, from exuberance to fear and everything else in between. “David …”

He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Candice, I know you want to be friends, and I’m requesting this as a friend. No strings attached. You have no idea how much it means to me to see the two of you smiling and having a good time. That’s all I want.”

She could tell he was sincere, and as thoughts of their time together at Antelope Island played through her mind, there was an incessant need deep within her that urged her to grasp at every bit of happiness she could. “All right.”

David seemed shocked at first, but a few seconds later, a huge smile spread across his handsome face. “Well then, since you lost the bet, we’ll start with the breakfast you owe me tomorrow morning, but only if Sarah can come to.”

Candice nodded. “She’d love that.”

David told her about the restaurant where he planned to take them, and Candice couldn’t wait to call Sarah and tell her the good news when she got home, especially since she’d talked nonstop about David since their day at the park.

As she listened to him talk excitedly about their upcoming getaways, her heart beat a little bit faster, and she couldn’t deny she was just as anxious as he was to get started.