After scribbling a quick note to her cat sitter and bending to tell Mr. Whiskers “goodbye,” Selena went outside to wait. She thought the early dose of fresh air might help calm her jitters.

Hunter asked where her gear was when he picked her up in his dated, filthy Jeep Wrangler. His vehicle was a little rough around the edges, but it suited him perfectly.

Selena nervously wiped her palms on her Gucci leisure suit and wondered for the thousandth time if she could possibly fit into his world. “It has already been delivered to the campsite,” she assured him, beaming a smile in his direction and trying to look composed, despite her sky-high anxiety level.

He gave her an odd look, but didn’t make a comment about her response as he loaded her large Louis Vuitton case into the back of his Jeep. Once they were on the road, he took her dainty hand within his own much larger one and said, “It’s going to be great to get away from it all for a bit, isn’t it?”

She nodded, but thought about her tablet, phone, and laptop that were all tucked away within her expensive handbag. Todd had made her promise to disconnect during this weekend trip, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to keep her word. There were some things that simply required her attention. She was the boss, and no one could step in and completely fill her shoes. A multinational conglomerate didn’t run itself, and it didn’t stop during the night or on weekends. Despite all that, she would do her best to minimize her screen time during this trip.

The ride out to the countryside was peaceful. Selena hadn’t initially been thrilled to discover the top was down on the Jeep, but after the first few minutes of trying to control her flying hair, she had given up and let it blow around freely. It was a crisp, cool, and clear day with just the edges of the chill of fall beginning to surface. The bright sun felt warm on her cheeks as she tipped her head back and enjoyed the fresh air.

Hunter had an easy calmness to him that made the silence in the vehicle seem comfortable. Before long, they were pulling into the quaint lakeside campground.

Hunter chuckled and pointed at the gigantic bus-sized RV that was parked in the best campsite location, blocking the view of the smaller trailers, campers, and tents. “Geesh. Look at that monstrosity.”

“Yeah, I think that’s probably mine,” she admitted sheepishly.

“Oh, wow.” he furrowed his eyebrows, obviously not approving of what he saw and likely realizing that she hadn’t actually been camping before.

Already feeling like a failure at being an outdoorsy person, she tried to reassure him. “It will be loaded with the best camping supplies and everything we might need for a fun weekend.”

“Sure,” he said, nodding and giving her a half-smile, but she sensed that he was already somehow disappointed with her.

As they drove slowly through the campground, she pulled the car’s sun visor down to look in the mirror and attempt to fix her hair. She couldn’t help but notice how sad her eyes looked in her reflection. Why did she always end up disappointing everyone, no matter how hard she tried to fit in?

When Hunter parked the Jeep at his campsite and got out of the Jeep to begin setting up his tent, Selena was horrified to see that her RV completely blocked his view of the lake. “We could switch spots,” she offered as she walked over to where Hunter was already beginning to pitch his tent. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he accepted her offer because she had no idea how to drive her massive camper.

“Nah, I’m good,” he smiled at her, before asking, “Maybe we can do the campfire at your site?”

“Yes, that would be great!” She probably sounded a bit too enthusiastic, but she was happy to be able to contribute something positive to this outing.

Hunter quickly and efficiently erected his tent. Selena couldn’t help but watch the muscles ripple on his back as he worked. She felt like she should be doing something, but she wasn’t sure how to help. Looking up at her and swooping his hair back from his face, Hunter suggested that they go whitewater rafting at the outfitter they had passed just up the road.

“I love whitewater rafting,” the lie gushed out of her.

Hunter gave her a surprised look, but quickly hid it. “Great! I was afraid we’d have to go on the beginner’s rapids.” He sounded relieved that she wasn’t a newbie, so she didn’t have the heart to tell him that was exactly what she was.

She made a scoffing sound in her throat. “Beginner’s rapids.” She scrunched her face up and shook her head. “Those are for wimps,” she decided out loud. As she spoke, she wondered what kind of danger she was getting herself into.