Cell towers cost about a hundred and fifty thousand dollars each. But because of the difficult location and the extra surveys required, the price of these would be closer to two hundred thousand. But money had been put aside, so Destiny was determined to get the towers in the best locations possible.
She shrugged out of her backpack and pulled out a tape measure. Aidan helped her figure out the length and width of the ledge. She recorded the information on her tablet, then took plenty of pictures and recorded their exact location. Only then did she sit down next to him and take in the view.
They were at about forty-five hundred feet. The air was cooler up here, but still warm. She could see where an old avalanche had taken out the side of a mountain a couple hundred years ago.
She could see trees and sky and mountain, but nothing civilized.
“I feel guilty about sticking a cell tower in the middle of all this beauty,” she said.
“It’s for the greater good.”
“I know, but it’s still too bad.”
“I don’t think the deer or bears will mind.”
Aidan stretched out on the ground. He tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the sky.
He was a good-looking guy, she thought. Fit, intelligent and a successful businessman. Shouldn’t she be considering him for her sensible plan? Except she wouldn’t. For two reasons. First, there was something about him that reminded her of the guys she’d known who traveled with her parents. Roadies and band members who were there in part because they loved the music but also to get women. Lots of women. And second, she couldn’t seem to summon any enthusiasm on the “Aidan as the one” front. When she tried, she only saw Kipling.
She shifted until she was sitting cross-legged and facing him.
“Any news on the candidates for Kipling’s second-in-command?” Aidan asked.
“I know there have been interviews. I haven’t heard any specifics.”
“I gave him some names. Not that Kipling wants anyone else to solve the problem.”
She smiled. “You’ve figured that out about him?”
“That he likes to fix things? Hard to miss it. It’s a good quality in someone you work with, as long as you agree with how he wants things done.”
“Meaning you’d never work for him?”
“No way. I like being the boss.”
“Speaking of the boss,” she said teasingly. “Isn’t he going to be annoyed that you’re goofing off?”
“Nah. He’s a laid-back kind of guy. What about you? Anyone going to wonder why you’re not working?”
“I need my guide to get back to the car.”
Aidan shook his head. “No, you don’t. You didn’t have any trouble on our hike today. You’ve spent time in the mountains before.”
“The Smoky Mountains. Different from here but just as beautiful.”
“I agree. Why’d you leave?”
“I was told college would be a good idea.”
“One of the advantages of living here,” Aidan told her. “There’s a community college and a four-year college in town. I didn’t have to go anywhere else.”
“Did you want try living somewhere different?”
Aidan’s expression sharpened for a second before relaxing. “At one time I did. When I was growing up, it was understood that my older brother Del would be taking over the family business. I was okay with that and had no idea what I wanted to do. Then my first year of college he took off. Suddenly, I was the one everyone thought would take over. So I stuck around.”
Family expectations, she thought. Only Aidan had followed through with his. She, on the other hand, had disappointed both her parents with her decision.
“Any regrets?” she asked.
He closed his eyes. “No way. I have a good life. Plenty of time outdoors. I fish and hike and go skiing for a living. Then there are afternoons like this, spent with a beautiful woman. What’s not to like?”
She laughed.
He opened his eyes. “What’s so funny?”
“That was a very reflexive compliment. You weren’t even looking at me.”
“I’ve already seen you. I can compliment from memory.”
“While that’s probably true, my guess is you, Aidan Mitchell, are a bit of a player.”
One corner of his mouth turned up. “I’m wounded.”
“Am I wrong?”
“No.”
She grinned. “I didn’t think so. Let me guess. There are plenty of single tourists who want a hot affair with their hunky guide.”
He winced. “It would be better for me if you didn’t call me hunky.”
“But the rest of it?”
“I do okay. How’d you guess?”
“You remind me of guys who toured with my parents. If it was Wichita, there must be a new opportunity.”
“I’m clear on the rules,” he said, sounding only a little defensive. “I’m careful.”
“I’m not judging,” she told him. “I just think it’s interesting.”
“My mom keeps telling me that one day I’m going to fall in love. That it will be hard and fast, and I won’t see it coming.”
“You worried?”
“No way. Like I said, I’m careful.”
She wanted to tell him he couldn’t be careful enough. That if he let his hormones rule his life, he was in for some nasty surprises. But she’d tried telling people that in the past. For the most part they didn’t listen. Or they thought she was incredibly strange. Either way it didn’t go well.