Chapter 83: Jane's Meddling

Chapter 83: Jane's Meddling
Laura woke the next morning determined that today would be the day she and Leonard finally talked. No more interruptions, no more delays. She would tell him she loved him, and whatever happened after that would happen.
She emerged from her bedroom to find Leonard already dressed for the day's activities, looking at his phone with a frown.
"Morning," Laura said. "Everything okay?"
"The board meeting got resolved faster than expected. But Nathan has us scheduled for a group hike this morning." Leonard looked up. "Though I'm thinking we should skip it and just talk."
"Finally," Laura breathed.
Before Leonard could respond, someone knocked on their suite door. Jane burst in without waiting for an invitation, her face bright with forced enthusiasm.
"Good morning! Ready for the hike? It's going to be amazing!"
"Actually, Jane, we were thinking of sitting this one out..." Laura began.
"Nonsense! It's the last full day of the retreat. You can't miss it." Jane grabbed Laura's arm, pulling her toward the bedroom. "Come on, I'll help you find your hiking boots."
Leonard shot Laura an apologetic look as Jane dragged her away. In Laura's bedroom, Jane closed the door and turned with a conspiratorial smile.
"Okay, so the hike is mostly a setup," Jane admitted in a whisper. "I talked to Nathan. About halfway up the trail, everyone else is going to mysteriously decide to turn back. You and Leonard will be left alone to finish the hike together."
"Jane, that's—"
"Brilliant? I know. Trust me, this is exactly what you two need. Hours alone on a mountain trail with nowhere to run when things get emotional."
Laura wanted to argue, but Jane was already pulling hiking clothes from her drawer. "Come on, get dressed. Leonard's waiting, and if I know him, he's already planning what he's going to say when you're finally alone."
Thirty minutes later, Laura found herself at the trailhead with a group of about fifteen employees, all looking eager for the scenic hike Nathan had described. The morning air was crisp and clean, and the mountains rose dramatically around them.
Leonard appeared beside her as the group set off. "Did Jane seem weird to you this morning?"
"Extremely weird," Laura confirmed. "I think she's planning something."
"Should we be worried?"
"Probably."
They hiked in comfortable silence, following the trail as it wound upward through dense forest. The exercise felt good after days of being cooped up indoors, and Laura found her anxiety about their pending conversation easing slightly.
About thirty minutes in, David from Finance suddenly stopped. "You know what? I think I left my water bottle at the trailhead. I should go back."
"I'll come with you," Sarah from Marketing said immediately. "I'm not feeling this altitude anyway."
Within five minutes, half the group had found various reasons to turn back. Jane lingered longest, giving Laura a not-subtle wink before declaring she'd twisted her ankle and needed to return.
Soon, only Laura and Leonard remained on the trail, the rest of the group having mysteriously disappeared back toward the resort.
"Well," Leonard said, looking at the empty trail behind them, "that was the least subtle setup I've ever witnessed."
"Jane's not known for her subtlety," Laura agreed.
They stood there for a moment, suddenly alone in the forest with no excuses left. Leonard adjusted his backpack.
"We could go back," he suggested. "Join the others."
"Or we could finish the hike," Laura countered. "Jane went to a lot of trouble to get us alone."
Leonard's smile was slight but genuine. "She really did. It would be rude not to take advantage of her meddling."
They continued upward, the trail growing steeper as they climbed. The forest thinned, offering glimpses of spectacular views. Neither spoke much, both seemingly content with the silence after days of forced social interaction.
An hour into the hike, they reached a difficult section where the trail narrowed and climbed over exposed rock. Leonard went first, then turned to offer Laura his hand.
"I've got you," he said.
Laura took his hand, letting him pull her up the steep section. At the top, they stood close together, both breathing hard from the climb.
"Thank you," Laura said.
Leonard didn't release her hand. "You know what I've realized this week?"
"What?"
"We work really well together when we stop fighting what we feel. The climbing wall, the massage, the cooking class...every time we just let ourselves be partners, everything flows naturally."
Laura looked down at their joined hands. "I know. It scares me how easy it is."
"Why does easy scare you?"
"Because what we had in college felt easy too, until it wasn't. What if we're only good together when there's artificial pressure like retreats and shared suites? What if real life doesn't work the same way?"
Leonard tugged her hand, pulling her closer. "There's only one way to find out."
"By trying?"
"By trying," he confirmed. "Laura, I meant what I said before you left. I love you. And I know you're scared... I'm terrified too. But I'd rather try and fail than spend the rest of my life wondering what if."
Laura opened her mouth to respond, to finally tell him she loved him too, when her phone rang. She pulled it out, intending to ignore the call, but saw her mother's name.
"It's my mom. After what happened with my dad, I can't not answer."
Leonard nodded understanding. Laura answered, moving a few steps away.
"Hi Mom, is everything..."
"Laura, I'm so sorry to bother you, but we're back at the hospital. Your father's having chest pains again. Can you come?"
Laura's stomach dropped. "I'm four hours away. Is he..."
"The doctors are with him now. Please, just get here when you can."
After hanging up, Laura turned to Leonard with tears in her eyes. "I have to go back. My dad..."
"I'll drive you," Leonard said immediately. "Come on, we can make it back down the trail faster if we hurry."
They practically ran down the mountain, Leonard steadying Laura over the rough sections. By the time they reached the trailhead, both were breathless and worried.
The drive back to the city was tense. Laura stared out the window, guilt churning in her stomach. She should have stayed home after the first incident. She shouldn't have come back to the retreat.
"He's going to be fine," Leonard said quietly.
"You don't know that."
"No, but I believe it. Your father's strong, Laura. This is probably just a scare."
At the hospital, Laura's mother met them in the waiting room. Her father was stable, another minor episode, but the doctors wanted to keep him for observation and adjust his medications again.
Relief flooded through Laura so intensely she felt lightheaded. Leonard's arm came around her shoulders, steadying her.
"I should stay," Laura said, looking at Leonard. "For a few days, until he's really okay."
"Of course you should," Leonard agreed. "Your family needs you."
"But we still haven't..."
"It can wait," Leonard interrupted gently. "Laura, your father's health is more important than us figuring out our relationship."
"Is it though?" Laura asked desperately. "Leonard, we keep getting interrupted. Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something."
"Or maybe," Leonard said, cupping her face with both hands, "the universe is just testing how much we want this. And Laura, I want this enough to wait. However long it takes."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead, a gesture so tender it made Laura's throat tight. Then he stepped back.
"I'm going to head back to the retreat. Call me when your dad's better, and we'll finish what we keep starting."
"Leonard, wait..."
But he was already walking toward the parking lot. Laura watched him go, the words she'd meant to say trapped in her throat again.
I love you.
Such simple words. Why couldn't she say them?
Laura turned back toward the hospital, pushing down her frustration. Leonard was right—her father's health came first. Everything else could wait.
But as she sat beside her father's hospital bed later that night, holding his hand while he slept, Laura realized something important.
Life was too short for waiting. Too uncertain for perfect timing. Her father's health scare had proven that things could change in an instant.
When she got back to the city, to her normal life without the pressure of the retreat forcing proximity with Leonard, she was going to tell him the truth.
She loved him. Always had, probably always would. And whatever happened after that admission, whether they managed to build something lasting or crashed and burned spectacularly, at least she'd have said it.
No more waiting for the perfect moment. No more letting interruptions steal her chance.
She would tell Leonard she loved him.
She just had to survive going back to their separate lives first, where professional boundaries and office politics would make everything infinitely more complicated than it had been in their shared suite at Pine Summit.