Page 47 of Bastard Bartender

“Your body is reminding you that you’re alive and you need to enjoy it. This is why I hike. You can’t get this feeling or this view if you stay down on the pavement and in the rat race that is life.”

His face lights up, and I know this is his happy place. Not just the exact spot. It’s this feeling that makes him ignite.

“Come on. We’re not even at the best part.”

Suddenly, I have a totally different perspective on our outing. Taking an inhale, I set out, ready to get to the next spot.

He didn’t lie when he said the rest of the hike would be pretty easy, and the farther we go, the more I pay attention to the beauty around us. Las Vegas is in the desert, but I never imagined there were places like this so close to the city.

Large mountains surround us, providing shade, and the neatest, almost-sculpture-like objects feel larger than life. Every mountain looks like it was carved by hand with divots and groves covering the entire surface. As we get to a large wooden footbridge, I place my hands on the railing, feeling the smoothness of the wood from the years of wear from being in the elements that nature provides.

Throughout the entire hike, all I’ve heard is the crunching under my feet, so when I hear a roar from the distance, I ask, “What’s that sound?”

Nic turns to me with a grin on his face. “The best part of the hike.”

Everything about today has been a pleasant surprise, so I can’t imagine what else there is to come.

I’m shocked when I see it. A waterfall in the middle of the desert.

“Seriously? How is that here?” I ask in awe as I take it in.

“It only flows for a few more weeks. Sometimes, by now, it’s stopped, but we had so much rain this year, I knew it would still be flowing.”

We approach the bottom of it, which is covered in small rocks and a flowing river. I take a deep breath, enjoying the clean air that surrounds us. Everything about me right now is in peace. I didn’t even realize I had been holding tension until I stood here and felt my shoulders relax.

Nic leads us to a boulder, where we both take a seat and sit in silence, enjoying nature in its purest form.

He turns to me after a few minutes. “Pretty cool up here, huh?”

I smile at him. “Absolutely. I had no idea what I was missing.”

“Well, hang with me, and I’ll show you everything. This—this—is why I live here. All the adventures this land offers can keep me busy for a lifetime.”

“So, that’s your thing? Nature?”

He shrugs. “Not just nature. I like the outdoors. I like to go fast and then take things slow and enjoy it. You get a little bit of both here.”

I never thought about that. Ever since I moved here, I’ve only lived the fast life, getting the stadium off the ground and going out with Marie. I haven’t just stopped and enjoyed what Vegas has to offer outside of the city.

“What’s your secret?” I ask.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You have this mysterious vibe, and yet everything you say is straight from the gut. You work at the bar because it gives you the freedom to be wild. While you like to race fast cars, you also enjoy nature hikes and looking at the world like it’s the last time you’re going to see it again.”

“It could be,” he states easily. “There are no guarantees in life. You have to cherish all of your moments because they could be your last.”

I smile, looking down for a moment as I soak in his words. “That’s incredibly deep.”

“And true.”

The straightforward nature of his tone has me raising my gaze to his, and I tilt my head in wonder. He’s looking out at the view now, his chest rising as he breathes in the afternoon wind and sun, holding on to that breath as if he needs it to heal the wounds deep down in his soul. That’s when it hits me. He lives like that Tim McGraw song, “Live Like You Were Dying.”

I don’t know why, but I blurt out, “Nic … did something happen to you at one point? Or are you sick?”

He releases his breath and remains stoic as he looks out onto the mountain range. “No. I was though. A long time ago.”

I’m glad he’s not looking at me because my brows knit tightly together as I swallow down the immediate sense of remorse I feel even though I don’t even know his story.