Boss, Your Ex-Wife is Unreachable Now! novel Chapter 240

“Do you need to stop for water and catch your breath?” Ryan asked, his tone full of concern as he glanced at Willow.

They’d been hiking for over half an hour now; pausing for a break wouldn’t hurt.

Waller simply nodded, indicating he had no objections.

But Willow shook her head. “Let’s keep going. I’m fine—I can manage.”

She was determined not to fall too far behind. If Juliette noticed, she’d probably start worrying and spend the rest of the hike keeping Willow company, missing out on the chance to talk with the new friends they’d just met. Willow didn’t want to be the reason Juliette missed out.

Ironically, Juliette—walking a few paces ahead in the middle of the group—was thinking exactly the same thing. That was why she hadn’t slowed down or checked in on Willow and the two guys trailing behind. She didn’t want to smother Willow and risk missing her own shot at making new connections.

Still, curiosity tugged at her. She kept wondering what Willow and the others were chatting about back there. Her conversation with Dr. Shaw looked lively enough—she answered his questions and smiled at his jokes—but her mind kept wandering, and sometimes her responses didn’t even match his questions.

Dr. Shaw, for his part, was genuinely interested in Juliette at first. But after a while, he realized her attention was elsewhere. Gradually, he gave up trying to impress her.

Maybe she thought he was too old, he mused, feeling a little deflated. He was thirty-three—almost a decade older than Juliette.

Or maybe she figured doctors were always busy, never around for those spontaneous, romantic dates young women dream about.

Dr. Shaw sighed inwardly.

“Miss Danton, why don’t we take a break?” he suggested, more out of consideration for Juliette than for himself.

The weather was perfect. Warm sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling the ground with shifting patterns of gold. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, sending little ripples of light flickering across the forest floor.

The trail they’d chosen wasn’t the well-trodden tourist route; it twisted and turned, more challenging, but all the more rewarding.

A few minutes later, the others noticed that Juliette and Dr. Shaw had stopped to rest. Soon, the three segments of their group clustered together again, their little hiking party reunited.

“Lettie, Dr. Shaw, you picked a great spot for a break,” Willow remarked, looking around. The view here was the best they’d seen all day, and a massive boulder nearby offered a perfect vantage point—stand on it, and you could take in the whole valley below.

Juliette flashed a smile. “That was Dr. Shaw’s idea. I just followed along.”

Dr. Shaw smiled with characteristic modesty. “Pure luck, really. After an hour scrambling over rocks, I’ll admit, I’m not as young as I used to be. Figured it was time for a breather.”