by Mia London
“Have a good day, Charlie,” Blake said as he followed Rosie.
The day was good, and it kept getting better. “You too.”
Chapter Eight
Charlie awoke the next morning with a smile plastered on her face. She was ahead of schedule on most of her projects and decided to take the day off. She’d earned it. Some climbing should satisfy her.
She strode to the closet and fished out her slippers, gloves, and comfortable, stretchy pants. Next, she grabbed a waist-pack and filled it with a water bottle and trail mix. For the sake of keeping her load light, she stashed her single car key in the waist-pack and left the key chain, holding multiple keys, on the counter. She finished her egg sandwich, pulled her hair into a high ponytail, and went out the back door. She hid her house key and took only four steps toward her car before her car key had fallen to the ground.
What the hell?
She furrowed her brow and bent down to retrieve her key. After a close inspection of her waist-pack, she noticed she had a hole in the bottom.
She sighed as she started the car. Time to buy a new waist-pack. She knew of a place not far, and on the way to her destination. They would have a good selection.
She meandered to the right aisle in the store and stopped dead in her tracks.
“No way.”
The words came out before she even realized she’d vocalized them.
Blake’s head lifted, and turned to look in her direction. A small smile pulled at his lips.
She strolled closer, resting a hand on her hip, her lips quirked.
“No. Frickin’. Way. How many times am I supposed to run into you?” She shook her head back and forth in disbelief, not that she was disappointed.
Blake chuckled at her comment. “Hi. It is rather ironic that we keep bumping into each other.” Not that he minded. “How are you?”
“I’m good. What about you?”
She glanced at the gloves hanging from pegs in front of him. “Looking for gloves?”
“Yeah, I noticed my current ones are wearing and getting a bit old.”
He selected a pair of mid-weight climbing gloves in his size and slipped one on. After moving his fingers about, he put them back and turned toward her. “But really, I’m just killing some time. Grandma is having friends over today, so I decided to make myself scarce.”
She smiled and nodded. “I see.”
“And what are you shopping for?”
Her lips scrunched up, and she made a waving hand motion, like she was frustrated.
“Well, I noticed when I was heading out today that my waist-pack had a hole in it. I need to buy a new one before I go climbing.”
His eyebrows peaked. “You’re going climbing today? By yourself?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, sure.”
Did she not understand how dangerous it could be to be out there by herself? “Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous?”
Her adorable head tipped and her lips pursed together. “You climb alone.” It was a statement, not a question. And she was right. He could say nothing more without coming off like a male chauvinist.
“I just think it would be safer if you were with someone.”
“I’ll be fine.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. Why was she being so stubborn?
“Fine. If you’re so concerned, come with me.” She paused a moment, then turned about and walked down the aisle to the packs.
He bit the inside of his cheek. That wasn’t a half-bad idea. He didn’t have anything planned, he had a free day. He stepped up beside her.
“Alright. I’m coming with you,” he announced. “Can you wait here a few minutes while I run home to change?”
She shrugged half-heartedly. “Sure, why not.”
“I’ll be right back.”
A “few minutes” turned into forty minutes. Charlie sighed when Blake finally pulled up into a parking spot in front of the store. She had everything transferred to her new waist-pack and she was more than ready.
“What took you so long?”
“Sorry. I wanted to grab some sandwiches, so we could stay longer. Plus I got us some more cold bottled water. Hop in,” he said as he motioned to the passenger seat.
She gave him her best disgusted look, but deep inside she knew he’d made a good decision.
He chuckled. “It will be worth it. I promise.” And then he gave her his full-blown, mega-watt smile, and she nearly melted in the seat.
“We’ll see about that,” she countered. “So where are we going?”
“Let’s go to Horse Trail.”
“Ah, you don’t want to be home until dinnertime.” She really didn’t mind being gone all day. She was excited to get out of her office. And equally excited to be with Blake. The kiss they shared on the dancefloor the other night played on her mind. The idea of him kissing her again made her stomach do backflips. She could only hope.
Before she could ask him about his life in Chicago, he began. “So you’re doing graphics work?”
“That’s right. I branched out on my own about two years ago and haven’t looked back.”
He kept one hand on the steering wheel and threw a quick smile her way. “That’s terrific. How’s it going for you?”
“Good. No complaints. What about you? I heard you sold your internet company.”
A little spark of something flashed in his eyes. She couldn’t determine if it had to do with the sale of his company or the fact that she knew about it.
“That’s right. Sold it about two years ago and started another one almost immediately.”
“Congratulations. I always knew you would be a big success.” She let the corners of her mouth rise because she meant it. Blake was hard-wired for success. He could achieve anything he set his mind to.
After driving about an hour, they arrived at the spot in the mountain range for climbing. A series of stacked mini-mountains, instead of one monstrous slab of rock. From her vantage, it looked quite manageable without ropes. At least that’s what she would continue to tell herself.
“I did some research, thinking about heading here this weekend.”
She gasped and laid a hand over her heart. “By yourself?” she said in a high pitch.
“Ha. Ha, Lucille. Yes, by myself. But that doesn’t matter now. I’m here with you.”
Oh, yes you are.
“So, anyway, there are plenty of good quality routes, some parts have a bit of choss to watch out for, and if we stay west, there are apparently better footholds.”
“Okay, then. Sounds like a plan.”
They each tightened their slippers, slipped on gloves, and Blake slung his backpack on.
Charlie didn’t want to admit to him that it had been some time since she’d been climbing. She was afraid Blake would baby her if he thought she was out of practice and fragile. She didn’t want to be treated in any way but as an equal.
The trail built slowly up the mountain, equal parts hiking and climbing. Blake mostly climbed alongside her, occasionally behind her.
“Smear that if you can’t get a foothold,” he called over to her.
She knew that, but nevertheless hearing his strong, reaffirming voice next to her made her feel a million times better. Her heart raced, so she concentrated on taking it a step at a time. Focus.
“You’re doing great,” he told her.
Maybe he could see the extra beads of sweat on her forehead.
They climbed a series of ledges, occasionally stopping for water. They were a few feet shy of what looked like a good ledge to rest on, but she had no good place to grip. Options to the right or left were out because they protruded in an awkward, unsafe way.
“Hang on,” Blake called to her, so she waited until he came closer.
“I can’t reach that next foothold, Blake. My legs aren’t long enough.” She kept her voice light to hide the fact that she didn’t know if she could go on. This particular area challenged her and consequently made her ner
vous. To top it off, her muscles were fatiguing.
“Here’s what we’re gonna do. The ledge is close, so we can sit, rest for a while and eat. I want you to reach for the ledge, and I’m going to boost you up.”
Oh, crap on a cracker. “You’re gonna what?” her voice went up an octave.
“Boost you up. You can do this, Charlie. On the count of three, reach up with your right hand, grab the ledge, and pull yourself up.”
Thank God for her gloves because her hands were now sweating profusely. She licked her lips, and her little heart pounded. She shifted to begin to reach up when Blake laid his hand on the center of her ass.
“One—”
“Wait,” she blurted out.
“What is it?”
“Your hand is on my ass,” she huffed out. It was insanely distracting. She couldn’t think about her next move.
“I know. I’m going to push you up,” he stated frankly.
His hand remained on her as the discussion transpired. She had a hard time concentrating on anything except his big, warm hand. The warmth carried throughout her body and felt oddly comforting.
“C’mon, Charlie. Let’s do this and get some food.”
Food. She was hungry.
She looked upward and refocused on the task, despite the cupping of her butt by a beautiful man below her.
“One, two, three,” he called out.
She reached as he simultaneously pushed her derriere up, and she gripped the ledge with her hand. She stretched the other one while Blake lifted her foot. She lay on her belly and swung her legs up.
She made it.
Standing, she yanked the edge of her t-shirt to her face to absorb the tears that had leaked out. She blotted and blotted some more. She had an overwhelming urge to cry with relief. She’d never been so terrified, and yet now, so proud of herself. Her arms trembled with excess adrenaline.
Blake stretched his long leg to the foothold and hoisted himself up after her.
He stood tall and scanned her body.
“Are you alright?”
“Mmhmm.” Her heart had only just begun to slow.
He exhaled. “Well, that was exciting. Were you nervous?”
Truth or no truth? She opted for a half-truth. “A little.”
“You did well.” He leaned forward and placed a quick peck on her forehead.
Oh, she wished he hadn’t done that. That simple action brought a stinging to her eyes. How many times had he done that in the past? A magnificent million. She glanced down, working on her gloves. Now was not the time to be overrun by emotion.
“Thanks.”
He swung the backpack off his back and tossed it to the ground. He fished out the wrapped sandwiches and two bottles of water. He handed her a sandwich and sat beside her to start on his.
Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw next—a turkey and cheese sandwich with sliced gherkins inside. Her heart skipped a beat, and her mouth gaped.
Blake’s brows pulled together. “Everything alright?”
“My sandwich,” was all she said.
The stunned look on her face told him he’d made an error in judgment. “Yeah? You still like turkey and cheese, right?” He knew he was already pushing his luck with the hoist-thing. She’d been nervous, but she pulled it off with flying colors.
He was so proud of her for overcoming her fears and pressing on, words couldn’t describe. He actually wanted to pull her close, kiss her madly, and tell her just that. But he’d already crossed the line once this week—kissing her at the bar. Reigning in his spontaneity around her was paramount.
“Yes, I like turkey and cheese. And you remembered pickles on it.”
He nodded. “Right. You still like that, right?”
The corners of her full pink lips lifted. “I do. Thank you for remembering.”
He sighed with relief inside. She was actually really pleased about the sandwich. He mentally patted himself on the back.
“You’re welcome.”
He dug into his sandwich like it was his last meal on earth.
They replenished, and he started feeling good again. Charlie chatted more about her work projects and asked him about his business and Chicago. It had been so long since they could just sit together, casually and contently. If he were in Chicago, he’d likely be anxious to see how fast he could finish before he had something to do or someplace to be or someone to see. Sitting there with her was the epitome of relaxation.
A breeze caught a stray hair, and instinctively, he reached over to brush it out of her face. She froze for a split second, but smiled and went back to eating as if it were nothing.
He couldn’t help himself. He loved touching her. But that was in the past. They both had moved on, and besides, he shouldn’t let it move beyond friendship. Friendship was a safe territory to be in.
They finished up, and Blake stuffed the trash back into his backpack.
“How about we go a little farther, then we can start our decent down?”
She rose and nodded. Gloves back on, they continued their hike and climb, stopping to enjoy the view when they could.
Her confidence appeared to be building, but as the muscles tire, that could be a dangerous combination. No sooner did he want to call over to tell her to slow down, when she reached up and pulled, and the rock gave way. Choss fell, and so did she.
“Charlie!” His heart lodged in his throat.
“Ahh!” she called out as she fell several feet to the ledge below her.
Blake cautiously climbed down to where she lay.
“Are you alright?” he asked as he crouched down, whipping off his gloves to pull her to sitting.
He inspected her, touching her head, face, and arms. Her arm scrapped the sharp mountain on the way down leaving a massive group of reddened scrapes on her right forearm.
“Ow,” she muttered.
“What hurts?”
“My arm, but I don’t think it's broken.” Her face was flushed.
“Can you stand?”
She nodded, so he took her left hand and helped her upright. He brushed off some debris and noticed a small cut on her leg. Other than her arm and leg, she appeared to be okay. “Can you move your fingers?”
She wiggled her right hand fingers naturally.
“Looks good.” Damn, he fought the urge to wrap her in his arms and hold her close. Watching her fall was the most helpless feeling he ever had.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I think we should go down now, though.”
“I agree.” He pulled a small, white towel from the backpack and blotted her leg and arm. “Follow me, okay. I’ll help you.”
She nodded.
Together they worked their way down, without incident. Finally, they reached his SUV. “Let me take you home.”
“It’s okay. Take me to my car.”
She’d lost some color in her face. She was more uncomfortable than she’d let on.
He shook his head. “We can pick it up tomorrow. I’m taking you straight to your house.”
She sighed and nodded in resignation.
Good. He had no intention of leaving her until she was safely home and in bed.
She gave him directions, and they arrived at a little house set amongst trees and few neighboring houses. It suited her perfectly.
He helped her in to remove her shoes and wash the scraps. Most of the bleeding had ceased when he applied a topical antibiotic that he had stashed in his backpack.
“Do you have any gauze dressing?” he called from the kitchen.
“Um. I think so.” She started to rise.
He rose a hand, stopping her. “No, I’ll get, just tell me where.”
She pointed. “Through there, in the closet, third shelf.”
“Okay.”
He returned to her side with gauze, tape, and aspirin. He attended to her wound. The scraps on her arm weren’t deep, but they covered a wide area. He worked carefully to cover everything, and she flinched only once.
> “Do you want some aspirin?”
She shook her head. “Just some water, and I’ll go to bed.”
“Wait here. I’ll get it.” He poured her water. “Are you hungry?” he called.
Silence. Then she replied, “A little.”
He returned to where she sat on her sofa and handed her a glass of water. “Let me make you something to eat.”
“You don’t have to do that, Blake.”
“Let me . . .” He stopped himself from saying he felt a responsibility for her accident. “How about breakfast burritos?”
He noticed her soft brown eyes sparkle. Yeah, breakfast burritos were one of her favorites.
“Let me see what you’ve got.”
She began to rise.
“No. I’ll find it. Stay. Relax.”
“Okay. I can help, you know. I’m not an invalid.”
“I’ve got it.” He didn’t want her lifting a finger. He needed to get her fed, and then safely tucked into bed.
He scoped out corn tortillas, eggs, frozen potatoes, cheese, tomatoes, and some green onion. After several minutes of prep, he served the burritos and sat next to her at her little kitchen table.
“You have a nice place here.”
“Thanks. I love it,” she confessed as a smile graced her face.
“It seems to suit you.”
She glanced around and nodded. “I’ve made some updates, and as money comes in, I have a few more things that need to be done.”
“Like what?” he asked between mouthfuls.
“The roof is tops on the list. I think it’s been years since it was replaced, and we had hail come through a few years ago. I want to have it replaced before I have any leaks.”
His head bobbed. An inexplicable urge to want to help her with her house came over him. But deep inside, he knew Charlie could handle it on her own. She’d done well for herself over the past few years.
His face must have read something.
“What?” she asked.
He paused for a moment. “I was thinking how well you’ve done for yourself these last few years.” And what a turn-on it is for me.