Larissa slammed the door shut after she reentered the gym, and both Oliver and Amber turned to her. Larissa’s expression was a mixture of cockiness and hate, and in that moment, Oliver learned what it was like to truly despise someone. No matter what happened, after this, Larissa would no longer share time with him.
“I’ll get changed and then we’ll do this.” Larissa strode into Oliver’s office and shut the door.
Oliver turned back to Amber and their eyes met again. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, Oliver, I do.” She clenched her jaw and swallowed.
Her comment confirmed this was no longer about Larissa. This was about Amber. She needed to prove something. Maybe to herself. Hopefully not to him. He reached for her hand and squeezed. “You can do this. You’re the best climber I’ve ever seen.” He just hoped she could see how much he meant every word.
“Who’s going first?” Larissa demanded as she strode from his office.
Oliver gave one last squeeze before he released Amber’s hand, stepped back, and glared at Larissa. “You’re the one who put out the challenge. You go first.”
“I don’t have a problem with that, do you?” If eyes were daggers, Larissa would’ve sliced Amber’s face off.
“Not at all.” Amber stepped off the mat, giving them room.
Larissa pulled a harness from the wall, tugged it on, and tied the belay rope into position. Oliver prepared his belay device and confirmed he was ready.
Larissa stepped up to the wall and her hand hovered over the timer’s start button. “Climber ready.”
“Safety ready.”
She slammed her palm onto the clock starter and launched up the wall. Larissa raced up the first couple of holds like she was running on flat ground. Within seconds she was ten feet up the wall. But the higher she went, the more challenging the climb became, and Oliver knew she’d slow down—unless she became so flustered by the race that she forgot the basics, which she’d been known to do.
He was banking on that now.
Out of the corner of his eye he spied the intense look on Amber’s face as she watched Larissa scramble to the top, and with a jolt he realized that he’d become so caught up in this stupid race that he hadn’t stopped to consider the repercussions should Larissa win or, more importantly, Amber lose.
Would it deflate Amber, or motivate her more?
He had no idea. It was a pointless debate—he’d have an answer soon enough.
Larissa launched for a hold, but swore as she missed it. She regrouped and went for the hold again. She got it that time, but her feet swung off the wall, costing her precious time. Larissa yelled out, obviously aware that the mistake would cost her. But she swung her hips, repositioning her feet on the hold, and pushed on.
After a couple more holds, she reached the overhang. But, typical of Larissa’s style, she didn’t pause to assess the route. She plowed on, and Oliver hoped it’d be her demise. She made it around the overhang, and less than half a minute later she slammed her fist into the bell.
Without announcing her release, she let go of the wall. Oliver caught her in the rope and lowered her down. Her cocky grin indicated she was happy with her time. It wasn’t her best effort, though—that slip had cost her valuable seconds.
Oliver wasn’t sure if Amber could beat it, but he was certain she’d give it everything she had, and that meant she’d get very close.
Larissa wriggled out of her harness and stepped back. “Your turn,” she snarled at Amber, and if Oliver had thought he’d despised Larissa before, he hated her now.
Oliver stepped between the women, blocking Larissa’s evil glare. He leaned in to Amber’s ear. “Focus on your movements and find your flow. Do what you do best.”
She simply nodded and set about tying the climbers knot.
Once she was done, she inhaled deeply and let out a long slow breath before she stepped up to the wall. “Climber ready.”
“Safety ready.” Oliver’s stomach twisted into knots as he watched her steady herself. Her shoulders rose and fell with another deep breath. She closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, he saw the focus that he’d come to expect from her.
She slammed the timer and launched up the wall like a nimble monkey. Each movement was smooth; each hold she gripped was committed on her first go. She was fast—very fast—and Oliver was certain she was ahead of Larissa’s time. He could feel Larissa’s dagger eyes in his back but was grateful she remained behind him.
Amber reached the overhang but didn’t slow her pace. She seemed to scan the route with the efficiency of a climber who’d been doing it for years. Amber was up and over the overhang and reached for the pinch hold to her right. Her feet slipped and swung out from the wall, but with a strength that belied her size she used only her arms to hurl herself at the next hold.
She made it and was able to reposition her feet. But she’d lost time.
Oliver’s heart was in his throat as his eyes flicked from the digits on the clock to Amber’s movements. His gut squeezed as he realized she wasn’t going to make it. She was out by seconds, maybe even less than a second. With two more holds to go, Amber released an almighty growl and threw herself at the bell.
Oliver caught her in the rope and she swung from the wall in a pendulum.
There was a moment’s silence before Amber let out a squeal of joy. She’d won by half a second.
“Fuck!” Larissa yelled, and out of the corner of his eye he saw her pick up her pack and storm away.
“See ya,” Amber called from halfway up the wall.
“Fuck you, bitch!” Larissa yelled before she strode out the door, slamming it behind her.
The second Amber’s feet touched the ground he went to her. They wrapped their arms around each other and he squeezed her tight. “You’re amazing.”
“I can’t believe I won.”
“I can.”
She pulled back to look up at him, and Oliver knew without a doubt he was looking at the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn’t fight the feelings coursing through him. Her eyes flickered to his lips and, hoping he read the signals right, he leaned over. When his lips touched hers, he knew he’d read the signs perfectly. They melted into each other, their bodies aligned, her soft lips parted, and they tilted their heads. He’d kissed many women before, but this was different. Like two souls becoming one. A whimper tumbled from her throat, and it was the most glorious sound he’d ever heard.
He didn’t want the kiss to end, but when they parted and he saw the longing in her eyes he knew she felt the same way.
Oliver reached up and cupped her right cheek. He barely noticed the raised scarring beneath his palm. “I’m so proud of you.”
Her chin quivered. “Thank you.”
He touched his lips to hers again. A brief kiss that said so much more. A strange feeling floated through his body. It was overwhelming, yet it felt so right. Oliver felt like he was about to step into a fire, yet at the same time he wanted to do it so badly it hurt.
“Let’s get you out of this.” He unclipped his belay rope.
“Okay, then we need to do something about this.” She held up her hand.
“Holy shit.” Her pinky finger stuck out at a hideous angle. “You broke your finger.”
“Just dislocated, I think.”
“It must hurt like hell.”
She shrugged. “I’ve had worse.”
He melted at her casualness. “I bet you have.” Their gaze met and he hoped she’d elaborate, yet at the same time he knew this was neither the right time nor the right place for that discussion. When she finally opened up to him, he wanted everything to be perfect. “Let’s get you to a doctor.”
“Can’t you just pop it back in?”
“What?” His jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right?”
“No. I’m sure it won’t hurt.”
“It’ll hurt like hell, and I have no idea how to do it.”
She must’ve se
en how adamant he was because she sighed. “I hate doctors.”
Her calmness was crazy. “You’re going to love this doctor, I promise.” He grabbed her good hand and led her toward the front door.
“Will the doctor’s office even be open?”
“He’s always open.”
He helped Amber into his car, raced around to the driver’s side, and jumped in. “Does it hurt?”
“Not really.”
He kicked the car into gear and reversed out of the lot. “Did you do it when you jumped for the bell?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe you did that.”
“I wanted to win.”
“I can tell. Are you always this competitive?”
“No. I’ve never won anything in my life.”
He chuckled. “Shit, you could’ve fooled me.”
As the glow from the streetlights flicked past in alternating shades of light and dark, Amber lifted her hand and reviewed her dislocated finger with what looked like complete indifference. He couldn’t believe how nonchalant she was. Every other woman he knew would be hysterical if it’d happened to them. Every man too. Not Amber, though. It was almost as if she’d done it a thousand times before. Maybe she had. Her soul was fragile, but her body was a machine. He cast the thoughts aside and turned onto Jordan’s narrow street lined with houses on either side.
“So how do you know this doctor?”
“We went to school together.” He pulled up outside a whitewashed Georgian colonial.
“Is this where he lives?”
“Yep.”
“Are you sure he’ll be okay with us going to his home?”
“Shh, stop complaining.”
“I didn’t think I was.”
“Trust me. It’s definitely okay.”
She allowed him to help her out of the car and they walked up to the front porch. Oliver knocked on the front door.
A few moments later, a young boy opened the door.
“Hey, Max.”
“Uncle Olly!” The kid opened his arms and Oliver lifted him up and squeezed. “Boy, have you grown up.” He carried Max across the threshold. “Where’s your daddy?”
“He’s watching hockey.”
Ice hockey was Jordan’s first love. His wife and child came in a very close second and, much to Helen’s disgust, Jordan wasn’t scared to admit it. “Who’s winning?” Oliver said as he stepped into a cozy lounge with two brown leather chesterfields, a large brick fireplace, and an enormous television centered on the wall.
“Oliver, how’re you doing, man?”
“I’m great. I’d like you to meet Amber. She’s had a bit of an accident.”
Amber held up her hand.
“Oh wow, okay then.” Jordan pushed off the couch.
“Owee.” Max’s eyes bulged at Amber’s finger and Oliver put the boy down. “Does it hurt?”
“Not really.” She held it forward so Max could get a better look.
“Come into the kitchen.” Jordan led the way. “Put your clothes on, honey, we’ve got visitors.” Oliver knew he was joking. Jordan had a wacky sense of humor.
Helen was smiling when they entered the kitchen but it quickly changed to a look of horror when she saw Amber’s finger. “Oh my god, what happened?” Helen pulled out a chair and demanded Amber sit.
“Hey, Helen.” Oliver kissed her cheek. “This’s Amber. It was a rock-climbing incident.”
“Wow, you sure know how to show the ladies a good time.” Helen grinned, picked up Max, and sat him in a chair opposite Amber.
Jordan thumped Oliver in the shoulder. “Yeah. No wonder you’re still single.”
“You guys are a laugh a minute.”
Amber stayed silent, but a grin remained on her face as she followed the banter from one person to the next.
Jordan looked to his wife. “Honey, can you get me some ice, please?”
“Sure.” She turned to the freezer at the end of the kitchen.
Jordan sat beside Amber and reached for her hand. “Is there any tingling?”
“No.”
“Can you feel this?” He pinched the end of the finger.
“Yes.”
“That’s good. It looks like it’s dislocated, not broken.”
“Can you pop it back in?”
“I can, but I’ll give you a local anesthetic first.” He turned to his wife. “Honey, can you grab my bag?”
“Sure.” Helen plonked a bag of ice on the table and strode from the room.
“It’s going to bruise and be sore for a few days.”
“I’ll be fine,” Amber said matter-of-fact.
Jordan’s lips formed into a thin smile. “I’m sure you will. But it’ll still be sore. No rock climbing for a week or so.”
Her eyes shot to Oliver.
Oliver winked. “We’ll just have to find something else to keep you busy.”
“Watch out for this guy,” Jordan joked.
Amber smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye on him.”
Helen placed a well-worn leather bag on the table and Jordan stood and pulled apart the two sides. He rummaged around for a moment, then removed a syringe and small vial of clear liquid.
“Can I get you two a drink?” Helen was the eternal host, even in a time of crisis.
“After this.” Oliver touched his hand to Amber’s shoulder. “We’ll need a good dose of whiskey, I think.”
“I’m fine,” Amber said.
Jordan filled the syringe, cupped Amber’s hand in his, and turned it over so he could access the underside of her finger. “Just a little sting.”
“Okay.” Amber didn’t take her eyes off the needle piercing her skin, nor did she flinch as he injected her in three different locations on her pinky finger.
After a minute or so of more lame jokes, Jordan pinched the end of her finger again. “Can you feel that?”
“Not this time.”
Helen gathered Max into her arms. “Come on, little man. Let’s go see how the hockey’s going.”
“Aw, Mom.” Max glanced over Helen’s shoulder as she carried him from the room.
“Okay.” Jordan gripped the tip of her finger. “Ready? One… two…” He snapped her finger, and the sickening crack made Oliver’s stomach flip. Amber, however, showed no sign that she’d felt or heard a thing.
Jordan plucked a roll of tape from his bag and strapped her pinky finger to her adjoining finger. Then he handed her the tape. “Keep them piggybacked together for a few days for support.”
“Okay.”
“So, now that you’re here, you can save me.” Jordan looked up at Oliver with pleading eyes. “Helen was about to make me change the channel. We can pretend it was your idea.”
“I heard that,” Helen said.
“Shit,” Jordan whispered.
Helen walked in, grinning. “You can have your stupid hockey. As long as Amber agrees to share a glass of wine with me.”
Oliver would normally jump at the chance to watch hockey with his friend, but he felt terrible about Amber being put on the spot. He turned to her, curious about her reaction. So far, she’d gone out of her way to avoid being near people.
To his surprise, she smiled and nodded. “Actually, I could use some wine.”
“That settles it then.” Jordan smacked his hands together and stood. “Come on, before they change their minds.”
Jordan pulled a beer from the fridge and handed it to Oliver, then led him to the sofa and directed him to sit. The sound was turned up, but the whole time he tried to concentrate on hockey, Oliver was actually trying to hear how Amber was doing.
When the two ladies burst out laughing, he wanted to run to them and see what they were cackling at. As the game clock ticked down, he spent more time analyzing how he felt about her than watching the action. For the first time in years, he found himself mesmerized by a woman. He just hoped she felt the same way. If their kiss earlier was any way to judge, he believed s
he did.
After the game, he couldn’t get off the sofa quick enough. He strode through the kitchen and found the ladies sitting in a couple of chairs in the back room. Amber had an empty wineglass in front of her.
“Who won?” Helen asked at the men’s appearance.
“Not the right team.”
“Wondered why we didn’t hear you cheering.”
Oliver pulled out the chair next to Amber and touched her arm. “How’s your finger?”
She shrugged. “It’s fine. I don’t think the drugs have worn off yet. Ask me tomorrow.”
“What’ve you ladies been talking about? We heard you laughing.”
Helen touched her nose. “Secret women’s business.”
“Yeah right. You’ve probably been telling Amber lies about me.”
Helen clutched her chest in mock hurt. “Never.”
Again, Amber followed the banter with her intense blue eyes. At a pause in the conversation, he squeezed her forearm. “You ready for me to take you home?”
“Yeah.” Amber nodded at Helen. “It was lovely meeting you.”
“Likewise.”
She turned to Jordan. “Thank you for fixing my finger.”
“My pleasure,” he said. “Just don’t make a habit of it.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Oliver said.
“Yeah right.” Jordan rolled his eyes.
Oliver kissed Helen goodbye, and after shaking Jordan’s hand with a clap on the back, he and Amber headed out the front door.
The drive to her house was short. Way too short for Oliver’s liking, and he wracked his brain for a way to prolong the journey. But it wasn’t to be. At her address, he climbed out and again helped Amber from the car.
“Can I walk you to your door?”
Her eyes softened and she chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s just up there.”
“It’s no trouble.”
Her cheeks blushed. “Okay, that’d be nice.”
Positive a ripple of delight had flickered across her eyes; he bent his left elbow. She pushed her good hand in and as they walked side by side up the path, Oliver couldn’t decide if it was the heat of her body or the flush of desire blazing through him that filled him with warmth.
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