Page 1 of Wolf's Midlife Baby

1

“I’d much rather do the trust fall exercise and fall on my ass like last year.” Holly Brigham had just arrived in Eugene, and so far, she wasn’t enjoying it any more than she had on her previous trips. She tugged at the bottom of her swimsuit, hoping to cover more of her backside. “It’s better than showing my butt to my coworkers.”

“Oh, stop.” Dahlia slipped her sunglasses down her nose and leaned back to get a good look. “You’re too hard on yourself. At least we get to be outside having fun instead of locked in a hotel ballroom with a personnel coach and a stale lunch.”

Holly sucked in a deep breath, puffing her cheeks as she let it out. “I’m not going to say that would be great, but at least I’d get to wear regular clothes.”

“You’re such a spoilsport!” Dahlia laughed.

It was true, at least in this case. Holly was willing to do plenty as a journalist. She knew that going the extra mile would usually make for the best story, and people didn’t want to read anything that didn’t captivate them. That was why she was so good at her job and had worked for the Newman Media Group for so long. She just wished she could go back to doing it at home with her laptop, but the annual meeting in Eugene, Oregon was something no employee was allowed to miss.

“Welcome, everyone! I’m so glad you’re here!” As they walked to the boat ramp, a man in floral board shorts and a pink polo greeted them. Holly recognized Marshall Newman, the CEO of Newman Media Group. His brilliantly white teeth sparkled against his tan skin. “We’ll have plenty of training, workshops, and news to review later, but we thought we’d kick it off with a little fun this year. What do you think?”

The crowd of about thirty or so employees around them cheered.

“Woo,” Holly said dryly, not feeling the least bit enthusiastic. She could see the Willamette River just to the right, sparkling and beautiful. It was nice to look at, but that didn’t mean she wanted to get in it. Even her inner bear recoiled a bit at the potential for danger. She couldn’t see anything beneath the surface of the water. What was there, waiting to drag her down?

“This is Kevin, our guide on the river,” Marshall continued. “He’ll go over a few things so you guys know what you’re doing.”

Kevin, just as tan as Marshall, waved to the crowd. “Who’s ready for a great time?”

“Kill me now,” Holly whispered as the rest of the group cheered once again.

“What’s the matter, Holly? Have you heard just how dangerous this river is?”

The voice in her ear gave her the instant sensation of slime dripping down her spine. Every year, she had to come to these meetings, and every year, she had to deal with Kyle Freeman. “I haven’t, but thanks so much for that.”

“It claims several lives every year, you know,” Kyle continued, letting out a long breath as he looked over the river. “It’s beautiful but dangerous. Kind of like you.”

“Bite me.” She’d tried being cordial in the past. The first year Holly had met him, she’d been happy to have someone willing to talk to her and show her around. After all, she didn’t know anyone when she’d first started with the company. Unfortunately, it hadn’t taken long for her to realize that Kyle was just trying to see who he could hook up with during the week they were there. It was a game for him, and she wasn’t interested in playing it.

“Oh, I will if you’ll give me a chance,” he purred. “Really, Holly, if you get scared, just stick with me. Hey, we could tie our tubes together if you want.”

“Looking at you makes me want to tie my tubes together,” Holly hissed. “Will you shut up so I can hear what the guy is saying?” It was bad enough that she had to be in front of her coworkers in a swimsuit, but it was leagues worse if she had to deal with Kyle the whole time.

“…so if you just watch out for that, you’ll be okay. Is everyone ready?”

With yet another cry of excitement, everyone hurried toward the pile of innertubes. Trepidation rose within Holly as she picked up a faded orange inflatable and followed Dahlia down the boat ramp. The water was innocuous enough when it was a few inches deep, but she could see where it dropped off just ahead.

“Here we go!” Dahlia tossed her tube in the river and sat on it as easily as if she were getting into a recliner. She waggled her hands and feet in the water, and in a moment, she was heading off with the rest of the group.

The last thing Holly wanted was to be left behind. Dahlia made it look easy. It couldn’t be that bad. People did this sort of thing all the time. She’d heard about people getting in big groups to go floating, and they found it so relaxing that they brought along a cooler full of beer to enjoy along the way. She was overthinking it. She plopped her tube down but then froze. She couldn’t go face-first. Turning around, she tried to grab the handle on the side so she could sit backward. That was basically what Dahlia had done. The left side of the tube flipped straight up into the air as soon as she leaned back, threatening to dump her straight into the water.

Holly gasped, sure that she was going to die before the trip even started. Just as suddenly as things seemed to have gone wrong, the tube flattened out again.

“Easy, there.” Marshall Newman himself had appeared next to her, and he held down the other handle. “I’ll hold it still for you. It takes a little practice, but you’ll get it.”

“Uh, thanks.” Her voice was shaking. No, her whole body was shaking as she lowered herself into the river. Marshall looked so relaxed, but she braced herself against the inflated vinyl as the river took hold of her little personal raft.

“Looking good.” Kyle paddled up next to her and gave her that weird upward nod guys do when they think they’re being cool. “I meant all that earlier, by the way. I’ve done a lot of outdoor sports, and I know a thing or two. I can keep you safe out here if you just stick with me.”

A foot clad in a bright pink swim shoe punched the back of his tube. “Buzz off, Kyle. You’re killing the vibe.”

He shot Dahlia a hateful look but then moved off to flirt with someone else.

“Thanks,” Holly said as her friend pulled up. “I really don’t need him buzzing around me right now.”

“You’re too tense,” Dahlia advised, “and I mean that literally. Relax your muscles a bit.”

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