Page 63 of Entwined Hearts

I blow a hard breath through my cheeks, running a hand through my hair. “Don’t be,” I say, sagging onto the tailgate. “Is she…always like that?” I make a mental note to dispose of Patricia’s card later.

“What, crazy? Or warning people about my trust?”

“Both,” I say.

Anya shrugs. “She’s like a hummingbird. Zooms in and zooms out. Harmless, mostly.”

I pick at the fraying edge of my t-shirt.Harmless. I wonder if that’s true. Her “you climbers are always so broke”burns through me like toxic sludge.

“Just so you know,” Anya says in a tight voice. “The trust is from those commercials. My dad invested it for me, so, yeah. I’m not rich or anything, but it’s allowed me to rent a place like this instead of sharing some shitty apartment with five other climbers when I’m in town.”

“It’s your money. You earned it.”

She makes a face. “I suppose.”

“Still,” I say. “You don’t have to be ashamed you have it or anything. I mean, it’s yours.”

Anya’s shoulders sink, so I walk over to her. “My mom wants it,” she says. “That’s why she tells my boyfriends about it. It’s like she’s warning them she’s first in line.”

“That sucks.” I force the memory of Patricia’s fingers sliding into my pocket and the scent of her perfume out of my mind. What kind of mother does that? I grit my teeth and try to push it all away, but a dark emotion lingers right behind my heart, making my chest feel tight.

Wait, had Anya saidboyfriend?

She looks up, her eyes reflecting hope and trepidation. It drives me fucking crazy.

I lean down to kiss her softly, quickly losing myself in her. But the realization I’m on borrowed time surfaces. In a few days, she’ll be partnered up with Jake, preparing to climb a route that killed two climbers ten years ago. And there’s nothing I can do to stop her.

The next morning, Anya is all business as she packs up the last of her belongings. We drive to the storage facility where we add the final boxes. Anya slides in the bags and bins of climbing and camping gear for her month in the Valley.

“Drive safe,” I say when she’s ready to go, my mind a frantic mess. Even though I know she’s just going to Yosemite and not Mars, the idea of her being so far away is slowly killing me.

“Maybe after the climb,” she says, tucking a loose hair behind her ear, “I can come to Bishop to meet your sister and Maddy.”

A jolt of nerves attacks my insides. “Sure,” I say, though I’m not that sure. What will she think of Paige’s fixer-upper and Maddy’s secondhand clothes? And my place might as well be a lean-to compared to her rental.

A content expression softens her face.

I wish we were caravanning to Bishop together. She could leave her car at my house, and we could relocate to Yosemite. We could climb together every day and keep each other warm every night. She would tell Jake she’d changed her mind about Widow’s Walk, and she and I would find some other project to tackle. Something challenging enough to satisfy her, but with a lot less risk.

But I have Paige and Maddy to think about. My job. My dad’s unpredictability. I’m starting to feel that weird urge to hurry to say goodbye. I put my hands on my hips, trying to calm my galloping heart.

How can I be the person Anya needs?

My fingers are shaking as I close the hatch of my truck. She meets my gaze, and I wonder if my eyes look like hers—anxious, unsure.

I pull her into my arms. Feeling the imprint of her body and her subtle honey scent has me missing her already.

“Thanks for all your help with moving,” she says, nestling her cheek against my collarbone. When I feel her sigh, I hug her tighter.

“You’re welcome.” Part of me wants to hold her here forever. The other part wants to retreat as fast as I can and drive away at Mach-10. I force a smile as I pull back.

“I’ll call you before I lose service inside the park,” she says, her eyes flicking away.

I lean down to kiss her, trying to savor all the things I love about her lips. Memories of our last two days together play like a slide show in my mind. By the time I break away, my head is a mess.

“Okay, well,” she says, releasing a tight breath. “Bye.”

I reach for her hand one more time. Our eyes lock, and a flood of emotion pours into me. What if this is the last time she looks at me like this?

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