Page 57 of Waking Olivia

He turns to me just after he slides into the driver’s seat. “Want to climb?” His whole face brightens as he asks, and even if I didn’t want to go, I’d say yes.

“Don’t you have to work on the farm?”

He grins at me. “Yeah.”

“Am I finally seeing the naughty side of Will Langstrom?”

He arches a brow. “This doesn’t even come close to the naughty side, Olivia.”

Gulp.

I didn’t think it was possible, but Will just got 10 times hotter.

He teachesme to lead climb today, which involves clipping into bolts that are already in the mountain as I go up instead of relying on a rope anchored at the top. He also teaches me to belay, which allows him to climb with me on the ground, scared shitless that I’m going to accidentally feed him too much slack from the rope and kill him.

“I trust you,” he says.

“You shouldn’t,” I remind him. “Remember? I nearly killed a teammate?”

“I still trust you.” He grins.

Watching him climb is an amazing thing, the strength and the agility and the gracefulness of it all.

“You look like Spiderman!” I shout.

His laugh echoes down through the rocks. “Hold the rope just in case,” he shouts back.

He’s lighter, happier than usual on the way home. His laughter and smiles come easily.

“I don’t understand how your father possibly thought climbing was the wrong choice for you. You’re so much happier like this.”

He sighs. “I don’t think he ever looked at work as something that should make you happy. He looked at it as a responsibility, and all he saw was that I was shirking mine.” Normally conversations about his father seem to bother him, but it’s not until the farm comes into sight—with a burgundy BMW convertible sitting in the driveway—that his mood plummets. His whole body has stiffened at the sight of it.

“What’s the matter?” I ask. “Is it Peter?”

“No,” he says, his shoulders sagging. “It’s Jessica, my girlfriend.”

I know nothing about Jessica, but there’s this spiteful little flame in my stomach caused entirely by her. So I definitely don’t want to see her, but shouldn’the? “I’ll deal with the horses and give you some time to hang out.”

He nods, his mouth set in a hard line, and heads inside like he’s facing a firing squad.

I go to the stables and take my time getting the horses groomed and fed. I was hoping she’d be gone by the time I head back to the house, but even from a distance I can see her, posed like a pageant queen on the front porch with her long, perfect red hair swinging over her shoulder and her legs crossed. My first emotion isn’t mere dislike. It’s loathing.

She hops up and walks down the stairs with her arm extended. “You must be Olivia,” she says with a wide smile. “I’m Jessica, Will’s girlfriend.”

“Hi.” I don’t pretend to smile. I know this girl and I are not going to be friends.

“So what brings you out here tonight?” Her voice is too bright, too clipped. She says it as if she’s caught me trespassing and is diplomatically sending me on my way.

I raise a brow, and allow a small, mocking smile to escape. I have a feeling it bothers her that I’m here, so I plan to let it keep bothering her. “This and that.”

“Why were you in the barn?”

“I was cleaning the stables,” I reply. “You know what a disaster they’ve been since Jackson quit.” Her smile falters. She didn’t know Jackson quit, obviously, and I want to run a victory lap around her.

Will walks out the front door, freshly showered, followed by Dorothy. The identical tension in their shoulders is really the first resemblance besides eye color I’ve ever noticed between them.

“I see you two have met,” says Dorothy.

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