Page 9 of Meeting Up with the Consultant

“Actually, I was hoping you’d tell me what you have going on with Sunny Rebel.” He looks over at me with a smile. “Emmy asked if we’d talked about that yet and insisted that I needed to hear what you’ve got going on.”

Is it silly that I mentally pull that marketing baby closer to me, like I might be able to shield it from his scrutiny? I’m not quite ready to lay it at his feet for him to poke and prod. However, if I’m going to get any of his help with it at all, that’s exactly what I have to do. Considering all the things he saw on the website that could be tweaked, he probably will have ways to make Sunny’s trek and our involvement even better. So, I figuratively uncurl my hands from the project I’ve worked the last nine months on and prepare to tell Harding everything.

“Well, after Brad’s accident and his desire to create garments that could protect climbers from injuries like his—”

“What exactly happened to Brad? The articles never really said.”

“Faulty equipment. The snow broke loose just as he was getting close to the summit of Denali and the head of his ice ax busted as he tried to stop his slide.” I shake my head, tears filling my eyes as I think about what could’ve happened. “It was the quick thinking of Sunny, his guide, and the rest of the team that finally stopped his fall into the crevasse. But on the way down, the boulders beat him up good; left him with broken bones and internal bleeding. While he was in the hospital recovering, he contacted his high school friend that supplies the high-tech fabric for protective gear used in these special military suits and convinced him to let us create our line of garments for outdoor enthusiasts as well.”

“I’m glad he survived.” Harding steps around a boulder and brushes up against me.

My heart leaps into my throat. “Me, too.”

“So, Sunny’s going up Denali again?” He moves back to his side like the touch hadn’t made his body do acrobats within him.

“She’s up and down that mountain a few times a year with guiding, but this year she’s attempting to set the record for the fastest women’s roundtrip time. She told us all about it last year while we waited at base camp.”

“Wait a minute.” Harding puts his hand on my arm and stops. “You climbed Denali with Brad?”

“We all did. Well, all of us expect Liz. She’s not too into the outdoors.” I smile at his awestruck expression. “We all wanted to do it, so we thought what better way to build teamwork than to climb Denali.”

“This has to be the best company to work for.” Harding’s comment is more to himself than me, but I answer him anyway.

“It is. There isn’t any better, which is why we all cherish it like it’s something precious.”

“I get that.” He clears his throat and continues down the path. “So, how is Ascent involved with Sunny’s climb?”

“Right. Well, when it looked like our product was going to be ready for the summer climbing season, I contacted Sunny.” I snatch a twig from a spruce and start snapping it into little pieces. The motion helps my nerves settle. “We had already agreed to sponsor her climb, but I wanted to see what she thought about testing the garments as well. She wholeheartedly agreed. I guess her sister is married to Brad’s friend, so she was anxious to get her hands on the product anyway. I also talked her into doing a streaming interview via MeetSpace when she makes it back to basecamp. My hope is for Ascent to share in her success, to show that we are one hundred percent behind the climbing community in everything we do.”

We emerge from the forest into the clearing, and Harding startles as his gaze connects with the yurt. “You guys have a yurt?”

“Yeah. It’s for those times you need space to think without all the distractions like internet and phone calls, but you still need to be close enough to contact.” I shiver as an icy breeze lifts my hair and slides down my neck.

“I really need this place.” Harding’s whisper is low, and the breeze nearly takes it away without letting me catch it.

I’m not sure if he means the yurt or Ascent in general, but I don’t get to think too hard on it because he turns to me with this intense stare that has my core heating up and pushing the cold away.

“You’ve really done amazing things for Ascent. Businesses don’t get to the position Ascent is without a great marketing department behind it.” His words fill me with pride and joy I hadn’t known I needed. “What you’ve set up with Sunny is an incredible opportunity, and I’ll do whatever I can to help make sure it’s an amazing success.”

“Thank you.” I beam at him.

“What I don’t understand is why this is the first that I’m hearing about it?”

“Brad doesn’t want to make our involvement that big.” I head toward the yurt to show Harding inside.

Harding snorts, his head shaking in disbelief. “Isn’t that the entire point of sponsoring?”

“Yeah, but he wants the focus on Sunny and not us.”

I push open the door and step inside the sparsely decorated space. There’s a tiny kitchenette along a short section of the wall stocked with a few pots, pans, and a tea kettle. A counter with barstools separates the kitchen from the living area. A couch with a pull-out bed and three comfy recliners surrounds the woodstove and faces the windows that line the wall looking toward Denali. That’s it. Minimalist to the core, and one of my favorite places to retreat to.

“I guess I can understand that, but there has to be a way we can put our mark on it without being smarmy. When we get back to the office, I want you to show me all that you have lined up so we can really dive deep into this thing, okay?”

I nod, not trusting my voice won’t be all airy with wonder. I like how he says we; like we’re now a team in this. Kensie and Harding. That’s a team I don’t mind playing on.

“This place is incredible.” He whistles as he looks around the yurt then turns to me. “I have another question for you.”

“Shoot.” I’m so loosey-goosey in my opinion of him now, I’m game for answering any and all questions.

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