Page 20 of Close Your Eyes and Count to 10

YesICanFan:Tell us about your new line of lingerie.

Climb3rB0y:I heard her dad like dragged her up Everest literally had to tie her to his pack to get her to the summit.

7SummitGrrl: For real, dude. I was there. She barely survived it.

Angelwings:Omg your hair. So gorge.

Buttons&bows:Malinka! You okay, grrl???

5

ADELE

Night was falling. Enchantments, just up the drive from the campsite, was a presence, something looming on the edge of Adele’s consciousness.

“Are you sure that you don’t want to spend your first night at the off-site hotel?” Gustavo asked, having helped her get settled and heading toward the waiting SUV.

“No,” she said, though the idea of a real bed after the long flight was tempting. “I think I’m good.”

She glanced over at her tent. She’d spared no expense on most of her gear, running up her already blisteringly high credit-card balance, knowing that it might mean the difference between winning and losing. After careful research, she’d decided on the CloudDome 6 for its sturdy build, weather protection, and reflective detailing to help you see in the dark.

She’d posted about it and immediately got an offer in her DMs from the company for sponsorship that nearly covered the cost of the tent, which was nice. Now, all set up and glowing orange from the interior light she’d turned on,she took a photo for her socials, filtering it so the greens and oranges in the image popped.

Ready for my first night on Falcão Island. The CloudDome 6 was supereasy to set up and is very comfortable inside. Highly recommend!

Was that stupid? Too prosaic? Should she try to be funny or cool? Whatever. She clicked to post.

The air felt fresh and clean, filled her lungs. Adelewantedthe night on the site, to get the lay of the land, and to remember what it felt like to be outside again. Really outside. It had been years since she’d slept in a tent.

Her parents had taught her to climb, to camp, to live for days in nature with just what you’d brought and what you caught or foraged.

We’re supposed to live like this, her father used to say. He’d open his chest and his arms to the sky.This is home.

They’d traveled the country, Adele and her sister, in the back of their beat-up old minivan, Dad singing along to the radio, Mom reading in the front seat. She still loved that feeling of sleeping under a blanket of stars, home being wherever you pitched your tent that night.

“I never sleep indoors when I can be out,” Malinka said, coming up beside her.

Adele had liked the girl at first sight; there was something, an instant connection. Bright, fresh-faced, able, she’d greeted Adele with a big hug, immediately chipped in to help Adele get settled. Malinka’s own tent was one Adele had seen online and knew that it cost well over a thousand dollars; she’d already strung some fairy lights around the entrance. Veryphotogrammable.

“Are you sure?” Gustavo asked again. His eyes, trained on Adele, seemed to hold some kind of deeper invitation. But maybe he was just that kind of guy, the kind who knew how to look at a woman,make her feel seen. “The hotel is nice—big showers, hot tub, the whole thing. The next few days are going to be rough.”

“I’m sure it’s lovely,” said Adele, with a nod. She looked around at the trees and up to the stars. “But this is why I came.”

“Me, too,” said Malinka, her Polish accent heavy, pleasantly lilting. She gave Adele a wide smile. “Girl power, right? We got this.”

Adele nodded her agreement, even though she was not agirl, far from it. Nor was she a fan of the phraseWe got this. Something about it almost sounded like a taunt. Like a dare to the universe.Here comes that hard fastball like a cannon-shot, grrl! Don’t fumble.

Still, she shared a high five with her new friend.

Adele would have to remind herself that Malinka—not a girl, either, but a woman and world-class athlete—was the competition. They’d both come here for the money, not to make friends. It was Adele’s fatal flaw to open her heart too wide, to not see the truth that was right in front of her. She promised herself that this time she’d be tough, a competitor. Cold, even, if she had to be.

“Okay,” said Gustavo, clapping his hands together, the sound echoing. He went to the Range Rover and pulled out a pack, held it up. “All provisions from our sponsors. If you have a chance to post about any of it, that would be great. Vege Fuel Protein Bars, Atomic Turkey Jerky, Nut Case Dried Cashews and Fruit, Quench Energy Drink.

“And here are two big canteens of water,” he added with a smile. “Sponsor mother earth. No need to post.”

Adele took the pack; Malinka held on to the water.

“Have a good night, and we’ll see you bright and early.”

---