Page 8 of Climb Me Maybe
"Of course she does," Sky chimes in.She rolls her shoulders again."I feel like I could climb a mountain right now."
“So what’s your secret?”Connor asks.“Witchcraft?Dark rituals.”
“Swedish techniques and spite,” I say, watching Brady methodically dissect his baked potato like a surgeon.“Sky is a champ at taking direction, also.”
“Who?”Graham chuckles as Sky swats his arm.
Sky preens.“She told me to breathe into the pain and I literally cried on her table.”
Brady’s fork pauses mid-air.“You…cried?”
“Happy tears!”Sky insists.“The cathartic kind.”
He blinks at me like I’ve performed actual sorcery.“That sounds…intense.”
“Occupational hazard.”I shrug, but heat creeps up my neck when his gaze drops to my hands.“Sometimes the body needs to reset.Doesn’t make you weak.”
His jaw tenses, but he nods—once, sharp—before retreating into silent potato annihilation.
Brady stays quiet, but I notice him watching me when he thinks I'm not looking.There's something different about his posture, less rigid than this afternoon, but still guarded.
Teagan finishes her lemonade, crunching on the ice."Are you going to let Imogen work her magic on you, too, Brady?"
Brady shifts in his chair."Still thinking about it."
"What's to think about?"Connor says.
“Connor, it's a big decision.Some people need time to feel comfortable with the idea," I say, deciding to rescue Brady from the well-meaning interrogation.
Connor raises his hands in surrender.“Fine.”
"No pressure."I turn to Brady and put a hand on his forearm.It flexes under my touch.
But the gratitude in his expression makes my chest warm.
After I finish eating, I excuse myself and say goodnight before cleaning up my dishes.Walking back to my cabin, I hear my name.
Brady’s voice pins me in place.I turn to find him under a flickering light near the path, hands jammed in his pockets like he’s containing a live grenade.
“Hi.Escape the inquisition?"
His mouth quirks up."Something like that.They mean well, but..."
"But pushy friends are still pushy, even when they're right."
"Exactly."He clears his throat a little.“I've been thinking about this afternoon.What we talked about, I mean."
I bite back a smile.
“Tomorrow, if you’re not booked.Could you…?”
“Squeeze you in?”
A muscle jumps in his jaw and he nods.
My heart does a little skip."Of course.When were you thinking?"
"After lunch?"
