Page 48 of Lucky in Love
“I smell that,” Tess said, her back still to them. “Points docked for cheating.”
“Worth it,” Zach mumbled, opening his palms to face the heat.
When Tess didn’t mention leaving early and proceeded with the morning class on navigation as if a snowstorm wasn’t bearing down on them, Brody assumed the forecast must have changed again and that they’d be staying.
The class ended with a practical test. They were all given instructions and sent off in different directions to find a specific item and return it. According to Tess, the items had been placed last week and should be simple to spot. Brody’s was a brightly colored garden gnome, which he had no trouble finding.
Some of the others didn’t fare so well, returning empty-handed and complaining they were lucky to have found camp again.
They had just finished lunch—pork and beans from a can heated over the fire—when Miles finally broke, causing the rest to fall like dominoes.
“I’ll give you a thousand dollars to get us off this mountain right now,” Miles said.
“Ten thousand,” Zach said. “If you swear not to tell anyone we bugged out early.”
“You do understand the concept of weekendwarriors, right?” Tess said. “It’s not meant to be easy. It wasn’t advertised as a stroll in the woods. You’ve got one more day and one more night. You can do this. And you’ll regret it if you don’t.”
They all maintained that theywantedto stay but just couldn’t.
“I left a really important deal on the table, and I need to get back and finish it,” Robert said.
“I’m worried my wife will go into labor early,” Miles said, even though he’d already mentioned she was only six months along, making his argument flimsy.
“I hurt my ankle going to the bathroom last night in the dark,” a guy named Grant said. “I think I need a doctor.”
“I’ll be honest,” Zach said. “I didn’t know it would be so freaking cold. I miss my wife and kids and heat.” At least he had the guts to openly acknowledge he was wimping out.
“Is this your version of a mutiny?” Tess asked dryly. “Is everyone giving up?”
Brody cleared his throat. “I’m okay staying.” Four glowering stares kept him from elaborating. Which was fine. Hewaswilling to tough it out, but it wasn’t a hill he was adamant about dying on.
Tess looked at each man separately, silently judging and condemning them. These were rich, presumably powerful men who’d been reduced to whimpering shells.
“All right,” she finally said. “Pack up and let’s go home.”
The men glanced back and forth, stunned that their pleas hadn’t fallen on deaf ears.
“Really?” Grant said. “You gave in easier than I thought you would.”
“Snow’s coming sooner than expected,” Tess said. “We were already going to head back early.”
Grant sighed. “Only now we’re leaving in shame.”
Tess’s silence confirmed the comment. No one said a word as they packed up and followed Tess down the mountain, the snow hot on their heels.
It was dark by the time they made it back to the original rendezvous point, and they all went their separate ways.
There was no snow at the lower elevation, but cold air rushed through the cracks of the truck’s cab. Even with the heat on full blast, Brody could not get warm.
Happy to be home, he stumbled up the porch steps, opened the door, dropped his pack, and removed his boots.
He’d slept fitfully the night before and longed for a good night’s sleep. But when he flipped on the light, he had to bite back a scream.
The person in his bed had no such restraint.
“Ahh!” Alex sat abruptly and rubbed her eyes against the glare.
“What are you doing here?” they yelled at each other in unison.
