Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
“…water volume is still too high, so I hope the folks at AdventureSmash are willing to wait.”
I blinked out of my reverie. “Wait, what?”
“The Majestic River. The rapids are too dangerous. No one can get on the water right now. You’ll have to send a drone up for a preliminary bird’s-eye view of the run until the volume comes down and it’s safe enough for a boat. Should be good to go in a couple of weeks.”
I worried the team at AdventureSmash wouldn’t be happy waiting, but there wasn’t much we could do if conditions were too dangerous. Eden must have been able to tell what I was thinking because she reached out to squeeze my arm. Silas immediately released me and stepped aside, as if I couldn’t handle being touched by two people at once.
Eden smiled warmly. “Relax, Way. It’ll be safe again in plenty of time for the event, and the AdventureSmash people should be fine with the drone footage for now. They just want to make sure there are no new obstacles or obvious impediments.”
“I don’t have a drone,” I said, pointing out the obvious.
“Foster or the SaR team should have one, or they can find one to borrow. Take a breath, babe. It’s going to be okay. Everyone’s looking forward to the exhibition, and when I stopped at Lake Sports and talked to Jackson, he said everything is in great shape.” She met my eyes. “You’re doing good, Way. Promise.”
Silas turned his head and peered up at the rock face. That simple gesture made the dynamic between the three of us feel even more awkward.
I gritted my teeth together and tried to stamp down my growing annoyance. Maybe all of this was in my head and I was the only one feeling incredibly off-kilter.
“Thanks for doing these climbs,” I said. “Let me know what you find at Maude.”
She nodded and smiled again. “No problem. Feels good to get out here and climb without needing to be on camera or look a certain way. Our plan is to hike back via Serenity and do some bouldering there as long as the weather holds.”
“You have a radio?” I asked out of habit.
“Yes, Dad. And flares and a sat phone. Don’t worry.” Her expression softened before she leaned in and gave me another hug. This one was tighter and longer. “Promise I’ll be okay,” she murmured in my ear.
I mumbled a thanks and called one out to Miki, also, before turning to Silas. “Ready? We have another three miles to close the loop.”
He nodded before waving to the ladies and following me back to the trail.
We walked in silence for a few minutes before he broke it. “She seems nice.”
It was such a cliché thing to say I could only bring myself to respond, “Mm.”
A minute later, he added, “Pretty, too. Really pretty.”
“Mmhm.”
After a few more minutes with nothing but the crunch of dry leaves and tiny pebbles under our boots, Silas finally threw up his hands. “She called you babe! She… touched you. She hugged you. Twice. She seemed upset that we got married. Is there… is she… Jesus fuck, Waylon. Are you upset?”
I reached for his hand and pulled him toward me, away from the far edge of the trail where I’d spotted a familiar brown pattern. “Not really, but there’s a bull snake right there which might make you upset.”
He yelped and jumped into me, shoving me farther away from where I’d pointed and several yards further along the trail with a funny kind of skip shuffle.
A chuckle escaped me as I tried to reassure him. “Not venomous. I promise.”
“Aren’t all snakes venomous?”
“Definitely not. Haven’t you heard of a garter snake?”
Silas gave a full-body shudder. “Are snakes common around here? First, the guy at the boot store mentioned them; now, you’re pointing them out on a simple trail hike. Do I need to wear steel pants?”
“Yes,’ I said, trying to keep a straight face. “I mean… it’s not a bad idea, really.”
He frowned at me in confusion while I pretended to consider the idea more fully.
“They’d be heavy and probably chafe a little,” I continued. “But Lake Sports sells this Squirrels Nut Butter stuff that—”
Silas shoved me hard in the shoulder until I had to take a few quick steps off the path to keep from falling. I couldn’t hold back the laugh.
“Shut up,” he said with a soft snort. “Ass.”
“Steel pants,” I hooted. “Steel. Pants.”
“Nut butter?” he challenged.
“Hey, that’s real. Ask Jackson or Lake. They sell it to cyclists.”
As we continued down the trail, I noticed Silas keeping closer to my side. His face was pensive, and I assumed he was still ruminating on the snake sighting.
“Snakes are pretty rare,” I finally admitted. “That’s probably the only one you’ll see all summer, honestly.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said, turning and pinning me with those fucking eyes. “About Eden. About our marriage.”