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“Well, Milly, my best friend from riding,” she filled in some backstory for me, “said her dad is looking to date. Her parents split when she was born. And I thought since Dr. Knight is so pretty, she might like to meet him.” She went back to looking out over the lake below us.
My head hurt with what she said, and it was too soon and too raw for me to even think about that topic right now.
I spotted powder and rubbed it into my hands, getting rid of any sweat.
“You’re going now?” Her eyes widened.
“You brought me here, didn’t you.”
“Yeah, but I should let dad or grandpa know. I mean what if something happens?”
“Then I better be careful, hadn’t I?” I handed her my phone and pulled on the gloves that were hanging on the hook and stepped out onto the ledge, grabbing the rope.
“Ty,” she seemed nervous as I hooked a weight belt to my waist. I not only wanted to make it harder, but I wanted it to drop if I needed to. It would break the surface of the water before me.
“I’ll be right back.” I eased over the edge and then let gravity drive me downward. I repelled down quickly to the water, but before my feet even touched the surface, I squeezed my boots to stop the descent and used all my upper strength to climb right back up the rope. Just before I got to the top, I did it again. I did it five more times until my muscles screamed for a break. Physical activity was the only way I could work out the shit in my head. Though it wasn’t a permeant fix, it helped.
“That was crazy!” Olivia beamed, holding up my phone. She had recorded me, apparently. “This should be on the Army website.”
“I appreciate the love, but I don’t do websites.” I tucked the gloves away and pointed for us to leave.
“Want to do the obstacle course we have here?”
“Another time. I have a doctor’s appointment I can’t miss.”
“Oh, yes,” she checked her watch, “your CAT is soon.” I shook my head at her. “I told ya, Ty, I’ll run this place someday.” She gave me an impish grin.
“That, I don’t, doubt.”
Later that evening, Daniel and Sue wanted everyone in the house to join them at Zack’s, so I sat at the table and listened to conversations that were in full swing. Dinner had been served and cleared, and now we were enjoying drinks as we discussed the outdoor pool Daniel wanted to build at Shadows.
“What’s wrong with the lake, Grandpa?” Olivia’s brow furrowed momentarily as she looked up at her grandfather. She’d beamed at him all through the meal. I could tell he was her idol.
“Well, sweetie, I think a pool would be useful for training. The guys could use it for diving and exercises that keep them underwater for long periods of time.” He glanced at me. “Ty, I know you’ve spent a lot of time using water as a tool to hide. Perhaps I could pick your brain on that sometime.”
“Of course.” I wasn’t up for much conversation. I’d wanted to skip out altogether, but I knew Dr. Roberts had his eye on me. Ivy was quiet tonight as well, I noticed. I knew I owed her an explanation, and I was a dick for not just spitting it out. My phone buzzed and pulled me from my thoughts.
Moore: Just heard from Dustin. Hill never made it back to Washington. Rivera has been spending time with his brother.
I saw red with the idea of Hill still being in Montana. I rubbed my face, feeling my temper rise to the surface.
“Your CAT was clear.” Cole leaned in next to me. “You’re officially back on call.” I nodded, pleased at some fucking good news for once.
“Dad,” Olivia beamed, “you should have seen Ty on the fast rope today.” The entire table looked at me.
“What’s a fast rope?” Ivy looked around like she’d missed something.
“You know how we repel down from the chopper?” She nodded at Mike as he explained. “Well, we have two practice ropes that hang sixty-two feet down from a cable across the lake.”
“I hate those things,” Mark cut in with a shake of his head. “I don’t mind heights, but there’s one spot in the rope that when you zip by it, it wiggles way below, and one wrong move…” He let out a huff. “Scares the shit right out of me. It’s a damn long way down.”
“I can safely say I don’t miss those,” Zack, who had been circling the table, chimed in.
“He went up and down like six times, Grandpa Zack,” Olivia continued. “Zipped down, stopped right above the top of the water, and then only used his arms to pull himself back up. It was totally cool.”
Though I appreciated her compliment, I wasn’t in the mood for attention.
“Did you wear the belt?” Sue looked concerned.
