She blinked at me. After a second, she shook her head and said, “This is my fault. He told me to work with you as a team and I didn’t want to.”
“I was at the meeting too. I could have insisted,” I said. “You don’t have to bear this burden yourself. Not everything is on these shoulders.” I squeezed her shoulders, actively fighting the urge to pull her in. She looked at my hands before looking around the room. I dropped them back to my sides. “There are benefits to working as a team.”
“It’s not that. I’m happy to utilize people who bring more experience than me.”
“So long as it’s completely on your terms.” When she didn’t respond, I added, “That’s what I thought.”
“You have all the answers for someone who can’t read,” she mumbled but the side of her mouth tugged slightly.
“Har har,” I said. “I’m just saying, let’s be a team.”
She was chewing on her lip again. How the hell was I supposed to focus when she did that? I’d tasted those lips. I knew their fullness in my mouth as I sucked on them. You don’t eat filet mignon and then crave a McRib.
“I’m planning on that. I just need to—”
“Ah, ah.” I held up a finger. “No ‘I’ in team. We work together from here out. Even now.”
“Fine. Okay, yeah. You’re right.” She rocked her head side to side, popping her neck like she was preparing for battle and not simple team building. “Where should we start?” she asked.
“I have an idea. Are you free tomorrow?”
“I’m free after lunch,” she admitted. “Why?”
“It’s a surprise.”
Her nostrils flared. She really was like Skip. That’s exactly how he’d feel about a surprise. Luckily, I garnered trust for a living.
“None of that, hey. It’ll be great.” I grinned.
She made a sound like Marge Simpson when she was disappointed with Homer. She fiddled with the end of her shirt.
I said, “You don’t have to do anything. Just meet me here tomorrow around one. Wear hiking clothes.”
“Fine.”
“You won’t regret it.”
“Somehow I doubt that,” she said.
Chapter 13
Sanders
We’d been walking for ten minutes and I could feel Roxy’s anxiety ratcheting with each step. My ankle was still a little sore but it was worth it to take a hike with her.
“What sort of trust exercise involves this much walking?” she finally asked.
I held back a triumphant smile. I had bet myself that she wouldn’t last fifteen minutes until the anticipation got to her. I could only imagine the scenarios going through that head of hers.
“Oh, there you go again with the smiles,” she said.
“I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite,” I said, echoing Will Farrell’s character in the movieElf.
“Yes. I noticed this about you,” she said dryly.
As the path inclined, our breaths grew more labored. I didn’t actually have a fully formed plan as to where we were going. I just knew we needed to get her away from the Lodge. She needed to feel safe to be herself.
“You’re not a big smiler, I noticed.”
