Imagine my surprise when I step through the front doors and get slammed with high-pitched screams and echoing shouts. I nearly turn around and walk out.
Ellis looks like she’s barely holding it together when I reach the front desk, dark hair slipping from her tight bun.
“Why are we so busy?” I ask. Sundays are usually our quietest day of the week.
“There are back-to-back birthday parties all day,” she explains.
I drop my head back and groan.Of course there are.
“Hurry. We need you on the floor.”
I toss my stuff into my cubby and pour myself some of the gross break room coffee before heading out onto the floor. I’m going to need it.
Two hours later, my attitude hasn’t improved.
I’m standing in the middle of the mat, watching a teenage boy scale the forty-foot wall.
“Feet higher!” I snap. “You’re not even trying.”
The kid startles, unaware that someone had been watching him. He scrambles to adjust his footing.
Great. I’m officially that asshole today.
I regret raising my voice. Hewastrying. He just… isn’t experienced.
“Sorry. Just—watch your footing. Put your weight on your toes. That’s better. And don’t reach too far either.”
The kid nods, still a little wide-eyed, and keeps climbing.
“Damn,” Blaine mutters as he passes me, arms full of harnesses. “Who pissed in your coffee?”
“No one.”
“Uh-huh. You’ve been snappy all day.”
“I have not.”
He’s right. I’m in no mood to deal with restless kids. Grabbing a stack of ropes, I start coiling them, tighter than necessary. My hands move fast, practiced muscle memory taking over while my brain stays somewhere else entirely.
Did Korie find the note? I’d left it on the pillow like a coward instead of waking them up. Maybe I should’ve, given their insecurities.
Shit. What if I hurt them? What if taking the easy way out ruins what we just started?
I toss a rope into a bin a little too hard. It tips over, spilling the contents.
“Holden.”
I glance up to see Ellis leaning against the counter and watching me like she’s trying to solve a puzzle.
“You’re gonna take someone’s head off if you keep that up,” she says.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah,” Blaine cuts in. “You’ve beenfine,alright. Super approachable. Ten out of ten customer service.”
I flip him off without heat, but drop my hand when I see a kid looking in my direction.
“I didn’t mean just the climbers,” Ellis says in a stern tone.
