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It’s almost sweet, actually. I wonder how he went from playing with computers to lawyer for gangsters.
“I wanted to breed dogs.” It comes out in a sudden rush. He looks at me, a little smile on his face like he’s about to make a joke, so I keep talking. “We didn’t have any pets. My mom was allergic to cats and didn’t like dogs, so we never got one, but I was obsessed with them. I used to have these elaborate daydreams where I’d imagine a whole pack of black Labradors, all of them running around through a forest, and I’d call out all their names one by one, petting their heads as they run past.”
“I didn’t take you for an animal lover.”
“Well, I grew up. At least I wasn’t a computer nerd.”
He laughs at that, finishes his coffee, and tosses the empty into a trash can. “You do realize most computer nerds grew up into rich programmers, right? It’s cool to be into computers now.”
“Don’t try to hide your nerdery from me, Gareth.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” His smile fades as he stretches his neck. “All right, let’s head back.”
“Hold up, we’re running home?”
“Of course, how did you think we were getting there?”
“I don’t know… walking? At a leisurely pace? Maybe taking a cab.”
“Toss the cup, Mrs. Kane. We’re going.”
I groan, throw it away, and adjust my hair. There’s no way I’m going to let him know that I’m already sore and exhaust. “Fine, let’s do this, you big dork.”
He laughs as he sets out at a pace I definitely can’t match for long.
But I try anyway.
Chapter15
Fiona
Iclap my hands together. Chalk bursts into the air, a dusty white cloud. I stand at the base of the bouldering wall, the myriad of different size and color hand- and foot-holds skittering up toward the top like a broken-apart puzzle. I bounce on a protective floor mat, thick and soft enough to brace a fall from the top. Bouldering walls don’t use harnesses, but they also don’t go as high.
I have new climbing gear, new shoes, new clothes, even a new headband.
But the gym is home. The gym is my life. I take a deep breath, smelling sweat, wood, plastic, chalk. And I smile.
God, it feels so good to be back.
“Hell fucking no,” Gareth says from the strip of flat ground at the edge of the mat. “Nope. Absolutely not.”
I look back at him, hands on my hips. “You woke my ass up at the crack of dawn for a run. You’re climbing the damn wall.”
“I’ve never done this before,” he says, eyeing the top. “Where’s the safety equipment? Aren’t there ropes?”
“We’re at the beginner bouldering course. If you fall, you land on the mat.” I bounce up and down, showing him how springy it is. “You’ll be fine.”
He sighs and rubs his face. “If I break something, it’s going to be very hard to do my job. You realize that? I need my hands. Also my legs.”
“Don’t be a coward.”
That gets his attention. “I’m not afraid. I’m practical.”
“You’re trembling.”
“Fiona.” His tone sharpens. “Don’t test me.”
“I want to test you, big guy. Come on, climb.”
