AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You want to come with me to get a smoothie?” Courtney dropped the rope when Gia touched down—she had her climbing belt off in an instant. She looked different that day. Same tights, same technical top. What was it? No hat! Her blonde hair hit her shoulders and curled up gently at the ends. Courtney had bangs. Who knew?
“Nah, I gotta get home and clean up in time for work. But thank you.” Gia had her own smoothie waiting, and she’d figured out how to make it taste less dirt-like and more mocha-like. A little cocoa powder went a long way. Plus, the $10+ price tag for someone else to run a blender seemed like price gouging.
“Okay, no worries. I didn’t eat this morning and I get hangry. Don’t want to bite some innocent person’s head off later.” That might have been the first time Gia heard Courtney laugh. It was forced and awkward, but humanizing. Even with the fast words and outward confidence, Courtney had insecurities too. “But let’s talk quickly about Newport. I’m going to take my 4Runner and Ynez said she’d drive her soccer-mom mobile. Could you be the third driver? I figure four in each car, and we can caravan. Easier to keep tabs on everyone if we stick together.”
The floor was more interesting that morning, recently cleaned and shinier than usual. The dimples in the mats mixed with scuffs and stains to form shapes and patterns akin to an impressionist painting. Gia pretended to be lost in thought about shapes on the floor.
“G?”
“Oh, sorry. My car won’t make it. Otherwise, I’d be happy to.” But would she? It seemed like more responsibility than she wanted, even if the car was able.
“Sounds like you need a new car!” There was that laugh again. Nervous. Forced. A way to erase the judgment?
“Yeah.” Gia didn’t laugh. She did need a new car, and there was nothing remotely funny about that fact.
Customers began trickling in as the sign in the front door flickered fromWe’re ClosedtoClimb On!Gia glanced over her shoulder, again pretending. Pretending that the chatter of the handful of people sauntering in was important. It wasn’t.
“Oh, crap, Gia. That was rude of me. Let’s pretend I didn’t say that. Anyway, great job this morning. You’re really improving fast—I can tell you’re putting in the work. Thank you.”
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m having fun. Hey—can I ask you something?”
Courtney had been standing upright—legs rigid, hands behind her back. With a simple question, she melted into the bench behind her and patted it. “Sure. Why don’t you have a seat?”
“Oh, it’s not a big deal. I just wondered—why don’t you have your husband drive the other car? To Newport Beach?”
It seemed fair.
Billy Joel was now singing about being shameless over the gym’s loudspeakers. The curmudgeonly older male couple she’d seen a few times were comfortable in their routine, one of them barking at the other to wait one second. He wasn’t quite ready.
Courtney took a deep breath and exhaled. And then again.
“Oh, sorry,” Gia said for the second time that day. Had she hit a nerve?
“Don’t be sorry, like I told you earlier. You don’t need to walk on eggshells around me. The truth is—”
Another inhale. Another exhale. “—I don’t know where he is.”
Gia expected she’d say he had a golf tournament or would need to hold down the fort or simply didn’t want to hang out with eleven women. ‘Missing’ wasn’t on the radar. “You don’t know—?”
“Nope. I haven’t seen Sam in four years. Almost five.” Courtney stared at the couple, now beginning their climb. Had she noticed the rope was threaded incorrectly through the spotter’s belt? Gia had.
“But I thought—” Gia reminded herself what she’d learned in the OA meeting. Listening was more important than talking sometimes. “Never mind. No need to explain. But I’m happy to listen if you want to talk about it.”
Courtney sighed. “He left me for a younger woman—that he methere—and won’t file for divorce. I don’t know where he is, so I can’t summon him. I thought for sure he’d cave by now, but he hasn’t. Caleb and I keep up appearances for the members and pretend he’s still active in the gym. But Sam is who knows where doing who knows what. I mostly feel bad for Caleb, who’s convinced his father will be back any day now and didn’t abandon him.”
“Oh, shit. I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s old news. I just don’t like to broadcast it.” In that moment, Courtney was more than climbing routes and difficult grips and a hint of overbearing bossiness. She was a person with feelings—who’d been hurt. She went from unrelatable to uber relatable. Who didn’t understand broken relationships and not wanting others to know? This was a topic Gia knew all too well.
“Well, I’m still sorry. That sucks. And if you ever want to talk about it, my offer stands.”
“I appreciate it. Now, I was thinking, what if I rented an SUV for competition weekend? Would you mind driving it? I figure since you’re sober, you’re a good DD. Sometimes, the girls get a little wild after contests.”
So much for having a moment.
???
“Hey, chica,” Roxi bumped her hip into Gia’s, arms bent, hands clasped. She’d snuck up from behind with herSaturday Night Feverdance moves. “Fancy seeing you here.”
