He eyed me critically, as if suspicious of my alertness. It was still dark—the sun not having risen yet—and the parking area was quiet except for the two of us. “I’m wondering if we should have been booking our tutoring sessions at the crack of dawn instead of the evenings last year.”
“You live and learn,” I said breezily.
We climbed into his truck, and Callan cranked the heater. I was wearing a bulky crewneck sweatshirt, prepared to remove it once we reached the trailhead.
We were quiet most of the drive, Callan’s music playing on low volume. I sipped my coffee and pretended to be interested in the landmarks outside the window—ones I had seen hundreds of times—and tried not to get nervous about rock climbing. I typically liked new experiences, but this one felt well out of my wheelhouse.
At Castle Crags, we parked and began our hike in, Callan carrying most of the gear. The dramatic jagged rock formations that we would be climbing loomed overhead.
“Let’s pause here for a second,” Callan said after we’d been walking for about ten minutes. He stepped to the side of the trail and turned around.
I followed his movement and sucked in a breath at the brilliant sunrise peeking over the mountain. Swaths of orange, red, and pink crisscrossed the sky, illuminating the mountain and forests in front of us. “It’s breathtaking.”
Callan grinned. He was adorable, loaded up with all our gear. He looked like he could be a guide on a mountaineering show. A very young, cute guide.
“We get focused on the plants because of our connection to them. But they wouldn’t exist without the sun. This is my favorite time to be out here.”
“So you’re a morning person too. Good to know we have something in common.”
Callan gave me a sideways look. “You don’t think we have anything else in common?”
“Besides our tree affinities? Let me think.” I was teasing him a little. It was too much fun to watch his face while I did it. “I work at a café. You’re destined to be the world’s greatest physician. I’m an artist; you’re a brilliant scientist. Right brain, left brain type of thing. Let’s see…” I continued to list things as we began our ascent on the trail. “You’re a founder’s descendant, I was cursed by the founders?—”
“You weren’t cursed,” Callan interjected with a lighthearted sigh.
“According to you. But is there a better way to put it?”
“You ran afoul of the founders. Something I’ve been actively trying to prevent from happening further.”
“Speaking of… Has there been any movement on the whole senator front, or is your family still pretty dug in?”
“I’ve been slotted for a trip to Sacramento next week to meet someone at the capital, so their influence into my field studies assignment is about what Iexpected.”
I deflated, upset on his behalf. “I’m sorry. That really drags. You’re making me feel a little better about being the only person to not have received a field studies assignment yet.”
“It’s coming. I have a feeling something… extra special is being worked out for you.”
“I hope so. If I don’t have an assignment by the beginning of November, I’m going to talk to Professor East about it.”
“I think that’s a good idea,” Callan said slowly before turning his attention to a fork in the trail ahead of us. “The group I usually climb with will be at the base. I told them you and I would be practicing on one of the small walls.”
Nerves began to churn in my stomach. I eyed Callan again. He had strong, muscled legs and arms. I was fairly fit, but nothing like he was. What if I didn’t have the strength for this kind of activity?
Once we reached the wall where Callan would be teaching me the basics, he introduced me to his friends, and then they began scaling a much larger slab of rock nearby. I had to look away, fighting a spell of vertigo.
“Let’s get you into your harness.” Callan put the harness on the ground, indicating the loops for my legs. I stepped into the loops and tugged the rest of the harness up, then Callan moved close and put his hands on my hips.
I focused on breathing and trying not to be taken away by the sandalwood and peach smell emanating from him and the fact that his hands were on me.
He tightened the waist belt so that it fit securely around my hips. As he settled the harness, his hands briefly skimmed my stomach over my shirt. We both froze for a heartbeat. So quickly that I almost thought I had imagined the moment, he whisked his hands away, breaking the contact. Did he think there were scouting plants all the way out here? Surely not.
Then, like he had been a professional rock climbing instructor all his life, he took the dark-green rope and tied it to my waist witha fancy knot before threading the rest of the rope through his belay device.
“All right, go for it. Let’s see you climb to that platform right there.”
I looked to where he was pointing, a spot about ten feet above. I could scale that distance in a tree without thinking about it, especially now that I had a tree affinity, but the rock seemed so harsh. I would much prefer to spend more time with him adjusting my harness. “And if I slip?”
“I’ll catch you.” A slight breeze kicked up around my midsection, and there was a subtle heat in his voice.
