He lifted his hands. “Whoa, sorry, boss.”
“Why aren’t you with the group?”
“Had to take a leak. Is that allowed?” There was a grin on Rhett’s face. At only twenty-three, he was one of the younger new employees, but he was fit and had experience in all the activities offered at the park.
Noah nodded toward the path. “Come on.”
“Everything okay?” Rhett asked as he walked beside him.
“It’s fine.” Iffineinvolved being on the brink of losing his damn mind.
Rhett shot a look over his shoulder. “I saw you coming out of reception. Did Addie say something? She’s got some fire in her, doesn’t she?”
Noah’s muscles stiffened. Was Rhett interested in her?
If he was, it was none of Noah’s business. Rhett was a lot closer in age to Addie than he was. She was twenty-two and Noah was thirty-five, so even if that damn incident hadn’t happened last week, he shouldn’t be interested. He was too old for her, and he was her boss.
“How are you feeling about the park opening tomorrow?” Noah asked, because yeah, he was avoiding any talk about Addie.
“It’ll be a piece of cake. This place is tiny compared to Geronimo.”
Was Rhett cocky or confident? Maybe a bit of both. But probably for good reason. Rhett had spent the last couple years working at Geronimo Adventure Park near Houston, which boasted a twenty-four-foot outdoor rock-climbing wall, four climbing trails, and a huge zip line canopy tour—exactly why Rhett was the most experienced of the new staff.
“Glad you’re confident,” Noah said.
When they reached the group at the base of the granite cliff, Cass, Flint, and Buck were setting up the crash pads while Colt rifled through the equipment box. It was a great spot for both bouldering and rock climbing, since it was fifteen feet of rugged rock formations.
Noah crossed over to Colt, who looked up and immediately paused. “You okay?”
No, he wasn’t. But he hadn’t told Colt what had happened in the office a week ago, because then he’d have to tell him everything else.
“I’m fine.” He grabbed the bag of chalk and turned to the group now standing around, waiting. “We ready?”
When everyone looked up, he tossed the bag to Buck, who fumbled it. While Rhett was the most experienced, Buck was the least.
“This is the last session before you have people depending on you,” Noah said loudly, so the whole group could hear. “Bouldering can be fun, as long as safety measures are adhered to. You are there toinstillthose safety measures. We open in less than twenty-four hours and people will be climbing this rock with only a foam pad to save them. What’s the most important thing to remember on the bouldering wall?”
“Give clear commands and if someone panics, stay calm,” Cass answered. She was usually the one to respond.
Noah nodded. “Correct. Pair up.”
Rhett went with Cass, while Flint and Buck partnered.
He watched them prepare. Cass and Flint were the first climbers.
Colt joined Cass and Rhett, while Noah went with Flint and Buck. This was where Buck’s inexperience really became evident. Luckily, he was better at mountain biking, where he’d mostly be scheduled to work.
Buck was halfway up when he hesitated. He had one hand gripping a sloping hold while his foot searched for the next step. It was a hard move, a blind heel hook over a slight overhand.
Noah shifted his gaze to Flint, who was barely paying attention. Hell, he looked like he was half asleep. “Flint, you watching?”
Flint shot his gaze back up. “Buck, reset your left foot.”
“I can’t see where it goes,” he called.
“You don’t need to see it,” Flint said.
“Remember your training,” Noah called.
