Ha! Like I have time for wilderness matchmaking.
Doesn’t stop me from being curious. I pick up my pace until I’m right behind Maverick. “Can I ask you something?”
His eyebrows jump up when he looks back at me, but he nods. “Uh, shoot.”
“Are you expecting to find your soulmate on this trip?”
He snorts a soft laugh, shaking his head. “I don’t believe in soulmates.”
Though Zahra glances back, her brow furrowed, I pretend not to notice her disheartened look. “So why put your dating life in the hands of someone else?”
Maverick shrugs. “Because there’s something powerful in objective observation, and it gave me an excuse to get away from the office.”
Interesting.
Brody scoffs, apparently taking issue with Maverick’s response.
We both ignore him. “What do you do for work, Mav?”
“I’m in sales,” Brody says behind me.
“Psychology,” Maverick says, and though I can’t see his face, I can hear his smile. Either he really likes his job, or he finds something funny about Brody. Maybe it’s both.
“Therapy?” I ask, since psychology is a field of study, not a profession.
“More like research.”
“I work for a big tech company,” Brody throws in, sounding breathless from exertion. “You’ve probably heard of it, but I don’t want to brag. It comes with all sorts of perks, so let me know if you ever want me to hook you up, Derek.”
In any other situation, I would keep my response politely disinterested and neutral. I can rarely afford to get on anyone’s bad side by saying something I shouldn’t, being such a prominent public figure. But my thoughts drift to the NDA Brody signed a few days ago. The one that makes me virtually untouchable.
If I got more sleep, I would be more careful about what I say. But I didn’t, and Brody spent a little too long ogling Morgan in her pajamas at breakfast this morning. He’s really getting on my nerves. “Tech isn’t my thing,” I say brusquely. “I’m more interested in people.”
Maverick coughs to cover a laugh, and behind me Hunter mutters, “Shouldn’t have pulled your punch, D.”
Rolling my eyes, I keep the conversation moving before Brody comes up with a response to my soft shutdown. “So you research…what?” I ask Maverick. “People in general?”
He nods. “A little more nuanced than that, but yeah. I dig into what makes people do the things they do and how various personalities mix or clash. The best traits that work well with each other and who should keep a distance. That sort of thing.”
That sounds an awful lot like someone who would start up a dating website.
“You get it,” he adds, glancing back at me. “Acting is all about understanding what makes people tick, right?”
His comment surprises me, making my foot catch on a rock and send me stumbling forward. Hunter grabs me almost immediately, and suddenly I feel a lot like Zahra. Not exactly how I want to feel, though I appreciate the save. “Thanks,” I grumble to my bodyguard, then turn my attention back to Maverick. “You’re right. The best actors know their characters and what drives them at a deep, intrinsic level. Otherwise, they can’t be convincing.”
“Are you calling yourself one of the best?” Brody asks with derision.
“Why don’t you ask his two Oscars?” Zahra responds before I can, a hard edge in her tone. She stops walking and gapes back at us, like she has no idea how those words just came out of her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t mean…”
Laughter bursts from my chest, and Hunter and Maverick are quick to join in, thankfully relaxing Zahra’s shoulders as she lets out a shaky breath. “I like you,” I tell her, then turn back to Brody. “And no, I wasn’t calling myself that.” I cock my head, feigning subtle arrogance with my straight stance and a lifted eyebrow. “But Zahra’s not wrong.”
Leaving him red-faced and tight-jawed, I resume walking, patting Maverick on the back and touching Zahra’s arm as I pass, Hunter right behind me. I do like Zahra. She’s sweet and unassuming. And Maverickis becoming more interesting as the days go on, making me want to start studying him more closely and get some good notes for future roles.
But for now, I should focus on getting to the top of this rocky slope.
Twenty minutes later, I’m standing on the narrow summit in complete awe. The river flows on either side of us, looping behind tall, thin rock formations that block our view of the boats below. It doesn’t matter; the rest of the view has left me entirely breathless.
No wonder Donovan loves this place.
