“Definitely not.”
“Okay then, let’s do this.”
Arm in arm, they headed back toward Jessica’s table.
* * *
Ryan spent Saturday morning teaching back-to-back rock climbing lessons to a group of tourists. All novices, but athletic and eager to learn. They’d all done well, and one of them had even made it to the top.
Not bad for their first climb.
Afterward, he headed to the main building for a quick lunch before he spent the afternoon out on the zip-line course with Ethan and Mark. Emma and Gabby had volunteered to stop by with sandwiches from the deli, something they often did on the weekend when things were busy, but now it felt different somehow. Because Gabby was Ethan’s fiancée and Emma was…well, he wasn’t sure what she was anymore. They’d tossed around the terms “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” a couple of times to get out of otherwise sticky situations, but he wasn’t quite comfortable with it.
He’d honestly never had a girlfriend. He had dates. Hookups. Already this thing with Emma was so much more than that. If he screwed this up and ruined their friendship, he’d never forgive himself.
When the house came into view, he saw Emma’s SUV parked out front, but Trent was standing in the side yard with his parents, pointing and talking. They were here to see the place, and this was Ryan’s chance to make a better impression than he had yesterday.
“Mr. and Mrs. Lamar,” he said as he walked toward them, “I’m so glad you guys made it. Has Trent already given you a tour?”
Kate shook her head. “We just got here. Trent was telling us about the rock climbing you do. I used to climb when I was in college.”
“No kidding?” He cracked a smile. Finally, a sliver of common ground to share. “Climbing is kind of my specialty out here. You ever want to go up, you just let me know.”
She returned his smile with a dismissive shake of her head. “Oh, goodness no. I haven’t climbed in almost twenty years.”
“You might be a little rusty, but I bet you haven’t forgotten,” he said. “They say it’s like riding a bike.”
“Looks pretty busy out here today,” Gary said, glancing around. Ethan and Mark had just led a group onto the zip-line course and were going over safety information before they climbed to the first platform.
“Our weekends are booked solid now that warmer weather’s arrived. I’m not needed on the course until one, though, and I’d love to show you guys around in the meantime.”
“We’d like that, too,” Kate said.
Ryan’s stomach grumbled in protest, but it was worth missing lunch for the chance to try to smooth things out with the Lamars. Trent was his brother, and like it or not, these were his parents. It benefited everyone if they could all get along.
“So the business is profitable?” Gary asked, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his slacks as he watched Ethan get the group of tourists ready for their zip-line ride.
“Yes, sir. Right now, we’re slightly exceeding projected earnings. I’m very pleased with how things are going so far, considering we’ve only been in business about eight months.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize Off-the-Grid was such a new venture,” Kate said. “How did you decide to open a place like this?”
“It was my buddy Ethan’s idea, to tell the truth, but it’s pretty much a dream come true for all of us.”
“Statistically, you know the majority of start-ups fail,” Gary said.
Ryan nodded. “That’s true, sir. I believe wholeheartedly that Off-the-Grid will be in the minority that succeeds, but if I’m wrong, we’ll dust ourselves off and try something new.”
“Well, we certainly hope you succeed,” Kate said with a slightly pinched smile.
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“The zip-line is totally sick,” Trent said, brushing a lock of hair out of his eyes. The kid insisted on wearing his hair in this ridiculous style with long bangs in the front that were always hanging in his eyes. It was probably cool by club standards but totally unsuited for outdoor work like he did here at Off-the-Grid.
“Trent helps us take clients up on the course now,” Ryan told them. “In fact, he’ll be going out with me with the group at one o’clock.”
“Oh?” Kate looked surprised. “I didn’t realize Trent was helping with the customers.”
Trent rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s like they treat me like an actual adult or something.”
