“People love to flirt with Mother Nature. The prospect of taming her calls to a lot of people.”Ask me how I know,I think wistfully.
“That’s so stupid,” Hanlon says. “No human can tame Mother Nature. She’ll do exactly what she wants, when she wants, and give no thought or care to human life.”
“Oh, I agree. She’s fucking terrifying.”
“And vengeful. I believe she’s full of rage,” he adds.
Perhaps it’s the fact that we’re not face-to-face, or it’s the subject matter, that’s making him open up a little, but I can’t deny that I want to hear more of his thoughtful insights into Mother Nature.
I wind a path up and down the mountain, showing him the resort, doing my best to keep him talking. It’s also a good way to assess if he’s getting too cold. So far, his voice has been strong,with no teeth chattering. We’ve been out about three hours, and we’re making the push to the far eastern boundary when his voice fills my ears.
“I’ve gotta take a leak.”
“What kind of facilities do you prefer? There’s a patch of trees up here to the right, or I can cross the ridge to the restaurant over there. There’s a bathroom in the basement, so you wouldn’t have to go through the main part.”
“Trees are fine,” he says.
When I park, I expect him to hop off immediately and take care of business, but when I don’t feel the snowmobile rock with his departure, I turn to look at him.
“You going?”
“Yeah. I’ve been sitting for a while. I just need a second.”
Fuck. How could I have forgotten to stop and let him stretch his legs?We’ve been on this thing forever.
“Shit, Han. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I told you I didn’t want any special treatment, and I don’t. I just need a second, is all.”
This is why I can’t assign him to another member of my team. I’m not surprised he didn’t tell me he needed a break, but I should’ve known.Instinctively, I get off the vehicle and squat next to it, reaching for his calf, but he pulls away from me, his hand already massaging the tight muscle.
“Don’t,” he growls.
I hold my hands up and stand. “I was just trying to?—”
“Help?” he finishes for me. “I could’ve used your help when I was fourteen and nervous as hell about starting high school. I could’ve used your help at sixteen, learning how to drive stick-shift, since Mom and Dad were so concerned about me having enough motor coordination that they wouldn’t even let me try. And Idefinitelycould’ve used some help at twenty when I had to declare a major, but was so overwhelmed with allthe choices that I wondered how someone manages life as an adult. Obviously, I couldn’t go to Mom and Dad because their solution would have been to buy me a fucking condo and pay for all my shit, so I didn’thaveto decide. But now? Now I don’t need your fucking help. I just need you to show me how to do my job so I can get the hell out of here and move on.”
By the time he’s done, I’m fucking speechless, and he’s loosened himself up enough to be able to get off the machine.
His gait is stiff, and I can’t help but be concerned about him despite his animosity toward me, especially since it’s warranted.
There’s a lot more to cover before Hanlon will be an asset to this team instead of a liability, but I think we’ve hit our quota for each other today, and once he’s done, we head back down to Basecamp.
I can only hope that today gets busy, and I’m able to occupy my mind with something other than my stepbrother.
Chapter 6
Hanlon
Ifinally have a day off, but my body is already used to waking up at four a.m.—probably because of the time difference—so I’m dressed and ready to start my day by five.
There’s a CrossFit gym in town, and I’m looking forward to being back in class.
I arrive fifteen minutes early to fill out the waivers and pay for my attendance.
“We’re glad to have you, Hanlon! Men’s changing room is to your right if you need it, lockers are free to use, and check out our protein smoothie bar when class is over,” the girl behind the counter says enthusiastically.
Heading into the locker room, I stash my stuff, strip my sweatpants off, and make my way back out to the gym floor to begin introducing myself to the people who will suffer with me for the next hour.
