Lincoln flicked a sharp look between us. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not? She’s adventurous,” I added.
“Chloe likes the office. She likes bossing everyone around,” Lincoln replied, his tone bordering on annoyed.
“She does?” I asked, genuinely puzzled. “She hasn’t been bossy with me.”
Asher’s grin was sly as he clapped me on the shoulder, grabbed his gear bag, and moved away to get to the top of the rock face for belaying.
“What do you mean she hasn’t been bossy with you?” Lincoln shot back.
I ignored him for now, grateful to be off the topic of Adele working with us. We started organizing the gear. Today’s group was all grad students from the University of Alaska prepping to do ice climbing in the winter. They were starting with rock climbing now to build strength and skill. They already had several ice climbing trips booked with us during the winter.
I didn’t mind leading those, but I never really understood the appeal of ice climbing. I looped back to Lincoln’s question, aware my delayed reply would’ve only annoyed him. We were brothers, so part of the job was knowing precisely how to rattle each other’s nerves.
“Chloe just gives us the schedule,” I said. “We hammer it out over dinner, pick the ones we prefer, and she sorts and assigns people. I don’t think that’s bossy.”
Lincoln’s brows arched high. “That’s bossy.”
“Okay, dude. If you say so,” I replied with a shrug.
Lincoln narrowed his eyes. “Drop it.”
I tilted my head, shaking it slowly. “I’m not the one who said she was bossy,” I pointed out. “Damn, she’s really getting to you.”
One of the students nearby glanced between us. “Looks like somebody has a crush.”
Lincoln looked at him, and I could tell he wanted to react, but instead he just rolled his eyes. “No.”
The student chuckled. “Oh, I know a crush when I see a crush.” He turned to me, brows lifting. “I mean, you obviously have a crush too.”
Lincoln snorted, clearly relieved the attention had shifted to me.
“Maybe,” I replied, pressing my tongue into my cheek.
I had zero doubt he was thrilled with my partial honesty. “Well, who do you have a crush on?” Lincoln asked him.
The student threw his head back and laughed. “I’m engaged, well past a crush and totally in love.”
“You’re too young for that,” Lincoln countered.
“I know a good thing when I have it.”
“Smart man,” I replied with a nod.
“Here’s the deal,” he continued. “It’s not just chemistry. That’s nice and all, but what really matters is the boring stuff.” He shrugged. “I was kind of an ass when I was younger—high school and honestly the first two years of college. Just looking to have a good time.” He let out a long breath before adding, “Then, I got really sick.”
Lincoln and I both stayed quiet.
“Nothing awful, but the worst flu I’d ever had in my life. I was pathetic. And the woman I’d been…well”—he grimaced slightly—“maybe not treating as well as I should’ve. I definitely didn’t appreciate her enough at first. I didn’t do anything mean; I just didn’t grasp how much she mattered.” He paused, a hint of vulnerability threading through his voice. “But when I was sick as hell, she showed up to check on me. I hadn’t showered in days, looked like hell, and she just wanted to make sure I was okay. Something clicked for me then. She said she was worried because I wasn’t doing the breadcrumb thing and she just wanted to make sure I was okay.”
Pausing, he shook his head, almost to himself. “Seriously,” he added.
“Breadcrumb thing?” I asked, because I had no clue what he was talking about.
He rolled his eyes, looking a little sheepish. “Not my word. But you know, online they say it’s when you drop enough breadcrumbs to keep somebody interested in case you decide to do something about it.”
“Ah, I see,” I replied while Lincoln let out a dry chuckle.
