This morning’s yoga session did nothing to improve her mood—if anything, it’s only gotten worse.
“No one says you have to participate,” Joshua tells her. “You can go right back down the rocks the same way you got up here.”
The last day or two have been blessedly free of bickering from Joshua and Zoe, as they’ve been giving each other the silent treatment—some new development must have happened overnight, though, because they’ve been back at each other’s throats today.
Zoe reaches out for Matteo, her hand landing light as a bird on his bicep. “Help me get my harness on?” she asks him, the look in her eye dangerously flirty for everyone involved.
It’s clearly a show meant for Joshua—and I can only pray Joshua won’t push them both off the cliff before we’re done here.
“Okay, people!” I call out, eager to get everyone to the bottomsafely. “If anyone truly does want to change their mind, there’s no shame in that—just be careful not to slip as you make your way back down the rocks.”
I glance around the group, expecting at least one of them to be on the fence about trying it, but for now, everyone seems committed.
“This is a beginner-friendly activity, but it still involves descending a cliff while dangling from a rope, so there’s always a bit of risk involved,” I go on. I know from the pre-tour paperwork that most of them have never tried this before.
I scan the group, avoid lingering too long when I meet Sadie’s eyes. My memory flashes instantly back to this morning in the cave, where I’d much rather be right now—her lips on mine, her legs wrapped around me, the two of us alone together in secret.
Matteo clears his throat.
I swallow, pry my attention back to the group of people depending on my focus.
“You’re in good hands with Matteo and me,” I go on. “We’ve both had over a decade of outdoor adventure experience, and we’re both up to date with our certifications in climbing and rope rescue. Trey is actually certified, too, so you’ve got lots of reasons to feel safe and confident.”
All eyes drift to Trey, and he gives a small nod.
“Now,” I say, “Matteo will demonstrate everything you need to know about getting to the bottom. Please pay close attention—if you have any questions, one of us will be happy to answer before you try it.”
“We’ve already done the hardest part for you,” Matteo begins, showing them where we’ve knotted the climbing rope around a nearby tree and piled some heavy rocks on top for extra security. “Your job is to stay calm and trust the process as you make your way down to the bottom.”
He uses Zoe as a model to demonstrate how to get into the harness—not the wisest choice, considering Joshua’s increasingly dark expression—and then puts his own harness on, too.
Zoe does a double take as Matteo tightens the harness onto his pelvis; the straps combined with his pants create an impressive bulge, and I want to roll my eyes at his desperation—and even more so when I see how many people are staring.
Now it’smyturn to clear my throat.
Matteo gets the message and starts his actual demonstration. He runs over all the safety features—the auto-lock carabiners, the Prusik knot at the top of the cord, the figure-eight knot at the bottom—and reiterates that our climbing ropes are dynamic and can withstand more than seven thousand pounds.
“The first step over the edge is the hardest part for most people,” he says. “Once you’re there, though, the goal is to stay perpendicular to the rock, like this, with your feet planted”—his climbing form is casual but precise—“and if you need more stability at any point, you can spread your legs out a bit wider. After that, you’ll want to just let the rope out a little at a time, stepping backward until you get to the bottom.”
It doesn’t take him long to make the full descent, and as soon as he’s clipped out and I’ve pulled the rope back up, it’s time for everyone else to try.
“Ladies first,” Hunter says, nodding specifically to Parker and Emma—the tennis girls and coffee bros have been spending more and more time together lately.
Parker, definitely the more adventurous of the two, is eager to give it a go. You’d never know she was a novice by the way she steps confidently over the edge.
“She makes it look so easy,” Sadie says, coming to stand beside me.
“She really does.” I’m watching Parker closely in case she needs help, but so far, she’s a natural. “How are you feeling?”
Sadie wipes her palms on her tennis skirt. “Well,” she says. “The YouTube videos I watched before the trip didnotdo a good job preparing me for how it would actually feel to be up here. I’m, like, two parts dizzy and one part nauseated?”
“Nauseated from the dizziness?” I ask.
“Nauseated from the anxiety of knowing there’s a risk, however small, that I could end up just…like…splat…at the bottom.”
She says it with a smile, but I can see the nerves just underneath and the tension in her features.
There’s a distant cheer—Parker’s made it all the way down—and I turn to Sadie now that I can afford to give her my full attention.
