Page 51 of The Quit List
Jax’s face becomes impassive. And then, after a moment of hesitation, he begins to nod.
“It’s actually kind of funny you’re suggesting this,” he says slowly. “My plan was to find a novice hiker to take out there—my mentor recommended I get more practical guiding experience before actually opening for business. I expected to ask one of my sister’s friends or someone at work, but…”
“See!” I exclaim. “It’s perfect!”
“It’s going to be grueling,” he cautions. “Think blisters and no bathroom facilities and dehydrated food.”
“Exactly! It’s an adventure. You’d have a hiking buddy, I’d be pushed out of my comfort zone.”
My heart is literally pounding with excitement. I can’t believe how much I’m looking forward to this.
And not gonna lie, the mental image of Jax out there leading me in the wilderness is downright sexy. Surely all women would go crazy to see this guy chopping wood and bushwhacking and scaling peaks and… whatever it is, exactly, that wilderness guides do.
Which gives me another idea. “And in the process, what if I work on some of that immersive content that I was talking about for your website? Maybe take some photos for your social media…”
I trail off as some of my bravado fades. I’m probably getting ahead of myself. This sounds like a no-brainer to me, but what if Jax has the same reaction Dylan usually has? Doesn’t want me getting in the way with all my grand ideas?
But instead of responding right away, like Dylan would, Jax is silent for a moment. Thoughtful.
And then, finally, a smile spreads across his face. “You’ve got yourself a deal, Hollywood.”
“Pleasure doing business, Mr. Bartender… or should I say, Mr. Wilderness Guide.”
When our hands meet, his feels big and warm around mine, and a tingle travels down my arm.
Safe and dangerous, all at once.
Then, a flicker suddenly crosses Jax’s face. “Hang on, I just need to check… you’re not deathly afraid of ravines, are you? Because if you are, I will need to rescind my agreement.”
Random.
I give him a puzzled look. “I am afraid of many things, but ravines have never made it onto the list, no.”
He looks weirdly relieved by my response.
My hand is still clasped in his when my phone buzzes in my purse, jolting me out of the moment.
I drop his hand, shake off those dumb tingles that one should not feel when shaking the hand of a man who is helping you find a man who is not him, and grab my phone.
Wanna come over for sushi and board games tonight?
Bring Aubrey, if you like, so we have four.
But make sure you tell her that she has to play properly this time and can’t go giving away her wheat to solve world hunger.
I snort a laugh at this. When Mindy says “board games,” she means honoring the long-standing tradition in our family of playing Settlers of Catan. Which is probably a tradition in many families, but the Greenes play with the Traders & Barbarians expansion pack, and we add our own layers of bribery, extortion, blackmail, and bartering.
Apparently, natural resources bring out the worst in us.
Mindy’s husband, Luke, has embraced the competitive chaos with open arms, but Greene Family Game Night is not for the faint of heart, and Aubrey, quite frankly, sucks at it. She’s too much into peace and love to make a good barbarian.
“A new Spark match?” Jax asks from beside me.
“Nah, it’s my sister.” I turn to look at him, and then, a slow smile spreads over my face. Unlike Aubrey, Jax seems to have no problem doling out tough love and hard truths. A barbarian in the making, really. “Hey, you have plans for this evening?”
18
HOLLY