Rocked (The Everyday Heroes World) - Julia Wolf Page 0,23
head. “I happen to be off. I’m in.”
“Good.” I bumped her with my pad. “Ellie’s going camping with a friend’s family. I need to be out of the house and distracted from the worries that live inside my head.”
“You’re letting that girl out of your sight?” Rhea was teasing, but there was a large element of truth behind it.
“Veego made the call,” I mumbled, and she cackled.
“Good for him. Not only will camping be fun as hell for Ells, but it’ll be a healthy step for you. You need time to make your own life.”
“I have a life. It’s just that a lot of it revolves around my kid. You know why.”
She bumped me back with her pad. “Cutting the cord a little won’t turn you into your mother.”
My head jerked in her direction. She might as well have punched me in the chin. “Can we not? I came out here to de-stress. Bringing up my mother does the exact opposite.”
“Yep. I have zero desire to talk about your mom. I would, however, like to see you get laid sometime this century.”
I snorted. “That I can actually agree with. I doubt I’ll find anyone at Hooligan’s since I know everyone in this town, but my eyes will be open.”
“And if this phantom stranger has a brother, send him my way.”
We arrived at the crag we’d be climbing today, this huge, Easter egg boulder rising from the ground. Several crash pads were already laid out around it, and Rhea and I placed ours in empty spots. Cooper’s Rock wasn’t tall, but graded at a 7C, it was expert-level and often resulted in us…well, crashing onto the pads.
When it was my turn, Rhea and a few of the guys stood around me, spotting me as I lifted myself off the ground. The beginning of the climb, I was basically perpendicular to the ground, edging my way over the lip of the boulder. My hands slipped, and I fell on my back with a whoosh.
“Shit, my fingers aren’t awake yet.” I laid on the pads for a minute, laughing, and Rhea snapped a picture of me.
“Get up and go again,” she said.
She tugged me from the ground, and I started all over again, this time rubbing some chalk on my hands to help my grip.
I lived for the challenge and the utter concentration climbing took. All my worries and problems were put on hold. There wasn’t room for them, not when I was balanced on the tips of my fingers and toes.
With a grunt, I swung my leg out, attempting to grab the lip of the rock and narrowly missing. For a few seconds, all my weight hung from my fingertips. The fall wasn’t far, only a couple feet, but I was determined to make it this time. My pride was on the line, and I could feel eyes on me. Rhea cheered for me as I swung my leg out again, this time making it and taking some of the burden from my fingers.
It was like solving a puzzle, finding nooks and crevices for my fingers and toes. My blood surged with adrenaline, narrowing my world down to the boulder I was about to conquer.
Reaching as far as I could, I found a crag just big enough for my fingers to fit and pushed myself up until I could roll my body onto the top of the boulder. My breath came hard and my smile came easy, taking over my sweaty face.
Hell yes. I was a freaking rock star.
Eight
Devon
After a couple weeks of barely leaving my rental, I decided fresh air was what I needed. A hit of oxygen to the brain. I’d been writing and writing, but there’d been no magic “click”—no perfect melody or lyrics I had to sing. So far, I’d composed one song, but I wasn’t even sure I liked it.
If nothing else, a change of scenery would do me good. My mood was fuckin’ foul. My manager, Keating, had tracked me down to inform me I was contractually obligated to appear at a movie premiere in LA in three weeks, and I had zero interest. I’d settled in here, and the idea of getting dressed up, smiling pretty for the cameras, and sleeping in my big, empty house set off this gnawing feeling in my chest.
Pushing it all aside, I headed for the woods. With my notebook and a bottle of water, I took a hike. Maybe twenty minutes into it, I came across a few guys