I knew could take a page from his book.
Jesse nodded. “One of those brilliant but shy types. He’s actually talked way more to you than he usually does with new people.”
“Really?” I asked, smiling up at him. “That’s nice to hear.”
“Do you ever have free evenings?” he blurted. We stopped hiking.
I frowned. Soon I might have free evenings. Free mornings and afternoons, too.
He misinterpreted my frown. “I just mean, this was so much fun. I—we—like hanging out with you. Ricky, Murph, me—we should hang out . . . all of us. With you. If you want to.”
If I wanted to? I nearly burst into tears of gratitude. “Yeah, I—I like hanging out with you guys, too. I’ll . . . check my skedj.”
He grinned. “It sucks not having cell phones up here. I mean, what is this—the nineties or something?”
I laughed. “Yeah—how do I let you know when I’m free? Wait until another ill-fated high ropes course gets scheduled?”
He chuckled. “I hope not . . . I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
We smiled for a moment, and then he looked over my shoulder. “We should probably . . . catch up.”
“Right!” I turned around and jogged a little.
“Whoa—no need to win a land speed race or anything,” he called.
I made a big production of bending in half and pretending to breathe hard. “Too bad,” I fake-wheezed, “cuz I was going to totally beat you.”
He pursed his lips together and his eyes widened. “Try me.” He tore off ahead of me, but I was not about to hang back and let him win. He had me in height, but I had lighter shoes. And a lighter bag. And I was not above deception.
“Ow!” I hollered.
He stopped in his tracks and whirled around. “What’s wrong?”
The hesitation bought me just enough time to blow past him at speed. “Nothing now!” I called.
I grinned at the sound of his laughter and boot footfalls thudding on the path. “You are never going to—”
I think I heard him say “win,” but I was too busy flying through the air to be sure. Time slowed down as I splayed my arms out in front of me to catch my fall, but then time triple-sped up, and I was a pile of arms and legs and pain.
“Zelda!” Jesse caught up quickly. “Are you okay?”
I tried to move my toes, but agony shot up my legs and I hissed. I rubbed my hip and elbow where I’d landed. “I’m—”
Footsteps sounded from around the corner belonging to Murph and Ricky and—I swallowed hard: Ben.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Ellie?” Ben pushed past Ricky and Murph and lifted me up.
“Hold on,” Jesse held up his hands, “You shouldn’t touch or move her until we check to see if she’s broken anyth—”
“I’m taking her to the nurse’s office.” Ben’s voice was cold.
“Wait,” I said, struggling a little to be put down.
Ben tightened his hold and looked at me, cheeks flushed, his eyes beginning to well with tears. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”
I stopped breathing. I couldn’t speak. He wasn’t mad at me—he’d been worried. Had I been too hasty? Was there a chance to fix what had been broken between the team and me—and me and Ben?
Our eye contact was finally interrupted by a cough. The Boy Scouts stood shoulder to shoulder. I stared at my knees.
Finally, I said, “Thanks, guys, for the hike.”
Ben turned us toward the Lodge.
“Bye,” they muttered as Ben walked us away. The last thing I heard was Murph ask, “Why would he have been worried? Didn’t they have the morning off?”
Ben was quiet as he carried me down the path. I had a million questions—like, where was everyone else? How did he find us? But the peace felt too fragile to push it.
Now we were in sight of the Lodge. “The nurse’s office is inside, just past the kitchen,” he said.
I wasn’t sure what to feel. He certainly seemed sincere with his concern. And while I knew I could be enjoying the warmth and closeness of being held in his California muscly arms, I held my body stiffly, looking around to make sure no one was watching. Thankfully everyone else must have been deep into rehearsal.
After a few steps this way, he quietly said, “It’s okay to relax. I’ve got you.”
His voice sounded so concerned, and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings or make him angry. So, I took a deep breath and exhaled, willing it to diffuse my tense muscles. Gently, he held me even