Chapter 3
Blake
Marlow Knight was... something else entirely.
A shameless flirt, for one. And an enigma wrapped up into a neat little package that was beginning to scream ‘danger!’ every time I caught his eye with my own.
At first glance, Marlow was simply a friendly guy who liked to joke around and have a good time.
The type of guy who’d be a good wingman out at the bar, but someone you’d hesitate to bring home to meet your parents.
He was charming, funny, and a little bit reckless in the least threatening way possible.
Deep down, though, there was something else lying right beneath the surface. A kind of trickster energy that my own was feeding off of tenfold and I had no way of braking that train from careening off its tracks.
It’d been a while since I’d felt equal in a conversation—at least in terms of snappy back-and-forths that didn’t end in the other person looking at me like I had ten heads or hurt because of something I quipped back with without dressing it up in a frilly little bow.
Whatever I threw at him, Marlow took with ease. An attribute I could admire in a man.
Taking over as his partner for the foreseeable future was a spontaneous decision on my part.
One that was abruptly becoming clearer by the second how terrible of an idea it was.
I was having too much fun being pulled away from my duties managing the camp’s grounds, to the point where I’d left my radio back on the charger in my office intentionally before I’d even embarked on this hike.
That wasn’t me. I was supposed to be more responsible than this. Not get caught up in some guy with charming dimples and a cheeky smile, whose tall and muscular body was as strong as it was nice to look at, who had a witty personality that had so easily won me over.
Keeping my well-oiled machine was a difficult task that didn’t need to be derailed just because I’d suddenly caught interest in someone for once in my life.
My sisters would be beside themselves if they knew. I’d been badgered more times than I could count about burying myself in the campgrounds instead of going out there and actually socializing like any normal twenty-eight year old.
But what ‘normal’ twenty-eight year old was running a million dollar company, along with a non-profit on the side?
Not many. At least in this area.
“You good?”
Looking over to my left, I spotted Lydia walking over to me with a water bottle in her outstretched hand. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, slightly curled at the ends from the humidity, and that bounced with each step.
The hike up had been long but nice; a good kind of burn had settled into my legs not long after we’d reached the end of the trail and had come among Mt.
Craigleith’s twin waterfalls. The draft coming off of the water’s spray was cool, as was the small area we had all settled in to rest and take photos of the water.
Marlow had wandered off not long after we arrived, leaving me to check in with the rest of our group, along with sending back a report to dispatch that we’d made it all in one piece.
“All good,” I said, taking the water from her and cracking the top off. “Why?”
She shrugged, watching me toss back the bottle and drain half of it. “You looked lost in thought. Didn’t know if something happened down at camp before we got up here.”
Yeah, my libido suddenly rose from the dead.
“Nope, all good.”
She eyed me carefully but kept her mouth shut once I had the cap back on the bottle.
Lydia was a smart cookie, especially when it came to backing off on subjects that weren’t any of her business.
She was my survivalist expert, specializing in all things wilderness camping, hiking, and off trail exploring.
Coming out here was her bread and butter, and technically, I was encroaching on her territory.
She was just nice enough not to say anything, or rather, was curious to find out why I’d volunteered myself when I should’ve been back at camp preparing for next week’s batch of kids that were coming for the water obstacle course challenge contest we were hosting.
Ugh, I’m going to be up all night catching up on my planning...
“You look stressed, Blake.”
I was. Especially now that I was out from under the umbrella spell that was Marlow fucking Knight. “Yeah...”
“You need anything? I can handle everyone if you want to head back.”
My gaze darted over to Marlow immediately.
He had his phone out to record the spray coming off of the side of the cliff, his body moving slowly while he panned the lens to capture the entire beauty of this small slice of paradise.
I’d overdone it volunteering for this activity.
There was hardly any imminent danger that called for an extra pair of hands, not like belaying while rock climbing or camping out in the forest would call for.
Sighing, I ran my hand through my hair to push the pieces falling over my forehead back. “You mind if I check in with Talos?”
Without another word, she unclipped the radio from her pack and handed it over to me, the frequency already tuned down to base camp.
“Talos,” I said into the walkie.
There was a pause on the other end before a familiar voice responded. “Go for Talos.”
“Can you switch to four?” Lydia stepped away to reconvene with the group as I tuned the radio to a private channel and waited for Talos to pop over onto it.
“What’s up?”
“Everything okay down there?” A stupid question considering my second-in-command wouldn’t delay in paging the ever-loving shit out of Lydia’s walkie until I answered him. But I still asked anyway.
“All smooth sailing. How was the hike? You haven’t been up there in a while.”
Turning to face the water feature, it occurred to me how right he was mentioning that.
There wasn’t a particular reason why I never took the time to spend more than an hour or two outside nowadays, other than using the excuse that I was too busy.
Since taking over after my granddad’s retirement, I’d been crushed under the overwhelming need to fill his shoes.
A tall order, if I was being honest.
Having been in this position for a little less than five years, only now was I starting to feel like I was getting the ropes of it without default to calling my granddad to verify whether or not I was making the right decision.
And now I was being totally distracted. What ironic timing.
“Yeah, it was nice. Quick trip. I might come back early.”
Talos chuckled. “You that out of shape?”
I rolled my eyes. “Funny. You need anything?”
“We’re all good here. Take your time, Blake. Enjoy the fresh air for once. You’re getting a little pale.”
I looked down at my bare arm.
Was I?
“I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Call me if something happens.”
“Yes, you worry wart. I will.”
Switching back to the default channel, I let the walkie drop to my side to rub a hand over my face. Maybe Talos was right. Hell, Lydia too. I was cooping myself up too much in my office when what I really should’ve been doing was getting out and getting my hands dirty like the rest of my staff.
Paperwork could wait. We only had so much good weather before the bitterness of autumn hit and we were all forced indoors for a few agonizing months.
Why not get out and enjoy the good weather while I still could?
A nagging worry tickled at the back of my mind.
Sure, the paperwork wasn’t going anywhere, but within six days, I’d have fifty teenagers showing up at the camp’s drop-off zone, eager to be competing for this year’s scholarship prize.
This was the first, of hopefully many more to come after this, annual event that was completely mine. From conception to the eventual execution. And I was definitely freaking out about it internally.
Not that I let anyone know that. If anything, they probably thought I was being way too lax about it—coming out here on a hike when I should be holed up in my office figuring out where the fuck to put all the kids and keep the adults that were already staying here out of their business.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the money that we brought in from the buses full of outdoor enthusiasts, but my real passion was the youth groups. If I could somehow convert Austin Adventures into a strictly Youth Only destination without losing a fuckton of money, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
Those kids deserved their own spaces. Ones where they could actually explore the independent freedom that came with outdoor adventuring and not be bogged down by adults crushing them with their never-ending rules.
I hated that. I hated seeing such brilliant lights be sucked dry by society. Especially when they were LGBTQ. The world was a cruel place at times and if Austin Adventures was the only soft place for their poor heads to land, then I’d do whatever it took to make sure they were kept safe and happy.
“Everything all good?” Lydia asked, coming back over to me.
I tossed her walkie back to her. “Yeah, I’m going to head back. Just realized I’ve got a mountain of paperwork to go through.”
She shook her head at me in a familiar way, reminding me a lot of my granddad. “Oh, Blake. Don’t you get tired of pushing papers all day?”
Yup. But that’s what came with the territory when you decided to take on a giant million dollar family business like this one.
I was damn proud of it, though. If paperwork was the price I had to pay to keep our doors open, then so be it. I’d welcome being the sacrificial lamb.
“Can you make sure Knight gets back down okay? He wasn’t struggling coming up or anything, but I have a feeling he’s the type to wander off and get himself lost.”
Lydia turned to look over her shoulder at the same time that my gaze darted back to him. He was sitting on one of the logs where an old fire pit used to be, deeply engaged in some kind of animated conversation with a couple that was sitting on the logs opposite of him.
Marlow said something to the couple, causing them both to throw their heads back and laugh in unison. He was then offered half of their sandwich, a flourishing wave following as a thank you.
I truly was fascinated by him. Almost like he was an exotic fish exhibit that I couldn’t bear to tear my eyes from no matter how distorted my vision got from the warped glass.
“Yeah,” Lydia drawled. “I’ll keep him next to me. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to chat my ear off.”
I hated to admit I was a little jealous, but quickly pushed those thoughts into the back of my mind. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“No problem. Take your time getting back down there. I don’t want to stumble upon you with a broken leg because you were rushing.”
I threw her a chastised look. “I’m insulted you think I’d be so reckless when I was the one that taught you how to hike properly.”
She smiled. “Guess my memory’s a little fuzzy considering it’s been so long.’
Point taken.
After next week, I’d actually follow her and Talos’s advice and get out for once. It couldn’t hurt to bake myself in the sun for a while, especially with the dig about my tan.
I just needed to get through next week. And then I’d be home free.