Page 23 of Click of Fate

Blinking at them, I lower my camera.

I momentarily forget the man next to me until he steps past me to greet the newcomers.

“Hey, there. You must be one of my new climbers,” Luke says, looking down at Lilly.

She beams up at him.

I’m so confused when I make eye contact with Ruth and ask, “What’s happening?”

Ruth, in her elegant, nonchalant way of hers, just smiles and says, “I heard about this place and wanted to check it out. I’m far too old to climb myself, and when I saw they have a tiny climber’s class, I thought of little Lilly here. I talked to Harper and offered to bring her.”

Luke reaches out to shake her hand, and I can tell by the way her eyes sparkle at him, she’s probably figuring out how to match him with one of her clients.

I stifle an eye roll at the thought.

“Hi, I’m Luke. I’ll be teaching the tiny climber class.” He shakes Ruth’s hand, then he focuses on Lilly.

“I’ve got two new climbers today. Can you tell me who you are?”

“I’m Lilly!” my niece says, dancing around, clearly excited. “My Aunt Stelly takes my pictures all the time. Is she taking yours?”

I groan.

“Oh, darling. Your auntie here is amazing behind the lens. Very talented.”

Luke slowly turns toward me, realization dawning.

Grinning at me, but talking to Lilly, he says, “Your aunt, huh?”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t start.”

Lilly brushes my side as she admires the climbing walls behind us.

“This place is so cool,” she says. And thank goodness she’s not offering up any more personal information about her Aunt Stelly.

Ruth leans in, her voice just low enough for me to hear, “And so delicious.”

I glare at the woman I’ve known since I was eighteen.

Luke kneels to Lilly’s level, grinning. “Think you’re ready to be a climber?”

Nodding furiously, she nearly yells, “Yes!”

My ovaries squeeze at the sight of him with my niece—which just pisses me off. I force my eyes elsewhere, which is when I notice Ruth watching him closely, then she catches my eye, and a slow, knowing smile creeps onto her face.

“Well, well. This should be fun.”

“I hate everything about today,” I mutter under my breath.

Luke stands. “No, you don’t. You love a surprise.”

“No, Luke. I really don’t,” I tell him flatly.

Lilly is still all giggles as Luke gives her his attention and walks her and Ruth over to the check-in to get signed in. Ruth follows with a knowing smile as she takes in the atmosphere, and I lag behind, something twisting in my chest…and I don’t like it one damn bit.

Chapter 7

OFF-BALANCE

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