Page 99 of Hooked
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jeremy hookedhimself into the anchors at the top of the cliff and turned to yell down. “Safe!”
He started to pull the rope up, taking his turn to belay the next climber coming up the rock. Cary had introduced Jeremy to Ashley and Dave the night before. They’d hiked the trail to the rock, eaten dinner and set up camp, then Cary led them up the rock face the next morning.
“On belay?” Ashley called from the bottom of the cliff.
“On belay,” Jeremy called. “Climb when ready.”
“So Tayla’s up in the city this weekend?” Cary watched Ashley and Dave check her harness.
“Yeah. Said she wanted to talk to her parents about something.”
“About the job?”
“Climbing!” Ashley called.
“Okay, climb.” Jeremy watched Ashley start up the rock face. “I’m not sure what the thing with her parents is about.”
“She seemed weird on trivia night.”
“She’s just got a lot on her mind right now.”
“But I heard her refer to you as her boyfriend. That’s new.”
Jeremy kept his eyes on Ashley, but he couldn’t stop his smile. “Yeah, I heard that too.”
“Congrats?”
Jeremy tried not to let his heart get heavy. “Might be too soon for that.”
“She hasn’t said yes yet.”
“She’s not going to say no.” Jeremy kept his eyes and his focus on Ashley. He was responsible for her safety, and it wasn’t fair that he was so distracted by Tayla being gone. Luckily, Ashley was an experienced climber. She was a tiny girl who looked like she was about sixteen, but she moved like a monkey. She made it up the cliff in short order and clipped on, taking the rope from Jeremy to belay Dave up the wall while Jeremy collected their gear.
“Beautiful day.” Ashley was panting and smiling. “Wow, this is a great spot.”
They were a fun couple, newly arrived in Fresno from somewhere back east. New York maybe? New Hampshire? Somewhere around there. Ashley still had that pale not-enough-sun look, but Dave had clearly spent some time out of his office. He’d said something about agricultural marketing, but Jeremy hadn’t been paying attention.
“It’s really nice,” Cary said. “If we hike a little farther along this ridge, there’s another wall around this height I think we could get to today. Some nice bouldering along the base and great seams right up to the top.”
“I’m game if Dave is,” Ashley said. “It’s early; we’ve got time.”
“Sounds good.”
They waited for Dave to make it up the cliff and gather their anchors where Cary had placed them. After all four climbers were safe, they spread out, exploring the giant slope of granite that protruded from the forest. Jeremy was first to walk along the ridge that Cary had mentioned, curious about the next rock.
The route Cary had mapped out was a variation of one they’d found online. Again, it would be a little challenging for them, but still well within their skill level. Jeremy eyed the sloping base of the climb, eager to try some bouldering.
He glanced over his shoulder, curious what was taking Cary, Ashley, and Dave so long. Wanting to keep his body loose, he dusted his hands and climbed low along the wall, heading for a ledge he saw ten or twelve feet up. The holds were easy and the height was low enough that it was an ideal practice area. Also, the ledge was in the sun, a perfect spot.
His muscles were warm and quick, his fingers hardly sore. He needed a board for crimp training. His pull-up bar was good, but it didn’t give his fingers any practice. He focused on moving along the rock face, reaching for each new hold, enjoying the scrape of cool granite under his fingers and palms.
His right foot reached for a nice crevice just a few feet beneath the ledge, and he shifted his weight when his toes felt secure. His hips nicely balanced, he reached his right hand up and over the ledge, testing his grip to make sure it could take the shift he would need to move his left foot off the jug it was resting on.
His right hand secure, he lifted his left foot and boosted himself up. His face cleared the ledge and everything happened at once.
His eyes registered the bared teeth first, but he didn’t hear the snarl until it was too late for him to retreat safely.
