“You’d be lucky to have me,” Ming calls, and waves her goodbye.

“Hi and bye, Gales! We’ll see you guys soon,” I say, and tap the icon to end the chat.

We’re quiet for a few minutes as Ming wraps up her pinning, the only sound the murmur of Jane’s call in the other room punctuated by his bright laughter.

I think about that last turn in the conversation. The idea of taking care of my own, whatever that could mean, feels like an extension of designing for Meryton. When I first learned about the sale, sketching for the venue felt like a way to give back to the place. But it’s not just the place, it’s the people. My people. No matter the outcome of the sale, I want something stable for them.

Ming stands. “You’re set. Change out of that and we’ll make a decision about the cups after I take it in, n’kay, my little eraser smuggler?”

The allusion gets me thinking about Darcy’s hands again. I didn’t pay much attention to his fingers while we danced; I was too absorbed in how they felt. I imagine they’re nimble and could make short work of these buttons . . .

Ming cackles. “Good lord, there you go again!”

CHAPTER

15

I pull myself up on the hold and the rope goes slack in front of me. I wait for Jane to pull my line taut, but it stays limp. The hand gripping the hot-pink skull-shaped hold starts to cramp, the muscles in my palm throbbing. “Take?” I call.

Nothing.

A higher foot placement lets me hook my elbow over the hold, and my fingers tingle with relief. I shake out my hand and peek over my shoulder to where Jane stands below me. His eyes are unfocused, hands slack on the rope that links us. I’m high enough on the wall to do some damage if he doesn’t catch me.

“Jane, I can switch to an auto belay if you’d rather.”

He blinks, shaking his head as he comes back to reality. “I’m sorry!” He feeds the line back quickly, taking up the slack so much my harness yanks at my thighs. I curl my arm more tightly around the hold to lessen the tug on my legs.

Jane sighs. “I’m sorry. It’s—”

“I know,” I assure him. “Just don’t let me splat.”

“I’m all yours.”

I blow him a kiss and get back to the climb, jabbing my thumb into one of the skull’s empty eye sockets to secure my grip. It’s been weeks since I’ve come to the gym. The walls have been reset and my performance has been unimpressive. While I’ve gotten the rust off over the past hour, Pink Skull and his buddies are giving me more trouble than I’d like.