“If that happens, tell her to mind her own business.”

He shook his head. “You know I would never disrespect your mother.”

“Then tell her to take it up with me.”

Tobias finished his own beer. “Okay,” he said as he watched Maddox and Jada, who’d been waiting at the bar, finally get a chance to order.

Atticus gazed toward them, too, but Tobias could tell he wasn’t really seeing them. His eyes were glassy, and a dreamy smile stretched across his face. “This will be so cool. I’m going to get a GoPro so I can film it.”

“The view at the top is spectacular,” Tobias said. “There’s no place like Yosemite.”

“Have you seen that documentary—Free Solo?”

“I have.”

“Man, that dude’s cool.”

“That dude’s amazing.” Tobias shifted so that Maddox could sit down. “El Capitan is a three-thousand-foot vertical rock face.”

“He’s the only one to ever climb it without ropes.”

Jada sat across from them, next to her brother. “What are you talking about?”

“Tobias is going to take me hiking,” Atticus announced.

Jada, who’d reached for the pretzels in the middle of the table, froze. “He’s going to do what?”

“I’ll show you,” Atticus said.

As Atticus sat forward so he could call the video back up on his phone, Tobias wondered how Jada was going to react. She’d know her mother wouldn’t like the idea. “I saw this on YouTube several months ago,” Atticus explained and hit Play.

Both Maddox and Jada watched without speaking. When it was over, they exchanged a look. Then Maddox said, “You and Atticus are going to do that.”

“Why not?” Atticus said as he put his phone away.

“Why not?” Jada gaped at her brother. “Are you drunk?”

“Hell, no! Your brother-in-law is as strong as an ox. If anyone can carry me, he can. Anyway, I only weigh a hundred and fifty pounds.”

The waitress interrupted to see if Tobias or Atticus wanted another drink.

“I’ll have another beer,” Atticus told her.

Tobias waved her off.

“I guess it depends on where you’re going,” Maddox said slowly, as though he was being careful with his response. “Hiking around here might be okay. The hills aren’t too bad.”

“Hell, no,” Atticus said. “We’re not going around here. We’re tackling Yosemite!”

Maddox blinked in surprise. “That would be quite a feat.”

Atticus shrugged. “We can do it. We’re going to train for it. And since I might never make it out there again, I’m going to film the whole thing.”

“This is because of that movie Free Solo, isn’t it?” Jada asked her brother. “You’ve been obsessed with it.”

“It wasn’t my idea.” Atticus pointed at Tobias. “He offered.”

Both Jada and Maddox turned expectantly to Tobias.