Dallas was grateful—for everything Brian had done for him and was willing to do. But now wasn’t the time to lock himself in. Dallas had finally achieved what he’d been after all along. He could climb to his heart’s content—and get paid for it. He couldn’t commit to an entity he’d be responsible for without any reprieve, couldn’t strap himself down indefinitely. Just thinking about being stuck in one place—especially in such a big city—made him claustrophobic.
With a frown, he silenced his phone and went upstairs. What Brian offered him was a great opportunity. But he’d recently been given a better one. If he became a real contender in the sport, someone like Alex Honnold, he could always use his name and experience to open a gym later.
But if he got hurt before he had enough recognition and couldn’t continue to climb...
What then? Where would he find the capital? It would be much more difficult to get a start if Brian had already sold the gym to someone else.
He put two slices of bread in the toaster and was scrambling eggs at the stove when he heard a sound behind him. He knew before he turned around that it was Emery.
“You okay?” he asked, glancing behind him.
She’d just rolled out of bed, too. Dressed in another pair of yoga pants—these gray—she had her hair pulled back. “I feel terrible about how I behaved earlier. That tantrum was childish and...ungrateful and...and ridiculous.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s not the first time my mother’s lost a lamp.” He cast her a wry grin. “I broke a few when I lived here.”
“But if it was when you lived here, you were much younger,” she pointed out ruefully.
“I’ve gotten better at managing my emotions over the years,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve had a lot of practice handling disappointment.”
She didn’t seem overly pleased by his response. “You’re saying I haven’t had any practice? That I’m spoiled?”
“I’m saying that the trouble in your life started later than mine. That’s all. You get better at navigating setbacks once you handle a few.”
She could tell he meant no insult. “True, but that’s no excuse. It’s so nice of Aiyana to let me stay here, and I—”
“It’s fine,” he broke in. “She understands what you’re going through.” He used his spatula to point at the coffeemaker. “Coffee?”
She got a mug from the cupboard and poured herself a cup. “Thanks.”
“How about some eggs?”
“Only if you’ve got enough. Otherwise, I can have granola and yogurt. Or cold cereal.”
“There’s plenty.”
He pulled out a plate, buttered the toast and gave her a piece of it as well as a big scoop of eggs.
“Did Aiyana tell you?” she asked.
“Tell me what?”
“I’ve decided to go ahead and sue the station,” she replied as he set the food in front of her. “I talked to my attorney about it this morning.”
He returned to the stove to dish up his own breakfast. “You confident in that decision?”
“I feel it’s the right thing to do,” she hedged. “But I’m scared. It could get ugly. Ethan could go to the media, cause the story to blow up even bigger, when all I want is for it to go away—the sooner the better.”
“You should expect the worst. You need to be prepared or your commitment will waver.”
Biting her bottom lip, she stared down at her food. “How do I get prepared?”
“You have to know your own mind, remain determined.” That was how he tackled each new climb. It was determination that carried him through every challenge.
“At Christmas,” she added glumly. “Who wants to deal with such negative—and embarrassing—stuff at Christmas?”
He thought of her parents’ divorce and her grandmother’s deteriorating mental state, but she didn’t mention those things, and he didn’t bring them up, either. He rummaged through the refrigerator for ketchup, grabbed the last piece of toast he’d buttered and the rest of the eggs, and sat down with her at the table. “I can’t imagine anyone would. But Ethan whatever-his-last-name-is brought this fight to you.”
“Right.” She watched as he took his first bite. “There’s just one thing.”
He swallowed. “What’s that?”
She cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable. “I hate to ask you this, but...” Her eyes skittered away from his only to return a second later, and her shoulders lifted as she drew in a deep breath. “I can’t quit imagining it, can’t quit feeling as though... Well, it’s the elephant in the room, isn’t it?”
“If there’s an elephant in the room, I don’t know about it,” he said, mystified.
“You’ll understand as soon as...” She twisted her hands in her lap. “Maybe if I just broach the subject, get it out of the way, I’ll be able to relax and...and won’t have to feel so self-conscious and humiliated every time I see you...”
He swallowed. “Sounds good to me. What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t...” She squeezed her eyes closed. “You haven’t watched the video, have you?” she blurted out.
He waited for her to open her eyes, which she did with a wince, as though she was afraid of what she might hear. “No.”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Really?”
Skepticism showed in her voice, but there was hope in her face—and it was the hope that made him glad he was telling the truth. “Really,” he said with more authority.
She pushed her eggs around her plate. “Most people, especially old acquaintances, would look it up the moment they heard of it. Curiosity alone would tempt someone to watch it. I admit—” her face reddened “—if I wasn’t the one going through this and someone told me there was a sex tape on the internet featuring you or anyone else I knew from high school, I’d be tempted to look it up. I was a news anchor, after all. I’ve been trained to jump on any piece of potential news, even if it’s only gossip. I’m sort of ashamed of that now that I’m on the other end.”
“It’s human nature,” he said.
She took another bite. “So why
