Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(12)

Thankfully, Melody didn’t seem the least bit impressed by Ed’s smarm. She crossed her arms and said, “Thanks, but Will was helping me with strength-training. We’re here to train, not to flirt.”

The corners of Will’s mouth twitched before he could stop them.

Ed’s expression hardened. He studied Melody for a few more seconds before shifting to half turn his back to her as he faced Will. “I’m surprised you’re wasting your time with this kid’s stuff. Everyone around here keeps telling me that you’re the one to beat when it comes to wilderness skills, Mr. Eagle Scout.”

Will’s back went up. He’d earned that Eagle Scout status, and he wasn’t about to stand for anyone throwing it at him as an insult. But saying as much would just add to Melody’s impression that he was a nerd.

“Can I help you with something, Ed?” he asked, figuring that was the only thing that could get Ed to shut up and go away.

“No.” Ed shook his head, raking Will with a dismissive glance. “I don’t need anything from you.”

Will nodded. “Then let’s get back to training.” He shifted to face Melody, opening his mouth to suggest they try another piece of equipment.

“Fine then,” Ed snapped. “Let’s train.”

Will shut his mouth and frowned at Ed.

“How about a little competition? You and me and that rock wall over there.”

Will should have known. Any conversation that began with “I hear you’re the one to beat” was bound to end with a challenge of some sort. And from everything he’d heard around the office, Ed couldn’t stand it when someone was acknowledged to be better at something than he was. Hell, if the gossip was about who could crochet the best doilies, Ed would have walked around with golden crochet hooks in his pockets just to prove a point. There was only one way to shut the man up before he started talking smack.

“Fine,” Will said. It was all he needed to say.

“You’re on.”

“Ooh. This should be fun,” Melody commented in a conspiratorial tone that sent a thrill down Will’s back. She fell into step beside him as they walked over to the rock wall. “Katrina and I were just talking about how…good guys look while climbing this thing.”

It might have been his imagination, but Will was pretty sure she snuck a peek at his crotch.

The line to try the rock wall was fairly long, but as soon as the whispers started that Ed had challenged Will, everyone gave up their places to let the competition move forward. As the spotters helped him and Ed into the harnesses, Will tried not to notice how many people were dropping what they were doing to come over and watch. He tried even harder not to feel Melody’s eyes boring into his back as he approached the wall and prepared to climb. The more he thought of her, the less he would be able to concentrate on the competition, and right now, the competition was what counted.

Not just right now. For as far back as Will could remember, winning was the most important thing. His dad had drilled that one into him through Little League, Boy Scouts, and with every report card from kindergarten to grad school. The all-too familiar creeping feeling of certain doom descending on him if he failed was more than enough to push even Melody from his mind. He studied the foot and handholds all the way up the wall as Ed moved into place beside him. Jonathan had moved between them to supervise and to spot.

“You’ll never walk on the moon if you can’t win a little competition,” Will muttered to himself, hearing his dad’s voice as he did.

That was enough to kill off any lingering lustful thoughts about Melody. In fact, it was enough that he could turn and look for her. She was standing near the front of the gathering crowd. Katrina Bonneville had come to stand beside her and was whispering something in Melody’s ear. Strangely, Melody looked annoyed about whatever it was. One glance at the way Katrina licked her lips as she watched him was all Will needed to know about that conversation.

“Are you ready?” Jonathan asked.

“Yep,” Ed answered, rubbing his hands.

Will just nodded, planning his path up the wall.

“On your mark, get set, go!”

As soon as the word was out of Jonathan’s mouth, Will leapt for the wall. Everything narrowed to buzzing in the background. He reached for handholds above him, using all of his strength to pull himself up. The strain and flex of arm, back, and legs muscles as he climbed cleared everything else from his head. He used his mind to find his next handhold, and his instinct to follow with his feet. Up and up he pulled himself.

Quickly, the only sound he could hear was his breathing. The only thing he saw was the grey of the wall and the multiple colors of the handholds. His fingers ached as he gripped them and pulled, found purchase for his feet and pushed. He could sense the top of the wall above him more than see it. A thousand calculations filled his head at once, traveling straight to his arms and legs without stopping for him to ponder over.

“You’re going to need all your mettle to get into NASA,” his dad’s voice rang in his mind. “They don’t take wusses. You need victories on your resume, son, victories. That ‘A’ for effort doesn’t spell astronaut.”

His foot slipped. The sounds of cheers from below shifted into gasps. He could feel his balance falter, so he put all his effort into gripping the wall with his hands. He steadied his foot on one of the wall’s knobs and gave himself two breaths to compose himself before going on. The top of the wall was close but his flow was gone. Each foot that he climbed was more of an effort than it had been seconds earlier. But the end was in sight. Just a few more feet, a few more inches. He was almost there, almost—