Chaos Theory (Nerds of Paradise #2)(15)

A part of Will didn’t need to look at the list to know what he’d see. It seemed inevitable, like the surging tide after a storm that rushed in to cause more damage. That and he’d seen the way Howie perked up every time he and Melody were within a few feet of each other. He’d gone against his instinct and stopped himself from helping her to train because of it.

Sure enough, as he worked his way up through the curious crowd to within sight of the list on the clipboard, he saw what he knew he’d see: “William Darling/Melody Clutterbuck.”

Will’s gut clenched, but he couldn’t identify the sensation that came with it. Dread? Yeah, it was probably dread. He stepped back and watched as Melody and her friend, Sandy, worked their way up to the list. The reasonable part of him knew that Melody was trying to stay focused, but what he really saw when he looked at her was a halo of chaotic blond curls pulled back into a thick braid, sparkling blue eyes, and colorful, pastel yoga clothes that accented distracting curves. There was nothing serious or focused about that image at all.

And then she saw the list. Her face lit up, pink splashing her cheeks, and Will’s groin tightened. Her eyes snapped right to him, as if she had extra sensors that told her where he was at all times. Hold it together, he warned himself as she bounced and wriggled through the crowd to make her way over to him.

“We’re partners,” she announced, spreading her arms wide.

He was supposed to hug her. That’s what she wanted. And if he didn’t at least make an effort to appear casual, she would throw her arms around him, discover how tense he was, and ask him why, ask him about his feelings. So he did the only thing he could and hugged her preemptively.

“Yep, looks like we’re partners,” he said, keeping his voice as neutral as possible.

“I was hoping we would be,” she said as she squeezed him, then let go and took a step back. “I wonder who else ended up together.”

Mercifully, she turned, putting enough space between them that he couldn’t feel the heat of her body or smell the flowery scent of her anymore. The feeling of her soft body pressed against his would take far longer to leave him, though.

Some of the other teams turned out to be interesting. Laura had been paired up with one of the Haskell cowboys who had come to train in an old, white t-shirt and flannel—Ben, he thought his name was. Poor Jogi from IT looked as though he’d been hit upside the head with a brick as he talked to Melody’s elegant, black, lawyer friend, Sandy. That pairing almost made Will laugh. Jogi would end up with tire treads all over him from being run over by a force like Sandy if he wasn’t careful.

Katrina Bonneville stood with her arms crossed and a peevish expression on her face as Ed Grayson lectured her. And anyone with eyes, or who knew Ed, could see that it was a lecture by the way he leaned toward her, stabbing his finger into his palm as he made some point, probably about how they were going to win this thing. Will would have felt sorry for her, if she hadn’t glanced up and shot daggers at Melody. He supposed there could be worse things than being paired with Melody for this event.

“This is great,” Melody said in an excited tone that quickly proved him wrong. She touched his arm. “We can train together going forward. You’re the expert, and you can tell me everything I need to know to make it through the wilderness. I’m determined to get this right. We can work together every night.”

Images of the two of them together every night, doing anything but training filled his head. Is that what she had in mind?

“Yeah,” he said. There had to be something he could do to get around this, around the temptation—and yes, he was willing to admit that’s what it was. “Excuse me.”

With a nod, he stepped away from Melody and marched over to Howie. The crowd that had clustered around him had broken up, couples forming to talk about strategy and get to know each other. Howie was now talking to Jonathan with a pleased smile on his face.

“Can I talk to you?” Will interrupted the conversation, crossing his arms.

Howie turned to him and blinked. “What can I do for you, Will?”

As always, Will was impressed by the way Howie knew the names of all of his hundred plus employees and spoke to them as though they were old family friends. That might make the next conversation easier. “I need to change partners.”

Howie stared at him, his expression turning downright fatherly—although not anything like Will’s own father would wear. “Sorry, son. No switching.”

“But I have concerns about being able to work with Mel—with my partner.” It was best to keep things impersonal. Fewer feelings would be hurt that way.

“These teams were chosen for specific reasons,” Howie told him, everything from his eyes to the set of his shoulders to his voice sympathetic. “We put a lot of thought into things.”

“And I appreciate that,” Will pressed on. “But I have some concerns.”

“And I can guess what those concerns are,” Howie said with a wink. Will clenched his jaw, and Howie clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, son, we all need to learn to deal with things that make us uncomfortable. That’s life. I suggest that rather than looking for a way out, you look for a way through.”

Will ground his teeth even harder. Resentment at being spoken to like he was a child warred with a strange comfort at being given what amounted to a life lesson instead of a lecture by someone in a paternal role. “Yes, sir,” he said like he had in the military. “I’m just concerned about my partner’s readiness for such a strenuous challenge.”