The Holiday Switch(60)

“Oh…okay.”

I rush to my closet and sort through my hanging clothes. Am I really going to see Teddy for the first time post-kiss in workout gear? What is a spectator supposed to wear at a climbing gym?

Lila: What should I wear





Teddy: Something comfortable





Blue leggings or black leggings?

Short sleeve or long sleeve?

I settle for blue leggings and a short-sleeve T-shirt.

Hair in a braid or a ponytail or a bun? I twist my hair around my hand.

“Where are you going?”

I startle at the question. Irene’s leaning against the doorway.

“Is this even my room? And who’s watching the stove?” I stall, knowing full well that whatever I say to Irene will be repeated to my mother. I’m not ready to talk about Teddy and me yet, because I don’t even know what we are. Especially because Ms. Velasco and Mom are such close friends.

“I turned the burner off. So?”

A growl escapes my lips. “I’m going to work out.”

Irene frowns. “When have you ever worked out?”

“When I decided that I should start working out. Are you my keeper or something?”

“No, I guess not.” She sighs. “Oh. Can I inherit your old laptop now? I have to turn in an assignment, and my Chromebook is acting up again.”

“First of all, fastest change of subject of all time. Second, why do you have an assignment due?”

“It’s extra credit.” She scowls. “I need all the points I can get.”

I think through the programs and documents I have up, and whether there’s anything important she might come across or delete in the process. “Yes, you can have it early, but I’ve got to back it up before you can take it permanently.”

She nods. “Can I use it while you’re out, at least?”

“That’s fine.”

“Thank you,” she says, then stills.

    I huff. “What?”

“Where are you working out?”

“At the gym.”

“Which gym and do you even have a membership? Do you even know what to do at a gym?”

“Irene!” I throw my hands up, exasperated.

“Geez, Ate, I’m just asking a question. I’m out.” She flashes me the peace sign; though, as usual, speaking to my sister has left me without a lick of peace.



* * *





I arrive at Climb Holly about a half hour later to a fairly empty parking lot. Inside, music blares, and the gym is a ghost town, with only two climbers on the walls.

“Welcome back,” Sarah, the party planner, says. “You’re here to meet Teddy, right?”

I nod, warmth flooding my cheeks.

“He took care of your entrance fee. Since you’re in the system, you can go on ahead and meet him. Do you need a locker for your backpack? Or shoes?”

Shoes? “Oh no. I’m not climbing today. I’ll probably do some reading.”

Confusion passes across her face. “All right. Have a good morning. He’s on wall number one.”

I spot Teddy when I turn the corner. He’s standing with two guys, both climbers, already in harnesses and colorful climbing shoes. He’s animated as he speaks, hands joining in with his storytelling.

This is Teddy at his happiest. His body is relaxed, and his smile is so contagious that I feel my lips spread out into their own grin.

    My grin is so bodacious that I realize, once and for all, that I want that. I want to feel that about whatever I do in the future. I want that now.

Carm’s words filter back: Writing is what you do.

And Teddy’s statement last night: You’re so good at it.

Is writing that?

Then Teddy spots me, and his smile, if possible, widens. It pulls me out of my thoughts.

That smile is for me.

I glide toward him and take his outstretched hand. When he leans down and plants a kiss on my cheek, and introduces me to the other two climbers, Jared and Matt, it’s as if I’ve been dropped into my favorite contemporary romance. His sure grip, the way he includes me in their conversation, and the glances he gives me, as if he and I were always a thing, is so romantic.

I don’t fully understand what Teddy’s mission is until I’m in front of a wall, and he’s holding up a harness.

“Whoa. Wait a second.” I step back.

He gestures upward. “This is the beginner wall. All the holds are jugs, which are easy to grab on to and easy to stand on. Wanna try it?”

“Not really.”

He laughs. “What were you going to do this whole time? Watch me?”

“Yeah! And read.”

He rests a hand on the wall and relaxes his stance. “What’s on the reading docket?”

“Holiday by the Lake.”

“Back-to-back movie and book. Isn’t that redundant?”

    “I guess I’m in the mood since…” Since we kissed.

His cheeks darken in a blush as if reading my thoughts. “How about another negotiation?”

“Okay.” I brace myself. “Go ahead.”

“What if, in exchange for you climbing this wall, I’ll read Holiday by the Lake.”