Butterflies in Honey (Growing Pains #3)(73)

“Yikes…” Georgie said with a smile. He thought Krista was nothing but funny these days. She seemed like a serious bitch when you first met her, but if you spent any time with her, you realized everything was coated with a thin layer of irony. Underlying everything that didn’t directly have to do with the job, there was a joke waiting to blossom.

“I might need to grab your butt,” Sean said while he eyed the top hole. When it came to Krista, he was picking which comments to scowl at and which to ignore. That one landed in the “I didn’t hear anything” bucket. He didn’t want anyone “accidentally” grabbing a boob, either.

“Hands to yourself, McAdams,” Krista said, stepping closer to the rope as she looked up at her gap.

Georgie snorted.

“No, seriously. I might need to grab your butt ice skater style.” Sean looked at her, his eyes like a beautiful, still green pond.

“Well…okay, but you only. Not Donald. No offense, Donald.”

“My wife would divorce me,” Donald said seriously. Georgie and Dean both laughed.

Sean bent down to Krista and navigated her onto his shoulders. He went into a squat as Dean and Donald helped her get to a kneeling position. When she was firm, Sean straightened up slowly, holding her hands to brace her.

“Krista, you need to go on a diet,” Sean said as his legs labored to get out of the squat.

“I think you need to do more squats,” she replied. She was breathing heavy already and she hadn’t even gotten to the hard part yet.

“Krista, I can smell the alcohol,” Dean said with a smile.

“Yeah, it’s coming out of my pores.”

They shakily moved closer to the ropes. It was a slow, worrying procession—for the ref included. Krista ardently wished she hadn’t drank so much last night!

“Okay,” Sean said, with his hands firmly on Krista’s thighs. The ref moved in another step, apparently intending to catch her when she plummeted to her death. Little did he know it would be a welcome relief from the pain in her head.

“Krista, you are going to have to stand up on my shoulders. Can you do that while leaning down to grab Don and Dean’s hands?”

“Yeah. Slowly.” Sean braced himself and she stood up into a sorta crouch. “Is this a good time to mention I don’t love heights?”

“No,” Donald and Dean said together.

“Okay, then I won’t mention it.”

Krista had a kinda-crouch going, shakily, while Sean reached up her leg to grab the tops of her thighs where they attached to her hip. There was nothing sexual about this. If she fell it would be head first.

“Okay Krista, we are going to walk you closer. When you get there, we’ll have to walk you through it. When you get fatigued, let us know,” Sean instructed.

“I’m fatigued.”

“When you are about to pass-out, then.”

“Oh. Damn.”

Everyone was on point for the dangerous stunt. Krista got right up next to the hole and nearly put her head through when she sounded the alarm.

“This isn’t going to work.” She grunted more than spoke.

“What’s up?” Sean grunted back. They were like two cavemen.

“I need to get my hands through first. Donald, can you reach through without touching the ropes? Georgie, you’ll need to grab my other one from that side. Bob, get ready to grab my shoulders as they come through and down. Please don’t drop me.”

There were yeses and grunts. They continued with their slow progress. Nearly too slow. Krista and Sean only had so much strength. Krista put her hands through the hole, balancing, grasping offered hands, legs shaking with the strain. She was walked closer, her body going through slowly.

“Where the hell did that white rabbit go?” Krista grunted.

Georgie snorted again. “Don’t make me laugh right now, this is serious.”

“See, Sean? I’m hilarious.”

“And heavy. Hurry up.”

“You’re going to give…me…a complex. Loosen your grip, Sean, I need to straighten out!”

Krista’s forehead was beading in sweat. Her underarms and back were, too. Sean was no better off, articulating her weight with only his arms to navigate it. The rest of the guys had gone a step beyond, not exercising much over the years, and were outright panting.

Except Bob who was a lazy sack of poop and not helping at all.

Sean put his hands lower on Krista’s legs. Krista’s hands were being held, as were her upper-calves, but the rest of her was a bridge; nothing but air, a worried ref talking on his walkie-talkie about backup, and ropes. Usually a person would use a knee to brace themselves and hold their body up, but that wasn’t possible. All Krista’s muscles were taut. If she hadn’t been doing yoga regularly, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stick it. As it was, she looked like she had cerebral palsy.

“Do I need to hold you by the crotch? Can you support your body?” Sean asked seriously.

Krista laughed, she couldn’t help it, making her whole body sway. “Romantic gesture, but no. Just…let’s get a move on.”

Sean crept forward and Krista straightened, getting more of her body through the ropes. Now the lion’s share of her weight was being supported on her hands. The guys on the winning side were starting to have a hard time holding her.