Page 12 of Take a Hike

“Why? Are you?”

“No, only wondering,” he said.

“If you bid twice the market value, I’d take the money then call you a fool.”

His lips lifted slightly, and after fifteen minutes of straight brooding, Raven was happy about the variation.

As opening hours drew near, the rest of the staff began arriving one by one.

First was Doc, an Indigenous guy who wore a T-shirt of a band she didn’t recognize and had a habit of running his hand through his shaggy hair every so often. She learned he did the walking tours for Mountaintop and was getting a degree in plant biology at one of the universities in the province.

“I’m assuming you’re the reason for the Chinese evergreen at the front.”

“You know plants?” he asked, his face brightening.

“Not officially or anything. Just an aspiring plant mom,” Raven said.

The next to arrive was Bodie, a survival expert who could apparently start a fire in under thirty seconds and, if his massive traps and arms were any clue, liked to lift.

“This is Chestnut,” Bodie said, lifting a small crate holding the squirrel with a bandaged foot she’d seen yesterday.

“Hi, Chestnut,” Raven said, waving to the rodent.

“Oh, he doesn’t speak English yet. I’m still teaching him,” Bodie said, and Raven laughed but quickly realized from the resolute position of Bodie’s brows and mouth he was very serious.

Halo was the last of the team to show up, and her heavy footsteps made her presence known the moment she walked into the cabin. Unlike everyone who had been at least polite, Halo did not attempt to hide her annoyance at seeing Raven.

Their introduction, in which Raven learned Halo was a skilled and nationally recognized rock climber, had barely any breathing room before the older woman launched into questions.

“What are your intentions with this place?” Halo asked, her arms crossed tightly.

“I’m not here to mess with your guys’ flow,” Raven responded. “I just wanna help.”

“And also to potentially, permanently own Mountaintop,” Halo countered.

“Well, yeah—”

“Are you good with business?” Halo asked. “Got some degree from a fancy school, maybe?”

“No, but—”

“Any outdoor skills? Hunting or fishing? Been camping before?”

“I once waited in line for thirteen hours to win Coachella tickets at a radio station. It felt kinda like camping.”

Her joke got a tiny laugh from Doc, but that was it.

The barrage of questions ended when Halo stalked away to pour herself a cup of coffee, and Raven was paid no further mind until it was time to start the workday.

As they all filed out of the kitchen, Raven quickened her steps to catch up to Silas before he could disappear.

“I was thinking I could observe everyone today,” she said to him. “Maybe I can join whoever does the morning shuttle pickups.”

“Yeah, that won’t work,” he said.

“Why not?” she asked as they stopped walking to speak more directly.

“Because…”