Page 74 of Free Fall

“Wallow around in your scent? Like a man in love?”

“Peggy Jo, what do you want from me?” I frown. “I thought I deserved love? You said I did.”

“You do! And he does too, and my heart is glad to see you together, but I also hope you takehisheart into account when you’re planning your future.”

“Did you take anyone’s heart into account when you drove over to pick me up today?”

“Much more likely to die in a car crash, blah, blah, blah. I know. I know. And don’t get started on your whole ‘free soloists rarely die while free soloing’ because Exhibit A—Bachar, and Exhibit B—Bailee Mulholland, Exhibit C—Michael Spitz, Exhibit D—Nathan Roberts—”

“Don’t list everyone, Jesus.” Hearing the names does make me feel oddly superstitious. All that bad energy.

“Those aren’t even all of them fromthat one year, Dan.”

I focus on the name I can possibly cast doubt on. “About Bachar… some think he could have had a heart attack because he wasn’t even close to climbing at the top of his ability when he fell, and—”

“You’re going to argue this based on a ‘coulda?’”

“It’s not like they could really tell from the state of his body.”

“Dan, what am I going to do with you?” she murmurs. “Or the better question is what is Sejin going to do with you? Bless that boy.”

“Yes, do bless him. He needs it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Speaking of things people need,” she goes on. “I really do have to find someone to take care of the cats and my house when I go to be with Bella next week. You mentioned you might know someone?”

“Yeah, at first I was thinking of Rye. He needs a good place to stay if he’s going to have any hope of getting partial custody of Jeanie again. But he says it won’t work. Cat allergy and YOSAR obligations. But I have another idea now,” I say. “Sejin. He’s been living at his cousin’s house, sleeping on their sofa for over a year, and I get the impression his cousin’s wife—”

“Leenie,” Peggy Jo supplies, because of course she knows everyone.

“Yeah, Martin and Leenie. I think they’d like it if he moved on. They sure don’t complain when he stays in the van with me. The kids, though…” I look at the place on my arm where Jeremiah had sunk his teeth. There’s still a small scab from one particularly sharp tooth. “They’d like him to stay.”

“It’d just be for a month,” Peggy Jo says. “He’d need to have something lined up for after.”

“Sure.” I don’t mention that I have a plan for that too. It’s way too early to bring it up to Sejin, but if things keep going well between us, I’d like him to tag along on whatever my next adventure is after I send Heart Route. He wouldn’t have to continue inconveniencing his cousins, and I’d get a sexy traveling companion.

By stealing Sejin away, I’d become a permanent villain in Jeremiah’s mind. Oh, well. You win some; you lose some.

“If he says no, you’ll have to stay with them,” Peggy Jo says with finality.

“Alright,” I agree.

But I know Sejin will take up Peggy Jo on her offer, and I can’t say the idea of us having somewhere bigger than my van for some regular privacy doesn’t sound appealing. Even if the space will be bedeviled by cats who hate me even more than Jeremiah does.

Once I send Heart Route, I could crash with Sejin at Peggy Jo’s, plan my next adventure, and convince him to come with me. As much as I’ll miss her, the timing is perfect. Her absence will reduce my stress for the ascent of Heart Route and allow Sejin and me a chance to play at temporary domestic bliss. All the comfort, none of the commitment.

Well, almost none of it.

I like having Sejin around. I can see us continuing on this way indefinitely. I hope he can too.

“What’s your plan for the day?” Peggy Jo asks.

“Gonna show you how I can take this dyno. No sweat.”

“Hmmph.” She doesn’t sound skeptical so much as stressed. “Thisdyno is notthatdyno.”

“I know, and I’ve been working it too.”

“How about the roof?”