Page 25 of 10 Signs You Need to Grovel

Mirielle: I like this brother of yours, Walter.

Des: Told you my name isn’t Walter.

Mirielle: It is until I decide otherwise.

I glare at my phone. This name game is becoming less fun.

Des: How am I supposed to focus on Max when Sadie’s around?

Mirielle: Chéri. Sadie needs you as much as Max does. You are the father of her child. She needs to get to know you again. Trust you. That means spending time together. And you should cut your hair.

Des: What does my hair have to do with this?

Mirielle: It’s your security blanket. And it’s not attractive.

Maybe I should have texted my mom.

I’m still wound up, and a group of kids is waiting on me. But Mirielle is partially right. I do need to re-earn Sadie’s trust, which means this might not be so bad. I can rebuild our friendship while I get to know Max, as long as I can stop thinking about Lennon’s stupid dare.

SEVEN

This hike is off to a painful start, and we’re still in the parking area. “So,” I say to my kiddie troops, who are in a semicircle looking half-asleep.

One girl yawns.

Olivia mumbles, “Awkward.”

Sadie rolls her wrist patiently, suggesting I say something more.

Right. “I’m Daniel. I’ll be your hiking leader for the next eight weeks. Behind you is Sadie.” The woman I loved more than anything, who may or may not currently be single. “She’s my assistant.”

“Coleader,” she pipes in. “Daniel can be athletically challenged.”

I quirk an eyebrow at her. “Sadie’s actually here to scare off wildlife. The sound she makes when she laughs is terrifying.”

The kids laugh. My son laughs. I suddenly feel ten feet taller.

“He also has a horrible sense of direction,” she adds, clearly fighting a smile. “I suggest following me.”

“She speaks the truth. I’d follow Sadie anywhere.”

Affection sparks in her eyes, and heat suffuses my face, like I might be blushing.

I snap my focus to the kids and clap my hands loudly. “Let’s hear from all of you. Tell everyone your name and one thing about yourself.” When no one speaks, I jut my chin toward Max. “Why don’t you go first.”

Hunched slightly, he drags his shoe over the gravel. “I’m Max.” He eyes the boys nervously and tucks his hands into his pockets. “I like to draw.”

For some idiotic reason, Carter snickers.

I make a plan to find poison ivy and dump him in it. Until then, I need to do something about my face. This perma-scowl is the opposite of the Happy Hiking Leader I’m supposed to be. It’s like I have no control of my facial muscles, the way they harden and pinch every time these kids test my patience.

Even though nothing’s funny, Sadie laughs, the sound too loud and overly bright, probably to draw attention away from my glare. “Thanks, Max. Let’s go clockwise.”

The two girls beside Max are wearing similar crop tops in different colors, their jean shorts are ripped and frayed in the exact same places, and they both have high ponytails and similar headbands, like they’re part of a Barbie gang. The girl closest to Max stands taller, with an air of self-importance, clearly the leader, while the smaller girl keeps tugging down her top and fidgeting with her hair.

Sadie points to the alpha girl. “You’re next.”

She lifts her chin. “I’m Jasmine, and I know every word to every Camila Cabello song.” She beams like she won a spelling bee.