“Yeah, me too,” Emily said, nodding. “That was so scary. How are you holding up? You look a little tired yourself.”
“I am; this was just such a stressful week. It was really good to see her this morning—at home, out of a hospital bed. I just feel totally drained though. I took a nap this afternoon after I got back from my parents’ place. But it’ll be good for me to get out tonight.”
“Definitely. And hey, a movie is totally low-key.”
“Just what I need right now,” I said with a laugh.
“Want to stop and get cappuccinos on the way?” she asked, glancing at her watch. “We should have time.”
“Sure, that sounds good.”
We grabbed some to-go coffees at the Starbucks on my block and then headed to the movie theater a few streets over. There was already a line for tickets, so we made our way to the back, ending up behind a group of loud teenage girls.
“Oh, I love him!” one of them screeched, jumping up and down excitedly.
Emily turned to me and rolled her eyes. “Were we ever that obnoxious?”
“Probably,” I said with a laugh, taking a sip of my coffee.
“Well, anyway, this movie’s been getting really good reviews,” Emily said.
“I know, I’ve been wanting to see it. Thanks for dragging me out with you.”
“Dragging you,” she jokingly scoffed at me. “What’s the name of the new actor in it again?”
“I think it’s—hey, is that Travis?” I interjected, spotting a tall guy in an evergreen hoodie and dark jeans walking our way.
Emily looked in the direction of my gaze. “Travis? I’ve never met him, remember? But if you’re talking about the tall guy in the hoodie—he is absolutely gorgeous!”
“Shhh,” I said, waving my hand to shush her.
“Oh, he can’t hear us. Look how far away he is. Besides, those girls are drowning out what everyone else is saying.”
“Maddy!” Travis called out in his deep voice, catching my eye as he got closer. He weaved his way through the crowd and stopped in front of us, standing just a little closer to me than someone who was just a coworker might. “How are you?” he asked in his deep voice as he gazed down at me.
“Good,” I said, actually meaning it as I looked up into his dark brown eyes. “I saw my mom this morning.”
“How is she?”
“A lot better. I mean, she’s out of the hospital, which is great.”
“I’m glad,” he said sincerely, holding my gaze a moment too long before glancing over to Emily.
“Uh, this is my friend Emily,” I said, gesturing over to her. “I don’t think you guys have met yet.”
“Hi,” she said brightly, holding out her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh really,” Travis said with an easy laugh as he shook her hand. “I’m Travis.”
“Well, you know Maddy and Marissa. Those girls love to talk,” she teased.
“Marissa I could totally believe. Maddy, not so much,” he said easily with a grin.
“More like Marissa and Emily love to talk,” I corrected her.
“But like you just said, I haven’t met Travis before. Why would I talk about him?” Emily asked innocently.
“So what are you here to see?” I asked Travis, changing the subject.
“Oh, I’m actually meeting a buddy of mine for a beer. We’re gonna see if we can catch the Caps game on TV at a bar.”
“So what are doing here at the movies then?” Emily asked.
“I was across the street,” he said turning and gesturing to the bar on the corner. “I thought I saw Maddy, so I came over.”
“He likes you,” Emily mouthed to me, and I shot her a look to be quiet.
“Well, I’m glad you came over to say hi,” I said with a smile.
“We better get our tickets,” Emily said, eyeing her watch.
I looked around and realized that the crowd of people waiting in line had dwindled and most people had gone into the theater already. “Yeah, we better go if we want to get decent seats. It was good to see you,” I said, looking up at Travis.
“It was good to see you too, Maddy,” he said with a warm smile.
“Have fun watching the game.”
“Thanks; I hope the movie is good. Bye ladies.” He turned and walked back the way he’d come.
“He’s so sweet,” Emily gushed as she pulled her wallet out of her purse. “I can’t believe he came all the way over here just to see how you and your mom were doing.”
“Yeah, he’s really great,” I said, only halfway paying attention to what she was saying. I was too busy watching Travis cross the street, weaving in and out of the cars stopped at the light on Clarendon Blvd. As he stepped up onto the sidewalk in front of the bar, he casually glanced back in our direction. I quickly looked away, not quite sure why I didn’t want him to know I’d been watching him.
Chapter 9
I pulled into the parking lot at oh-dark-thirty on Monday morning, grumpy that I had to be up so early. Whose idea was it anyway to start this retreat at the crack of dawn? If they wanted to make us drive all the way to Maryland, they should at least have let us begin at a decent hour. Nothing was worse than sitting on the Beltway during rush hour. I’d dealt with bumper to bumper traffic, honking horns, and angry motorists. The headache I was getting was probably as much from my terrible commute as from skipping breakfast this morning. I really hoped that however we were starting the day involved both caffeine and breakfast.
I drove toward a row of mostly empty parking spaces, selecting one on the very end. I saw a few of my colleagues in the parking lot, duffle bags in hand or overnight suitcases being pulled along behind them as they walked toward the conference center. It was a plain two-story building that looked like any other small hotel, and there was a large porch on the front with some wooden benches for guests. There was a smaller building off to the side, which I guessed must contain conference rooms or perhaps the dining area.
I heard a car door shut and looked over in the space next to me to see a woman opening her trunk. “Hi Jennifer,” I said, stepping out of my own car.
“Hi Maddy! Did you find it okay?” she asked, sounding awfully cheery for so early in the morning. Jennifer had on jeans, a white tee shirt, and a chunky black cardigan. I wondered if she’d actually be participating in whatever was planned or if the managers got to sit everything out.
“Yeah, no problem,” I replied, watching as she pulled a navy blue duffle bag from her car.
“Great, well you have plenty of time to check in and get your room key before we get started. Are you excited?”
“Uh, should I be?” I asked with a wry smile. “You haven’t given us many hints about what we’ll be doing yet.”
“I think you’ll have fun,” she said confidently. Her hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, and it bobbed up and down as she talked. She took a sip of coffee from her steel thermos. Yes, that was definitely what was missing from my morning—coffee.
I forced myself to smile as I nodded in agreement. “Hopefully so!” Of course she had to say something like that—she was our boss and one of the organizers of this whole thing. I mean, she couldn’t exactly start complaining about the traffic or the day’s activities to her employees if she wanted us to participate and enjoy it.
“Oh, I see someone I need to talk to over there. I’ll see you inside.”
“Okay, see you later.” Grabbing my own duffle bag, I headed in the direction of the conference center. Pulling open one of the front doors, I entered the sparsely decorated lobby. No one else was around, but glancing at my watch, I noticed that despite the traffic, I was actually half an hour early. The others that I’d seen walking in must have gone to their rooms already. There was a woman at the front desk, so I gave my name to her and received my room key. I glanced down at the small manila envelope, which had 125 written across it. I decided to go drop my stuff off before our bonding—I mean teambuilding—session
began.
The instructions that Jennifer had given us said to wear casual, warm clothes, and if she wanted us dressing warmly, it sounded like we would be spending time outside. I’d worn an old pair of jeans, long-sleeved thermal tee, and fleece pullover. I hoped I’d be warm enough for whatever outdoor activities they had in store for us. I had thrown my winter coat in the trunk before I left, just in case. Marissa and I had discussed driving here together, but we’d changed our plans at the last minute. She wasn’t feeling well and wanted to drive separately in case she needed to leave early. That was fine with me—I didn’t want to be stuck here, without a car, if she had to go home before the end of the retreat.
I went inside my room and saw a double bed with a thin bedspread, one small dresser with a TV on top of it, a mini-fridge, and a small loveseat. I sighed and tossed my bag onto the bed. It didn’t look very homey at all, and I hadn’t brought any food with me to keep in the fridge. It sounded like we’d be too busy to spend much time in our rooms anyway though. I walked back out into the hallway to go look for the conference room we’d be meeting in and happened to notice an envelope sticking out from under the doorway across the hall from mine. I glanced down to see the name written across it in bold, black writing: T. Emerson. Maybe this stay wouldn’t be so bad after all.
***
Later that morning, we all sat around a large conference room as our instructors told us about the first day’s activities. Marissa, Elizabeth, and I were sitting at a table with a couple of other women from our office. There was a small table in the back of the room set up with bagels, donuts, tea, and coffee, and I nibbled on a powdered donut as I listened to the overview of the day’s activities. I noticed that Travis wasn’t here yet and wondered if he was okay. He’d said he’d never been to Maryland before, but driving around the Beltway was pretty basic. Once you were on it, as long as you didn’t miss the exit, you’d be good to go. I glanced around the room and thought it looked like almost everyone else who was coming had already arrived.
Marissa leaned over to me, her blonde ponytail swinging in the air. “Where’s Travis?” she whispered. I noticed she wasn’t wearing very warm clothes for a day that was guaranteed to be spent outside. It looked like she was ready for yoga class—stretchy black leggings, a light pink spandex camisole, and a tissue-thin, white long-sleeved shirt. I hoped that she’d brought something warmer to layer on top.
Marissa was waiting for an answer, and I shrugged, not saying anything because the instructor was still speaking, and I had no idea where Travis was.
“I hope he didn’t get lost,” she said, leaning back into her chair.
Elizabeth looked over at us, and I could tell that she also was worried. “He’s never been up here before,” she mouthed to me.
“I know,” I mouthed back across the table, nodding in agreement.
I turned my attention back to the front of the room. It sounded like the activity today involved some sort of ropes course. I silently groaned to myself, remembering how we’d done a similar type of thing in school. We’d had to devise a way for the whole class to get across various challenges on the outdoor course, using teamwork to accomplish each task. Were they making us do an activity designed for school children? It probably wasn’t the exact same thing. Nevertheless, it did not sound very appealing.
I glanced up as Travis walked in a short time later, looking slightly harried. His chiseled jaw was clenched and his dark eyes darted around the room, looking for an empty seat. He had a black duffle bag slung over his shoulder and was wearing worn-in jeans, a white tee shirt, and navy blue fleece. Somehow he still looked really strong and athletic in his slightly baggy clothes. I found myself unsure if I wanted him to be in my group or not—although the idea of spending the day together intrigued me, embarrassing myself on some balancing act ropes course did not have quite the same appeal. He edged around the side of the room so as not to interrupt the class and sat down at a table with a group of guys. I saw him whispering something to one of them, probably explaining why he was late or asking what he’d missed.
“So,” the instructor continued, “we’re going to be dividing up in two teams. I’ll have you count off as we go around the room. Just say ‘A’ or ‘B’ when it’s your turn.”
The table that Travis had sat down at started counting off, and I noticed that he was on Team A. We worked our way around the classroom. There were about thirty of my coworkers here, not including the managers, so it seemed that each group would have fifteen people in it. When the instructor pointed to our table, Marissa went first, starting over at Team A. Elizabeth was next, and as we went around the table I found that I was in the same group as Marissa. And Travis.
“All right, let’s head outside,” our instructor said, clapping his hands together and looking way too enthusiastic about the whole thing.
As we stood up and gathered our things, I wondered what exactly we would be doing. Marissa shoved in her chair and looked over at me. “I’m happy that we’re on the same team and all, but this is gonna suck.”
I laughed and nodded, tossing my paper coffee cup into the trash. “Are you feeling any better?”
“I’d be feeling better if I were still at home in bed.”
“Wouldn’t we all,” Travis said, sauntering up. I looked up at his easy smile and warm brown eyes. He seemed much more relaxed now that he’d gotten settled in and heard what we’d be doing for the day. Of course he was happy. He’s so athletic, he was probably looking forward to spending the next two days outdoors. I couldn’t imagine Travis embarrassing himself out there today, but I definitely couldn’t say the same thing about myself.
“Yeah, whatever,” Marissa said sourly, breezing past us and out the door.
“What’s with her?” Travis asked, puzzled, watching as she walked away.
“I don’t think she wants to be here,” I replied. “Plus she’s not feeling well.”
“Oh,” Travis said, nodding. “I hope she’s okay.”
“Me too—I don’t want her to leave me here alone.”
Travis laughed as we walked out together, and I paused in the hallway to pull my fleece over my head. He waited for me, then held open the door as we headed outside.
“What group are you in?” he asked.
“A,” I said, fully aware that Travis was in the same group. Not that I was about to reveal that to him.
“Hey, same here,” he said, breaking out into a grin.
“Oh, great!” I said, pretending to be surprised. I wondered if he completely saw through that and decided to change the subject.
“Did you have trouble finding it?” I asked, waving my arm around to indicate that I meant the conference center.
“Ugh, yeah,” he sighed. “I missed the exit, and by the time I realized it, I’d gone about ten miles out of the way.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “That’s not the best way to start off the day.”
“Yeah, I had no idea where this place was. I’ve never even heard of it before,” he said with a laugh. “I guess I should have carpooled here or something,” he suggested.
“Maybe so,” I replied, my voice trailing off.
He stood looking down at me, and for a beat neither of us said anything.
“Oh well,” Travis said with a smile. “I’m here now.”
***
A couple of hours later, I was leaning backwards, clinging precariously to a rope above my head. My feet were perched on a taught rope connected between two trees that was approximately three feet off the ground and fifteen feet long. The goal was to balance on the lower rope, hold on to the rope that ran parallel to it above our heads, and move steadily across, from one tree to another. We had a time limit, so several team members had to be on the rope at the same time in order to move everyone across in the time allotted. As Marissa had stepped onto the rope after me, it wobbled, and I had lost my balance and was now stuck in the middle of the rope, leaning back, unable to pull myself upright to continue acro
ss.
“Sorry, Maddy!” Marissa called out when she saw what her movement had done. She was standing on the bottom rope but still clinging to the tree and seemed afraid to grab the rope above her head. Judging from my situation, I didn’t blame her.
“Pull yourself back up, Maddy,” I heard someone call out.
I tried pulling myself forward again into more of a standing position, but I wasn’t strong enough. “I can’t,” I said helplessly, still leaning backward in the air as I clutched tightly to the rope. I sighed, unsure what to do. If I hopped down to the ground, our team would fail this challenge. But I couldn’t very well continue to the other side like this—there was no way that I’d be able to maintain my footing at the angle I currently was positioned in. I’d definitely fall off, possibly get hurt, and our team would still fail the challenge.
“Hold on,” Travis’s deep voice called out to my right. He’d volunteered to go first across the rope, and our team agreed that it made sense for the tallest people to go first and last. They could fairly easily move across in a couple of steps by holding onto the first tree with one long arm to balance themselves as they edged out onto the rope. When they were in the middle, they could practically reach across to the other side and grab onto the second tree. Jeff, a red-headed guy almost as tall as Travis, was waiting by the first tree and helping us onto the ropes. Travis had been making his way to the other side when I had started out and was just now turning around to offer assistance. He stepped back toward me now, one arm holding onto the tree for support. “Give me your hand,” he said, reaching his right hand out to me.
I doubted that Travis, balancing on the rope himself, could really help me, but I knew that I didn’t really have any other options. I hesitantly reached out, and Travis clasped his strong hand around mine. With one smooth movement, he pulled me forward, and I was once again standing upright, balancing on the rope.
“Thanks,” I said, gripping his hand tightly.
First Sight Page 10
