Read Online Man Camp by Adrienne Brodeur - Free Book Online Page A

smiles sheepishly. “Would you believe that
two
ex-girlfriends of mine saw your ad and called me?” He laughs. “They both said I was a horrendous first date. Obviously, they were in cahoots and it was some kind of joke, but I thought, Why not? I can use feedback as much as the next guy.”
    “That’s very open-minded,” Martha says.
    Ashley returns with their drinks: another thimble of Chardonnay for Martha and a seltzer with Rose’s lime juice for Walter.
    “I like to be alert,” Walter says, gesturing to his nonalcoholic beverage.
    “Very Bruce Wayne of you,” Martha says, picturing a cape and tights in her date’s briefcase.
    “That’s a good one,” says Walter, grinning. “If I recall, Clark Kent was in the news business like me, wasn’t he? I can’t remember what Bruce Wayne did for work.”
    “Not much, I think,” Martha says.
    His beeper vibrates and Walter pounces on it, the small screen glowing with secret information.
    “I’m afraid I have to respond to this, Batgirl,” he says. “It’ll just take a sec.” He goes in search of his BlackBerry and in the process pulls out a cell phone, a minirecorder, and a GameBoy. When he finds the BlackBerry, he thumbs out an e-mail and smiles as he hits SEND. “I think the world is safe again.”
    Mental note: Stow the toys.
    “Now, where were we?” he asks. “Ah. The newsroom . . .”
    THURSDAY NIGHT — BOB MCCAB
    “Do you like to test your limits?” These are Bob’s first words to Martha on the street outside Summit, which turns out not to be a restaurant, but a rock-climbing gym. “Why I warned you to dress casually,” he explains, standing beside his motorcycle, wearing old work boots, Levi’s, and a leather jacket.
    Martha wonders if he’s trying to retrieve his youth or if he’s never grown up. He’s not great-looking but he’s sexy, with mussed hair, full lips, and a nose that has been broken at least once.
    “I think doing something is the only
real
way to get to know someone,” he tells her. “Otherwise, it’s all just meaningless patter over lattes, right?”
    Martha suspects that Bob has trouble getting
real.
She’s discovered that FirstDates are no different than regular dates in that people tend to reveal their issues within the first ten minutes— the trick is to pay attention. The beauty of FirstDate is that Martha doesn’t have to ignore these revelations in order to keep romantic hope alive. In fact, it’s her job not to.
    She follows Bob into Summit and gazes up at the twenty-four-foot-high, pinkish gray wall, full of crags and dimples, stretching the length of the building. The wall folds back on itself in places, creating overhangs and cliffs so that thrill seekers can cling upside down for their full twenty-five bucks’ worth of near-death adrenaline.
    A Summit teacher hands them harnesses and recites a two-minute lecture on the rules.
    “What do you think?” Bob asks.
    “Great,” Martha says, though she feels the opposite.
    “I love your attitude!” Bob helps her on with the gear, securing it across her backside with a pat on her butt. “Now, the most important thing is to be one with the wall,” he says in an authoritative voice. With his feet turned out duck-style, he demonstrates how to find footings and holds, and scrambles up a few feet without safety gear. A Summit “ranger” orders him down. Bob’s look says,
Get a life.
    “Remember, don’t look down,” he tells Martha. “Ready?”
    “I guess.”
    As if sensing her trepidation, he starts to encourage her. “This is going to be great!” he says. “You can do it!” And, “Go for the gusto!”
    Mental note: Avoid clichés and quoting beer ads.
    Martha wonders if this pep talk is for her or for him. Or if he just likes the sound of his own voice.
    Then Bob mentions that his ex-girlfriend, Beth, wasn’t a risk-taker and that led to their breakup. “My philosophy is to seize the day. Carpe diem and all that!”
    As she approaches the