“You know something bad is going to happen, even if it’s a fake something bad. I get it.”
“Yeah. Once we’re in the thick of the game, it will be easier.”
“I think you’re right.” He slid his arm under her and tugged, not stopping until she was directly on top of him. “So, I have this idea,” he offered, licking his lips.
Amusement lit Harper’s eyes. “Oh, yeah? What idea are we talking about here?”
“I know one surefire way to ensure relaxation.”
“I’m all ears.”
“I think it will lose something in the telling. I might have to show you.”
That had her smile widening. “I’m up for that.”
“Something told me that might be the case.”
6
Six
Dinner was in the pavilion again. It seemed to be the central meeting place. Harper was happy for that, just in case she were to get separated from her team in the wilderness. At least they would know where to regroup.
“Ribs.” Jared’s eyes filled with hunger as the familiar scent assailed his olfactory senses. “They’re going all out.”
“Apparently so.” Shawn looked just as eager. “How about we get the food for everybody and you guys get the drinks?”
Zander, who seemed lackluster, nodded without a hint of argument. “Sure. Whatever makes you guys happy.”
Harper eyed her friend a moment, suspicious, and then joined in the nodding. “I think we can manage that.”
Harper waited until she and Zander were alone to ask the obvious question. “Why are you being such a baby?” Her earlier conversation with Jared had made her realize one very important thing ... she was being a total downer. That wasn’t fair to anyone and she vowed to buck up, even if she wasn’t feeling especially jovial.
“Who says I’m being a baby?” Zander’s eyes flashed hot. “I’m not being a baby.”
“You kind of are.” Harper used her most reasonable tone, although she knew from experience that it didn’t always work on Zander. “I think you should at least give this a try.”
“I am giving it a try.”
“No, you’re really not. You know ... this is important to them.” She thought about what she wanted to say and then simply went for it. “Jared and Shawn like camping. They think this is the most fun you can have.”
“Then they’re nuts. I’ve always thought there was a possibility Germany and France were full of crazy people. This makes sense.”
“They’re not nuts. They’re ... good men who like different things than we do. We’re going to have to get used to it.”
“Oh, yeah? How do you figure?”
“At a certain point, we’re going to have kids.”
He stilled. “If you think I’m going to subject a kid to this sort of outing, you’ve got another think coming. Shawn and I will have to adopt and if anybody sees us torturing a small child with camping, they’re likely to remove the kid from our home.”
Harper rolled her eyes. She recognized the sort of mood Zander was in and knew there was no way to get him out of it. “I get that you want to be grouchy. Personally, I don’t think having big hair is a reason to torture those around us.”
“That’s easy for you to say. Your hair looks great.”
“I have the same hair problems you do.”
“Oh, you do not.” He made an exaggerated face. “You can pull back your hair if it looks funky. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that you’re wearing it off your neck today. Do you want to know why that is?”
“Because it’s easier when my hair doesn’t fall in my face?”
“No, because you know you still look cute like that.”
“Oh, geez.” Harper shook her head. “You’re being purposely obnoxious. Under normal circumstances, I would be fine with it. I don’t want you torturing Shawn for no reason, though. It doesn’t seem fair.”
“Oh, I have a reason.” He gestured toward his hair. “Look at this. If the gay community in Southeast Michigan saw me looking like this, they would kick me out.”
Harper swallowed the absurd urge to laugh. “Well ... .”
“I’m being serious. I look like ... a straight guy.”
And that, she realized, was the real reason he was struggling so much. At a young age, he’d made a hard decision. Whisper Cove was small and those who were different stuck out. Both Zander and Harper were different at their cores. Zander was a gay youth struggling to understand his feelings. Harper could see and talk to ghosts, which made her a freak in an overly religious community. They’d drifted together because they were both outsiders and clung together because they were soul mates.
Sure, they weren’t romantic soul mates. That didn’t mean the love they shared was any less potent. When Zander realized why he was the way he was, he decided to embrace it. Sure, he was a little more flamboyant than necessary, but it was a way to shield himself in high school. Now it was simply how he identified.
“I’m sorry.” Harper wasn’t sure what to say to make him feel better. “I know camping isn’t your thing. Jared and I talked about it, though. We came up with a compromise.”
“Really? Does it involve one of them driving to that Ulta Beauty to get me a hair dryer?”
“No, it involves the future. When we have kids we can all go to a campground together that’s much closer to home.”
“One I can take a hair dryer to, right?”
She bobbed her head. “Absolutely. Hair dryers will be allowed. When they want a more intense camping trip, though, they can take the kids and go together. They can do all this organizational stuff they like ... and campfire stuff they adore ... and they can shop in weird little shops until they pass out from bliss.”
Zander’s lips curved. “What will we do when they’re gone?”
“A spa weekend, with wine and as much takeout as we can stomach.”
“With no kids in sight.”
