Jared chuckled. Ever since Harper’s parents had decided to give their marriage another shot and had put the pause on their divorce, they’d been regular visitors. Harper was convinced it was an elaborate way to torture her, but Jared saw it for what it was: parents trying to do the right thing for their daughter ... for a change.
“We definitely don’t have to worry about your parents stopping in,” he enthused, amused despite himself. “I do think we should talk about a few rules for best friends, though.”
Harper’s eyebrows knitted. “I don’t understand.”
“He’s talking about me,” Zander offered. “He’s about to lay down the law and say I’m not allowed in your tent.”
“Oh.” Harper pressed her lips together, uncertain. Was she supposed to take Jared’s side on this? If she did, Zander would never stop complaining. On the flip side, she understood what Jared was worried about. Tents were much smaller than bedrooms. Big personalities would suck the oxygen out of a tent mighty fast. “Why don’t we play that by ear, huh?”
“No.” Jared shook his head, firm, and made another turn. “Everyone needs to stick to his or her own tent.”
“Oh, that sounds depressing,” Shawn lamented. “What happens when I want to crawl into a sleeping bag with you and Harper and complain about Zander?”
“That’s allowed,” Jared replied, not missing a beat.
“Hey!” Zander sat straighter in his seat. “You can’t have one set of rules for me and one for him. If one of us is allowed in your tent then the other has to be allowed, too.”
“It was a joke,” Jared countered. “Neither one of you is allowed in our tent.”
“We’ll see,” Zander muttered under his breath, shifting again. “How long until we get there? I have to go to the bathroom.”
“Again?” Jared’s eyebrows practically flew off his forehead. “How much coffee did you drink this morning?”
“I can’t help it.” Zander turned petulant. “I have a delicate bladder.”
“Delicate?”
“He means he has the bladder of an infant,” Shawn offered helpfully. “Why do you think we refrain from road trips?”
“Because he’s impossible to deal with in an enclosed environment,” Jared answered. “There’s no need to worry this time, though, because we’re here.”
“Really?” Harper leaned forward in her seat, excitement and nerves colliding. She wasn’t certain what to expect, but the campground they were coasting into looked almost homey compared to the horror scenarios that had been running through her mind over the days leading up to the trip. “Oh, well, this is kind of sweet, huh?”
“It’s a little more built up than I would’ve liked,” Jared admitted. “There’s a lake over there, though, and everything looks clean.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about junkies taking over the parks up here like you do back at home,” Shawn said. “People don’t just wander into these camps.”
“That’s something to look forward to, huh?” Jared was all smiles as he followed the sign to their designated spot. “Here we are.”
Harper was happy to hop out of the truck and stretch her legs. Six hours hadn’t sounded all that terrible when they first signed up for the trip. In hindsight, though, they might’ve been better renting a camper so she and Zander could stretch out for the ride.
“I thought we had to hike with our things from the parking lot to the campsites,” Harper said as Jared joined her next to the vehicle. “You said you read the brochure and we would have to hike.”
Jared turned sheepish. “How angry are you going to be if I tell you I only said that to keep you from overpacking?”
Harper wasn’t sure how to answer so she took a moment to consider the statement. “I don’t know,” she said finally. “I might be a little mad. I need to think on it.”
Jared shot her a small smile. “If you need to think about it, then you’re not really angry.”
“I could be angry.”
“I’m definitely angry,” Zander groused, planting his hands on his hips and glaring at Jared. “I could’ve definitely brought my hair dryer. The only reason it got left behind is because Shawn swore he wasn’t hiking with more than two bags, and he insisted I would have to walk back to the truck by myself if I wanted to bring my dryer.”
Jared’s expression never shifted. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you. You’re going to have to suck it up and put up with letting your hair dry naturally like the rest of us.”
“That is barbaric!”
“I believe you’ve mentioned that a few times now.”
“Ten,” Shawn volunteered. “He’s mentioned it at least ten times.”
“That’s it.” Zander threw up his hands. “You’re all on my list.”
“Oh, well, it took longer than I thought it would,” Jared noted, digging in his pocket for his wallet and pulling out a twenty, which he proceeded to hand to Shawn. “You held out a whole three hours longer than I expected, Zander. Congratulations.”
Zander’s eyes filled with fury. “Yes, you’re definitely all on my list.”
“That anger will motivate you,” Shawn offered, tucking the money into his wallet. “We’re going to need that motivation to get our camp set up before nightfall.”
“Maybe I don’t want to help,” Zander shot back. “Maybe I think this whole thing was a stupid idea and I hate all of you.”
“You can hate us while putting up tents,” Jared replied, moving toward the back of the truck. “I think it’s best if we put the tents on either side of the campground so we’re not on top of each other. That will leave the firepit at the center and still give us a bit of privacy.”
“I think that’s a fantastic idea,” Shawn agreed, yanking the red tent out from the bottom of the pile. “Do you guys want to help with the tents or unpack
