“Oh, so cute.” He grabbed her around the waist and rolled, relishing the way she giggled. Between the fresh morning air, the singing birds, and the romance of the moment, Jared was convinced he was going to get to fulfill his intentions from the previous evening ... right until the zipper on the tent opened and Zander planted himself on his knees at the entrance.
“This could be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me,” he lamented, his hair standing on end. “I’ve now figured out why we never went camping as kids more than a few times, Harp.”
Harper struggled to see around Jared’s shoulder, her lips curving when she caught sight of her best friend’s morose face. “Well ... I’m sorry. You’re not supposed to be in here, though.”
“Definitely not,” Jared agreed, rolling to a sitting position and glaring. “We just talked about this yesterday.”
“But I’m sad.” Zander jutted out his lower lip. “I need my Harper.”
Jared shook his head, firm. “She’s my Harper on this trip. There’s a reason your tent is on the other side of the parcel. Why can’t you go back over there and bug Shawn?”
“He’s asleep and I don’t want to wake him.”
“But you have no problem waking us?”
Zander’s nose wrinkled. “You guys were clearly awake. I listened outside until I heard the giggles. Then I knew it was okay to come in.”
“It’s not okay.” Jared was very close to blowing a gasket. “Giggling means we’re having fun ... without you.”
“There is no fun to be had without me.” Zander turned his full attention to Harper. “I miss my best friend. This is like torture.”
Harper let loose a sigh that just happened to coincide with Jared’s growl and forced herself to sit up. “How about we get cleaned up and then start talking about breakfast, huh? I think that’s what’s best for all of us.”
“It’s not best for me,” Jared countered, furious. “It’s not even remotely what’s best for me.”
Harper offered him an awkward pat. “You’ll be okay. You’re just hungry.”
“I’m hungry for you.”
“Oh, Sam was right,” Zander intoned. “Some of us — and by us, I mean you — are dirty fornicators. You’re leading the youth of today down a slippery slope.”
“I’m going to beat the crap out of you if you don’t get out of here,” Jared warned.
“Is that any way for a professional law enforcement representative to act?” Zander’s expression was suddenly brighter, as if he found the joy he’d been searching for from messing with Jared. Since Harper knew that to be true, she merely shook her head and crawled to her knees.
“It’s time to get up,” she announced. “Showers all around, and then we’ll handle breakfast. I’m betting everyone will be less grouchy with some eggs in them.”
“Speak for yourself.” Jared’s gaze was dark, and fixed completely on Zander. “Just remember, Zander, the showers are separated by sex. That means you’ll be with me instead of Harper once I get out of this sleeping bag. She won’t be there to protect you.”
Zander straightened, reality hitting him smack in the face. “Community showers? That’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
“It’s going to get even crueler,” Jared promised.
Zander offered up a wink. “Catch me if you can.”
EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULD’VE TAKEN THE MEN less time to get cleaned up, Harper beat them to the pavilion by a good ten minutes. Harris gestured for her to join him and Becky at one of the picnic tables, and since she wasn’t keen to sit alone, Harper acquiesced.
“So, what do you think of the campground?” Harris asked as he poured Harper a cup of coffee from his thermos.
“I think it’s nice,” Harper replied, glancing around. “I am a little confused, though.”
“Oh, yeah? About what?”
“Well, for starters, I saw the sign coming in. This is a state campground. How come they allow you to use a state facility for a private business?”
Harris’ eyes gleamed. “You’re very smart.”
“Or I was trapped in a truck with Zander for six hours and needed something else to focus on.”
He laughed. “I do love your friends, all of them. Zander is a particular favorite, though. Have you ever considered that he might do well on the reality show circuit?”
The question amused Harper to her very core. “I don’t know that I’ve considered it. I’m certain that he has, though.”
“I can see that.” Harris chuckled. “As for the campground, it used to be owned by the state. Well, that’s not true. Technically it still is owned by the state. The thing is, the upkeep on a campground is significant. You need people to mow, patrol to make sure nothing nefarious is happening on the grounds, and also monitor lake access. The state was going to close this campground permanently because they no longer had the funds to run it, when I approached them with an idea.”
“But you don’t own the property?” Harper remained confused.
“I have a lease for the property. Right now it’s for one year, to see if we can make a go of this place. If it works out, then we have the opportunity to extend the lease for another ten years.”
“Why not just buy the property?”
“Because I don’t have a million dollars to throw around for a campground.”
“Oh.” Harper was momentarily stymied. “I guess I didn’t think about it. This property would be worth a lot to the right buyer.”
“Absolutely,” Harris agreed. “The lake is a big draw. If you look to the other side of the water, you can see all the homes over there.” He pointed. “Each one of those homes is worth upwards of two million dollars.”
Harper was appropriately impressed. “So ... why didn’t the state sell the land to someone who could afford to develop one of those houses on it? I’m betting the neighbors would prefer another house
