I pull the car into the parking lot. “Let’s get you out of this cast so you can annoy someone else for a while.”
26
Emerson
“Camping?” I clap once.
We pull up next to Rome’s truck in the afternoon and climb out. The back is empty of everything but a toolbox. Where are the chickens? Rome swung past this morning and picked them up because he’s the only one with a car big enough.
I stretch, lifting my arms over my head and rolling my neck. Having the cast and boot on for so long tightened my muscles. Colt comes up behind me and presses his fingers into my neck.
“You’re okay with camping?”
“God yes. I’m dying to hang out on the beach. Summer has sucked so far.”
“It hasn’t been all bad.” He drags his hands down my arms and across my stomach before leaning down and gently biting the top of my shoulder. “There’s been a few perks.”
His body heat warms me through, but I shiver at his closeness, clenching my fists so I don’t reach behind me and touch him. My breath stutters. “Like bath time?”
“Hmmm...” he muses. “I enjoyed bath time.”
“Too bad we’re roughing it now and don’t have a bath.” I nod toward the camp site.
“We’re not roughing it,” Colt says, whistling low as he moves beside me, grabs my hand and leads me toward the camp site. “And we have a whole ocean.”
“Might not be so bad.” Sweeping my hair over one shoulder, I take in Austin’s setup. The camp is set up off the sand on a worn patch of grass in an arc shape, all centered around a fire pit but facing the water. It’s empty. “Where is everyone?”
Colt lifts his arms above his head and stretches. The action causes his t-shirt to lift, displaying his tight, defined abs, and sharp hip bones.
Music fills the air, the sounds radiating from a freestanding gazebo. A loud rumbling noise draws my attention to the back of the gazebo.
I chuckle.
“What?”
I point to the machine that seems to make the rumbling sound. “Is that a generator?”
Colt opens his mouth to speak but Austin’s loud voice cuts him off. “You made it!”
He comes over and extends his hand to Colt. They do that weird fist bump, handshake, back slap thing that guys do when greeting each other before breaking apart. Austin pulls me into a hug and presses a kiss to my cheek. “Hi.” He smiles. Colt glares.
He’s so cute; the slight sway to his shoulders like he has a secret, I can’t help but smile. “Hi. This is amazing,” I say, gesturing to the setup. It’s like a small community.
He pulls me into the center of the camp, and points everything out. “Grill. Fire pit. Generator. Refrigerators. Ba—”
“Did you say refrigerators?” I quirk an eyebrow, my gaze following where he’s pointing. And sure enough, there are two refrigerators under the gazebo.
“The smaller one is for food.”
“And the larger one?
“Beer.” Austin smirks.
“Priorities.” Colt chuckles.
“When you see how much beer Crew showed up with, you’ll understand.” Austin turns around and flattens a hand to the top of his head, indicating with the other. “Tents. Crew on that side of the beer. Fletcher on that side,” he says, pointing to the two tents on either side of the gazebo, then goes around the camp in a clockwise motion. “Rome. Mine. Keely. Yours.”
“Keely’s here?” I grin.
“Who the fuck is Keely?” Colt frowns. “And why are there seven tents?”
“Keely is Austin’s friend. You met her,” I remind him, counting the tents. He’s right. There are seven.
Colt shrugs, his lips dipping down at the sides as he widens his stance and folds his arms over his chest. “Still doesn’t explain the seven tents.”
“One for you. One for Em.” Austin points to each tent. “I wasn’t sure what your sleeping arrangements were, given you share a single room apartment.”
“Two tents aren’t necessary,” Colt mutters at the same time as I thank Austin for being thoughtful.
Austin glances between us, a curious expression on his face before he smirks. “Okay. Pick one then. And the girls can have the other.”
Colt perks up. He straightens his back, stands tall and puffs out his chest. “Girls?”
I roll my eyes. The camp is empty except for the chicken coop nestled between the two tents Austin set up for us.
“Yeah, Jane invited a couple of friends.” Austin points down the beach to a group playing volleyball.
“Who the fu—” Colt starts, but I slap my hand over his mouth knowing exactly what he’s about to ask.
“Don’t you dare ask who Jane is.”
Austin laughs. “Really?”
Colt licks my palm, and I yank my hand away. He grins, so I wipe my hand on his shirt. Dragging his hand over his mouth and pinching his bottom lip, he lifts one shoulder and says, “I'm good with names, but Jane doesn’t ring a bell.”
“Louise,” I offer, and he stares at me. “Linda. Leonie. Lydia. Laura. Ring any bells?”
Colt blinks at me.
I sigh. “The one that tries to siphon gas out of an empty tank.”
“I’m going out on a limb here; you’re not really talking about gas, are you?” Austin says. I shake my head, and he sputters, throwing his head back in laughter.
Colt’s eyes narrow and his lips purse as he scratches his chin in thought. And then his face lights up and his lips pull into a wide grin. He clicks his fingers and points at me, finally understanding who Jane is. Turning to Austin, he screws up his face and whines, “Aww man, why did you invite her for?”
Austin’s eyes widen. “I didn’t. She said you invited her.”
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“She said you two were a thing.” Austin air quotes when he says ‘thing’ and Colt shivers.
“Hell no.” His hands drop to the front of his shorts. “My balls are quivering in fear knowing she’s here.”
“You might want to keep your distance then.” Austin laughs and claps him on the shoulder. “Dump your stuff in a tent and come down to the beach.”
He walks off leaving us to unload our bags and check on the chickens. Colt grabs our bags out of the car and drops them inside the end tent while I crouch down and make sure the chickens are okay. They’re fully stocked. Lots of water and plenty of food to keep them going for the day.
“Volleyball or swimming?” Colt asks when I climb into the tent and dig around in my bag. The tent is much larger inside than I thought. It’s a two-room rent with a zip dividing both sides so it can be closed off for privacy. There’s bedding on both sides, a foam mattress and sleeping bags. I smile. Austin was sweet to set everything up.
“Neither,” I say, pulling out my book and waving it in his face. “I’m going to soak up the sun and read for a little while. Maybe go for a walk.”
Colt reaches one hand up and behind his head, yanking his shirt off as he kicks his shoes to the side. He raises his eyebrows expectantly. “Can’t soak up the sun if you’re blocking it out with clothes, Em.”