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“God in heaven,” I said, having about enough of this glamorous—spoiled rich boy—side of John. I walked over to the makeshift table he’d cleverly made from two large round logs and the canvas seat of someone’s broken lounge chair that he’d found abandoned beside the trash cans. “Give me these poor hot dogs,” I said, plucking them off the table and turning to look for two long, skinny branches.
“What are you doing?”
“Save the propane, sweetheart,” I taunted, turning back to him. “Turn that damn stovetop off and follow me.”
He grinned at me, sending a jolt of excitement through me. “All right, doll face.” He turned the stove off and walked toward me, his hazel eyes like liquid in their smothering gaze, “Where are we going?”
“To salvage our camping trip by turning it into a semi-real one and getting sticks for roasting these doggies over a fire.”
“Well, I’m getting a semi just watching your cute ass get all worked up like this,” he said.
“Easy now, City Slicker,” I tried but failed to tease. I was more focused on finding the perfect branches than being funny, and I knew I’d spotted some in the wooded area between campsites when we came in.
“So, what the hell are we looking for?” John said.
When I looked back at him, it was apparent that he was entirely out of his element. He’d shown that his idea of camping was what most people do in their backyards on the weekend, and it was nothing like what people actually did on a trip to the woods.
“Sticks. Long, skinny branches,” I said, scanning the area for where I knew I had seen some. “I saw a pile of the damn things when I was trying to get shit to start the campfire.”
“But I’d already started it with the fire-starters?”
I grinned at him. “And now that you’ve had fun being cute as a little Happy Camper, I’m going to show you an even more exciting way to camp.”
“You seem like you’ve camped before?”
“I used to go all the time in the Smoky Mountains with my parents and their friends,” I said, hearing the pine needles crunching beneath my feet and remembering how much I loved this sound.
“Well, shit, you should’ve said something,” he chuckled. “I’ve never camped before.”
“You don’t say?” I teased as I spotted the sticks. I picked up a handful, knowing they’d be perfect to roast the hot dogs now and the marshmallows later. From everything I heard falling out of John’s mouth, I’d be shocked if he knew what a s’more was. “Well, if you would’ve told me you’d never camped before, I could’ve helped you get stuff for the trip. I’d at least have saved you a small fortune in camping vehicles and essentials,” I said, arching an eyebrow at him.
“Is this all sort of boring to you, then?” he questioned, and for an instant, I felt like I’d see some sad, little boy version of him.
Are his feelings hurt?
“No way,” I smiled. “It’s extremely entertaining to watch you. Although,” I smacked the hot dogs into his chest, “I want you to have a little fun. And it’s never any fun without a few challenges.”
“I agree,” he answered.
“So, we’re going to sit in our badass camping chairs, lean over, and roast these hot dogs on that fire. Let the flames do the work while I pick your brain to uncover how your mother let you get away with being this goddamn spoiled.”
“Sounds like a plan; however, it’s probably not all my mother’s fault,” he glanced down at me with a smile.
“If your mother let you play outside as a kid and get your clothes dirty without constant supervision, then I’ll agree.”
He smirked at me. “My mother would’ve lost her shit if Nanny Isabella took her eyes off me and my brothers for a second. I don’t even want to think what she’d do if we got our clothes dirty.”
“Yep,” I chuckled. “Definitely your mom’s fault.”
“In her defense, she does love me,” he bantered.
“Oh, I have no doubt that your mother loves you. She just spoiled your handsome ass, yes?”
“Sort of?”
“There is no sort of about it. That eighty-thousand-dollar new car purchase for one night in the woods tells me she spoiled you, and so did your father. You’re nearly a hopeless case.” I poked my hot dog through my stick, “But nothing that can’t be saved with my help.”
“You need to watch how you’re spearing that fucking hot dog while stating that with that crazy look in your eyes,” he teased.
