Page 30 of Grumpy Bear

I shook my head. “Trust me. There is nothing to envy. The storm blew up out of nowhere, my pole collapsed—”

Ryan coughed. “Sounds like a personal problem.”

I waited a few beats for the juvenile mirth to die out. “Yeah. Well. Everything I own got fucking soaked. I hope my phone eventually turns back on, and I’m praying my guitar dries out.”

Austin’s eyebrows shot up, his mouth a shocked O. His entire demeanor flipped. “Your guitar! Bro. Is it fucked?”

“There are some ripples in the back corresponding with the braces. The top has swollen to the point where it’s cracking the poly finish a little bit. The back is starting to delaminate… We left a fan on it. Coleman said he’d find me a big bag of rice to help dry it out, but it’ll take a couple of days. Then I can restring it, and...” I shrugged, pained, but trying not to give any energy to the worst-case scenario. “We’ll see. Cross your fingers. It’s my only real possession in the world.”

“Luke, that sucks. I was totally out last night. I didn’t hear anything. But I’m glad Sawyer came to your rescue.”

“I’m sure anybody would have done the same in his shoes.”

Austin elbowed me and grinned, trying to change the subject back to something lighter. “Maybe you’ll be this season’s golden boy.”

I heard a disgusted huff and watched Trey leave the table.

“Pissy bitch,” Hank muttered.

Austin’s eyes flashed, full of pure mischief. “He haaates you, bro.”

I groaned through my teeth. “Dude. I don’t need anybody hating me.”

Austin laughed and shrugged apologetically. “What? I can’t help it. I think it’s funny as shit watching him strut around here thinking he’s gonna get hired on permanently, marry the boss, and live happily ever after in the love shack. And then here you come, knocking him out of the competition on night one.”

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “I’m not competing with him. For anything. We just slept. On the edges of the bed. As far apart as we could get.”

“I’m surprised you could sleep at all.”

“Actually, I didn’t. Much.”

“Ahh. You were lying there next to him all totally rattled, weren’t you? Thinking about it all night. How close he was. Your foot nudging his under the covers…”

I didn’t want to admit that any part of that might be accurate. “I was thinking about what the hell I’m gonna do next. Especially without a guitar.” I wasn’t sure the desperation of my situation was registering with Austin. I hadn’t told him much. He was clearly jacked on coffee and the promise of the season starting. It wasn’t the time or place to load him up with my real-world worries. “Anyway. Nothing’s going to happen.”

He quirked an eyebrow. “You don’t know that.”

“Yes, I do.” Coleman had literally said so. But that was too humiliating to confess. “Trust me.”

At that moment, Coleman silently appeared at my side and set a ten-pound bag of rice at my feet. He left without saying a word. Had he overheard what we were talking about?

“Bro.” Austin’s face lit up with delighted shock. “That was some chivalrous shit right there.”

“He’s not interested.”

“Are you interested?”

I didn’t answer.

14

Sawyer

We held our full staff meeting in the dining hall after breakfast. Jim had made a schedule with the work assignments. He was better at keeping up with everyone’s personalities, likes and dislikes, who they were trying to hook up with, and who’d broken up with whom. I laid down the law and played a kind of orchestra conductor.

“Bailey. Roscoe. Galley slaves for the mad pirate.” That joke about Chef usually earned me some chuckles. “Stock. Prep. Whatever you’re already doing. Then whatever else Levi needs you to do.”

“Gunner. Hank. Albie. Kevin. Lumberjack duty, of course.” I paused while they exchanged high-fives. These guys lived to split wood. “After the last few nights of storms, there’re limbs down all over the place. Check every footpath, every trail. Let’s try to get the noisy part taken care of before the guests start arriving in full force. Cut everything now, then go back through and start hauling brush, logs, whatever you can get down to the bonfire for tomorrow night. You may be on this for a while, even tomorrow. It’s your job until it’s done.”