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Chapter Ten
Richard
I had only been joking when I suggested camping, but Joyelle somehow took it seriously. It would be so simple to correct this misunderstanding. All I needed to do was pick up the phone and call her. I’m sure we’ll both have a laugh over it.
So why the hell am I sitting in a bar with Clark trying to convince him to join us this weekend?
“It’s just two days,” I offered.
Clark sipped his beer and said, “Two days with a woman you’re not attracted to can feel like an eternity. Why aren’t you and what’s-her-name going alone?”
A damn good question. “Guess Joyelle feels more comfortable bringing another woman along.”
“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. If you were a serial killer, she’d just be providing you with two victims!”
“Serial killer? Where did that thought come from?” I asked.
“Sorry. My date last night wanted to stay up and watch horror films instead of having sex. I’m sure you know that I won’t be seeing her again,” he laughed.
And how is that different from all your other dates?
I shouldn’t knock him, because I’m not much different. I could say that most of the women I’d dated had nothing in common with me, but the truth is, I never bothered getting to know them on a personal level. I knew more about Joyelle than anyone I’d dated and we hadn’t even had sex. It would have been a different story if her friend hadn’t shown up. And now she wants her pal to join us for camping. What the hell.
I needed Clark to come along to keep the friend distracted so Joyelle and I could get more intimately acquainted. With any luck, we might even have a good time. That is, if she was being honest when she told me how much she loved camping.
“Clark, I really don’t think her friend is the horror-movie type. Besides, there’s lots to do. Hiking, canoeing, and…”
“Fishing. Campfires. Yeah. I’ve done it before. Not my favorite,” he replied. “Can’t you ask someone else?”
“I would, but all our other brothers are matched up.”
“Great. I’m the default,” he said.
I laughed. “I thought you didn’t want to go.”
“Sounds like great guy-time. Add women and we’ll spend our time hearing complaints about bugs and how much more fun they would be having if we were on a beach.”
“And you know this how?” I asked.
“Personal experience. Back in college, there was this girl I was crazy about. I wanted some serious alone time with her and I figured what better place than the woods. I was fucking wrong. Instead of having sex under the stars, ended up sitting in the car because every noise freaked her out. We weren’t dating anymore after that trip.” He shook his head and added, “Of all the places you could take a woman to impress her, you picked the woods.”
He was right. I could’ve used the Heart jet and taken her away to Paris for a romantic weekend. Joyelle hadn’t talked about destination travel, but she had gushed about camping. Hell, she’d said outright that she missed it. The point of this weekend was to do something we both could enjoy.
“She’s not anything like the women you date,” I said.
“You mean, the women we date. Because we’re both attracted to women who are very similar,” he stated.
He was correct again. The women I normally chose to spend time with didn’t want to hear anything about me. They wanted to be taken out on the town and wined-and-dined in the spotlight. From the moment I met Joyelle, I knew she wasn’t like that. So what the hell was I doing taking her out for a fancy dinner? Camping is what she enjoys and I’m going to make it happen, damn it.
“Maybe it’s time for a change.”
“Damn it, Richard. You’re starting to talk like our brothers. Don’t tell me you’re falling in love with this woman,” Clark said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. We are talking about a camping trip, not a marriage proposal,” I said firmly. Although I was enjoying my time with Joyelle, I knew what I wanted for my future, and none of it included the sound of tiny feet running all around the house.
Clark sat there looking at me, unconvinced. I didn’t care what he thought. I know myself.All I’m doing is changing it up a bit.
“Are you coming camping or not?” I snapped.
