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“You’re not the worst human in the world after all,” Jack says, but then playfully nudges me in the shoulder.
“And you’re not the uptight city slicker I once pegged you for,” I say. “I mean look at you. You’re cooking with me and haven’t complained once.”
This time, I nudge Jack in the shoulder as I take the last of the foil packets off the fire. I smile and look through the fire to find every one of her coworkers looking back at us. Most disapprovingly.
“Alright, everyone,” I say, avoiding eye contact. “Soup’s on.”
After dinner and clean up, the mood feels heavy with Emma gone. I lay in my tent, fluff my pillow up under my head, and fold my arms underneath me. I look up through the unzipped skylight on my tent and feel like I can see the entire milky way. One of the reasons I chose this life over “success” at Google. Clean air and clear skies. Quiet nights where it’s easy to pick out the big dipper. There’s the little dipper and Mars glowing brightly.
A branch cracks outside of my tent, and I dart upright, but stay quiet. Then, another branch. And another. Finally, I hear a giggle off in the distance and my tent shakes.
“Game time!” a male voice calls out. “Starting now!”
I haven’t played nighttime camping games since growing up in the bay area where all the neighborhood kids would meet up in my friend’s backyard at dusk. We always played late into the evening, or until our parents called us home. The nostalgia overwhelms me and I reach for my boots. Then, I’m outside before anyone has to ask me twice.
Chapter Ten
Jack
Ishoot upright on the hardsleeping pad, thankful for the sudden distraction from trying to force myself into sleep. Whatever this “game time” is Calvin calls for outside is going to save me from hours of mental toil—and perhaps a little physical angst too. I was trying to hold my eyes closed as I ran through counting sheep, deep breathing exercises, and the words my yoga practice leader used during savasana at the end of class. Yet the notion of sleep eluded me while my mind raced over that scorching kiss with Luca. I don’t think I’ve ever felt a kiss all the way to my toes before, and how could one kiss feel so utterly... right. I guess there’s a first for everything.
Outside, the moon is nearly full, and the stars are so much brighter than they ever are in the city. There’s usually a golden haze over San Francisco, and the bay area is often blanketed in fog. This fresh air and clear night aren’t things I’ve had much experience with, but somehow, it seems like the open night sinks into my pores, energizes my muscles, and strengthens my bones. This trip wasn’t what I expected, but I’m finding a sense of peace and solitude out here I didn’t expect.
Calvin waves everyone over like he’s coordinating a sports team, as if it was what he was born to be a coach. I’ve often sensed that he’s a little regretful that he doesn’t have children who are interested in sports; not that it stops him from giving his dancer daughters a-hundred-and-ten percent of his attention. In fact, he leaves work at ten before four every day of the week so he can get them to practice. And he and his wife are adorably in love. I don’t think I’ve seen them once when they weren’t holding hands or displaying affection in some way.
I’ve always stayed away from that kind of thing, thinking it would hold me back. But I wonder... would that be so bad?
I brush both hands through my hair and put all my random thoughts away as Calvin says, “Gather up!”
The LivFit team falls eagerly into place. They’re sporty people after all, and the camaraderie almost buzzes in the air. I glance to where the horses are hobbled at the same time Luca emerges from his tent with a huge smile on his face. He seems eager too. Apparently, everyone needs a little distraction from the excitement of the day. Nathan getting injured, Wyatt and Emma leaving ... both events itch under everyone’s skin, but I do wonder if the memory of our kiss is needling at Luca like it is with me.
Turning toward the fire where the others are gathered, I fold my arms and join them.
Eddie is stoking the fire while we move closer.
“So, is Sardines okay?” Calvin pauses, waiting for an answer. “Anyone played before?”
I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds uncomfortable. “Do we have to squeeze into something?” I ask, and the team chuckles.
Calvin doesn’t answer immediately, so Bruce jumps in. “We’renotsqueezing together, are we?”
“Weeeellll, you could,” says our self-nominated coach. “But only if someone picks a tight spot to hide.”
Eddie stands up from the fire and gives Bruce a playful nudge. “Sounds like the key is to hide in plain sight.”
Bruce gives a harumph and unscrews the cap on his flask, tossing it back, and then lets out a sigh. “I think I’m going to sit this one out.”
“Suit yourself,” says Calvin. “The game is really just hide and seek in reverse. Someone hides and everyone counts to... let’s say a hundred, since there’s so much open space here. When you reach a hundred, you start looking for the hider. If you find them, you stay there too, and so on until everyone finds the group.”
Luca has arrived at my side and butts in. “And the last person who finds the hiding spot is the hider in the next round.”
I look up at him, and words come tumbling out of my mouth. “Is this you volunteering to hide first?”
He shrugs and cocks a half-smile. “Sure. I’m game.”
Luca
I haven’t played Sardines sinceI was young. The neighborhood kids and I would play it at dusk for hours into the night until our parents called us in one-by-one. After the group dwindled to four or five, it wasn’t a lot of fun anymore, so those of us remaining would head home for the evening. My parents were never too concerned, so I was always among the last of the group and the last one home since my house was at the very end of the cul-de-sac.
