Fire, Water, and Rock by Alaina Erdell

Author:Alaina Erdell [Erdell, Alaina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2022-12-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty

Jess unfolded her tablecloth and gave it a shake. The afternoon sunlight poured through the red-and-white-checked fabric as she spread it across the picnic table at her new campsite. It amazed her how much her old site had begun to feel like home, but she had to admit that the new site was so much better. It was spacious, and she didn’t have to pitch her tent mere feet from other campers. It had been fine when Tim and Ian had stayed next to her, but a bit awkward at other times. Still, most of her neighboring campers had been friendly, and problems few.

Tires crunched on gravel. Car doors slammed as she bent and chose a few fist-sized rocks from the rubble behind her tent. She carried them to the picnic table and used them to weigh down the corners of her tablecloth. She was a veteran now, and she wasn’t going to let the wind get the best of her this time.

Strong arms encircled her from behind and lifted her into the air. She squealed as she tried to see who had her in a bear hug.

“Can’t a couple of friends get a hug or are you too busy playing with rocks?” a familiar voice asked. He put her back on solid ground.

She spun around, and Tim and Ian stood before her, grinning widely.

“You’re back! What are you doing here?” She hugged them and noticed Ian’s car parked at the campsite beside hers.

“We came back to see you.” Ian gave her a playful push. “We closed the shop. It’s not like anyone gets their hair cut this weekend anyway.”

“Labor Day seemed too far away. You would have forgotten us by then.” Tim gave her a crooked grin.

“I will never forget you. Is that your campsite?” She pointed to the adjacent site.

Ian grinned. “We had a little help.”

“We couldn’t reserve a site this late, but Clare put us on top of the list for cancellations and then shuffled things so we could camp next to you.” Tim made himself comfortable at the table. “Otherwise, you would have had us as your beloved guests.”

“She didn’t say a word to me.” Clare’s surprise made her quite happy.

“She’s good at keeping secrets.” Ian winked.

“How are things with her?” Tim picked up one of the rocks on the table and turned it over.

“I mean, good, I guess.” Jess almost tripped over the fire pit as she took a step backward. She regained her balance and tried to appear nonchalant.

“Head over heels, huh?” Ian grinned.

“We drove halfway across the state to see you, and all you’re going to give us is good?” Tim pretended to be hurt.

“Do you want a beer?” She opened the cooler.

“Always.” Tim held out his hand.

“Hit me.” Ian sat next to his brother.

She handed them each a cold can of lager and sat across from them. “It’s complicated.”

“Let’s play a little game. I ask you questions, and you answer them because you’re super bad at this.” Ian slid his beer to the side, folded his hands, and leaned forward, the picture of seriousness.

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