Page 62 of The Offer

Jess liked his rosy cheeks, his hazel eyes sparkling against the golden summer sun. “Maybe we should make our own traditions.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“Hmm…annual camping trip?”

He hummed. “Let’s see how tonight goes first.”

She scoffed. “You think I can’t handle it?”

“Oh, I do,” he said. “But I’m not sure how you’re going to feel after sleeping in a tent with me.”

She fidgeted in her seat. “Oh.”

“Sorry, I only realized as I was packing. But it does sleep four people, so there’s plenty of room.”

She exhaled. “That’s fine, Kev. Don’t worry about it.”

He nodded. They remained silent as he turned around a bend and down a road veiled in trees. He slowed the car at the entrance for a campground and pulled in. Honey perked up as he stepped out of the car, but Jess kept a tight grasp on her pup as Kevin spoke with the attendant, then grabbed a stack of firewood and a bag of ice. He hauled them in the trunk and got back in the car.

“I told him it was your first time camping and he gave us the best lot on the grounds,” he explained. He rolled the car down the dirt road, past campsites with couples and families building fires and setting up tents for the night. Kevin turned and parked next to an empty spot. Jess stretched her legs and stepped out of the vehicle, holding Honey firmly in her arms as she walked toward their small fire pit in the center of a clearing overlooking a lake behind them. The water glistened as the sun set, the sky streaked with soft peachy pinks.

“Wow,” she breathed. She felt Kevin step up beside her. “He wasn’t kidding. This is the best lot.”

Kevin hummed. “Come on, let’s get set up. First rule of camping: never wait to set up camp until the sun goes down.”

Her eyes widened. “Why? Bears? Are we going to get eaten?”

He barked out a laugh. “No, silly, we’re safe here. It’s just a pain to set up a tent in the dark.”

She relaxed. “What’s rule number two of camping?”

“S’mores must be consumed.”

“I like that rule.”

“Me too,” he said, swinging an arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the car.

They set up the tent and tossed sleeping bags and mats and pillows in, then focused on dinner. Honey remained tied up with a long leash that gave her enough room to run around, but she seemed content sitting next to Jess as she tossed sliced peppers, onions, and sausage in a bowl with oil and seasoning, then dumped them in sheets of aluminum and wrapped them up tightly. She noticed Kevin standing over her as she finished folding up the packets.

“Jessica, camping means hot dogs on sticks, condiments not always necessary. This is fancy.”

“You really think I’m going to settle for a hot dog on a stick?” she quipped.

“At this point, I don’t think you’ll settle for anything.”

“Damn straight,” she mumbled to herself, heat trickling up her neck.

Kevin set down two camping chairs as she carefully tossed the packets on the grill, then took a seat next to him. Honey jumped up on his lap and licked his face, then dropped down with an exhausted foof.

“You know, for someone who’s never been camping before, you sure look like you know what you’re doing,” he said, gesturing toward their foil pack dinners.

She pulled up her legs and sat crisscrossed, getting comfortable. “My dad has this obsession with making foil pack dinners on the grill. Or…he did. I guess I don’t know if he’s into it anymore.”

Kevin nodded. “I bet he still does. Logan doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who likes change.”

Jess’s mind flashed to their days at Cap’s, remembering the way her father bristled at everything Charlie’s father suggested they do. She knew he hated it, but he’d kept it to himself—mostly. The space was in dire need of saving, and Charlie was willing to make the investment. So her father nodded along, and watched his precious boatyard transform before his eyes.

“Yeah,” she breathed. “Not really his thing.”