Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
I ’m relieved to finally be rid of the Mumford shirt. I’m also glad no one mentioned its origin. I wouldn’t have wanted to explain to Charlie, which I realize is somewhat hypocritical given how much I’ve pushed him out of his comfort zone.
Big deal. I’m a hypocrite. There are worse things to be in life, like a liar and a cheater.
After yoga I shower and check messages. Adam’s toilet won’t stop running and it’s upsetting Chewy, so I swing by his cabin for maintenance. Thankfully, it’s an easy fix.
“You’re a lifesaver,” Adam says. He’s seated on the edge of his bed cuddling Chewy on his lap. For once he’s in regular clothes.
“It’s no big deal, unlike Charlie trying to unload Chucky at swag swap last night.”
Adam strokes the Yorkie’s silky hair. “Don’t be so quick to judge. He had that baseball card ready and waiting at his fingertips. I think subconsciously he wanted us to object to Chucky.”
“Huh. You’re more insightful than people give you credit for, you know that?”
“It’s the helmet. Everybody underestimates my capacity for compassion, but if they really knew anything about Anakin, they’d know…”
I tune out, as I tend to do whenever Adam goes off on a Star Wars tangent. I’m a genuine fan, but for Adam the franchise is an obsession. He can recite Anakin Skywalker factoids until you lose sensation in your limbs. Ask me how I know.
“What time is karaoke tonight?” Adam asks.
“Later than I’d prefer, but Melody was only available at ten.”
“Ooh, that’s past our bedtime.” He holds up Chewy. “Isn’t it, little guy?”
“You can make an exception for one night. I have an indoor and an outdoor activity planned to keep everybody occupied until then.”
“I vote for indoor.”
“I thought as much, that’s why I’m playing Empire Strikes Back in the cabin.”
“Out of curiosity, but what’s the outdoor activity?”
“Capture the Flag: After Dark edition.”
Adam snorts. “Let me guess: Hunter’s request.”
“Of course.”
Adam is quiet for a moment. “I like Charlie.”
“That’s all part of his evil plan. Makes everybody like him and then bam! Ruin our lives.”
“Do you honestly believe that?”
The tension eases from my shoulders. “I honestly don’t know.”
“Has he given you any reason not to trust him?”
I arch an eyebrow. “Apart from the whole registering under false pretenses?”
“If there’s one thing we know it’s that bad guys can turn away from the dark side. Try to remember that.”
“I’ll bear that in mind. See you later, Adam.”
Capture the Flag starts after sunset. Olivia opts for movie night with Ben and Adam, but the other campers choose the outdoor activity.
As soon as I finish explaining the rules, Charlie objects. “I’m a lawyer. I can’t steal.”
“Funny words from a guy who’s trying to steal my land out from under me.”
“Point taken.”
We split into two teams. My team has a Care Bear flag and Hunter’s team has a Smurfs flag.
I offer a brief overview of the rules for Charlie’s sake, explaining that each team stores their flag at their hidden headquarters.
Members of the opposite team have to find the location and steal the flag.
Whichever team returns to their headquarters with the other team’s flag first wins.
I offer to hide our flag, and my teammates offer to act as decoys and defense. To my surprise, Charlie chooses to accompany me to the hiding spot and act as a lookout.
“I already know where I’m hiding it,” I tell him as we traipse through the woods. We share one flashlight between us.
“You can pick any tree,” Charlie says. “It’ll be impossible to find a scrap of material in the middle of these woods in the dark.”
“You only say that because you haven’t played in the pitch black with Hunter. I swear he has night vision.”
“More like night-vision goggles.”
“Fair.” I become acutely aware of his presence beside me. We’re walking so close together that his arm keeps brushing against mine.
“What happened with the Mumford guy?”
His question throws me for a loop. “What?”
“The former owner of the Mumford T-shirt. Ex-boyfriend?”
I steal a glance at him. “You caught that, huh?”
“It was hard to miss.” He shines the light under his chin and produces a monstrous laugh.
I don’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction. “Is that supposed to be scary?”
He shifts the flashlight away from his face and I scream.
“What?” he shouts, clearly unnerved by the high-pitched sound. I don’t blame him. I scared myself.
“It’s a tick!” I flick the insect off his arm before it has a chance to burrow.
Charlie stares at the red mark on his skin. “Where’ve you been hiding those fast reflexes? That was superhero level.”
“Any superhero in particular?”
I can see his gears churning as he struggles to come up with an answer. “Um, Batman?”
“Batman relies on gizmos. He isn’t naturally gifted.”
“How about Spider-Man?”
I nod. “That’s a good one.”
He scratches his arm. “Should I be worried about this?”
“I don’t think so. It didn’t get under your skin.”
He looks harder at me. “Why do I sense a but?”
“But there could be more that we can’t see.”
His eyes narrow. “Can’t see because they’re so tiny that they’re practically invisible?”
“This time of year they’re bigger, but they like fleshy, warm places.”
He grimaces. “Fleshy?”
I move to stand behind him. “Lift up your shirt.” He passes me the flashlight, and I shine the light on his bare back. I didn’t realize how sexy a back could be until this moment.
“Anything?” he asks.
“No, just a freckle.”
“I have a freckle?”
“Right above your hip bone.” I press my finger against the freckle, causing him to jump.
“Cold hands,” he says.
I laugh. “It’s eighty degrees.”
“Fine. I’m ticklish.”
“Why didn’t you say so? Or is being ticklish somehow emasculating?”
He doesn’t respond. I continue my examination and somehow manage to hold the flashlight steady as I focus on his arms. Those biceps deserve a spotlight. It’s a shame they’re regularly hidden beneath layers of designer suits. The corporate world’s loss is my gain.
“See anything?”
His question snaps me back to the task at hand. “Not yet.”
“You said warm, fleshy places.”
“I did.”
“Then shouldn’t we check...?” He drags his gaze lower.
I take a step back. “No way.”
“How do you expect me to look there? I’m not a contortionist and unless you have a mirror.” He stops. “Hold up. We can use the camera on my phone.”
My mouth runs dry. “You want me to take photos of your balls?”
“Not to keep.”
We stare at each other.
“If the head gets buried…”
I wince. “Please don’t say head while I’m staring at your nether regions.”
“No need to stare. Give them a quick look and we won’t ever speak of this again.”
“A vow of silence?”
He nods, somber, and reluctantly exposes himself.
I lower myself to my knees and shine the light at his groin. Great Mississippi River!
I snap to my feet, unable to speak.
“See anything?” he asks as he hikes up his shorts. His anxious tone brings me back to earth.
Holy Gandalf’s walking stick, yes, I most certainly do.
“No ticks,” I squeak.
“I should check you now, right?” he asks. “Unless you have a natural immunity to tick bites.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“Then what’s the issue? You checked me. Let me return the favor.”
Even in the pitch dark, I don’t miss the pleased quirk of his mouth. Return the favor, indeed.
I can’t afford Lyme disease. My health insurance isn’t good enough. And yet the prospect of Charlie poking around the hidden parts of my body while we’re alone in the woods... It has sexy times written all over it.
Or slasher movie. Maybe both.
“Okay.” I drag out the word, still reluctant.
“Lift up your shirt,” he says. “I promise to be quick.”
“Just what a girl likes to hear,” I joke.
“Trust me, Cricket. If this were another sort of naked party, I’d take my time.”
His words seem to graze my bare skin, and I strain against a shudder.
I close my eyes and do as I’m told, fully aware that this exceptionally hot man is currently scrutinizing every inch of my back. I swallow a whimper. “You should check under the bra line. They like to squeeze underneath things.”
I expect him to shift the underwire. Instead, he unhooks it, and a small gasp escapes me.
He hears my surprised reaction. “Sorry, is that not what you meant?”
“It’s fine.” I feel under my boobs for any tiny bumps.
“Do you want me to aim the light at your … underboob?”
“No,” I say, “but also yes. Think of it as a breast exam, like you’re a professional looking for suspicious lumps.”
I expect him to crack a joke about playing doctor, but he seems to take his task very seriously, which I appreciate.
His thumb skims my bare breast, and my nipple hardens at the attention. “Nothing here,” he says in a voice that sounds huskier than normal.
“That’s a relief.” I drop my shirt, mortified by the moment of vulnerability. I’m grateful for the blanket of darkness between us.
“Anywhere else I should look?” he asks.
“I’m good, thanks.” The elastic on my underwear is tight enough to leave indentations on my skin. No way is a tick crawling past the border.
“While we’re busy baring ourselves,” he says, “I have a confession to make.”
My mind scatters into a thousand possibilities, each one more awful than the next. I brace myself for an answer that involves either a wife and three kids at home or a preference for pineapple on pizza. “What is it?”
He hesitates, as though reconsidering.
“What is it, Charlie? Do you see something?”
He switches off the light. “I haven’t seen Star Wars ,” he finally says. “Or Lord of the Rings , for that matter.”
His admission strikes me speechless. My jaw refuses to operate. It doesn’t even drop to the floor; it stays clamped shut like an oyster holding tight to its pearl.
Charlie studies my face in the shadows. “Have I done it? Have I finally broken you?”
I regain control of my mouth. “It’ll take a lot more than your pathetic childhood to break me.”
He scoffs. “Pathetic? I’ll have you know my childhood was idyllic.”