Chapter 2
Ethan
“Come on, man. We are going to be late!” Jared grumbles, throwing the last bag in the undercarriage of the camper.
He and his family go to Ironcliff Falls Campground every year, and this year he is forcing me to go, much to my dismay.
I just wanted a quiet night this Fourth of July.
I wanted to sit in my boxers, eat a tub of ice cream, and lounge around my house without human interaction. But Jared isn’t fucking having it.
“Let’s go, Uncle Evan!” Susie-May, Jared’s four-year-old daughter, rushes past me.
I sigh, stepping into the camper and taking my seat at the table by the window.
I don’t know why I’m complaining so much.
I’ve always enjoyed our camping trips. But this year just seems different.
It feels like I need to stay home and relax, take the damn summer off this year.
But when I look over at Susie-May buckling her seatbelt, all thoughts shift to the smile she will have once we arrive.
She has always loved going up to Ironcliff Falls Campground. The way the little fishes swim up and nip at her legs always gets her giggling. And god, the way she drags me from one spot to the next searching for her favorite rocks is like heaven.
I’ve been friends with Jared for over a decade. When they asked me to be their newborn baby’s Godfather, how could I refuse? One smile from her as she wrapped her tiny hand around my finger had me hooked for life.
I settle into the bench as Jared pulls the camper out of the driveway and heads toward the Falls.
An hour later, Susie-May starts to whine that she is hungry. She has already had a bag of Goldfish and two damn Fruit Roll-Ups. What more could she possibly want? But that doesn’t stop Jared from pulling over at the nearest truck stop and pulling into the parking lot.
Following Susie-May out of the cabin, I stretch my legs and back. It’s only been an hour, and we’re only halfway there. I don’t want to be too stiff when we arrive.
“Come on, Uncle Ethan!” Susie-May holds out her hand for me, and, begrudgingly, I grab it and follow her to the store.
Jared and Avery just laugh at me from the camper as this little kid drags me wherever she wants me to go.
We make our way into the store, and she immediately goes to the nacho stand. Getting the bag of nachos and dripping the cheese on them is one of her favorite things. It is also one of the few things we can get her to eat aside from McDonald's when we are out and about.
I help her pour the chips into the bowl and hold them under the cheese while she pulls the lever. Once she is satisfied with the mountain of cheese, she leaves the nachos where they sit and rushes to the drink section. I scramble to throw away our trash and grab her nachos before following her.
She is reaching for the Coke bottle on the top shelf when I catch up to her, and I smirk. “No, ma’am. You know your mother doesn’t allow you caffeine.”
She turns toward me with a pout. “We can say it is yours and you can share it with me,” she bounces from one foot to the other in anticipation. Her big doe eyes do me in, but I still attempt to hold my ground.
I shake my head, grabbing the caffeine-free option instead. “No, child. Stop trying to get me in trouble. You know your mother is scary.”
She isn’t happy that she didn’t get her way. Which I have to admit is not usually how this goes, but I really don’t want to piss Avery off this early in the trip. I ring us up and pay for our snacks before we head back to the camper.
Susie-May skips toward her parents, who are standing on the gas side of the camper, filling it up. “Mom, Uncle Ethan told me no,” she whines.
Avery raises her brow at me when I get closer, and I hold out the caffeine-free Coke. “You said no caffeine. I’m trying to listen.”
She mouths a “Thank you,” before leaning down to Susie-May and apologizing for Uncle Ethan being a big, bad, meanie.
I roll my eyes, a smirk forming on my lips, and get back into my seat. The quicker we get to our destination, the quicker I can go for a walk and get some quiet time.
That’s one thing I look forward to when we go to the Falls. The quiet.
An hour later, we arrive at the campsite. A line of cars is waiting to be let in already at the gate. I lean forward between the two front seats. “I thought you said there were no events this weekend.” I groan. Realizing there will be far more people than we expected.
Jared shrugs. “Oh, well, maybe there will be more kids for Susie-May to play with this year.”
I sigh, sinking back onto my bench and waiting for our turn.
We pull into the front parking spot, and Jared hops out of the driver’s seat. He grabs his paperwork, where we have already paid for the spot, and heads toward check-in. I get out and stretch.
Susie-May stays inside the vehicle, thankfully. This gives me a chance to walk toward the campsite to see what the damage is going to be as far as the number of people already setting up.
I nearly collide with a black-haired woman wearing shorts, Converse, and a black band t-shirt with a skull on it.
She turns toward me, ready to fight, but stops mid-argument when she looks up at me.
It’s like the wheels are spinning in her head too fast for her to compute, but then just as quickly as she shuts up, she shakes her head and frowns at me.
“Watch where you’re going,” she grumbles before sidestepping me and heading toward check-in.
I stare after her, watching the way her hair bounces with every step. She looks… stunning. Mean was the first word that came to my head, but beneath all of the angry facade I can see she is putting on, there is beauty.
I smirk after her before turning to head back toward the campsite. I plan to find out more about that woman. I should have enough time this week to figure her out.