Chapter 6
Ethan
Maybe I should be offended by Kayla flipping me off. But instead, I stare after her like a grinning idiot. “Well, that went well,” I mutter to myself.
Most people would at least pretend to be polite after someone starts a conversation with them. But not Kayla. She acts like every word out of my mouth is a personal offense to her existence.
I shake my head, shoving my hands into the pockets of my sweats, and head down the trail in the opposite direction. I let the silence of the woods surround me. This is the part of camping I actually enjoy. Peace.
I love the kids and everyone’s laughter, too, but there is just something about being in the woods all by yourself with only the sound of the birds in the trees to keep you company.
I step over a thick root pushing through the trail and take a deep breath.
My thought goes right back to the woman who acts as if she hates me.
She really doesn’t seem like the type of person who likes hiking.
Or really anything for that matter. Which only makes me more curious.
She acts as if she would rather chew broken glass than hold a conversation.
The thought makes me smile. She may not have held our conversation very well, but at least she spoke words to me.
I kick a loose rock off the trail and watch it tumble down the hill.
The trail curves deeper into the trees, and I follow it without thinking too much about where it leads.
I’ve walked these woods a hundred times over the years.
Jared and I used to spend half our camping trips wandering around out here pretending we were explorers or some stupid shit like that.
We used to think the forest was endless.
Now I know it’s just big enough that you could get lost here if you’re not careful.
As I walk through the woods, a faint clearing appears ahead through the trees, and I slow my steps.
Weird. I don’t remember there being a break in the trees this close to the trail.
I look over my shoulder to see how far I’ve walked, but I don’t even see the main trail anymore.
I must have walked further than I thought.
Curiosity pulls me a few feet closer, just enough to glance through the branches, and I spot two large trees in the middle of the clearing.
A table sits between them, and a long rope hangs from one of the branches.
I step through the bushes toward the setup.
It’s just a small folding table, but it looks like a hunting station.
Like one you would use to bleed your deer and cut them up for cooking.
But usually these are set up closer to camp.
Most people wouldn’t want to carry that much deer meat back to their camper after they were done.
I run my fingers along the hanging rope before shoving my hand back in my pocket. This is none of my business. If someone wants to walk that far of a distance for their kill, then that’s on them.
By the time I make it back to the campsite, Jared is up and standing by the camper, cooking what looks to be bacon in a skillet.
He spots me and waves. “Just in time! Breakfast is almost done.”
I give him a smile before grabbing a bottle of water from the cooler and taking a seat at the table across from Avery and Susie-May. “Morning.”
Avery smiles over the rim of her mug of coffee. “You’re up early.”
I roll my eyes. “Couldn’t sleep.”
Jared snorts. “That’s because you spent half the night staring at that poor woman by the fire.”
I scoff. “I was not.”
Jared slides a plate toward me and takes his seat next to Avery. “So what’s the deal there? You know her or something?”
I shake my head. “There’s no deal.”
He gives me a look that says he doesn’t believe that for a second, and I try to brush him off by grabbing a piece of bacon and shoving it in my mouth. But he waits patiently for me to respond. I squint my eyes at him. “She’s just… interesting.”
He raises his brow. But Avery is the one who speaks. “Interesting? Is that what we are calling reclusive but beautiful women who seem like they hate you?”
I glare at her. “She doesn’t hate me.” I lean away from the table. “Who could hate this? I’m a fucking catch.”
“Swear jar, Uncle Ethan!” Susie-May says with a mouthful of bacon.
I grimace at my lack of manners and pull a dollar from my wallet. “Here. You can put it in your jar when we get home.”
She yanks the dollar from my fingers and rushes into the camper to hide it somewhere. She is going to get rich off of me one day.