Chapter 6
With a grin on my face, I drag a reluctant Drexel down the path to the section of the river where we’re supposed to meet our spearfishing instructor.
I was afraid we wouldn’t be able to do it with all the rain this area has gotten, but while I waited for Drexel in the restaurant, I called the front desk to make sure it wasn’t canceled and I missed the memo.
The receptionist assured me we’d still be able to enjoy the excursion because it’s held at the calmest section of the river.
Even with the added rain making the water rise, the current in that spot is virtually nonexistent because it’s barely shallow enough for a canoe to safely navigate.
Drexel asks in a teasing tone, “Do you know where we’re going?”
Rolling my eyes, I tell him, “Yes, I checked the map beforehand and memorized the path to get there.”
So I’m directionally challenged. Sue me.
I refuse to admit that that’s probably why it took me so long to find the lodge again earlier—not being lost in my own head like I said I was.
We won’t talk about how I get lost on the way to my classroom at least once a week, even though I’ve worked for the same school and had the same room since the day I was hired fifteen years ago.
If I’m honest, I’d probably get lost in my own home if it wasn’t a two-bedroom shoebox apartment.
Ashley and I decided we’d wait until after the wedding before considering buying a house.
I think both of us secretly hope the men we love will come to their senses and object to our wedding, so we never made any permanent decisions on living arrangements.
We likely wouldn’t even live together now if it wasn’t what our families expected.
Ashley actually still has her own place in the city close to her father’s office in case she needs to work late.
A lot of the time, that’s the case, so even though we live together we spend a lot of our time apart.
Just another reason why we probably shouldn’t get married, but we’re doing it anyway, circumstances being what they are and all.
I do believe that’s why our relationship works so well, as unconventional as it is.
If we truly loved each other, the amount of time spent apart would be completely unacceptable, or we’d at least put forth more effort to see each other during the week instead of just on weekends and the occasional times Ashley gets off work early.
But since our hearts belong to other people, we’re okay with not making as much effort to see the other person. We know where we stand with each other.
Besides, it’s not like either of us would cheat when we have no interest in anyone else but the people we can’t have, so we don’t have to wonder where the other person is and what they’re doing or who they’re with.
It’s quite nice, actually. That’s not to say if her “uncle” ever came calling, she wouldn’t go for it, or that I wouldn’t if it were Drexel, but we’ve always had an agreement about that.
Neither of us would consider that cheating, even though technically it is from an outsider’s perspective.
I’m sure if it happened and either of our families found out, they’d lose their shit.
No use thinking about it, Jareth, it’s definitely not going to happen.
Drexel’s hand waving in front of my face pulls me out of my musings. “Earth to Jareth. Which way do we go?”
Looking ahead at the signs, I curse myself. Damn it. I got us lost again. I feel a blush rise to my cheeks as I turn us around and head back up the path.
Drexel starts laughing, and I flip him off. “Laugh it up, asshole.”
“Hey, I’m not complaining. If we’re late, that means I get to escape hell.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I growl, “Are you trying to say spending time with me is a form of torture?”
Drexel gasps in outrage and puts a hand to his heart. “I would never suggest such a thing.”
“Alright now, your Scarlett O’Hara is showing.” I know he loves old movies, and we’ve watched them together before, so he’ll understand the reference. Especially since it’s his all-time favorite movie.
He skips ahead of me, mimicking a line from the movie Gone with the Wind.
“Well fiddle-dee-dee, excuse me, but I do believe we have an appointment to get to. Keep up, my good man.” Seeing a grown man skipping like a happy-go-lucky teenage girl was not on my bingo card for this year, but the sight has me barking out a laugh.
Shaking my head at his antics, I say sarcastically, “Do you even know where we’re going?”
Drexel looks over his shoulder at me and winks. “Of course I do. Unlike you, I have a perfect sense of direction. And I know how to read a map.”
“Okay, jackass, them’s fighting words.”
He motions me toward him and says, “Bring it on” before breaking into a run.
Chasing after him, I shout, “It’s already been brought.”
When I finally catch up to him, I’m completely out of breath, and he’s already at the river, where our instructor is waiting.
Fuck, I need to run more. Though trying to keep up with a detective who chases down perps for a living probably wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.
In my defense, though, he started it. Not that it makes me feel any better, because I still lost. Damn it. I’ll get my revenge somehow.
Our instructor is dressed in buckskins like a traditional Native American. His long black hair is braided with beads and feathers. Once I catch my breath, I hold out my hand and say, “Hi, I’m Jareth, and this is Drexel.”
With a warm smile he says, “Nice to meet you, I’m Cheveyo. Are you gentlemen ready to learn how to fish the way my people did long ago?”
“Absolutely.”
Drexel mutters, “That makes one of us. Why did I sign up for this?” under his breath.
Patting him in the chest with the back of my hand, I say to Cheveyo, “Ignore him. He’s in a Debbie-downer kind of mood today.”
Cheveyo chuckles and says, “We’ll start with learning how to make a spear before we head out onto the river in the canoe.”
I have to fight not to laugh at Drexel’s muttered, “Just shoot me, please. I don’t wanna get on a boat.”
“Come on, Rex, this is gonna be fun.”
Famous last words.
An hour later, I’m dragging a physically ill Drexel back to the lodge to get someone to give us a ride in a golf cart back to his cabin.
He did fine making the spears and actually seemed to be enjoying himself.
The problem came when we got into the canoe and headed out onto the river.
Despite being in the calmest section, there were still little waves being made by the wind and current.
If I’d known Rex was motion sick, I wouldn’t have booked the canoe part of the excursion and just did the part where we walk into the river and fish in the shallows.
At first, he seemed fine, but the longer we were out on the water, trying to catch fish—we were both terrible at it—the worse his expression got until he looked absolutely green.
Needless to say, when the vomiting started, we had to have Cheveyo bring us back.
Thankfully, he had a portable propeller and motor thing in the canoe, so going against the river’s current to get back to shore wasn’t too hard.
“I hate you so much right now.”
Patting his back, I say, “I know. I’m sorry. If I’d known you’d get motion sickness that bad, I wouldn’t have suggested it.”
“I don’t normally get motion sickness on boats, though.”
Unable to resist the urge to pick on him, I say in a teasing tone, “Maybe your carnivorous body was protesting the introduction of fresh leafy greens.”
Rex narrows his eyes at me. “You shut your whore mouth. That is so not what happened.”
Grinning, I poke him in the side. “Mm-hmm. Sure. Whatever you say, Rex.”
“It’s not.”
Repeating his earlier words back to him, I say, “We’ll just have to agree to disagree on this one.”
Rex shakes his head but doesn’t say anything more.
It doesn’t take long to get him back up to the lodge.
The lobby staff insists on having their on-call medical staff give him some IV fluids to make sure he’s not dehydrated and some nausea medicine to take just in case before they’ll call someone to take us back to his cabin.
Not that any of it is necessary since he’s a wolf shifter and will be right as rain soon, but the staff here don’t know that.
The medication likely won’t even work on him due to his metabolism.
When the nurse raises the same concerns I had about the dark circles under his eyes and his weight loss, Drexel tells him, “I’m fine” and leaves it at that.
Forty-five minutes later, I help Drexel into his cabin, where he flops down on the bed with a groan. “Finally, a hell-free zone! I’m not moving from this spot for the rest of the week.”
Laughing, I say, “Come on, Rex, it wasn’t that bad. Aside from the motion sickness, you know you had a good time. I promise everything else I have planned for us this week won’t land you with the resort’s medical staff again.”
He turns his head to look at me with narrowed eyes. “It better not.”
“I’ll make sure of it. Are we still on for dinner later, or would you rather skip it?”
With an indulgent smile, he says, “Of course we’re still on for dinner. Just don’t judge me if I get something light because of my stomach.” Don’t read too much into that expression, Jareth, even though you know you want to.
With a wink, I say, “I can’t promise I won’t judge you if you make a questionable choice like you did with your lunch today, but I’ll do my best not to.”
“Well something’s better than nothing, I suppose.”
Patting his back, I tell him, “Get some rest, and I’ll see you at dinner,” then head for the door.
Let’s hope the motion sickness is the only hiccup we have, and the rest of the week goes smoothly. I’d hate it if Rex regretted anything we do this week. I just want to make him happy while I can, even if it’s as friends and not in the way I really want to.