Page 63 of Play With Me

“And she probably knows we’re here. Back up slowly. Very slowly. Don’t make eye contact,” I said. “I read my bear guide.”

“I didn’t know there was a bear guide. In the scouts, when I was young, it said that the bear knew you were near way before you did, so if we’re seeing this little one, the chances of the mother waiting to attack are… well, I don’t remember, but I do remember them being very high.”

“Just shut up, will you?”

If that was a cub, we certainly had a better chance of avoiding the mother if Brook kept quiet.

“Lola, wait. Look!” he pointed beyond the bear to where it appeared two moonshiners carried bags on their backs through the forest. “Be extra quiet.”

The cub must have heard them as well because it disappeared into the forest.

We descended the hill as quickly as we could until we couldn’t see the moonshiners, cub or the mother, and as soon as we were a safe distance away, we sped up our walk. Two hours later, we were at the river’s edge, where we planned to set up camp. I found a flat piece of ground and measured the space in my mind.

“This looks good.”

“Yeah, it does. I’ll get some wood for the fire.”

“I’ll set up the tent.”

“Wait, I almost forgot. I got you something for this trip.” I followed the movement of his hand as he reached into his pocket.

“Oh, yeah?”

I didn’t know we did presents.

Brook pulled something out and then placed both hands behind his back. “Guess which hand.”

And now we’re playing games.

That was why I liked working on my own. No distractions; and Brook was definitely a distraction, though it didn’t feel as bad as I’d thought it would. Yeah, he was definitely a good distraction.

He extended both hands outward, fists up, and waited for my choice.

“This one.” I tapped his right hand.

He flipped the fist up and opened it. A small whistle was nestled in the middle of his palm.

“I got it right!” I jumped up like a kid. What the hell was happening to me?

And then I saw his other hand open to reveal another whistle.

“Hey, that’s cheating.”

“You call it cheating; I call it making my own luck. Would have done it all over again just to see that smile on your face.”

I felt my cheeks heat. All this exertion was getting to me. Although I did keep myself in pretty good shape, so it must have been something about the woods and all that fresh air.

“Is this a scout thing as well?” I picked up the whistle and put the red string around my neck.

“No, it’s a common sense thing. Whistle once when you need me back at camp. Twice when you’re lost. Three times when you’re in trouble. LikeI’m about to dietrouble.”

Brook would have been good in the scouts. He mixed with nature like a perfect caveman – who used whistles. Seriously, what the fuck was wrong with me?

“By the way, I don’t ever want to hear three whistles. I mean that, Lola. Promise me that you’ll be careful?”

“I promise. Listen, I was thinking that maybe after we set up the camp, we could—”

“Yes!” He interrupted my thoughts. “Whatever you ask for, my answer is definitely yes. I’m gonna go and hurry on that wood now before I lose my mind completely and take you up against that rock.” He pointed somewhere in the distance. I kept my gaze locked with his and could barely breathe. So I just nodded.

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