Page 36 of Hate You, Maybe
I punch his arm. “Hey!”
“But seriously, though.” He chuckles. “We’re both out of our element here. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
I look up at him, and my lips twitch. “You saidhard on.”
He coughs out a laugh. “Whoa, Kroft. You’ve been hanging around teenagers too much.”
“Or I just love Michael Scott.”
“FromThe Office?” Dex scratches his beard. “I see him as more of a ‘that’s what she said’ kinda guy. But I appreciate the effort.”
He aims his megawatt smile at me, and my insides warm, so I busy myself with attaching the agenda to my clipboard.
When the last of the retreat guests have gathered, Bob and Hildy kick off their tour by leading us over to an enormous lodge across the clearing. This one looks like an oversized log cabin with a generous wraparound porch. On either side of the building, groups of picnic tables sit under shady trees. Inside, the cavernous space is surprisingly bright, thanks to several walls of windows cut from the logs. A clatter of trays comes from behind a set of swinging doors, and the scent of fresh-baked bread fills the air.
Several large fans whir overhead, and rough-hewn beams frame the ceiling. One side of the room is lined by large wooden tables with vats of ice water, giant coffee urns, and aself-service station with creamers, sugars, and stirrers. Shelves of mugs and cups are off to the side. There are spots for cutlery, napkins, and condiments, plus a couple of big receptacles for trash and recycling.
“In case it’s not obvious,” Bob says, nodding toward the swinging doors, “that’s the kitchen in there, and out here is our mess hall.”
“Lunch is in an hour,” Hildy announces. “We’ll be serving spaghetti and homemade garlic bread. There’s also salad and a meat-free sauce alternative for the vegetarians.”
At this point, I’m so hungry, I feel like I could digest my own stomach. I press a hand to my abdomen at the same time Dex slips a protein bar into the other.
“In case you change your mind,” he says under his breath.
“Still not poisoned?” I whisper.
“Nah. You’re safe,” he says. “Probably.”
So I inhale the protein bar while we move over to what Bob refers to as the main lodge. From the outside, this structure looks a lot like the mess hall, except it sits farther back, tucked into the edge of the tree line.
Inside, the space smells faintly of eucalyptus. Yoga mats are stacked in one corner. Meditation cushions fill another. One whole wall of windows faces the trees, letting light spill in. On the opposite wall is an indoor rock climbing station.
Dex will be better at that than I am, for sure.
We head out back behind the building, where a ropes course looms between the lodge and the trees. It’s a tangle of cables and platforms and planks arranged high above the ground. A breeze blows past us, and the metallic creak of harnesses sounds overhead. The thought of being at that elevation, with or without safety harnesses, makes my heart skip a beat.
Where are the two-thousand-pound horses when you need them?
Up next is an obstacle course with a series of bars to swing across and beams for balance. At the end is a long, low net I think we’re supposed to crawl under. The carpet of pine needles and damp earth underneath looks almost … fun.
NowthisI’ll be good at,I think.
Beyond the course, a dirt path leads deeper into the woods, past a creek with mossy stones. There’s a small, hand-painted sign marking the start of a hiking trail. Meanwhile, the forest hums around us. Cricket songs. A rustle of leaves. In the distance, a woodpecker knocks. I don’t remember reading about woodpeckers in my research.
Very cool.
As we tromp back down the path, returning to the clearing, my heels rub against my boots. My Band-Aid supply is in my bag in the cabin. I glance at Dexter, wondering if he keeps those in his pockets too, along with spare protein bars. But I’m not going to ask.
He’s done too much for me already.
“Last but not least,” Bob says over his shoulder, “we’ll end at the heart of camp.”
We follow him and Hildy over to a big fire pit near the base of a wide, grassy hill. Rough log benches form a circle around the pit, and someone’s already stacked wood and kindling in the center.
Hildy spreads her arms wide and grins. “In case you couldn’t tell, this is our campfire,” she says. “Tonight we’ll end up back here to unwind and debrief with the group. But for now, we’ll be using this area for an icebreaker activity.”
Icebreaker?
