Page 43 of Lady and the Camp
“You’re coming back to camp with us,” Hudson declared. She seemed far too sober for how long we’d been drinking. Then again, I’d only seen her drink the one beer. Hours ago.
“I drank water the rest of the night,” she told me, as if I’d pondered my thoughts out loud.
Had I? This whole challenge deal from Brysen had me out of sorts. Worse, our Junebug staff believed they stood a chance against the other camp.
I headed out of the restaurant with the group. We’d already seen the Trail Blazers leave ahead of us a good thirty minutes ago.
Hudson held her open palm out. “Keys.”
“Fine.” I handed her my keys. “You know how to drive a truck?”
Her soft fingers grazed mine as she took the keys. Her touch didn’t linger. Not to say I wanted it to linger. Nope. I was just a little brain fuzzed right now. Those craft beers had a higher alcohol by volume than the watered-down types I picked up at the store.
“Like I said, there’s a lot you don’t know about me,” she said breezily.
A few snickers sounded behind us as Hudson yanked open the driver’s side door of my truck. “Hey, give her a break,” I said to whoever was laughing.
Pocket spoke up. “We’re not laughing at her, Boss.” He looked at me grinning. “See you Sunday.”
He only called me Boss when he wanted to stick it to me. Stick what? Man, this brain fuzz didn’t help. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like this, though my cousins had been involved.
I climbed into the passenger seat of my own truck and tried not to feel like a child. I glanced to Hudson. She fumbled with the seat adjustments and slowly inched closer to the steering wheel.
“Here.” I turned the ignition for her as she belted in.
“I figured you’d put up more of a fight,” she said.
“I told you, I don’t want anything to do with the other camp.”
“I meant about driving you home.”
Oh. “Well, I drank too much. It’s not safe.”
She looked me over. “Don’t make fun of me, but I’ve never driven a truck before.”
“I thought you—” Never mind. She said I didn’t know much about her and well, we sure were learning. “What are you used to driving?”
“A Honda Fit. I’m not even sure what I’ll do with it now that I’m, I mean, it’s back in L.A.” She tapped at her closed lips. “You think I could lease it out? Do people do that? Like they sublease apartments?”
I scrubbed a hand against my beard. “Just take it slow. We aren’t far from camp.”
“Sure, right.”
She was nervous, I could tell. Maybe keep her talking? “Why are you here instead of L.A.?”
Her eyes widened. She blinked, then her face changed like she’d only accidentally reacted. “My um, my family—I grew up here. Friends and school. I’m here visiting. Well, between jobs more like.”
We still hadn’t left the parking lot. “Look, just shift to drive and go slow.”
Hudson returned us to camp in one piece. I’d had to provide directions since she didn’t remember which way we’d driven to the restaurant, but other than that, smooth sailing.
And I didn’t mind so much being driven around by a pretty woman. It’d been some real time since I’d been on a date. No, this wasn’t a date. I shouldn’t even go there in my head.
We parked in the office lot beside Maggie’s car. She and the counselors had disappeared by now to do whatever they did on weekends. Not my business.
I pocketed my keys and headed toward the owner’s cabin.
“I want to see the other camp,” Hudson said.
