Page 59 of Win My Heart

Simon crosses his arms, and Ruby stares him down.

And I realize I have nowhere to sleep. So I diffuse the situation by taking one for the team. “Look, someone can drive me over to that Holiday Inn about five miles outside of the Dunes. I can enjoy a hotel bed for the night.”

“Nonsense, Bernie,” Ruby snaps. “I’m sure you can share a tent with one of us.

Matt wastes no time stepping up to the plate. “I got you, Bern. She can crash my pad for the night.” All eyes swing toward him, and I force out a small smile. That’s nice and all, but…

“She’s camping with me tonight.” Wade’s tone leave no room for argument. I gulp. “I brought an extra sleeping bag for her anyway.”

Well, I didn’t see that coming.

I avoid Wade’s gaze, and by doing so, my eyes land on Ruby.

And holy camper, Batman. She’s wearing that sly look ofI’m a sneaky bitch who’s just won the game. In the moment, I realize I will never again underestimate Ruby. She’s most definitely up to something, and I should have smelled the stink a mile away.

Matt waves Wade off and goes back into his small tent, probably setting up his space. Wade stalks toward me, and I busy myself with the final chair.

“Where’s your stuff?” His voice is low and gruff.

Is he mad at me?

Why does it feel like he’s blaming me for all this?

“Over there, by the table.” I point to my right, where my backpack is sitting under the card table that was set up to hold supplies.

“That’s it?” He stares down my bag, brows furrowed.

“I want to make it very clear that I did not want to go camping. I was cornered and bullied into coming. I was told multiple times by multiple people that I did not need to go out and buy gear. I’m still one hundred percent on board with spending the night in a hotel.” I end my rant on a huff. I look up at Wade, and his lips are tipped up on one side. Gone is the grumpy, unconvinced look from before.

“I hear ya loud and clear, Benny.” And then he winks at me, leaving me there to catch my breath as he picks up my backpack, slings it over his shoulder, and heads back over to his tent.

Watching him retreat, I don’t notice Ruby come up behind me and whisper, “Oh man, thank goodness Wade came to the rescue.”

“I’m onto you,” I mumble to her as she waves a hand to let me know she heard me.

I decide that I already need a break from this madness. I walk over to Morgan and ask her if she still has the campsite map. She does, so I take it and inform her that I’m going to locate the latrine. Better memorize the path now before dark.

Armed with my phone in my pocket and the map in my hands, I walk away from the site, where all the people who matter most to me are, and basically run away. I love them all dearly, but I don’t want to be here.

Whatever game Ruby is playing, on top of Wade’s coldness one minute and possessiveness the next, is driving me insane.

I follow the walking path for a few minutes before I’m delighted to see a white square building right in the spot where the map shows the restrooms.

I slowly walk around the building, and upon inspection, it looks to be a solid fully enclosed facility. Hopefully there aren’t any unwanted critters inside.

I find the door to enter the women’s side and push through. Again, I’m pleasantly surprised to find the space in good shape. I wander further into the restroom and see there are even some showers. I cringe with the thought of showering in such a public place. Good thing this is just a one-night trip.

My last check is the TP situation. Do we need to bring our own TP? Most likely, but there is a cabinet with individually wrapped rolls of toilet paper, so I grab one, open it up, and put it on the holder before doing my business. When I’m done, I take my time washing my hands. I’m not in a rush to get back to the shit show that’s waiting for me.

Once my hands are clean and dry, I take the opportunity to fix my hair. I take it from a low pony to a messy bun, which is my typical style. I don’t know what to make of Wade’s reaction to Matt offering to let me camp with him. I’m at war with myself, a push-pull of emotions between feeling giddy that he doesn’t want me sleeping with another guy but also sorta pissed that he’s acting like I’m not important to him when we’re with the group. A grim smile in way of greeting?

Taking one last look at myself, I decide I can’t be away much longer or I’m going to cause concern, so I take a deep breath and make my way out of the building.

As I step out into the sunny warmth, I startle as I see a man leaning against the building.

“Sheesh. You scared me.” My hand covers my beating heart. I won’t deny I’ve been quick to scare for the past few days.

Wade pushes off the wall and stands in front of me. He reaches out, making contact with my elbow.

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