Simon's expression softened. “Someday you'll be old enough to join the scouts.”
"Really?"
“If Charlie says it’s okay.”
He shot up, eyes wide. “Sure.” I hadn’t expected to make this a long-term thing. I thought I’d get the gremlins to a point where they could make it through a camping trip, and then I’d be done. Surprisingly, the idea of doing this for the long haul didn’t bother me.
"Let’s go set up our tent." Simon squeezed his shoulder before heading toward an open spot near the old oak tree. The moment they unrolled the tent, I had to crack up at the confused looks on their faces. They might live next to the forest, but they were definitelycivilizedfolks.
"Have you ever wrestled a bear?" Jeff asked. At first, I thought about wrangling a black bear, but it quickly turned into something less than appropriate. It seemed Nick had the same idea.
"I—" Nick cleared his throat. "Not exactly."
"But you've been camping with Charlie." Jeff said it like it was obvious that Nick should have encountered a bear by now. "He knows all about bears."
"He does," Nick said, voice strained.
His eyes shot to me, as if I was going to bail him out of the conversation. I held still, but I felt heat creep up my neck. I bit my lip to keep from laughing. Matt had stopped whittling to watch the exchange, confusion written all over his face. Ronnie just grinned like he knew exactly what was going on. Damn, my least favorite gremlin.
"Maybe you can teach me," Jeff continued, oblivious. "I want to wrestle a bear someday."
"That's—" Nick caught my eye again. "That's not really how it works."
"Why not?"
"Because bears are dangerous," I said, stepping in before Jeff could dig the hole any deeper. "And you don't wrestle them. You avoid them."
"But what if you can't avoid them? What about my bow and arrow? I should shoot them, right?"
I took pity on a desperate Nick and stepped in. "We’ve talked about this. Make yourself look big and back away slowly." I grabbed the cooler Simon had left behind, hefting it toward Nick. "Here. Make yourself useful."
He took it, still blushing, and mouthed a silent, “Thank you.”
Car doors slammed along Front Street. More people were arriving now. I spotted Laurel and Bobby crossing from the bistro, arms loaded with folding chairs. They set up near Simon and Jason, Laurel already laughing about something as she struggled with a tent bag.
“Walter! I said stick it in the hole.”
Walter and Harvey's voices carried across the green as they argued about tent poles. The old canvas tent they had erected looked as if it had seen at least one world war. The two elderly men maintained their comical bromance as one side of the tent collapsed.
“This isn’t going to be that kind of sleepover,” Harvey cried.
"No, you've got it backwards," Walter said.
"I most certainly do not."
Had this been part of Nick’s plan? It was one thing for him to set up a few tents and get the gremlin’s parents to sign off on a domestic camping trip. Involving the rest of the town? The part of me that wanted space cringed at the idea of having our expedition crashed. I set aside my cynicism and focused on the idea that the town—in their own way—was coming to support their local Scout trip.
It made me wonder how he had gotten the word out.
The answer came barreling across the grass in her neon pink shirt, visible from a block away. Lacie’s hands waved in the air as she shouted. “Waiting isnotmy strong suit.” She didn't stop to talk. Instead, she shifted her direction. "I need to go help Walter and Harvey set up their tent before someone loses an eye."
As I watched more townspeople arriving, Nick returned. The back of his hand brushed against mine. I didn’t wait. I gripped his fingers, giving them a squeeze. “You did this?”
"Yeah. I asked them to wait so they wouldn’t scare you off."
I watched as more tents went up across the green. Seamus and Patrick arrived with an armload of firewood, stacking it near our fire pit. Tyler came with his partner, both laughing about something as they claimed a spot near the edge of the green, close to the path that led toward the library. Even Bonnie showed up, plastic bags full of marshmallows and chocolate bars swinging from her arms.
"You did this." It wasn't a question.
