Chuckling, Colin moved to his side, wrapped an arm around his waist, and pulled him close. “You know me too well.” He pressed a gentle kiss to Joshua’s temple. “Next time, wake me up—I’d rather organizewithyou than wake upwithoutyou.”
Joshua leaned into him, the comfort of their embrace chasing away the last remnants of the morning chill. “Deal.” Then he pointed to a chair. “Sit and drink your coffee. I’ll be done with this in a minute, then I’ll make you some breakfast.”
“Whatisall this, bud?” he asked, indicating the stacks of printouts.
“Various schedules, lists of things we need to purchase, papers from the UVA grant process,” Joshua replied, then pointed. “Andthatpile, my darling, is yours.”
Colin leaned forward and peered at the stack of papers Joshua had indicated. The top sheet was a parental/guardian consent form, and Colin could see a liability waiver peeking out from underneath. He groaned and fell back in his seat, causing Joshua to snort out a laugh.
“Can Ipleasefinish my coffee first?” Colin begged. “If I try to read legalese before having my morning coffee, my brain issureto explode.” Colin’s smile faded slightly as he stared down at the stack. This wasn’t just paperwork—it was a safety net. A shield. A promise that no one would be hurt on their watch.
Joshua chuckled and pressed a kiss to Colin’s cheek. “Take your time. But … that’s probably the most important pile, and weareon the clock for getting them signed and validated.”
Colin’s nose wrinkled, and he waved his hand. “Nah, we’ll be fine—these are all standard forms. We’ll compile them into packets that’ll mostly go to the parents or guardians for signature.”
“I do want you to look them over, though. Make sure they’re accurate. This is a sensitive area.”
“Oh, I’mdefinitelygoing to review them! I want to be sure all the key areas are covered.”
“Make sure ourassesare covered,” Joshua corrected with a snicker.
“Damn right!” Colin said, then pushed the pile of legal papers with a finger, scanning the titles. “Hmm,” he murmured. “I want to check that media release form for sure. Make sure we have a comprehensive opt-out policy. Some of those kids—or their parents— might not want their faces on social media. We can’t risk accidentally outing anyone.”
“Andthatis why it’syourpile!” Joshua dropped into a chair and sipped his coffee.
“How are we on scheduling?”
“Since Jeff and Trent have signed on, we’re in good shape. Maybe Trent can help coach the baseball team—it’s sort of his thing, and he’s got the skills.”
Colin narrowed his eyes, a low growl rumbling from his throat. “Watch it, bud. You’re dangerously close to treason.”
Joshua chuckled, undeterred. “Just saying, two heads are better than one.”
Colin leaned closer, mock menace in his eyes. “Well,we’vegot two heads! How about I challenge you to a one-on-one ‘head’ game?” He grinned. “With you giving all the head.”
“Gee! What ascaryidea,” Joshua teased, leaning into his arm.
“I’m just kidding about Trent,” Colin told him with an easy smile. “I love the guy. I owe him a lot.” He paused for a moment,gazing out the dining room window to the Rivanna River beyond. “Maybe he could lead some warm-up stretches before practice.”
“He could even lead the whole camp in morning calisthenics.”
“He’d love that!”
“And Jeff is going to do a botanical scavenger hunt and terrarium-making activity. He’s going to lead the campers on a nature walk around the campgrounds, teaching them to identify local plants, mosses, trees, and flowers. He’ll hand out a scavenger hunt sheet with pictures of various plants and their names. The campers would need to find and check off as many as they can, and Jeff will give interesting facts about each plant, like which ones are edible or medicinal. Then they’ll head back to camp and create a mini terrarium using jars, soil, small plants, moss, and decorative stones.”
“He’s going to do that? I mean, I knew he loved plants. His place is full of them.”
“He called me about it yesterday, so excited he could barely speak.”
“Are they allowed to pick flowers and things while they’re out there scavenging?”
“Nope!” Joshua told him. “No killing of plants is allowed. It’s against Verdun’s policies. Jeff is providing all the plants and other supplies they’ll need for their terrariums.”
“My god, Joshua,” Colin said, his voice tinged with wonder. “Are we actually going to pull this off?”
“It’s starting to look like it.”
The following week,Colin and Joshua threw a dinner for the ‘Evol Gang of Six’, Jeff’s name for their group of close friends. The purpose, of course, was to eat one of Joshua’s delicious dinners, but beyond that, the six friends planned to discuss ongoing preparations for Camp Pride.
