He tilts his head. “A wolf surely?”
I pretend to consider his words. “Both are dangerous, the kings of the mountain. But wolves are cunning, and I’m not sure you’re cunning. The more I see of you, Joel, the more I think you’re a big cuddly brown bear.”
His eyebrows shoot up, but he doesn’t look displeased. “Oh really?”
“This tough SEAL act doesn’t fool me. Under that tough exterior is a kind heart.”
He chuckles. “You got me. A bear maybe, but not a rabbit.”
We pass a wooden post with a symbol of a rabbit on it. A path leads into an opening between the trees. Five A-frame wooden cabins sit in a semicircle. Lights shine out of four of them, and there’s the excited sound of the students as they unpack their bags. Four of the cabins are large, and through an open door I glimpse bunk beds. The boys’ cabins are at the end, and the girls’ closest to the toilet block.
A small cabin sits a little further away than the others.
It’s an A-frame design with round wooden beams slotted together, like the others but smaller. Decking surrounds it on three sides, and there’s a wooden love seat and a small table out front. A plaque nailed to the door reads ‘Rabbit 5.’
“This is ours.”
I push open the door with trepidation. This is the place where me and Joel will be alone together, and I have to pretend I’m not attracted to him, which will be hard when I see how tiny it is inside.
Two single beds are pushed against the side walls, tucked under the slope of the A-frame roof. The space between them is just enough to dump our bags into. Behind the heads of the beds is a small shelving unit each for our stuff. At the back of the cabin is a sink, and a cupboard with a kettle. In the corner near the door is a round table and two chairs.
“It’s smaller than I imagined.” I’ll be able to reach my hand out from the bed and practically touch Joel. If he did the same, we could just about hold hands in bed.
I shake my head, clearing the thought. What the hell am I thinking about holding his hand? It’s entirely inappropriate.
Still, as he drops my bag onto one of the beds, my gaze shifts to his strong hands, and I wonder if he has calluses on his palms.
“I can pitch a tent if this is uncomfortable for you?”
My gaze snaps back up to his face and the genuine concern there. I’m the weirdo thinking about lying in bed holding his hand, and he’s concerned that I might be uncomfortable.
He would do it too. He’d pitch a tent if I asked him to. I recognize the military man in Joel. Ready to solve a problem and not concerned with his own discomfort.
“No, it’s fine. Really. We’re both grown-ups.”
I sink onto the bed, and it’s softer than I like, but I know I’ll sleep fine. I’m used to moving around too. Adapting is one of my superpowers. And I’ll just have to adapt to sharing a smallcabin with a very hot man who I can’t touch, because we’re the grown-ups on a school camping trip and it would be entirely inappropriate. I just have to keep reminding myself that.
I reach for my bag and pull out my school notes. I keep my clothes in the bag. The last thing I want is Joel catching sight of my giant underwear.
On my shelf, I put my folder of notes and my toiletries. It seems intimate, having my toothbrush on display. I discreetly retrieve the box of tampons I always carry and stuff them in my backpack.
While I unpack, Joel inspects the cabin. I’m aware of him moving around in the small space. Every time he gets too close, I can smell his woodsy scent.
He opens the cupboard under the sink and lets out a long, happy sigh.
“There’s coffee. We’ll be able to have a cup in the morning.”
I don’t point out that there’s coffee in the main hall. It will be nice to sit on the deck here in the morning, looking out at the woods.
“Do you think the students have a kettle?”
He frowns. “I hope not. Dana goes nuts on caffeine.”
I hear him rummaging around in the cupboard. “There’s also herbal tea. Do you want chamomile?”
After the long day, a chamomile tea before bed sounds perfect. It might help to calm this restless energy I feel with Joel so close, the nervousness of spending a night in the same room as him. I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep otherwise.
“Chamomile sounds perfect, thanks.”
