“Let’s check it out.”She hopped out and hurried toward the green, wood-sided building.
Inside, their coworkers milled around, drinking coffee and eating snacks.
“There you are,” Brent declared.He’d changed out of his jeans into board shorts and a Varner Industries T-shirt.“We just finished handing out sleeping assignments.”He smirked.“Too bad you were late.”
“Why’s that?”Eric asked, dread crawling up his spine.
“Seems there was a fire last week, and one cabin sustained major damage.There aren’t enough cabin beds for everyone.You two,” he glanced back and forth between them, “will have to share a tent.”
“We don’t have a tent or sleeping supplies,” Wanda declared, her voice rising in alarm.
“Lucky for you, we have what you need.You can set up the tent while the rest of us go on a short nature hike.”His smile was a bit malicious.“After all, you missed all the other team-building exercises on the bus.You understand, right?”
“Yeah, right.”He wasn’t thrilled about sleeping in a tent, but he was going to be a good sport about this.“We totally understand, don’t we, Wanda?”
She gave him the stink-eye, and he chuckled.
“It’ll be great,” she declared with obviously fake enthusiasm.“I haven’t slept in a tent since grade six camp.Though I would have loved to go on the nature walk.”
“Maybe you can get it up quick enough to follow us.”Brent gave them a brief description of where the group was headed.“Your assistant let us know that you’d be along.The staff has put your bags, the tent, and your sleeping bags down there.Follow the path behind those cabins, all the way to the end.There’s an area set up for tents.”He jabbed a finger toward the row of quaint cabins, which resembled log bunkhouses.They faced the lake and were surrounded by wraparound porches.
“Let’s do this,” Eric declared.“Catch you later, Brent.”
“Certainly.”Brent nodded.Pretentious much?There had been a few pretentious executives at Varner Industries in the past.They’d never lasted long within the company’s business-casual atmosphere.Sure, the upper echelon wore suits and ties, but none of them were exempt from getting their hands dirty when the need arose.Himself included.If this guy weren’t a contractor, he’d soon be looking for a new job.His attitude sucked.
“Come on, bunkie.Let’s get set up.”He placed his hand on Wanda’s elbow and led her toward their destination.
“I don’t really feel comfortable sharing a tent with you.No offense.”
“Come on, we’re both adults.We’ll survive.”
She wrinkled her nose at him, but followed along, her still-damp hair blowing in the early afternoon breeze.The light brown strands had turned dark, nearly brown, after her dunking in the lake.Now they were dark at the roots and lighter towards the ends.He noticed that, unlike many of the women he knew, her hair seemed to be her natural color with zero hints of dye.
Her nails were short, likely due to working with plants on a regular basis.He was impressed that the pink tips were clean and neat.Even after mowing his small lawn, his nails were a disaster.He shook off the idle thoughts.
He was outside, in the great outdoors, among the birds and trees, with a beautiful, entertaining woman.Why in the world was he fixated on personal grooming habits?
Just ahead, in the middle of a grassy space, beside a gravel parking stall, a pile of equipment lay haphazardly on the ground.
“This must be us,” Wanda quipped as she started shifting things from the grass to the parking pad.He pitched in, and in under a minute, the only thing left on the grass was the tent.There was no groundsheet.“When’s the last time you put up a tent?”
“Never.There isn’t much call for a tent in corporate life.”
“And your personal life?”She unzipped the bag and carefully dumped the contents on the ground.“Holy smokes, this thing is huge.”
“I confess, I’ve never been camping in my life.Glamping in a heated tent with a bed and wooden floor?Yes.In a ski chalet?Also, yes.Actual ground tent camping?Never.”
“Oh, good grief.Tell me you’ve been in a boat, and I don’t mean a yacht, before.”She straightened and crossed her fingers.
“To be truthful—”
She groaned.“Don’t say it.”
“Yes, I’ve been in a boat.Salmon fishing.A seventeen-footer.I got pretty good at steering it, too.”
She shook her head and muttered something under her breath that sounded like, “Oh, for Pete’s sake.”
Determined not to look like a fool, or worse yet, incapable, he grabbed the tent bag.Surely this thing had directions.“Eureka!”
