Page 18 of Camping with the Boss
His eyes narrow. Did she touch a nerve? He just asked me the same question. I start to interject, and he places a hand on my arm to stop me. The room goes silent. Canyon jerks his hand away. “My brother planned the event. But more than that, we both share certain…” He hesitates and then settles on a word. “…similarities.”
“Excuse me?” Meredith asks in a sharp voice. “Are you telling me you’re getting paid to go to this retreat because you’re gay?”
Canyon looks at me with just the right amount of confusion in his eyes. “No. Why would you think— Are you hiring me because I’m gay?” His question is directed at Meredith, and she pales.
“Of course not.”
“Oh, okay, good.” His shoulders relax. And I take back every doubt I had about Canyon’s acting ability. He’s a natural.
“You mentioned similarities?” Meredith asks, and her right eye twitches. That tick used to terrify me. It meant she was getting frustrated. And she was about to grab the ruler.
“Oh gosh, sorry. My brother and I share a certain knowledge. That’s what I was referring to.”
My aunt clutches the table. Her white fingers contrast with the fuchsia in her long nails. She’s furious. But her eyes are confused, and I’m enjoying her frustration. “Speak plainly, Mr. Drake. What could you possibly know that would be of value? In fact, if another person needs to be there, Wade, why not take Ander?”
Please, God, no.
When Canyon glances at me again, as if he’s not sure why this is an issue, I realize he’s ready for this question. Might have led her to it, in fact. The look in his eyes is a little too innocent. I nod for him to continue, curious to see where this is going.
“You might not need me at all.” Canyon turns to Ander and smiles. “Have you ever been camping, Mr. Darian?”
He gives a half-shrug. “I’ve been…a few times with friends.” I know what he’s leaving out. But is it for our aunt’s benefit or mine?
Canyon nods. “Can you identify poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac?”
“Uh, maybe?”
“Do you know which snakes are poisonous and which are harmless? And what to do if someone gets bitten?”
He darts a look at Meredith. “No.”
“Most people don’t. Are you aware of state regulations? What you can and cannot do in certain areas? Or the best way to keep campers safe?”
“Uh…”
“Here’s a simpler one. Do you know how to start a campfire and, more importantly, how to put it out properly?”
“Not…sure.” He wrinkles his brow.
Jared snorts and tries to cover it with a cough. Ander glares at him, and I realize my brother is still in there.
“I can go on,” Canyon says with a smile. “But I think you get my point. And if you can find someone more qualified in the next”—he glances at the clock—“fifteen minutes, then feel free to hire them instead.”
Meredith looks as if she’s chewing glass. “Fine.” And then her mask is back in place. “But I think Ander should join you.”
“What? No,” he says, showing a backbone for the first time in this meeting. “I have plans. Things I’m working on.”
“Nothing is more important than this, Ander. We need to fix our image.” At the pointedness of her statement, my face heats with shame. Her implication that this is all my fault isn’t wrong. Just not in the way she thinks.
My brother finally agrees—of course he does—and they all file out with Ander promising to meet us at the campground. I quickly send him the information, ready to get this over with.
Jared shakes Canyon’s hand again and claps me on the shoulder. “Always a pleasure.”
Then it’s just Canyon and me. I shake my head, but I can’t hide my grin. “That was— You were amazing.”
He practically beams as he puffs up. His cheeks turn a soft pink I want to capture with my mouth.What the fuck?I choke on my spit and squirm a little, wishing I could adjust myself. Instead, I focus on the question that is uppermost in my mind. “You lied to me.”
“What?” His smile drops, and he glares at me. Unfortunately, it doesn’t alleviate my situation at all. “No, I didn’t.”
