Oh thank God. Jeff laughed. Tension broken, finally. “Shut up. We good?”
“Yeah, we’re good.”
And they were.
Better than good was taking the stage in the middle of the afternoon on Parliament Hill the next day, to sweltering sunshine and more than ten thousand fans. Howl hadn’t played a proper music festival in years, and Jeff had forgotten how much he liked it, even if the different audience demographic meant they had to change up their set list a little.
He was truly drowning in sweat this time, though. At least he’d opted for his Rhodes’s Garage T-shirt instead of his usual black.
They capped off a performance of some of their tamer hits with a cover of the Hip’s “Fireworks,” and by the time they got offstage, Jeff could practically feel his nose freckling. He was definitely going to peel. Dina escorted them all back to the VIP tent, which was filled with a weird mix of musicians and political bigwigs, for water and snacks.
Trix poured an entire bottle of ice-cold water over her head and sank into the nearest chair. “Are we writing a song about global warming next?” she panted. As she slumped, the strap of her tank top shifted, revealing pasty white skin and highlighting the burn on her shoulders. The rear of the stage was covered—Jeff had only gotten burned because the angle of the sun lit the front of the stage—but evidently she’d spent enough time in the sun watching the other acts.
“Don’t give him any more excuses to write love songs for Carter,” Joe teased.
Jeff was too busy draining his second water bottle to defend himself, but Max passed each of them a clementine and said, “He doesn’t need excuses. Great Bear Lake posted another video.”
“Oh no,” Jeff said out loud. He didn’t think he could handle it. His face was already on fire from sunburn.
“Yes.” Max cued it up and slid his phone to the middle of the table. He propped it up on its PopSocket.
The next musical act hadn’t gone on yet, so they could all hear perfectly well as Carter went over some basic steps for celebrating Canada Day in an environmentally conscious manner.
“Fireworks can release toxic chemicals into the environment and can negatively impact local wildlife. Not to mention the noise can be stressful for pets and people with PTSD.” On the tiny screen, Carter paused to pet a ginormous chocolate lab, who looked at him like he was made of bacon.
“Where’d he get a dog?” Trix asked.
“Are you kidding?” said Joe. “He probably just walked through the forest whistling a jaunty tune. I’m surprised he doesn’t have a squirrel.”
Jeff wasn’t at all sure he wouldn’t be coming home to a new roommate. He also wasn’t sure he’d be able to voice a protest to it; Carter and the dog combined had too much puppy eye.
“If you do decide to set off fireworks, be sure to find an area where it’s safe to do so, away from houses and only with appropriate supervision. Fireworks should never be set off in areas that are in drought. Look for these brands, which are rich in nitrogen and less toxic and smoky than other fireworks. And if you like sparklers, opt for bamboo over metal, since the chemicals in the metal ones mean they can’t be recycled.”
He took off his sunglasses and hung them on the front of his ranger uniform.
“Nooo,” Jeff moaned quietly.
Max snickered.
The video switched to a scientific-looking area of the park buildings as Carter followed with his usual spiel about choosing products with eco-friendly, recyclable packaging. “And though most manufacturers these days have moved away from six-packs, remember if you do have any to cut apart the plastic rings before you throw them away, because they can be a danger to wildlife.”
“Oh my God,” said Trix. “Hedoeshave a squirrel!”
Jeff watched through his fingers—when had he put his hands over his face?—as Kara, her hands carefully gloved, brought out a frantic-looking squirrel. Carter used a pair of snub-nosed scissors to free it.
“Corporations, not individuals, are responsible for the vast majority of pollution and global warming. But that doesn’t mean individuals can’t make a difference. Happy Canada Day. Please celebrate responsibly.”
“Your boyfriend is so cheesy.” Max shook his head and popped a slice of clementine in his mouth.
“I know,” Jeff half wailed. The thing is, he was sosincere. “I’m gonna marry him.”
“You sound like you need a beer.” Joe knocked on the table. “Uh, or are we not—?” He looked at Max.
Max waved him off. “None for me, but you go ahead.”
“Make mine a radler, if they have it,” Trix said.
“Two beers, one radler. Be right back.”
