Page 51 of The Single Dad's Guide to Recreation

She chuckles. “The mayor is a bit of a matchmaker.”

“Are you saying that this whole thing was a setup?”

“Welll…” She raises both palms. “Could be atwo birds with one stonesituation. Maybe she really did want reps at this conference.”

“But she’s also playing Cupid?” Before she can answer, I add, “But with who?”

“What do you mean?”

I glance over at her. “She thinks Leia and I are going on this trip.”

Avery laughs. “I said she was a matchmaker. I didn’t say she was a good one.”

Whatever the mayor’s intentions, I’m thankful for the result. I’d much rather be taking a drive with Avery than with her boss. Or my boss for that matter. It’s not just the anticipation of finally getting a chance to get naked with her. Just being with Avery has me buzzing with all kinds of good feelings. Anticipation, hope… eagerness to get on with living my life instead of just existing.

As we’re getting back in the car after a pit stop for gas, coffee, and a snack, Avery draws a finger back and forth between us. “We should keep this private at the conference, right?”

I sift through the many possible motivations behind her question before leaning across the console to give her a kiss as full of promise as I can make it. When I sense her relaxing, I pull away just far enough to meet her gaze, keeping a hand on her cheek. “I will do whatever makes you most comfortable.”

When her shoulders rise toward her ears, I add, “We don’t have to decide right now what to tell people. But in my book, my status isn’t ‘complicated.’ It’s ‘in a relationship.’ With you.”

Her cheeks pink up, and she grabs my face with both hands to kiss me again.

“Okay, okay,” I murmur when we come up for air. “Unless you want to make another stop at a rent-by-the-hour hotel, let’s get there already so we can make the best use of our time.”

“Fine,” she says, falling back into her seat with an exaggerated groan. “But we need to get naked the minute we check in.”

After we cross the Hudson, we take roads curving through the Taconic and Berkshire hills into Massachusetts. When we arrive at the address, however, Avery asks, “Are you sure this is it? The sign says it’s a camp.”

“The car navigation says so, but it’s not always right. Should we check the website again?”

Avery pulls out her phone and taps the link from the confirmation email I’d sent last night. After she scrolls through the site for a few moments, she says, “Ohhh, I see.”

“Are we in the right place?”

“Yep. This place used to be a summer camp. They repurposed it.” She looks out the window as I continue up the driveway bordered by forest on one side and open fields on the other. “It’s kind of perfect. I mean, what better place to learn about recreation?”

After being greeted and directed to parking by smiling young people in what I’d bet are artificially faded Camp Wildwood t-shirts, we head up to the main lodge. We’re a bit early for check in, so it’s quiet in the lobby until the woman in front of us lets out a groan. “Are ye sure, lad? I’ve been registered for this conference for months.”

The clerk taps away at a keyboard for a moment before shaking his head. “I’m so sorry. We don’t have a reservation with that name. Is there a business or organization it might be under?”

As they confer, I turn to Avery and raise my brows. “Should I…?”

She nods, her grin impish. “Works for me.”

“Excuse me,” I begin, catching the clerk’s eye. “Sorry to interrupt, but I couldn’t help but overhear.”

The woman turns to face me, her expression apologetic. “I just can’t believe they don’t have a cabin for me. I came all the way from Dublin for this.”

“We”—I draw a line in the air between Avery and myself—“have two cabins reserved, but can make do with one.”

“There was a last-minute change and we’re here in place of our bosses,” Avery explains.

“Are ye sure? Ye wouldn’t mind sharin’?”

If I weren’t already planning to spend every free moment naked with Avery, the older woman’s Irish accent would’ve charmed the room out of me. “It’s no problem.”

“None at all,” Avery echoes.

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