Page 76 of Tequila Tuesdays

Brock walked over and watched Olivia struggle to pull the folded poles out of the small nylon bag. “I bet I could pitch it in two and a half,” Brock bragged.

“Listen, Bear Grylls and Ray Mears, I’m so impressed you all could pitch this little two-person tent in three minutes or less. But I want to learn how to do it myself. Just because I haven’t been able to spend a lot of time outdoors doesn’t mean I’m an idiot.”

Brock folded his arms. “You thought there were bears around here.”

She glared at him. “So? I bet you have no idea how to navigate title twenty-six of the U.S. tax code, or what the accrual principle is, or even what ACCG stands for.”

Zeke looked down at Olivia with his hands on his hips. He was at least a foot taller and almost twice as broad. “I know you’re not an idiot. You’re graduating in accounting this spring, for hell’s sake.”

“Thanks, Zeke.” She turned to look at Brock. “ACCG is the acronym for accounting.”

Brock shrugged. “I didn’t know that. I don’t know the tax code either, thank God, but the accrual principle is—”

Olivia slowly turned her head to look at him. She looked like the possessed little girl inThe Exorcist. Damien and I both stopped working to watch them.

Brock held up his hands and backed away. “She’s all yours.”

Olivia turned back to Zeke and held up a folded-up pole. “Okay, big guy. Show me how to build this motherfucker.”

Zeke’s lips quirked, and he took the pole. “Alright ‘little girl.’ And the term is pitch this tent, not build this motherfucker. First, you need to find a good spot.”

Then Zeke methodically showed Olivia how to pitch a tent. The process took longer than three minutes, but Olivia knew how to do it herself when they finished.

She stood back to admire their work and tapped Zeke’s arm. “Thanks, big guy.”

He grinned and gently put his arm around her. “You’re welcome, little girl.”

We lucked out with the weather, and the temperatures were in the mid-fifties. But all of us added a jacket or another layer when the sun went down. Brock and Sebastian pulled out a couple of backpacking camp stoves and we started the meal, then we sat around the camp stoves and ate freeze-dried pasta and stewed dried fruit for dinner. We cleaned up and watched the stars slowly come out as the light faded.

I pulled out the two chocolate bars I’d stashed in my backpack and broke them into pieces, then passed them around for dessert.

“I’ve got the perfect pairing for your chocolate.” Martina grabbed a bottle of tequila and some little metal condiment cups out of her pack.

“Who brings a bottle of tequila on a hiking trip?” Laurel asked.

“I think the better question is whodoesn’t? Does this mean you don’t want any?” Martina wiggled the bottle at her.

“No, I want some. Thanks for packing it in.” Laurel smiled and then poured a small cup. She took a sip and made a face.

Martina laughed at her. “You know wine, but you suck at drinking tequila. Here, like this.” She threw her shot back, then smacked her lips.

I winced. “I’ve had a few shots of tequila in my time, but never without a chaser,” I admitted, raising my little condiment cup. “Cheers, everyone. To a beautiful starry night with some of my favorite people.”

We nibbled on chocolate, drank tequila, and looked up at the night sky. I’d gotten my sleeping bag out, and Damien and I sat next to each other on it. Olivia was on my other side wrapped in her bag.

She peered up at the sky in awe. “I’ve never seen such a starry sky.” She finally spread her sleeping bag out on the rock so she could lie on her back and look up.

The Milky Way was a bright swish of stars scattered across the dark sky, and the brighter planets shimmered and glowed at us.

Laurel sighed next to Sebastian. “It’s so quiet in the desert, especially at night. I’ve always loved how peaceful it is.”

We talked softly for a while and gazed up at the constellations until people started slowly getting ready for bed. I finally got up and brushed my teeth, cleaned my face, and wiped myself down a little with some baby wipes.

Damien got ready for bed as well. He’d zipped our bags together while I said goodnight to Olivia. She was drifting off when I left her.

Damien lifted the edge of the bag when I crawled into the tent.

“Come here, and I’ll keep you warm.”

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