Page 37 of It Starts With Summer

“Eek.Remind me not to go on another backpacking trip with Toby,” I muttered, and the campers laughed.“Well.Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to cannibalism.First, I’d start with plants.All around us, there are things that can give us nutrition if we know where to look and how to avoid the dangerous ones.Berries are one example.”

“Aren’t some berries poisonous?”Gavin asked.

I nodded.“The general rule of thumb is that we should avoid white, yellow, and red berries unless we know for sure what they are.Can anyone name a red berry that grows in the wild and is easy to identify?”

“Strawberries!”Parker was smiling and I caught his eye for a moment.Time froze like that, just looking at each other, until I wondered if the campers noticed we were staring at each other.

“Good!Now, blue, black, and purple berries are far more likely to be safe, with some exceptions.Always ask an adult before you try a new berry.Some can be poisonous, or just irritate your stomach.But I’ve found one that’s safe and common in this area.Does anyone know what this bush is?”I asked, pointing to the huckleberry.

Parker glanced at it and grinned, nodding, as if confirming my assessment.He clearly didn’t know the extent of my encyclopedic knowledge of plants.Parker turned back to the campers, waving his hands.“Again, for those in the back, we’re not encouraging you to eat all berries, just the ones that adults confirm are safe.”

“Yes.There are a few poisonous berries in this area.But there are also strawberries, raspberries, and more.Ask an adult if you see something that looks like a berry from home,” I said.“They will help you identify it.Now, look closer at this one.”The kids moved in, touching the plant and berries.

“Is it a blueberry?”Gavin asked shyly.

“No, but that’s a good way to identify these berries.Huckleberries look like blueberries, because they’re in the same plant family, Ericaceae.”I went on to describe the leaf and berry growth pattern, then let them try the berries.

As the kids ransacked the bush for as many berries as they could find, Parker sidled over next to me, grinning.“Good idea, baby.”His compliment and his use of the pet name made me hot all over.I crept closer to him, letting our hands brush together, and our pinkies hooked each other.It was silly how much I ached for a chance to touch him, even in the tiniest way, before we continued on our way.

The idea of foraging for snacks energized the kids, and they kept finding more huckleberry bushes on our way back to camp.They asked a ton of questions about other berries we saw, most of which were not edible, and for once, my vast knowledge of plant species was useful.We found a patch of wild strawberries, and I encouraged them to try dandelion greens.It was fun, seeing something that I’d geeked out about for so long, exciting these kids.

“You’d make a wonderful teacher.”Parker nudged me with his shoulder as we watched the kids taste wild mint, laughing about how strange the mint tasted in its natural form.

I rolled my eyes.“Too awkward for that.”

“Nah.Look at them.They’re having a great time!”He stepped a little closer until our shoulders bumped, and even that small amount of contact made me giddy.I was clearly losing my mind.

By the time we got back to camp, the campers were a sticky, dirty mess, and we had them drop off their backpacks and head for the showers.Our own showers would have to wait until after dinner, but we carried some of the gear back to the gear shed.

“You were on fire today,” Parker said, grinning.“That was the perfect way to get them excited for the hike back.Usually, it’s a long, exhausting adventure in all the various ways to complain about blisters.”

I laughed.“I missed you, though.”

“What?I was right there, admiring your sexy mind,” Parker said, pulling me into a quick hug.He grabbed my ass and squeezed.“Among other things.”

“But I didn’t get to touch you hardly at all,” I said, pulling a face.

“Missed touching you too,” he said, his eyes locked on mine.He gave me a quick peck on the lips, then backed off.“Maybe we can have some time to touch in all the fun ways later.But right now, we need to feed our campers.”

The sun was dropping behind the mountains as we left the gear shed and headed to a raucous dinner in the lodge.Our campers looked tired, but the rest of the kids were especially wild.Parker and I sat at the counselor’s table, with Sutton and Ben as usual, but they both were testy.Ben refused to look up from his book, and Sutton just stared at his plate, not eating.Getting the campers settled was quicker than usual — they were exhausted and ready to pass out in their bunks.

“Finally,” Parker said, as we gathered clean clothes and shower baskets and headed for the showers.“Naked time.”

“But we don’t get to sleep together.”I followed him down the path, admiring the way his light brown hair caught the fading sunlight, the way his clothes hugged his muscular body.

“Aw, we’ll be okay,” Parker winked, then lowered his voice.“If you get into the shower stall with me, I’ll make you come hard enough that you won’t miss me at all.”

“I like the actual sleeping together, not just the sex,” I whispered back as we walked into the shower building.It was empty, thankfully.

“Well, since we’re alone in here, perhaps it would be wise to share a shower.”Parker winked at me.“Save water and all that.”

“Parker Layton, I didn’t know you were an eco-warrior!”I exclaimed.He burst out laughing and wrapped his arms around my neck, pulling me into a loose hug.

“Ravi Chandra, you told a joke!”

“Fuck off, I’m told I’m hilarious,” I said.

“Just not usually on purpose,” he teased, and when I growled at him, he took off at a sprint, dashing for the shower stall in the back corner of the room.I caught up and shoved him inside, pulling the curtain shut and slamming my mouth into his in a rough, desperate kiss.After a moment, Parker pulled back and stared at me, grinning.Both of us were breathing like we’d just run a mile.

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