Page 128 of Forever

“So about the tent situation,” Rob said. “Is it a spouse thing? Or a who we’re escorting down the aisle thing?”

Daphne lightly shoved his arm.

“I was just asking,” Rob said. “Because Bee is going to be next to Kennedy. And I’m next to Mason. So I think that means Bee and I are supposed to shack up together tonight.”

“Don’t make me kill you,” Mason said.

“James and Penny are actually paired up,” Rob said. “Which is incredibly lame if you ask me. Then Tanner with Daphne…” Robs voice trailed off. “Never mind. Let’s do the spouse thing for the tents. And maybe I can just escort Daphne down the aisle too? I think that makes more sense.”

“Afraid I’ll steal your beautiful wife away?” Tanner asked.

Daphne blushed.

“Over my dead body,” Rob said.

Tanner shrugged. “That can be arranged.”

“Don’t make me whoop your ass again.”

“Language,” Brooklyn said.

“Earmuffs, grandson,” Tanner said.

Jacob dropped his stick and threw his hands over his ears.

Tanner cleared his throat. “If you want to joust, I’ll go right now, Young Robert.”

“Joust? What century are you living in?”

“Fine, a gentlemen’s duel,” Tanner said. “Unless you don’t know your way around a pistol?”

“Shall I fetch your dueling pistols, Master Tanner?” Nigel asked. “Hair trigger? Or normal?”

“Stop it, guys,” I said.

“I will not…” Rob said, but Justin cut him off.

“Back to what you were saying earlier,” Justin said. “Does that leave me with Nigel? Because count me in.”

Nigel sighed like Justin was exhausting him. “I don’t even sleep.” He put a marshmallow on his stick and put it over the fire.

Tanner cleared his throat.

“I mean…I sleep,” Nigel said. “Just not often. Because of all the errands Master Tanner sends me on. I’m a boy with no breaks. The life of a dedicated house boy.”

No breaks? I knew that wasn’t true. Nigel rarely ever worked. He had more time off than I did. Maybe he was just trying to turn Justin down nicely.

“Why are all the hot ones so insane and so straight,” Justin said with a sigh.

Nigel smiled at the compliment. Even though only half of it was a compliment. And I still wasn’t sure that Nigel was completely straight. Because he still looked at me very provocatively. And still tried to dress me most mornings.

As if Nigel knew I was thinking about him, he smiled over at me. “Do you want me to roast your marshmallow for you?” he asked, his smile growing.

Was that some kind of weird sexual innuendo? I didn’t want him to roast my junk. “No thank you.”

Nigel pulled his marshmallow off the flame, quickly made a s’more and handed it to Jacob.

“Thank you, Mr. Nigel,” Jacob said.

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