Page 6 of Homesick, Lovesick
"Nice car, but kind of useless out here."
"It did the job, and we're not gonna be driving through the woods."
Lynwood shrugged."True enough."He smiled at Match."Come on, we'll do a quick tour, and then it's time for French toast with fresh strawberries.There's a strawberry field next door to the camp.They always do strawberry picking with the kids."
"Sounds nice.So did you go to this camp as a kid?"
"Yeah, they have one for the little kids at the beginning of summer, then one for like middle school age, and normally August would be for the high school kids, but they canceled it this year.I went almost every year since I was ten.Know this place in my sleep."He stopped outside a large building that seemed divided in two and waved a hand at it."These are the showers and toilets for the camp.Feel free to use them, but I promise the temp ones installed in your cabins are better."
Ronan shook his head."I would freaking hate to have to get up at midnight to come all the way out here to piss.Seems like a spell for disaster."
"There are always night duty staff to keep an eye on things, escort the younger kids.Every year they say they're gonna make improvements, but…" Lynwood shrugged."Money always goes to other things.Here's where we grill out most nights—too hot to cook in the kitchen.Over there is where the kids eat breakfast and stuff.Past that fence are all the activity areas.Gate gets locked at night and the counselors take turns on gate duty because kids are stupid and high schoolers are stupider."He grinned fleetingly and winked at Match."Lots of places to climb the fence without getting caught, though, and good make-out spots in the woods."
Match snorted a laugh."Thankfully, I'm an adult and can make out with my boyfriend whenever I want in the privacy of my own cabin."
"True," Lynwood said with his own laugh, though it was clearly forced."That cabin there is the main office and where Minerva and her husband staying.He's a werebear."
Werebears were rare.Wolves were the most common, the easiest transformation for humans to handle, though the science remained unclear why.But other shifter types did exist.He hadn't realized the bear clan would be involved in any of this.Too bad Traci wasn't here; she'd have loved to hang out with them.Maybe if this all worked out, they could come back.Benny would probably never get Traci out of the woods.
"Later, I can show you the boathouse and everything.Do you like to swim?"
Match brightened at that, turning away from a bush of red flowers he'd been admiring."Yeah, love to.The second the weather warms up, we spend a couple weekends a month up at the lake.Not camping, there are cabins up there."
"That were built this century even," Ronan said with a grin.
Lynwood gave him a sour look."There's nothing wrong with ours."
Ronan's grin faded."I was just making a joke.The cabins are fine.You're the one who commented they needed updates.My bad."
"Let's go get breakfast," Match said, good mood vanished from his voice.Damn it.
"Sorry," Ronan murmured as they walked."I really did not mean any harm."
Match looked at him like he was crazy."Huh?Oh, no, I'm annoyed with him.It's clear there's some sort of paladin dick measuring going on in his head, and if he winks at me one more time, I'm gonna lay a hex on him."
Ronan tangled their fingers together and lifted his hand to kiss the back of it."Hex, hmm?At least you're not up to full-blown curses yet."
Ahead of them, Lynwood's shoulders seemed tight and hunched, his head slightly down, and there was probably a scowl or pout on his face.
He led them around the side of the cafeteria or hall or whatever it was, through a door that led to a large kitchen, the industrial kind that pumped out school pizza or overcooked cordon bleu at the world's most tepid dinner party.He did not miss being dragged to those stupid things.
They continued on through a set of swinging double doors, into a small dining room that was probably for staff or something.Five people sat there: Minerva, whom he'd met when she came to see them; a man beside her who was likely the aforementioned husband; a woman who looked to be in her late teens who was probably a daughter or niece; another woman who looked a lot like Lynwood; and a young man who looked like he'd drunk lemon juice instead of coffee for breakfast.
Ronan already wanted to go back to bed."Shouldn't there be a lot more of us?"
"Some are still sleeping.The rest haven't arrived yet.Two of them got deathly sick at the last minute and had to be replaced.They'll be here either late tonight or early tomorrow, they weren't quite sure which yet," Minerva said."Good to see you, thank you again for helping out."
"I go where Match goes," Ronan said with an easy shrug, and smiled."Anyway, it's incredibly interesting work, even if it entails living in the woods and dealing with monster spiders."
Match rolled his eyes."It was a wolf spider, and more scared of you than you are of it."
"I highly doubt that."
Minerva's husband chuckled and reached a hand over the table."Stefan.Nice to finally meet you.This is our youngest daughter, Abigail, our eldest Cora, and my nephew Walter."
Walter.Yeah, if that were his name, he'd look sour all the time too.Ronan nodded at him, and that made him smile faintly and nod back.
"Gail," said the late-teens girl, and shook their hands before settling back and looking at Match."Mom has been talking about you incessantly.I think you're her favorite child.So why do they call you Match?"
