Room service? Shit. I might have had this camp pegged all wrong. My own private cabin. A waterfront view. A nurse who can take care of all my needs. And now room service. I could get used to this place.
“Cool—” Before I can say anything more to her, she’s walking away, shaking her tight ass behind her. God, she’s sexy. And with a fiery mouth like that, I can’t wait to see how she uses it on me.
I’m so busy watching her that I completely miss Zach approaching from the other direction. “You finally made it.” He grins, throwing a glance in Silver’s direction before settling on me. “I’ve been waiting for you. Wanted to make sure you got settled in okay.”
Zach is a nice guy and all, but there’s a reason he and I don’t hang. His mere being has always rubbed me the wrong way. There’s no way anyone could be that nice all the damn time.
“Just about.” I hold up the papers. “The nurse gave me homework.”
Zach nods. “Yeah, sorry about that. The rest of the guys submitted theirs before coming. Shouldn’t take too long. Hey, when you’re done, come to the field.” Zach points to a trail through the woods. “Just head straight, and you’ll see us.”
He starts to turn when I take a step forward. “Hey, wait up a sec.” I give him the most-charming grin I can muster. If I have a chance of convincing Coach to let me escape this place early, I’ll need to get on Zach’s good side. “I’m sorry for getting all heated when we got off the bus. This all has just kind of blindsided me, but I think what you’re doing here is great.”
“No worries, man. I think you’ll enjoy it once you get used to the accommodations.” He chuckles lightly. “The kids make it worth it, I promise.”
I nod and shove my hands in my pockets, hesitating to ask my next question, but I need to test the waters. “You meant what you said, right? You’ll talk to Coach at the end of the week?”
Zach cringes a little and runs a hand through his hair. “Let’s see how it goes, King. No promises, but yeah, I’ll consider it.” He sighs. “Look, I don’t want any bad blood between us, and you’ll get no judgment from me, but I respect the hell out of Coach. He wouldn’t have talked to me about your situation if he didn’t believe in you. I think you should look at this camp as a blessing and not as a jail sentence.”
A blessing? What right do Zach and Coach have to tell me what I should consider a blessing? “And if I leave?”
Zach frowns for a second before shrugging. “Then you leave. I’m not going to try to stop you. This isn’t a prison, King. I just don’t want you to end up in one. Neither does Coach. If you leave, then you’ll have to deal with him. At least this way you get to be with your teammates and the amazing kids who idolize the ground you walk on. It’s up to you.”
With that, Zach gives me a final glance then takes off jogging toward the field. Meanwhile, I’m left feeling like he just put me in my place. The fact that he’s giving me the freedom to walk away from this hellhole almost seems worse than forcing me to be here.
I jam a hand into my pants pocket to search for the key Anderson gave me. Bingo. I unlock my cabin door and push inside to find six empty bunk beds, a single desk propped under a window near the entrance, and a bathroom.
“What the fuck?” I drop my duffel bag, staring around the room, wondering what sort of hell I just entered. I don’t know why I expected a little more… comfort or something. Not bare walls, crooked wood floors, and not an ounce of comfort to be seen. I knew I would be bunking alone this week since I was a last-minute add, but what the fuck is this?
It takes me two long strides to get to the pale-yellow phone on the desk, and I take them quickly. I lift the receiver, but it doesn’t reach my ear. The curly cord forces me to bend down, so I’m hunched over the ancient device, listening to the long dial tone while scanning the directory. Finally, I punch the number four and wait.
“Front office. How can I help you?” chirps a friendly voice.
“Yes,” I say, trying to tone down my utter dismay at what I just walked into. “I just got to my cabin, and I think someone forgot to put some items in my room.”
“Oh no,” the voice says. “What are you missing?”
“Everything,” I growl. “Sheets. Comforters. I’ll need some immediately if I’m expected to sleep here.”
There’s an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the line before I hear the voice speak again. “Um, well, sir, none of the beds come with sheets or comforters. You should have brought your own sleeping bag.”
I blink, thinking surely I just heard the woman wrong. “Well, I didn’t. Can you have room service bring something over?”
A light laugh fills the line. “Oh, sir. You are funny. You’re at a sleepaway camp. There’s no room service here.”
Jesus Christ. I pull out my cell phone and gawk in horror when I realize I only have one bar of a signal. “Okay,” I try again, silently cursing Nurse Silver and her evil prank. “Then can I get the Wi-Fi code so I can order some things?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Scott. We do not provide our Wi-Fi code to guests. We believe in limiting electronics as much as possible so that you can enjoy nature’s gifts that surround you. I promise, there is much to see. Will that be all?”
I stare at the phone, wondering if this lady is serious. When I realize that she is, I know there’s no use in getting mad at her. It’s Zachary fucking Ryan I should be angry at. Nurse Silver is right in line with him too.
I slam the phone down without another word and kick my duffel bag clear across the room. It bangs against a bunk bed ladder. After I’ve taken a few breaths, I toss the stack of papers on my desk and glare at them. If Nurse Silver thinks I’m filling those out, she’s sadly mistaken. Zach said there’s nothing stopping me from walking out of here, so that’s exactly what I’ll fucking do.
I’ll deal with the consequences. I look around the room again, feeling firmer in my decision as time ticks on. That’s right. Dinner first, then I’ll be out of this hellhole in no time.
UPPER HAND
SILVER
“What’s with the sour face?” Hope sidles up beside me in the cafeteria line as I’m spooning mashed potatoes onto my plate.
I didn’t realize my thoughts were so clearly visible. Ever since leaving Kingston, I’ve been having trouble focusing on anything other than him. The man has no filter, no common decency, no moral compass, no—
“Earth to Silver.” Hope gives my ribs a gentle nudge with her elbow. “You okay in there?”
I give her a pinched smile and shake my head. “I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”
She scrunches her mouth. “You really need to take a day off once in a while, babe. It’s not healthy to always be so on. Come to the campfire with me after dinner. We’ll have some beer, mingle with some of the football players.” She shimmies her shoulders at me, and I can’t help but laugh.
“I still have work to do tonight, but I can meet you there after.”