LOGINSunday morning, I was sitting at the picnic table eating a granola bar when Jay came around the camper carrying a paddleboard.I stopped chewing. "Oh my God."He looked at me. "What?""You brought that?""Yeah. Thought we could take it out today."I put down my granola bar. "I would love to try again."Jay looked at me. "I've improved.""You haven't been on a paddleboard since the last time.""I've improved in my head."He laughed and leaned the board against the camper. Moose came over to inspect it, sniffed the edge, and decided my granola bar was more interesting."Absolutely not," I told him. He sat down. I looked at Jay. "He's trying to manipulate me.""He's a golden retriever.""Exactly. Professional manipulators."Jay went to get the rest of our things. I finished breakfast, changed into my swimsuit, and grabbed a towel. The red bikini had performed admirably yesterday, but today I was more interested in the paddleboard.Jay was carrying it down toward the water when I caught u
By the time we finished our marshmallows, I was warm again. Possibly too warm. I'd moved my chair back from the fire after Jay pointed out that the soles of my shoes were getting hot.Moose was asleep with his head on my foot. Dolphin Shark was still drying beside the camper, and I was wearing Jay's sweatshirt, which I'd decided was mine now. It had been an excellent evening. Naturally, I wasn't ready for it to end."Let's go for a walk."Jay looked at me. "You were freezing twenty minutes ago.""I'm better.""You were also exhausted.""I've recovered.""You've been sitting in a chair eating marshmallows.""Exactly. Restorative."He glanced at Moose. Moose opened one eye."See?" I said. "He wants to go.""He wants you to stop talking so he can sleep."I leaned down and scratched Moose behind the ears. "Do you want to go on an adventure?"His head came up. His tail thumped.Jay sighed. "Great. Now you've told him."I stood and grabbed my shoes. "Come on. We haven't explored the campgro
By the time we got back to the campsite, my hair was still damp, the temperature had dropped, and I was fucking freezing. This was mostly my fault. Jay had suggested leaving the beach at least three separate times — once while I was still swimming, once while I was trying to convince Moose to get onto Dolphin Shark with me, and once when I'd said, "Five more minutes," which apparently meant forty-five."I told you," Jay said.I glared at him. "Don't.""I didn't even say anything.""You said I told you.""Because I told you." He laughed and unhooked Moose's leash.I went directly into the camper, changed out of my damp clothes, and put on leggings and a T-shirt. That wasn't enough, so I dug through my bag. No sweatshirt. Fantastic. I had apparently packed a tiny red bikini but had neglected the possibility that temperatures might exist below seventy degrees.Priorities.I opened one of the cabinets where Jay had put some of his clothes. "Can I steal a sweatshirt?""Yeah.""Thank you."
I had already eaten breakfast, brushed my teeth, and changed clothes by the time I remembered I had a mission. The red bikini was at the bottom of my bag. I pulled it out and held it up. It really was tiny. It covered everything that legally and socially needed to be covered. It just wasn't particularly generous about it.I smiled. We were hiking to a beach. I needed a swimsuit. This was a swimsuit. Completely practical. The fact that I had specifically purchased this swimsuit while wondering whether Jay still had a crush on me was irrelevant.I put it on, then pulled shorts and a tank top over it. By the time I came outside, Jay had a backpack on and Moose was losing his mind because apparently he'd figured out that shoes plus backpack meant adventure. Dolphin Shark was still beside the picnic table. I picked him up.Jay looked at me. "No.""What?""You're not bringing that.""Of course I'm bringing him. We're going to the lake.""We have to hike to the lake.""I know.""You're going
Eventually the fire burned down enough that even I had to admit it was probably done being entertaining. Moose was asleep beside my chair, completely exhausted from the difficult work of making me throw a tennis ball approximately nine hundred times. Jay had finished his second beer. I'd finished mine. The campground had gone mostly quiet around us, with little pockets of conversation and laughter drifting between the trees.I stretched my legs toward the fire. Jay stood and started gathering our dinner stuff. I helped, mostly because there wasn't much left to do. Trash went into the bag. Food went back into the camper. Jay poured water over the remains of the fire and stirred everything around until apparently he was satisfied we weren't going to burn down the campground.I was carrying the last of the chips inside when I saw the black-and-white lump shoved beside my duffel bag. I stopped."Oh my God."Behind me, Jay said, "What?""We forgot him.""Who?"I pointed. Jay looked at Dolp
The campground was busier than I'd expected. Not crowded exactly, but definitely not the isolated wilderness experience I'd briefly imagined when Jay said he was disappearing into the woods for four days. Campers and tents were scattered between tall trees, kids rode bikes down the narrow road, and somewhere nearby someone was playing country music quietly enough that it wasn't annoying.Moose had been standing in the back seat for the last ten minutes, switching sides every few seconds as though he needed to personally inspect every campsite."This one?" I asked as Jay slowed again."No.""That one?""No.""That one has a hammock.""We have our own site.""I know. I'm evaluating the competition.""We're not competing with anyone.""That sounds like something people say when they're losing."He laughed.A minute later, he turned onto a smaller loop and stopped in front of an empty campsite. "This is us."I looked out the window. There was a picnic table, a metal fire ring, a flat grav







