Chapter 19

“I saw this poster for a wilderness survival weekend. It was sponsored by this local camping club. Anyway, ‘a weekend in the woods, learn how to live off nature, and stuff’ type of thing. I was sold. I signed up, paid my fee, and showed up. Everett and Wade went to SU, too, but since the school is so huge, and they were majoring in other subjects, I’d never met them. And Drew…” I stopped, not wanting to spill Drew’s secrets. If Austin and I lasted, he’d probably learn them. But now certainly wasn’t the time to share them. So I settled on part of the truth. “Drew lived nearby and wanted to learn, too. The four of us were grouped together, and Jackson was the leader. The one who would show us what real camping was all about.”

A small smile blossomed on Austin’s full lips. “Your dynamic as a group makes a bit more sense now.”

I laughed, then drank more wine. “Yeah. He’s still herding us around.”