Chapter 15

Stace saw Jared back to the lodge and then got busy helping Spark and Casa prepare for the pack trip.

“Why did you bug out last night, buddy?” He posed the question to Spark as they loaded the panniers with supplies for the trip. “I think Jared was disappointed we didn’t double up on him.”

Spark shrugged. “I figured he’d had enough and he seemed to have eyes for you a lot more than for me, anyway. I dropped in on Louie when I got back and surprised him with a bare-assed dip in the hot tub and some milder action afterwards. He’s latched onto me despite our original plan.”

“You just don’t like to do it with an audience,” Stace chided. “Or maybe you figured you don’t quite measure up? Everybody says us African American men are the biggest and best.”

Spark socked him in the shoulder. “Aw, get on with you. There’s hardly a measurable difference between us. We’ve known that since we were about fifteen.”

“It’s the quality then rather than the quantity,” Stace retorted.