“Hey,” he called out, turned behind us. “Did you bring more water? Davy loves coffee, apparently.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the same time I heard shoes breaking a twig. Cal was coming back from the river. His hair was wet as well, and he had changed his clothes, too. Both guys were up and ready to go.
Fuck.
“Oh yeah?” Cal ran a hand through his hair, shaking some of the water out. A towel was thrown over his shoulder and he flipped up the end to dry his face. He lifted up his other hand, holding a bucket. “Good thing I brought extra. I figured we’d need it for the pans, too.”
“Sweet ass.” Spencer shifted around, still bent down, and took the water from him once he got to the fire. He pointed to the other pan he’d been stirring. “I splurged this morning. I made the grits.”
“You did?” Cal grabbed his bag and sank down on the other side of the fire. He glanced at me. “Spencer is pulling out all the stops if he made the grits. We were saving it for a celebration day.”
Spencer snorted. “Yeah, when we weren’t lost anymore.” He pointed to me with a wooden spoon. “And thanks to her, we won’t be. Since she came from the west, and knows what’s east of us, we’re pretty sure where our group is. We won’t be lost for long.”
Aaaaand that was my cue. They couldn’t go past the river. “Hey, um.” I lowered the coffee cup. “You know. We could wander north from here. We don’t need to go over the river just yet.”
“The fuck?”
Cal shared in Spencer’s sentiment, frowning instantly. “Uh . . . why?”
“I mean, we might’ve overshot our destination a bit. I mean,” Fucking A. I was horrible at lying. I felt my cheeks growing red. “Well, I mean . . . I recognize that river.”
The two guys shared a look. Both furrowed their eyebrows forward.
Spencer echoed my words, “You ‘recognize’ the river—”
“—that you haven’t seen yet?” Cal finished for him.
I couldn’t squirm under their gazes. “Yeah.” I shrugged, glancing down at the cup on the ground. “How many rivers are there? And I recognize this area, too.” I gestured to the trees around us. “We’re closer than we realized. I think you guys need to head straight north.” I paused a beat, swallowing over a knot in my throat. “And, you know, maybe steer clear of the river . . . if at all possible?”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I used to be so good at being evasive. Who would’ve known I’d be wishing for the days when I had kept so much secret?
“Uh . . .” The guys glanced at each other again before Cal cleared his throat. “We’ve not run across another river as large as that one, and I know we crossed a river the same size before, so I think we should stick to the original plan. Cross the river, go around the mountain, and split up on the other side.”
“No,” I cried out before clamping a hand over my mouth. Seriously. I would’ve sucked at espionage. “I mean.” I scratched behind my ear. “I really don’t think it’s safe, you guys.”
“But you’re going over it, aren’t you?” Spencer narrowed his eyes.
“Um.” I averted mine.
Cal stood slowly, grabbing his bag. “I think we should stick to the original plan, like I just said.”
“No.” Spencer shook his head.
“Spencer,” Cal started.
Spencer held a hand out to him, stopping him. His ga
ze was still firmly pinned on me. “What were you going to do?” Spencer asked me. “Were you going to double-back and cross then? Were you going to lead us somewhere else?”
Cal’s frown deepened. His hand wrapped tighter around his bag. “You mean, like into a trap?”
Oh fuck.
At the T word, I knew I was done for. Suspicion jumped to both of them. Spencer stood and as he did, Cal moved back a step. Spencer went right with him. They were both regarding me like I’d stolen their pot.
“Come on, guys.” I jumped to my feet, too.