“Really?” He arches a brow and looks me over. I’m wearing my best athleisure outfit, my leggings tight, my tank top bright, my sneakers clean and my hair up in a high ponytail.
“Yeah.” I shrug, not understanding his confusion.
Okay, so I’m not the most outdoorsy person. I prefer sitting in with a movie and snuggling under the blankets. Who doesn’t?
Don’t answer that.
“Alright, let’s make the most of it.” He tosses my bag in the back of the truck, and I refrain from cringing, wondering what kind of bugs are going to get on my nice bag.
Don’t think about it, Viv. Live in the moment.
Archer opens my door for me, and I hop in, watching as he jogs around the front of the truck. He’s in shorts that show off his tanned legs, probably from working outside so much or from his morning jogs he always takes.
I don’t even know if he realizes, but he jogs right down my street every single morning—which means he runs at a minimum, three miles. I wake up around six and make my morning coffee, then I go sit on my tiny little balcony and wait for him to jog down the road.
It’s not creepy. I happen to like my coffee with a view.
Of the mountains—don’t be such a weirdo—I’m not just looking for his shirtless form, glistening in sweat to come flying down the road just to get my day started.
I like to start it with a breath of fresh outdoor air.
I take in a breath and turn to him, seeing him already grinning at me, and I paste a broad smile on my face. It’s probably frightening.
“Are you excited or nervous?”
I rub my hands over my leggings and consider his question as he pulls out into traffic. “Um, a little bit of both, to be honest.”
He nods. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there the whole time.”
I nod back and smile, like that thought hasn’t crossed my mind.
Me and Archer, sleeping together in a tiny tent in the woods… nope. Haven’t thought about that at all.
“Oh, speaking of which.” I reach down into my oversized handbag. Probably not practical to bring on a camping trip, but I figured I could probably hide it somewhere in Archer’s truck. “I took the liberty of drawing up a contract for us.”
I glance over at him and see his smile replaced by a frown, his eyes still on the road but his form is tense. “A contract?”
“Yeah.” I shrug and set the papers on the seat between us. Almost like a physical boundary. Lord knows I need some boundaries. “Nothing serious, just a simple agreement with stipulations and the money agreed.”
“I didn’t agree to take money,” he replies, his voice hard and stern.
“I know, but I added up the hours and came to what I think would be fair. You can, of course, ask for any part of this to be changed.”
“Right,” he replies and because I don’t know what else to say, I change the subject.
“So, how is the new job?”
“Welcome to the Hansen Hiring Camping Trip!” Cyrus Hansen is decked out in his finest camping gear, all the way down to his Timberland boots and his fishing cap. It’s a sight. What’s even more of a sight is his wife, in matching gear, right beside him.
I would make fun of them if I didn’t like them so much.
“We are thrilled to have you joining us this weekend for our hiring event and can’t wait to see you all in action.” Lillian takes the lead, and I’m surprised to hear her able to command such a large group. When we first met, she seemed a lot more timid, like she was a sit-back-and-watch person, but she seems full of confidence as she stares at this group of over twenty people.
“We have a lot of fun activities planned, most taking place at the lake. We will also have nightly bonfires with food for everyone and nature hikes!”
“That’s right!” Cyrus boasts, tossing an arm around his wife’s shoulders. They are a cute pair. “Each campsite is marked, and camping gear has been provided. So get settled, and we’ll dive into the first challenge!”
I sigh, wondering what our first challenge was going to be. It was probably going to be physical. I was not good at physical activities… well, not all physical activities.