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“And not your type anyway.” Alessandra opened the door and gazed up at her husband.

“Right. Raven-haired beauties with dark-brown soulful eyes and the ability to put me in my place with just a glare are.” He smiled at me. “And Dean is also super married.”

“Oh?” None of this had come up in my conversation with the blond man who had stunning blue eyes and a knowledge of trees I could never rival. What did I know? Don’t light a match. We’d haddry conditions for a while now—April’s showers long forgotten and June being just one long furnace of dry heat.

“To Adam, another great Mission City guy.” Smith removed his sunglasses as we stepped inside and then tucked them into the front of his cotton button-down shirt. It was actually open several buttons, and he wasn’t wearing a tie.

“Dean and Adam.” I didn’t know either of them. Or I didn’t think I did. My time in Mission City ended more than a decade ago. I’d gone to stay in Vancouver to attend the University of British Columbia. Then I’d found a place to live in the city—withhim—and I’d never come home for holidays. Even though Mission City was just an hour east of Vancouver. I hadn’t felt the need to revisit my unhappy childhood. Then I shoved all thoughts of my ex deep down where I wouldn’t have to deal with that thought either.

So why did you come home? And when are you going to tell your parents?

My parents probably still believed I was back in Nova Scotia. Or I assumed that was what they thought. We hadn’t spoken in a very long time. I was the disappointment. Even if my ex hadn’t sharedeverything, my parents still hadn’t approved of me. No matter what I did, it wasn’t good enough. Even studying finance to follow in the family tradition didn’t meet their approval. I had been groomed to take over the management of their extensive holdings.

Instead I’d wound up as a camp counselor for queer teens on the other side of the country.

But you’re home now. You might run into them…

Not likely. They didn’t shop at the grocery store or pick up their prescriptions—they hadstafffor that.

“Jai?” Alessandra gazed up at me.

Not so far to look. I was closer in height to herthan Smith.

“All good. Just reviewing some budget things in my mind.” Even as the words came out, I inwardly winced.

“If you need more money, you let me know.” Smith held my gaze with his compelling and oddly colored eyes.

Alessandra said they were azure.

I’d never seen anyone else with that eye color.

“We’re good. I think being fiscally prudent is a good thing, and I’m still sure the campers will want for nothing.”

“You’ll do your best, which is all we can ask.” Alessandra shot a glare at her husband. “Money doesn’t always solve every problem.”

“Says you.” He smirked.

“If you gave it all away, we wouldn’t have any for our son.” She arched an eyebrow.

“Kid has to make his own way in the world. I smell barbecue chicken.” He headed toward the buffet.

Alessandra laughed. “I’m the one who’s going to have to make sure Wesley doesn’t get spoiled.” She grinned. Then her expression sobered. “Two things.”

I nodded.

“Ask for money if you need it. He teeters between multi-millionaire and billionaire—and will never admit it—and I trust your discretion.”

“Absolutely.” I’d been aware they had money, and they didn’t flaunt it. Not that kind of wealth, though—that even dwarfed my family’sold money.

“Great. I want to meet the campers.”

“Wait.”

She cocked her head.

“You said, two things…”

“Oh right.” Her face lit. “For fuck’s sake, Jai, have fun.”