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“This would be the session at the end of July?”

“Yes. Looks like a good group of kids. Sorry, teens.” This next group were fifteen- to seventeen-year-olds.

“There’s plenty of space for more teens.” Cody sniffed. “Dinner smells amazing.”

“The camp is designed to hold twenty-four campers. I worried we might have problems if we waited until the last minute, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.”

“Part of that is the tough economy. Not as many jobs for teenagers.”

“True.” And LGBTQ kids tended to have higher unemployment rates. Which just sucked.

“And I’m sure some is because of the special nature of what you’re doing.”

“That’s also entirely possible. Twenty-four would be almost impossible for you to manage.”

He shrugged. “If we have campers with serious issues needing major interventions? Yes. Alessandra’s offered to step up. She loves being a mother, but she’s also got thatmust be helping people all the timegene.”

“I believe you have the same one.”

He burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s so true. Kennedy recognized it in me immediately and was happy to direct my interest toward counseling and the PhD program at Simon Fraser University. I just thought…” He cleared his throat. “I knew I could be gay. I knew I could be a psychologist. I knew there were gay psychologists….”

“You just hadn’t pieced it together for yourself.”

“Right. During my undergrad, I met Justin Bridges—a gay counselor. One of Kennedy’s other successful mentees. He’s amazing at his job.”

“Did she say he’s pursuing a PhD?” I seemed to recall that coming up in conversation.

Cody chuckled. “He tells me he looks up to me because I actually had the guts to do the program.”

“Oh?”

“It’s not cheap. I think that was one of the reasons he told himself he couldn’t do it. I’m not speaking out of turn when I say he lacked confidence. As I progressed through my studies, he came to see he could do it as well. He’s just finished another year. Pretty soon, Kennedy and Denise won’t be the only psychologists at the ranch.”

Dr. Denise Lang was a psychologist who specialized in counseling children in trauma.

“Kennedy attracts the best.”

“That she does.”

“She trying to get you to sign on?”

Cody shot me a glance.

I shrugged. “I would, if I were her. And as much as I love Pride Camp, we only operate during the summer. As long as she’s willing to let you come back every summer—for as long as you want—I think you should go for it. Unless working for your mentor would be stifling.”

“Oh God, working for her would be the opposite of that. She’s brilliant, Jai. And I’m not just saying that…” He waved his hand around. “She took care of me when I was at my most vulnerable. Then turned that empathy into a kick in the pants. She knocked me right out of my apathy and onto the path I’ve chosen.”

“Well, we’re glad you found your calling.” I waved in response to Makenna’s gesture. “Dinner?”

“Hell yeah, I’m starving.”

Despite my stomach being in knots for most of the day—with worry about whether or not we could pull this off—I was as well.

Chapter Six

Demetrius

“No problems finding the place?” Foster offered a broad smile when he opened the front door Monday night.