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“Right?” I scratched my chin. “Everyone seems to forget that.”

She regarded me. “I’m not going to go into details about my life—it’s a little boring…but also very personal. I needed a fresh start. I had a rough go of it for a while, and I had to find a way to move forward. Smith gave me the push. He was also there to catch me—in case I tripped and fell.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Nope. I built a life for myself that I could be proud of. I did some pretty crappy things during my dark period. Unlike you. You’ve held your family together and put your children first.”

Did I tell Hamish all this? Did Jai tell her? Or is she intuiting this? Because she’s not wrong…“Uh, yeah. Of course I put the kids first.”

“Right. So maybe it’s time for you to put yourself first. If you’re not interested in Jai as more than a friend, that’s okay. Even friends, though, deserve some time without kids around.” After clear hesitation, she placed her hand over mine. “Just think about it.” She squeezed my hand, then stood, released me, and headed off toward Jai’s cabin.

I had a lot to think about.

Chapter Nineteen

Jai

Standing in the deserted campground, my sadness warred with excitement.

The campers had gone home four days ago.

Grey and Makenna had left soon after the debrief with Cody, Alessandra, Smith, and me.

Cody had accepted Kennedy’s offer of employment as a psychologist at her therapy ranch and was arranging his schedule.

I’d spent the past three days preparing everything for the session starting in just over a week for the older campers.

Makenna and Grey would be back then as well.

Tonight, though, I was alone. In fact, I was going to be alone up here most of the time.

Alessandra had fretted over that—until I pointed out having someone on site, especially during the summer, made sense. We had a gate I locked at night, so theoretically no one should be on the property. Still, people might wander in, even though we had about a dozenPrivatePropertyandKeep OutandVideo Surveillancesigns posted at every possible point of ingress.

I promised to keep my phone on me at all times.

Truthfully, I wasn’t a guy who took a whole ton of risks. I wasn’t going to go into the woods without someone with me. I wasn’t going to take a canoe to paddle. I did swim, but only when the lake was calm. I liked my job and wasn’t going to do anything to fuck with that—like dying in some stupid way. And plenty of people lived alone in these mountains, even though the hills north of Mission City were a bit of wilderness close to civilization.

Plus, I might be alone, but I certainly wasn’t living rough. I had electricity, stellar internet, cable, and a gas fireplace should the power go out and I needed a source of heat.

Finn had dropped by to ensure I was aware of the campfire ban.

The super sexy firefighter had dropped a couple of broad hints along the way.

Okay, he’d come right out and said he was gay and might I be interested in drinks at the Brew Pub? If not as a date, then as friends.

That was yesterday. Had I not already made plans with Demetrius, I might’ve seriously considered the offer. Not as a date, of course, but another friend? I’d taken his personal number and put it in my phone. At the very least, as an out man in Mission City, he could give me a proper lay of the land.

Demetrius’s minivan came into view, and my heart leapt.

Alessandra had texted twenty-three minutes ago to let me know Keegan and Alaina were settling in with Kyle and Paisley. My boss also sent a picture with Alaina holding Wesley and Keegan sitting next to his sister, clearly enamored with the toddler who apparently was not wanting to run around at that moment. He was evidently fascinated with the company. My boss had also wished me luck.

Luck?

She had no idea, of course. She just thought Demetrius was here as a potential suitor—her word, not mine. Telling my boss that I liked to dress up like a puppy and get belly scritches hadn’t seemed like the best idea.

He exited his minivan, then opened the door to the back seat.

Be patient. He was never going to run into your arms and profess his undying love for you. And you wouldn’t want him to.