Page 22 of Beyond the Rainbow (Pride Camp 2025 #11)
Then, he clapped his hands once, shaking off the tension. “All right. Now, the real scandal—my husband slandering Nate with raccoon attack stories. Because, you see, the big, blond, baseball coach also happens to be my husband. And he’s the world’s biggest tease.”
That got a few grins, and Joshua silently blessed the man he had married.
He gave the boys a cautious glance, then drew in a huge, fake sigh.
“Remember! This is just between us because, truth to tell, it IS pretty damned funny.” He rubbed his hands together and grinned.
“He didn’t get attacked. But the damn thing did scare the bejesus outta him!
Scared me too!” He spread his hands wide apart. “It was THIS big!”
The group burst into laughter, and Joshua made a comical face.
“Well …” he drawled out, then grimaced and brought his hands much closer together.
“Colin says it was this big.” He inched closer to the group.
“He and David chased it away, but still I’ll make him check our cabin every night before we go in …
just in case a wild animal decides to make a home in our closet! ”
He shook his head, grinning. “I felt bad about laughing, but Nate was hilarious . I swear to god, it was like watching the guy in Jurassic Park who was sitting on the toilet when the T. rex came!”
The boys howled with laughter.
“Ew! NO ONE deserves that,” one camper gasped between giggles.
“Dude, I’d make my boyfriend check, too,” another snickered.
The laughter faded, but the camaraderie remained. One of the boys, a lanky kid with a cautious expression, looked around at the others before finally speaking up.
“So … does that mean we can talk about, like … other stuff here?”
Joshua met his eyes. “You can talk about anything here.”
A pause. “Even sex?”
“ Especially sex.”
The boy hesitated, then exhaled and gave a quick nod. “Cool.”
Joshua smiled and blew out a long breath. The first wall had come down ... he hoped.
The lake was calm, a shimmering stretch of glass reflecting the afternoon sky. The storm had finally passed, leaving the air fresh and crisp. Colin stood on the dock, arms crossed, eyeing the campers assembled before him.
“All right, Camp Pride champions,” he announced. “Time to learn the fine art of rowing.”
One of the campers, a lanky kid named Ethan, raised a hand. “What happens if we tip over?”
“You stand up,” Colin offered dryly.
Ethan blinked. “Wait. It’s that shallow?”
Colin shrugged. “Depends. How tall are you?”
There was a pause as Ethan peered at the water, then down at himself, then at the boat.
The rowboat was a sturdy, timeworn craft—broad-bottomed and built for balance more than speed.
Its faded green paint was chipped along the edges, revealing sun-bleached wood beneath, worn smooth by years of use.
Metal oarlocks creaked faintly when the long wooden oars settled into place, their handles polished by countless hands.
Inside, the boat held three narrow bench seats and a scuffed floorboard that bore the faint outlines of old water stains and muddy footprints.
When it moved across the water, it did so with an easy, unhurried grace, leaving soft ripples behind like a trail of secrets.
Ethan touched the craft with his foot and shot Colin a quick grimace. “I think I’m good.”
A shorter camper, Nico, peered into the water, trying to estimate its depth like a kid checking if he was tall enough for a rollercoaster.
“Great,” he muttered. “I’m gonna drown.”
Colin pointed to his life jacket. “You’d have to work hard to drown while you’re wearing one of those.”
Nico glanced down and grinned. “Oh! Gotcha!”
“Especially with me standing right here,” Colin added. “I’d reach in and haul you out of the water …” he grinned and winked “… probably .”
The first group climbed in—four campers plus Colin. Alex hesitated, hanging back, his fingers gripping one of the dock’s poles.
“You coming with?” Colin asked, keeping his tone casual.
Alex hesitated a second longer, then nodded, stepping carefully into the boat.
Once they were all seated, Colin grabbed the oars. “OK, first lesson—balance. Don’t shift too much, don’t lean over the side, and?—”
THUMP.
Nico had barely sat down when the boat rocked wildly.
“WHOA—”
“Sit still, ” Colin cautioned, catching the movement before it turned into a full-blown disaster.
“Unless you want to take an unscheduled swim.” When the campers were all seated in the rowboat, Colin, once again, pointed to his life jacket.
“You never, ever get into one of these boats without a life jacket. And if anyone does, and I find out about it? They will be in deep, deep doo-doo, I kid you not.” He patted the orange jacket.
“If you should tip the boat or fall into the water, this little orange wonder will keep you afloat. The lake’s not deep.
Most of you can just stand up and walk to shore!
And one last rule: You never use one of the boats or go swimming in this lake without a counselor present. ”
Next, he demonstrated how to hold the oars. “Rowing is about rhythm. It’s not just brute strength—it’s control. I row, then you match my pace. Got it?”
A few nods. A boy named Mason was already miming the motion like he was born to row.
Colin dipped the oars into the water and started a slow, steady stroke. The campers followed, somewhat in sync … except for Nico, whose rhythm was slightly off.
Colin side-eyed him. “A little slower, Nico.”
Nico nodded and slowed his pace.
“That’s it” Colin told him. “You’re getting it.”
They managed a few steady strokes before THWACK —Mason smacked Ethan’s oar mid-stroke, causing the boat to wobble again.
“DUDE,” Ethan yelped. “You whacked my oar!”
“He didn’t mean to,” Colin said. “Relax. We’re all learning. It takes time to get used to the rhythm.”
They tried again. The rhythm got better, the strokes smoother. Colin nudged Alex, who had started stiffly but now had a focused expression, following the rhythm exactly.
“Nice work,” Colin told him.
Alex blinked, startled—as if compliments were rare—then ducked his head with a quick, almost hesitant smile. “Thanks.”
For thirty minutes or so, the boys rowed around the small lake while Colin watched, chatting quietly, listening as he offered murmured instructions or pointed out various sights along the shoreline.
The oars sliced smoothly through the glassy water, sending gentle ripples across the lake’s mirrored surface.
The air was crisp and still, carrying the soft rustle of leaves and the occasional call of a distant bird.
Sunlight shimmered off the ripples, and for a few quiet moments, it felt as if the world had shrunk to just the boat, the steady rhythm of the oars, and the peaceful embrace of nature.
Then, just as Colin had begun to relax?—
"WAS THAT A FISH?"
Nico practically leaped out of his seat, and the entire boat lurched sideways. Colin instinctively threw his weight to counterbalance, grabbing the side just in time.
“Nico. Please. Sit. Down.”
Nico, red-faced, flopped back onto the bench. “Sorry. I panicked.”
“The sight of a trout threw you into a panic?”
“It was a big trout!”
Colin snickered, let out a slow breath, and instructed the boys to turn the boat back toward shore. “OK. We survived our first rowing lesson AND a trout attack. Good job, everyone! Let’s head in.”
As the campers rowed back, Colin saw Joshua standing on the dock. His head was low, and his shoulders slumped, but he smiled as the boat bumped against the dock. “How’d it go?”
“Well, we didn’t lose anyone, so I’m calling it a win.”
“I’m proud of all of you!” Joshua said, then pointed toward the dining hall. “Forty-five minutes free time before dinner. Drinks and snacks in the dining hall.”
“Hang your life jackets in the boathouse before you head out!” Colin instructed as the campers climbed onto the dock.
The rowers were all laughing and in high spirits as they hung their jackets and moved toward the dining hall.
As he passed Colin, Nico paused. “Hey, so, uh … just in case … how tall do you have to be to stand in this lake?”
Colin didn’t even hesitate as he leaned closer. “Taller than you .” Then he winked and ruffled Nico’s hair. “Never fear, buddy. I’ll always be around to save you.”
“I know this ,” Nico told him with a quick grin. “I won’t be forgetting my life jacket.”
Colin laughed and tilted his head toward Nico’s fellow rowers. “See you in the dining hall.” He pulled the rowboat onto the shore, then moved to Joshua’s side.
“How’s it going, bud?”
“I’ve never been more exhausted in my life.”
Colin wrapped an arm around him. “Only seven hours ’til bedtime.”
Joshua sagged in his arms. “Oh, my fucking god,” he moaned while Colin snickered and held him upright.
“Suck it up, you pretty thing.”
“Later, hotshot. Later .”