Page 30 of Camping with the Boss (Pride Camp 2025 #9)

Chapter Seventeen

Canyon

The diner in Plevna is small but cozy with a country store feel. You can buy loaves of bread or an eagle carved in wood. Alex waves me over to a booth in the corner. How early did she get here?

“Thanks for coming, Alex.”

She gives me her signature steely-eyed look. As an SRO, she’s perfected the art of getting confessions. “You’re late.”

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“You’re never late. And something’s different.” She leans across the table, every part of her focused on finding the truth. Why did I call her again?

But I am happy to see her. She’s my best friend and a bit of normalcy. “It’s easy to be on time when you never go anywhere.”

“True. Good point. But,” she says, waving a finger at me, “you like routines. Schedules. Rules.”

My smile drops. Rules. That reminds me of Wade. And how messed up everything is now.

“There it is,” she says softly. “Tell Mama what’s going on.”

I laugh. “I don’t want to.”

“Ha. Not true. I’m in Plevna, for God’s sake. There better be a good reason.”

The server arrives and takes my drink order.

“We’re ready to order our food.” Her warning glance dares me to contradict her. But I want to live, so I don’t say a word.

I engage in small talk until our food arrives. Alex humors me by not shaking me or walking out. Both are possible since she detests mundane small talk.

After her first bite of pancakes, she mumbles, “Fuck, these are just what I needed.” She takes a drink of milk. “Now spill before I lose my pancake buzz by stabbing you with my fork.”

I bite off a piece of bacon. It’s good. Much better than the camp’s food. Maybe we should have all met here for meals. “I’m not sure where to start.” Yup. I’m still stalling.

“Start where the bosshole steals you away to his castle to do wicked things to you.”

“That’s not— It’s a camp.” Heat flares in my face. Obviously, it’s a camp, and she was joking, but now I’m thinking about Wade’s wicked ways… I hold in a sigh.

“Shut. Up.” Her eyes are huge and getting bigger. “I was joking. Can, did you let that boy have his way with you?”

I cover my face with my hands. “You’re not making this easy.”

She waggles her brows. “Did he make it easy?”

“Alex,” I whine, “stoooop.”

She rolls her eyes and takes another bite of pancakes. I’ve seen her do this before. Been on the other end of it. Doesn’t make it any less effective. Silence. The tool of the devil.

I focus on her initial question. “The first place Wade took me was to his office.”

“Wade, huh? Is his office gorgeous?”

“It is. And you can geek out about the décor later. It turns out I had to get approval from his brother and his aunt. She’s evil.”

“Aunt or step-aunt?”

“Does it matter?” I shake my head. She’s losing sight of what’s really important.

“Are you kidding me? An evil step-aunt is a perfect backstory for your Cinderfella.”

“No. Not calling him that.” Even though it sort of fits. I tell her most of the story, leaving out some juicy parts. Which, of course, she notices.

“Nice. This is what you wanted, right?” She leans over the table, and I scootch back. Not taking any chances. “Why are you acting like someone pissed in your oat milk latte?”

“Gross.” I move my hash browns around on my plate as I consider her question. I know the answer. Don’t I? “He lied to me. About being gay. And he slept with one of his employees.”

“Aww. You’re still a special peanut. You just weren’t the first. Do I need to remind you that he didn’t even know you back then?”

“That’s not it.” Not all of it. “What if it’s a pattern…?”

“Two doesn’t make a pattern. But so what?” She catches my eye. “So the fuck what, Can? Life isn’t a Disney movie. You’re hooking up with a hot bosshole. Not marrying him.”

I focus on my hash browns instead of her way-too-perceptive gaze, but I’m not eating them, and we both know it. My food taunts me, so I cover it with a napkin.

“Can?” But I can’t look at her. She grabs my hand and moves the fork out of my reach. “Can,” she says again.

“What?”

“Can I have your bacon? You’re obviously done.”

I hand it to her, and she smiles as she takes a bite. I huff. “What?”

“Nothing. But you’re not the first person to fall for your boss.”

“Not my boss. Not really.” Her grin tells me I stepped into her trap. Ugh. “And I didn’t fall for him.”

“Too late. Here’s the thing that bothers me. It’s not this other guy. Shit happens. It’s not that he didn’t tell you. Legally binding or not, he’s known you for less than five days.”

“Then what bothers you?”

“The whole less than five days, Can. This isn’t about him.

It’s about you. It took you six months to decide you wanted to change the bedding in your room.

And another six months to get up the nerve to make that change.

One year to change your room décor. It’s been five days, if we’re being generous.

This new Canyon is spontaneous. A risk taker? Fucking in the woods?”

“No. We didn’t. Not really.”

She sighs. “Gosh. Seeing you flustered never gets old.”

“Come on, Alex. Tell me what to do.”

“I can’t. What I want you to do is take it slow. See how you feel about this guy while you’re not at camp. If you still like him, fine. But don’t throw your life away on a camping retreat fling that might be nothing more.”

“So that’s your advice? Wait?”

She chews the bacon and shakes her head. “Nah.”

I grab her hands. “Alex. Be helpful.”

“Don’t mess with my bacon.” She pops the last bit in her mouth. “All that is what I want. But it’s not what you want. You have to figure that part out yourself and do it.” She leans down, making comical faces until I have to look at her. “Can?”

“What?”

“Do you know what you want?”

I think about it for a minute. “I want to take down his aunt and anyone who helped her. But what if I make things worse? What if he still doesn’t want me?”

“Aww,” she says, sounding relieved as she taps the side of my face.

“Thank fuck, my doubting diva is still in there.” As the server comes back to collect the plates, Alex hoards the unused silverware, which consists of two spoons and a knife.

What is she up to? After the server is gone, Alex continues, “You can only do what you can do. The rest is up to him. Meanwhile…let’s storyboard it.

” She waggles her brows again, and I groan.

“Please, God, no.”

“He can’t help you now.” She points the silverware at me. “You asked for this.”

After gathering the silverware in a small pile on the table, Alex adds the salt and the pepper shakers.

“Okay, so the spoons are you and Wade. Obviously.” She picks them up to show me and puts them aside.

“River can be the knife since he’s playing an asshole in today’s production of Real Camping Housewives of Plevna. ”

I start to tell her none of this is River’s fault, but she’s on a roll, so I leave it. There’s one thing I can’t leave. “I’m proud of you for not making spooning jokes.”

“They’re all up here.” She taps the side of her head. “Tons of them. I’m planning a series of TikToks around them.”

I laugh, but I’m not positive she’s kidding. “Moving on.”

“How much time left at camp?”

“Our last session is at four. A closing dinner. ”

She sips her sweet tea and considers this. “So you think someone on bossman’s team is setting him up to fail?”

“Yes.”

“And they’re helping the evil step-aunt?”

“That’s my theory anyway.”

“Who is it?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know.”

“But…?” She twirls her hand in a keep-going motion.

“But…” And then it’s clear. Not the person doing it. But close enough. “I know how to find out.” Excitement zips through me. I can do this.

Her mouth drops open. “Huh?”

“What? Do I have grease on my face?” I grab a napkin and wipe, but she shakes her head.

“I change my answer from before. You’re doing the right thing.”

I’m glad to have her support, no matter what choice I make. But I’m also curious. “How do you know?”

“You’ve been cautious for so long that I just forgot.

You used to take risks all the time, even after your surgeries.

Your mom—” She stops and clears her throat.

Her eyes are wet when they meet mine. “Your mom told you to slow down all the time. But being cautious has never been a defining part of your personality, babe. It’s been a response to your fear.

Your trauma. This,” she says as she squeezes my hands, “this is who you are.”

She’s right, and it’s like a switch lighting up the parts I couldn’t see.

The camp reminded me of the time before Mom and Dad died.

It reminded me of all the things I love.

“It’s not just the camp. Wade believes in me.

He doesn’t treat me like I’m broken. Defective. I feel like I deserve to be happy.”

“It’s about damn time.” She grins. “I was right. You’ve fallen head over heels for this guy.

I’m proud of you, babe, for not giving up.

” She points the knife in my direction. “But know this…if your beast-boss hurts you, I will end him.” She smacks the spoon with the knife to make her point, and I grab the silverware and move it safely out of her reach.

“Good to know.” I may have to warn Wade, no matter how this turns out. My phone buzzes on the table. Hope flares before I can stop it. River. Damn. I frown as I read his message.

“Bad news?”

“We need to regroup.” I glance at the condiments. Too sweet. Too tasty. Too basic. Then my eyes snag on Alex’s glass. “Are you done with your ice water?”

“Sure… Oh no . The ice queen?”

I nod. “Wade’s evil step-aunt has joined the party.”