Page 17 of Puppy Pride (Pride Camp 2025)

Chapter Seventeen

Jai

S omehow, I managed to get Chris back to camp in time for breakfast. They ate voraciously, accepted the well-wishes from everyone, and then went to their room to crash.

I did much the same thing—having slept little at the hospital. I woke in time for lunch and found it delivered with a knock on my door by Cody.

Crap. “Hey, come on in.”

He grinned, handing me a paper bag. “Chef made it special for you.”

I was almost afraid to ask because I had never given my preferences to our eerily omniscient head of making everyone healthy while indulging them person.

We sat at the table.

Cody yanked out his cold cuts sub and grinned.

I pulled out my peanut-butter-and- banana sandwich and smiled, despite myself. “My best friend’s mom used to make these for me when I went over. A decidedly non-Indian food. How did Chef know?”

“I honestly have no clue.” He slid off his chair and headed to the cupboards. “I’m thinking water is in order.”

“With peanut butter? Absolutely. Better with milk.”

“Oh.” Cody’s eyes lit as he detoured to the fridge. Moments later, he was back with two glasses.

“I could’ve come to the great hall.”

“You look like shit.”

I blinked.

“Just keeping it real.” He sipped his milk. “Chris had lunch and is working with the group on their play. They’re a hell of a writer. I suspect they’ll go to bed early tonight, but I don’t see any lingering effects—psychological or physical.”

“That’s a relief.” I poked my bag. “Chips?”

Cody shrugged. “We’re allowed.” He eyed his sandwich. “So, you and Mr. Fulton…?”

I winced.

“He said you were just friends.”

“We are friends.”

“He said you knew each other from before .”

“He did?”

“No specifics.” Cody held my gaze. “I’m not just here for the kids.”

“I can’t…”

“Then call Kennedy. Because something’s going on. It’s not affecting your work, but I see it.”

Crap. “Something happened a couple of days ago, and I didn’t connect the dots. Now I have.” Demetrius left me the treats. He did it to tease, not to threaten. He just didn’t realize it would have the opposite effect.

“I still think…” He toyed with his sandwich. “I don’t know much about your history.”

“Right.” Because you’re my employee. I’m the boss.

“But…”

“Oh dear. Nothing good ever starts with but. ”

He smiled. “I could make a crass joke—”

“Oh God, I walked right into that one.”

“You did.” He winked. “But you’re making a good point.”

So was he.

“I’ll talk to Kennedy. If she has time—”

“She’ll be here at four.” He bit into his sandwich.

“You little interfering shit.”

He shrugged, chewed vigorously, then swallowed. Then gulped some milk. “I didn’t time that well. She’s coming to check in with me. But I figure if you took her on a tour—”

“She’s been on a tour.”

“But not recently. Certainly not with the campers here.” Again, he shrugged. “You can tell her everything or nothing. I’m not in a position to counsel you. Explicit rules about dating parents aren’t in the handbook. Or at least not in mine—”

“Mine either. They probably never envisioned this.”

“Well, it’s not like you showing one camper preferential treatment would really make any difference.”

“It’s the perception.”

“True. Well, camp’s over in a week. You’ll just have to decide what happens between now and then. Or after…if the family moves to Mission City. ”

Which was the thought that carried me right up until Kennedy’s visit.

Firstly, she brought the ranch’s therapy dog Tiffany. Said yellow lab allowed herself to be fawned over by the admiring crowd.

“Why don’t you give me the tour? Cody can handle Tiffany.” Kennedy grinned.

“Your dog appears quite capable of handling herself.” I grinned right back.

“That she is. She’s been doing this for a while.”

We headed from the great hall outside.

Kennedy slid her sunglasses on, hiding those fathomless and incisive brown eyes.

Her long, chestnut-colored hair flowed down her back, and she looked very casual in her jeans and T-shirt.

She might be a psychologist, but her practice was on a horse-therapy ranch.

“Cody says you want to show me around.” She grinned.

“Cody’s got a big mouth.” I groused.

She laughed. “I want to say he’s worried about you—which he is—but he’s not going to show that or tell me. I just…I’ve known him for years. With his patients, he can sort of hold things in—at least in front of them. With me? He tends to be more open.”

Which echoed what I’d witnessed. He was easygoing, and the campers shared quite freely with him—but he was guarded about how much of himself he gave away.

“After we’re done talking here, I’m going to offer him a spot on my roster at the ranch—if he’s interested.

We never have enough counselors. Rainbow and I have found a way to configure another counseling office, so he’d have his own space.

And don’t worry, I’m not poaching him. He’ll always be free to return here if he wants to. We’re flexible. ”

Rainbow, Kennedy’s younger sister, was the ranch manager and, according to Kennedy, held the place together. Healing Horses Ranch had a stellar reputation as one of the best counseling centers in all of Cedar Valley

“It’s an amazing opportunity.”

“One I want him to take his time considering. It’s not unheard of for a patient to return to their counseling center as a therapist—but it’s still a mind shift. Something I’m certain he’s capable of.”

“He wouldn’t be the only queer counselor.”

“Right. I’ve had Justin working with me for a few years now.

He’s doing his PhD out of Simon Fraser. He and Cody get along so damn well.

And not just because they’re both gay. Cody’s still a kid at heart, and he’s so good with Angus and Opal, Justin and Stanley’s two young ones.

I’ve got Denise Lang as the child psychologist, but she wants to focus on younger kids.

Cody tackling youth just works. And he’ll likely have adult clients as well—we’re all flexible. ”

“You work a lot.” We’d arrived at the beach.

“It’s a vocation, Jai. A calling. I knew from the time I was little and putting my sisters into counseling that I was meant to do this.”

“Your seven sisters.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I can’t even fathom that.”

“The infamous Dixon sisters. Didn’t you go to school with one of us?”

“Sunshine.”

Kennedy laughed. “Oh, to have been a fly on the proverbial wall.” She grinned. “Have you seen Sunshine since you’ve been back?”

I shook my head.

“Well, you should drop in to The Owl’s Nest.”

I snapped my fingers. “I was there yesterday.” God, was it really just yesterday? And shit…I left the books for Wesley in Demetrius’s room…

“And you saw Dickens?”

“Yeah, with his husband, Spike. Really nice guys.”

“They are. Dickens adores Sunshine, even though he acts put upon by her.”

“She is…a handful.”

Another chuckle. “That she is. If you haven’t heard already, she’s got two divorces behind her. I’m hopeful she’ll meet the right person.”

“Protective older sister?”

She nodded. “I thought her first marriage was a good one, but life intervened. I knew the second one was a disaster before the vows and, unfortunately, I wasn’t proven wrong. Still, she’s the most optimistic of us. And we’re not talking about what’s important to you.”

I gazed at the water lapping the sandy shore. “Cody’s got a big mouth.”

“I would take issue with that. He’s good at keeping secrets.” She brushed a flyaway lock of hair from her face. “He’s just worried about you. Sounds like last night was rough.”

“And I turned up at the hospital with a parent.”

“Well, yeah.” She was nearly my height, so when our gazes met, we were on the same level. “And if you tell me that it’s none of my business, I’ll respect that.”

She would. I had no doubt. She was also giving me the chance to share—if I could find the courage. “We weren’t on a date. Or at least that wasn’t how it started out. He convinced me to have dinner with him—as a friend.”

“Okay.”

“I know this is going to sound a little…questionable. I felt safe with him. Like I knew him or something which, it turns out, I did. Or do. Or…” I ran my hand through my hair. “I didn’t recognize him…but was drawn to his…energy? Is that the right word? ”

“Well, yes. I’m also incredibly curious how you didn’t recognize him. Again, none of my business.”

“Dark club, out of context…” Masks.

“Ah. That’s fair. I had a few ideas in mind, and I’ll admit that wasn’t one of them.” She grinned. “Okay…energy.”

“I didn’t intend for things to…”

“You’re worried about implicating him.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll reiterate this stays between us. And you only share what you’re comfortable with. We might not be in my office—but this space is just as sacred.”

Right. Which I’d known. Having it spelled out really helped. So did the gentle lapping of the lake against the shore in the light breeze. “I’m gay.” I held her gaze, even though I couldn’t see her eyes behind her dark glasses. “Which you’d probably already figured out.”

“I don’t make assumptions, Jai. And Cody didn’t provide a gender for the parent.”

“One of the dads. A great guy, and once I remembered…well, everything came back about that time—the good, the bad, the horrifically ugly… But I had the ill camper to get to. I really panicked.”

“Understandable. You feel responsible for these teenagers. That’s a lot to take on.”

“I felt guilty about having taken a night off.”

“I can see that. And I can suggest you’re not obliged to be monitoring the kids twenty-four hours a day. Cody, Grey, and Makenna all get time off. A dinner away wasn’t unreasonable.”

“Yes, but look what happened.” Panic again rose within me.

“Can you not admit it likely would’ve happened anyway?”

“Probably.” I gazed down at my running shoes. “But that’s not the point. ”

“Could you have done anything better than what Cody did in that moment?”

“Well, no.”

“Do Smith or Alessandra blame you?”

“Not at all.”

“See?”

“But they only know I was out…not who I was with.”

“Ah.” She gazed skyward just as an eagle flew across the lake. “You think they’ll be upset?”

“I think I would be, if I were in their shoes.”

“And do you want to see the parent again? As more than a friend?”

“Uh…” I bit my lip. “I have nothing but incredibly fond memories of him. Would we be able to rekindle that relationship? I honestly don’t know. But I’m not going to risk the way things are now just for a shot.”

“A shot? At happiness?” She arched an eyebrow. “Life is full of regrets and missed connections. Maybe this is one worth taking.” She shrugged. “But that’s up to you. Let’s go back, eh?”

We walked back in silence as I mulled over her words.

Regardless of my decision, I had to come clean with Alessandra and Smith.