Page 4

Chapter Four

Jovian hadn’t noticed the little stage at the end of the room. A man took the two short steps up to it, and he and another man started messing with the microphone, making a squelching noise that had everyone covering their ears.

“Sorry about that,” the handsome African American man said into the mic.

“He’s always making loud noises. Don’t let him fool you,” the other man said, his pink cheeks glowing red as he kissed the man at the mic. “Just kidding, dear.”

“I’ll get you for that.”

Mike laughed and leaned over to Jovian. “Those are the hosts, the ones who manage the camp. They work with Coach Dixon, who we all call Dix or Coach Dix.”

“Is he the other one?”

“No,” he said as he glanced around the room. “I don’t see him yet.”

“He’s a fine man, Coach Dix,” Kathy said.

“Shh,” Mike hissed as the man on stage started speaking again.

“As a lot of you know, I’m Trudeau Phillips, but most call me True. The lovely man standing off to my left is Bernie Caplin, my partner in crime and other things. Welcome back to Pride Camp!”

A cheer went up and bounced off the rafters. Jovian wanted to cover his ears, but the din died quickly as they all waited to hear from their fearless leader.

“Okay, you rowdy bunch, let’s get to business.

Not everyone is here yet. A bunch of folks are coming in tomorrow, but for today, I think we’re all here.

Lou and Bernie are getting the work assignments ready and they should be posted in the morning on all the boards.

On our first night, we’re having the cherry popping for the newbies, and for those old hats of Pride Camp, well, we have a s’more cookout by the east dock. ”

Mike leaned over and whispered to Jovian, “Cherry poppers is fun. You’ll like it.”

“The name alone is vile. I’m sure I won’t.”

Mike chuckled and said, “Breathe through it.”

As his jaw dropped, Kathy and Mike cracked up as silently as they could, but Jovian was offended. He had little time for it, though, as a man walked through the door that stopped the world from spinning.

Big, brutish man, eyes scanning the room as if he was searching for someone to get out of line. And those eyes, terribly light, like two orbs of pure ice were set in his…ruggedly handsome face.

With his jaw still dropped, he watched the man walk to the other side of the room and lean on the wall, crossing his enormous arms over his even bigger chest.

“W-who the hell is that?”

Kathy followed where Jovian was looking. “Oh, that’s Coach. Coach Dixon, to be exact.”

“Cherokee Dixon. He helps run the camp, and in fact lives here year-round.”

“He lives here? Why?”

Mike stammered, “Because, I guess he likes it?”

“Why?”

Kathy whispered, “Shh, you guys, Bernie is about to talk.”

Ignoring her and Bernie on the stage, Jovian simply stared over in the corner at the man who’d stopped the world. The way he leaned was even sexy, but when he scanned the room again, his eyes fell on Jovian and locked with his.

That cold stare, it gave Jovian chills to the point he was shivering. When Cherokee Dixon took his eyes from Jovian, Jovian could breathe again, and the world came back into focus.

On the stage, Bernie was saying, “This is going to be a great summer. We have performances, not one, but two survival camps per camper, parties and more. Thanks for being here, everyone, and please, enjoy the evening! Tomorrow, work begins.”

“What was that?” Kathy asked Jovian while everyone got up from the tables and started for the entrance. Everyone except for the three of them.

“What was what?”

Mike chuckled at Jovian. “That man threw you for a helluva loop, Jovian.”

“What man?”

He was usually much better at being coy, but he’d suddenly lost all his skills. He was still shivering, for fuck’s sake.

“Okay, let him have his secrets. We have ours.”

“Preach that, sis.”

Lou came over to him and handed him a flyer. “We email announcements too, but the Wi-Fi is so spotty here, few get them in time. Old-fashioned way is still the best.”

He ignored her, though he’d taken the flyer, because he was looking through the crowd for Dixon, but he was lost among the many faces there.

“Right, good to see you again too, Jovian.”

Further ignoring her, he started back to the cabin, needing to grab some clothes and shower. The sweat that covered his body wasn’t a great look, and he wanted to look his best. Never more so than that moment.

Back at the cabin, Mike and Kathy were talking to some others that shared the space and introduced him to them. “Jovian, new camper, this is Alan Joviski, Herm Ruben, and Freddy Five Fingers. All he/hims.”

Jovian finally came out of his tunnel vision, hearing the name. “Five Fingers?”

Freddy, who was tall and lanky with a thin smile, held up one arm, wriggling the fingers on that hand, then held up the other, which had no hand at all.

“They call you that? That’s rather rude, isn’t it?”

“I came up with the name. I have a thing for mafia stories,” he said, laughing. “Speaking of which, your name…Masseretti? Are you connected?”

Half his head was still back inside those chilling eyes, so he didn’t catch it. “Connected to?”

“Jovian, here, doesn’t have a huge sense of humor, Fred,” Mike said. “Besides, he has a thing for Dix.”

Jovian’s anger exploded, and it was everything he could do not to slap Mike in the face. “Excuse me? Who are you to say that, and how would you know?”

Mike simply winked at him. “You’re not the first, won’t be the last. The man is a god.

” The other guy said, and Jovian dragged his attention over to him.

He was small and cute. Sure, more plain than cute, even so, with his sandy hair and almond-shaped green eyes, he could be Jovian’s biggest competition.

“I suppose you like him too?”

“Who doesn’t?” Alan asked.

With his sights set on Alan, Jovian ignored the other man introduced to him. Herm Ruben said, “I think he’d make me less Ace and gayer again, but no one has a chance with him.”

“Oh? Why?” Jovian demanded.

“He’s…Dix! I don’t know. He’s untouchable.”

A challenge. “Well, maybe for some,” he said haughtily as his eyes scanned over Herm.

While Herm’s freckles darkened as his skin paled, Mike said gruffly, “Jovian, no one tries for Dix because he’s…a loner, I guess you’d call him. I’ve never even heard of him having a guy, girl, whatever. I know he’s gay, but…”

“If he’s had no boyfriends, how do you know he’s gay?”

“He helps run Pride Camp,” Herm said, finally getting color back in his face that wasn’t freckles. “That’s one, but he’s told us. He’s joined group a few times.”

Group. That sounded like therapy. “Please, tell me you all don’t gather in circles and talk about your horrible lives! God, how can you all stand it?”

As Herm walked away, rolling his eyes, Alan said, “Because it helps. Don’t you have anything that’s hurt you and you could use to get off your chest?”

Here we go , he thought. More whiners that hated their lives . “Not really.”

Kathy, for some reason, rushed to his defense. “Not everyone has a hard story. He’s here, though! He’s trying, so you all just go unpack and let’s go get our s’mores.”

Jovian didn’t eat s’mores, so he was glad to be one of the cherries to pop. He hoped to see Cherokee Dixon at the gathering, but he wasn’t there.

The two other heads of the camp were, however, and he and the two others that were seated in the Mess Hall were treated with them at their table instead of the stage.

True, that was his name. True. Well, Jovian tru ly hated it at that camp…

“Okay, everyone, this isn’t all the newbies, I promise. There are over three. They’re just not here yet. They’ll get their orientation tomorrow morning, and have the day off chores, like you all did today.”

Jovian raised his hand a little and said, “If I’d have known I could skip the first day, I would have.”

The way True’s eyes fell on him, with no humor or friendliness, felt familiar to him, but then again, just about everyone looked at him in that way. “But you didn’t. So, enjoy the extra day.”

Jovian closed his mouth, knowing if he was kicked out, he’d also be permanently kicked out of the clubs. Besides, he had a guy to fuck.

“Okay, now, we have a list of rules that you all agreed to when you signed up for the camp. No bullying,” True said as his eyes shifted to Jovian, then back at the others. “That is first and foremost, but did you all read them all?”

The three of them nodded.

“Good. There are work assignments as well. The newbies will have everything explained when you report for your assignments. They are usually for a week, but if you fit in well with one in particular, we consider that during the next assignment period.”

Jovian had to cut in again. “We paid to be here. Couldn’t you hire help?”

The other two were staring slack-jawed at him while Bernie sat by his partner.

Bernie said, “Yeah, we do charge, so we can buy food, toilet paper and things like that. If we were to hire people, we’d have to charge a whole lot more.

Besides that, work assignments are a great way to meet some campers you might not meet otherwise.

A lot of lifelong friendships are made from work assignments.

I saw you with Kathy and Mike. They met years ago during Mess duty. ”

The word went into Jovian’s brain and scrambled before he put the pieces back together and really heard what Bernie was saying. “Mess duty? Here?”

True just smiled wickedly at him. “Yeah, cooking, cleaning, it’s a blast.”

Bernie went on while ignoring the disgust that Jovian knew was obviously on his face.

They spoke some more, but when it was time to go, the others were dismissed but Jovian was asked to stay behind.

Bernie was wiping down tables while True sat directly across from Jovian, his eyes warm and soft.

“Jovian, I get it. You don’t want to be here.

The thing is most of the folks that come here need it.

They are from small towns across the three states we serve, and they don’t have any sort of community they can reach out to except on social media.

You know that doesn’t always work out. Liars, thieves, people up to no good are always ready to pounce on those seeking friends. ”

“I get why they need the place, but I was forced to be here, and I paid. Can’t I skip the therapy sessions and work assignments? I swear, I’ll be in my bed, reading or something.”

“No. Of anyone here, I think you need them the most.”

He couldn’t roll his eyes harder and not have them falling out of his head. “Fine. Am I dismissed?”

“I ain’t your mama or your teacher. Go.”

Jovian smiled his best fake smile and threw it at True, then at Bernie as he walked out of the Mess Hall.

“That boy is gonna get on my last goddamn nerve. I swear, if he makes it a week, I’ll faint dead, and you can bury me in the woods.”

Bernie came over to True, grabbed him around the waist. “You and Gary did a good thing, making him come here. Babe, he needs this place more than most.”

“You really think he’s gonna learn anything?”

“Maybe not, but wasn’t it your mom that raised you and Gary with that lesson? Teach them and then send them on their way. The important thing was the learning. Eventually, it might kick in.”

“You’re not my mother. God rest her old, cranky soul.”

“God rest her. Now, come help me get the work assignments done,” Bernie said after a kiss to True’s nose. He walked off toward the entrance to the Mess Hall and True mumbled, “I’m putting that boy on latrine duty right off.”

“You do that, baby.”