The Stepbrother (Red's Tavern 5)

He looked me up and down, doing that thing he was so good at, where he seemed like he was slowly getting to know me better than I even knew myself. Sam was about a thousand times more intuitive with emotions than I was, and sometimes I felt like he could read my mind.

It was a little unnerving, but it also felt comforting to be seen.

“I understand,” he finally said, and I could tell that he really meant it. Sam was always genuine, no matter what.

“I just want this trip to be an escape, I guess,” I said.

“You want to find yourself,” Sam said, a small smile playing on his lips. “Like that woman in Eat, Pray, Love, whose relationship crumbles and then she travels the world.”

“When you put it that way, it sounds silly.”

“No it doesn’t,” he protested. “I think it sounds like something you need.” Sam looked calmer. He reached out, giving me a gentle squeeze on my forearm. “Your secret’s safe with me,” he whispered.

I snorted and rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but respond to his touch. He’d had his hand on my shoulder like that last night, too. Just before we kissed.

“You love a good secret, don’t you?” I asked, playful. “You gossip whore.”

He hummed, something flickering behind his eyes. “Don’t call me a whore,” he said. “It reminds me of porn, and that strangely turns me on. I really don’t need a boner right now.”

I felt my cheeks heating up. “The term TMI was invented for you, Sam.”

“Well, I’m glad you told me you’re not embarrassed of my Instagram, at least. Because anybody should be proud to be seen with me,” he said, a tiny smile on his lips. “I am going to nap in Mom’s RV, though. If another bug shows up, I’ll just cocoon myself in the blankets and pray.”

“Are you sure? You’re still welcome in my RV,” I offered. But he was already walking off, flashing me a peace sign over his head.

5

Sam

“And, we’re here,” I heard Mom’s voice calling out from the front of the RV. I peeked out the window, seeing that the quality of light had changed dramatically. I’d slept for a good few hours, and now it was late afternoon as we pulled into the RV campgrounds, about an hour outside of Denver, Colorado.

Cocoa was sleeping next to me, and I gave her gentle pets as she yawned, waking up at the same time. “First stop, girl,” I mumbled to her, and she wagged her tail on top of the sheets.

As we piled out of the vehicle, the faint woody-smoky smell of burning campfires filled the air.

“You got us a damn good spot,” I told Mom, and she clapped once, clearly proud.

“I booked us a long time ago for this spot,” she said.

The RV was nestled in a little alcove, a bit further away from the other RVs on site. A group of tall pine trees surrounded the back of our RV. In front of it was a big, circular gravel clearing that had a fire pit, a table, and some wood stumps to sit on. On the other side of the gravel was Aunt Laura and Uncle Jim’s RV, and then, a little further down, Fox’s RV, with more forest behind it.

“The trees are so tall you can’t even see the sun,” Logan said after he climbed out of Laura and Jim’s RV. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, craning his head upward to see the tall pines.

“I love it,” I said.

I stretched, still groggy from my nap. “We’re here for how long?” I asked Mom.

“Three nights,” she said. “So get comfy. There’s trails galore, and a river down that way.”

“This is nice,” Fox said, walking over and surveying the site. It was funny seeing him in a setting like this, dressed in a long-sleeve collared shirt—probably silk or something equally ridiculous—nice slacks, and Italian leather shoes that probably cost more than our three-night permit for this campground.

Fox was trying to get the road-trip experience, but he still looked like he was ready to step into a fancy New York nightclub.

“Can you boys help me get all the coolers out of the RV? We’re having burgers tonight.”

Over the next hour, we slowly unearthed all of the cooking supplies, food, and camping chairs we needed from all of the RVs. We secured Cocoa onto a tree, giving her plenty of leash room to run around. I got the small pride flag from my suitcase, unrolling it and putting it up on the side of the RV.

As Mom, Greg, Laura and Jim all got started on preparing dinner, I took a short break to sit on a tree stump and check Instagram. I refreshed it once, twice, three times, but the little loading screen never went away. On the top of the screen, I saw that my cell service and data was nowhere to be found.