Family Camp (Daddy Dearest, #1)(21)

“Oh, I see. Indoctrination is real.”

“Yup.”

“And Jayden actually sang? And did those, um, spiffy moves? The ones you guys did in orientation?”

Travis looked at him, and there was a twinkle in his eye. “Absolutely.”

“Wow. I can’t imagine. Sorry to have missed that.”

Travis slowly rose to his feet.

Geo laughed. “The last two weeks he’s been advising me on what he wouldn’t do at camp. No hiking. No swimming. No campfires. And singing!” Geo scoffed. “Singing wasn’t even on the table.”

Travis reached down for Geo’s wrist and tugged him up.

“Because toxic masculinity. You know?” Geo continued to blather. “Jayden thinks he has to be so tough. And I think it’s great if he learns that it’s okay to just be a kid. And—what the hell are you doing?”

Travis made an oval in the air with two index fingers and began to sing. “On the shores of Big Bear Lake…”

Geo laughed. “Oh, no.”

“Lived a little brown-haired boy….” He bounced both palms out at his hips as if indicating a child.

“Um. We don’t need to do that right now.”

“What’s the matter, Geo?” Travis smirked. “Got too much toxic masculinity to learn the song?”

Geo gritted his teeth. “Fine. Is this payback for the naughty list threat? Because it feels like payback.”

“With his bunny named Froo Froo.” Travis bounced two fingers like rabbit ears. “Every day was filled with joy!” He jumped a hundred eighty degrees and shook his bum in imitation of a bunny’s happy waggle.

Geo swallowed. Okay, then.

“Then one day a big storm came. Washed away his bun Froo Froo. ‘I will save you!’ cried the boy.” Travis made a ridiculous “help” wave with his hands. “And he jumped in the water too. Even though it was cuckoo!” He put his hands at his mouth to call out “cuckoo.”

“Wow. My students would love this.”

“Then learn it. Come on, Geo. ‘Boy and bunny swept away! Far from friends and far from shore!’”

Geo mimicked him, putting his palm over his brow and “searching.” “Something, something, something shore.”

“But the fishies swam them in, landing safe at Evermore.”

Geo copied Travis, first making waves with his hands and then patting his heart.

“Ah-woo, ah-woo, ah-woo-woo-woo!”

They ran through the song a bunch more times until Geo was doing a fair job following along. It was really fun, because the song moved faster and faster, and trying to remember what motion to do with what line was tricky, sort of like trying to rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time. Even Travis got it wrong sometimes, which cracked Geo up.

The best part was when they shook their butts. Geo could watch Travis do that, on an endless loop, for about a thousand years. As long as he got the occasional pee break.

When they finally stopped, Geo was gasping with laughter.

Travis nodded his head solemnly, but his eyes sparkled with humor in the moonlight. “There. Now you’re officially a camper. You’re welcome.”

Geo motioned back and forth between them. “Oh my God. I think this could be a thing. Me and you. Broadway. They can’t deny us.”

“Yeah, I’ll pin that on my vision board. Welp. Guess I’d better get to bed. Big day tomorrow.”

Geo didn’t want him to go. Travis being light and funny was a revelation. And Geo had so many questions. Are you really a pro ball player? What was it like when you were first fostered by the Mayhews? How did they make it work? Are you gay? Bisexual? Off the market? Why did you give me a private camp-song lesson?

Are you just trying to apologize for thinking the worst of me? Or do you, maybe, kind of, like me a little?

But he didn’t ask any questions. He just nodded. “Sure. See you tomorrow.”

“Teach Lucy the song,” Travis ordered, walking backwards.

“I’m on it.”

Then Travis turned and was gone.





Chapter 10




It turned out Family Camp wasn’t that great after all. Because morning calisthenics.

Campers were supposed to gather at the flagpole at seven thirty sharp. A loud, scratchy recording of “Chicken Fat” was blasted over the speakers. Trish led them in a series of calisthenics that were surprisingly tough. Or maybe Geo was just out of shape.

“Lift those knees! Come on,” Trish encouraged, her knees elegantly darting up to her lightly bouncing chest. She made it look so easy.

Beside Geo, Lucy held her dolls out and did odd little hops with them, her tongue poked out in concentration. Jayden had been cranky and annoyed when Geo woke them at seven, but now he stood a few feet away with Stryker and Aiden, all of them trying to outdo each other to see who could do the exercises in the laziest way possible without, technically, not doing them at all.

Geo couldn’t blame the boys. He had to get up early during the school year, so he should be used to it. But this was July, damn it, and he’d lain awake far too long last night thinking about Travis Mayhew. And his stupid camp song.

Calisthenics finally came to an end, and the crowd swarmed for the wide steps up to the lodge porch. Hopefully, breakfast would include many, many carbs and the coffee would be served by the quart.