Class Clown (The Thornback Society #4)

9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ruby’s Truth: Keep it cat-sual .

I sat in Cole’s quiet office, watching the sun set over the mountain tops, and gave a satisfied sigh of relief that the second week of camp had gone off without a hitch. Two weeks down and I was still smiling. There’d been a few kids needing some TLC, but it was nothing worth stressing over. My matchmaking efforts were satisfactory, and now that I had a handle on the day-to-day lifestyle of sleepaway camp, I was ready to ramp up into some action. With Cole out of the picture I was totally focused on Nico, which was for the best really. My talents shouldn’t be spread thin.

So far Kristy was edging out Gina, but that was mostly because I’d gotten to know Kristy so well. She was adorable, and would be a nice soft contrast to Nico’s stoicism. I planned to give Gina some more time this weekend while the camp was empty of kids. Then, next week, I’d begin the process of coincidental meetings by getting Nico and the two girls into the same places to see how they interacted. They’d asked me to do it at the first dinner, and were probably wondering if I’d forgotten.

I looked up at the sky, picturing a few options, but as my gaze shifted to the gorgeous forest scene, I caught sight of that porcupine waiting outside for me. I pinched my lips and gave him the evil eye. I’d named him Quinn. I’d thought about Quill, but that seemed a little too on-the-nose. At one point I’d realized that the giant rodent could be female, and decided on Quinn which was a gender-neutral name. It probably was a girl. It would track based on some of the quietly scary girls I’d known in high school who liked to keep you on your toes, wondering if you were about to be attacked somehow. Still, for the purposes of stalking, I mostly thought of Quinn as a dude.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the bear spray that had been left on the kitchen table in my cabin a couple of days ago with my name taped to it, and wiggled it in front of the window so that Quinn would know I was packing. There was no visible reaction. Quinn was not scared of being sprayed.

My reflection caught my attention and I smiled at myself and the memory of walking into the Bearadise lodge after the campers had left and I’d changed out of the ill-fitting camp uniform. Nico had been coming out of the long hallway that led to Cole’s office and paused, taking me in from head to toe.

That happened a lot when I went into full Cat-sual Friday mode. Complete with a cat’s ear headband and psychedelic over-sized cat tee-shirt. Nico had been speechless.

“Meow,” I’d said.

“Do I want to ask?” he’d replied on a slow blink.

I’d pretended to lick my hand and groom my headband ears. “Happy Cat-sual Friday.”

To my total surprise, a sound had barked out of him that sounded like some sort of raspy lung spasm needing medical attention. He’d clamped his lips tight, but not before I’d seen the wide smile that had accompanied the sudden noise. Had he laughed? If so, it had been ridiculously pleasing to get that reaction out of him, possible lung disease aside.

I’d been doing Cat-sual Friday for a couple of years, and the kids at the elementary school loved it. Some of them had started wearing cat t-shirts too. I figured what was good at school would be good at camp, and I’d packed a few of my best shirts. Last week I’d been too busy figuring out pickup and my responsibilities to remember to celebrate, so today was the first time I’d pulled one out. I was right, the campers and staff had found it funny.

Nico cracking up had been unexpected.

I picked up my phone and dialed Aryn, who answered quickly, interrupting my reminiscing about how much I liked the way Nico looked when he smiled that way. I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen it. I sort of wanted to see it again .

“Ruby!” she cried.

“Yay!” I called back.

If I’d been with her in person I’d have given her a giant hug, but as it stood, I pictured her laughing blue eyes, and the waves of her red hair bouncing around in their own type of greeting.

“We miss you so much. How is Arizona?” she asked.

A wave of longing punched me right in the gut and I sank down into Cole’s chair as it washed over me. “It’s good, but I miss you guys too. There are so many things that have happened and I wish you’d all been here to experience it with me.”

I was homesick for my best friends. The five of us, the Thornback Dragon Women, had been inseparable for years, each of us finding unconditional love and acceptance in ways we hadn’t anywhere else. They’d become my sisters in all the ways that counted, and I was feeling the separation acutely. Even though they were all coupled up now, and Lizzie had actually moved hours away at this point, I still relied on them.

“Tell me everything about home, what’s been going on?” I ordered cheekily.

I leaned back into the chair, kicked off my shoes and got comfortable as Aryn gave me a run down on what the other Thornbacks were doing. My typical energy was subdued as I listened, and I wished so much I could bring them on this new adventure with me.

When Aryn had filled me in and answered all of my questions, she said, “By the way, lady, you never sent us that promised picture of . . . Nate? The unexpected, but hot, roommate?”

“Nico,” I corrected, thinking once more about the flash of his white teeth a few minutes ago.

“Right. Nico. Even the name is kind of cute!”

“I have a picture. I keep forgetting to send it because I never have WiFi. Hold on.” I got busy scrolling through my pictures – a large amount which were of Quinn in case the FBI needed solid evidence after my murder – until I found the one I’d taken of him on the first camp arrival day. “Alright, I sent it to the group.”

“Good. We’ve all been talking about it and wondering if . . . oh.”

“I take in the picture arrived?” I giggled.

“Rubes. I am a taken woman, very secure and happy in my relationship, but this man oozes some seriously attractive mystery. ”

“This is exactly why some of the women up here are throwing themselves at him. It’s hysterical.”

“How are you not joining in?” she teased.

I scoffed. “So many reasons. He’s Cole’s best friend, I’m too old for him, but most of all he has no fun inside of him, and lastly, I’ve decided to play matchmaker, remember? You can’t match-make yourself. It’s tacky.”

“What is the age difference? Like three years?”

“Four.”

“Ooh, grandma. You’re such a cougar.”

“Please refer back to the part where I said he’s a grumpy-pants. And since you’re not hearing me, I’ll repeat myself. Not interested.”

Now Aryn scoffed. “Yes, he’s so disgusting that I can hardly function after looking at him. My eyeballs, they burn.”

“He’s not perfect. His nose is a little thin. And he can’t actually smile normally.”

That was a lie. I’d seen his real smile and there was nothing wrong with it.

“His smile looks fine to me.”

“He looks pained.”

Aryn laughed. “Okay, well let’s hear what else has been going on.”

“I have a stalker. I’m sending you the pic now.” This time it only took a second to dig up a pic of Quinn, because I had a thousand.

“Rubes! Are you serious? Does Cole know?” A pause. “Is that a porcupine?”

“Yes.”

“Oh boy. Do you have time for me to get the others on a conference call? Because there’s no way they’ll believe me if they don’t hear it straight from you.”

“Absolutely.”

An hour later my phone battery was dead, and my face and stomach hurt from laughing. The call with my friends had gone as most conversations did, with a lot of teasing and heavy doses of total support. I came away feeling lighter. I’d promised to send regular updates on Quinn, and Nico, and the progress of some girl winning his heart. They’d given me a million useless matchmaking ideas, and a few gems that I was still thinking about.

I stepped out of Cole’s office and made my way into the main room of the lodge. Darkness had fully fallen outside, and the sound of rain pattered on the roof above me, catching me off guard. I must not have heard it over the conversation with my friends.

The lodge was mostly quiet. With the campers gone, the counselors and some staff had the night and next day off. Some who were more local went home to sleep in their own beds and do laundry without fighting for the limited on-site facilities. Others went out to have the kind of fun you still wanted to have in your twenties. That meant only a handful of people were around now. Most likely those who were still here had chosen to stay in their cozy cabins rather than venture out in the rain.

A shape appeared out of the shadows and I squeaked as I froze in my tracks. He stepped into the light and I put a hand on my chest.

“Nico Crawford, you have got to start making yourself known. You’re not on some deployment where you need to be cautious about being caught. One of these days you’re going to regret scaring me.” I relaxed and shook my head. “Seriously. Two words: karate chop.”

“You know karate?” he asked.

“I know enough,” I stated. “What are you doing lurking in shadows?”

He stepped closer and lifted his arm, bringing something with it. “It’s raining. I brought you a poncho to keep dry.”

I took the offered poncho, and our fingers lightly brushed as I did. His hand darted back quickly, and my fingers curled into a fist as I hugged the poncho against my chest. Confusion kept me from knowing how to respond. I’d never had a guy go out of his way to see to my comfort before. Most guys I’d been around wouldn’t have thought about keeping me dry, much less have left their dry spot to bring me a poncho.

I had only had one true, steady boyfriend, and that had been during college. But his tendency to see me as an afterthought had been what ultimately led to our relationship falling apart after seven months. I wasn’t going to live life as an afterthought.

And yet, I’d repeated the same dynamic over and over again.

“This was really nice of you,” I managed at last.

“Sure.”

“Is it a Marine thing? Being prepared?”

He moved back to the shadows where he’d been waiting and picked up a poncho of his own, which he pulled on quickly. “I guess.”

“Does this mean I’m part of your squadron?” I teased. “Marines look out for each other, right? ”

He offered me a slight nod before turning to go. An overwhelming urge to keep him talking longer had me following. Maybe I could get to know him better. It seemed like a good idea if I was going to figure out who would suit him. I tugged my poncho over my head and hustled to match his longer gait.

“Are you heading back to Funky Bunks?” I asked him as he pushed open one of the big double front doors.

He paused and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah.”

“Mind if I walk with you?” His lips formed a little smile and he stepped to the side, gesturing with his head for me to go through first. “Did you happen to see a self-important, ego-maniac porcupine when you walked up with the poncho?” I asked. I stepped to the edge of the big wrap-around porch and scanned the area. “He’s sneaky.”

“No.”

“Probably because Quinn didn’t want to be seen.”

“Quinn?”

“I named him, or her. It seemed prudent for the police report.” I pulled the bear spray out of my pocket and started down the steps. “I wish I knew what the stupid thing wanted from me.”

“What do your stalkers usually want from you?” Nico asked, humor lacing his tone.

I grinned at the show of humanity from him. He was slowly but surely proving there was something inside that quiet shell. Maybe even something I could make friends with.

“Nico, please. Do you really have to ask that question?” I teased back. “I am the entire package, and they know it. Apparently, my natural magnetism has gone beyond the human realm and I’ve entranced a rodent. It’s pretty flattering, actually. Except for the part where I hate it.” I stopped walking and turned to face him when he stopped too. “Do you have any super stealthy, possibly questionable advice for me on how to deal with unwanted attention?”

“I thought you knew karate.”

“Do you think karate will work on a porcupine? I’d lose a finger or a toe trying to hit him. Come on, I need spy techniques, moving in untraceable ways. What did they teach you about losing a tail?”

“Are you actually scared of it? You’re five times his size and can outdistance him at any time. ”

It was hard to see his expression in the dark, so I gripped both of his arms, turning us in unison so that he was facing the brighter lights coming from the Bearadise Lodge.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I want to see your face right now.”

“Why?”

“I’m trying to decide if you’re teasing me in a friendly way, or mocking me. How we go from here depends on the answer.”

His mouth shifted and I watched with interest as his cheeks raised, his eyes became squinted and his mouth expanded until he was fully smiling at me again. Then, he laughed. Well, it was probably more of a chuckle because it wasn’t going to be drawing any attention, but the point is he was amused.

“Friendly teasing,” he responded.

I pinched both of his arms. He didn’t even flinch.

“You should know better than to judge an opponent by its size,” I responded. “We can’t know anything about the danger I’m in from that porcupine. They can climb trees.”

He did his best to tamp down on it, but his amusement was still obvious, his smile still shining in the lodge lights. And I was very confused by this entirely new person standing with me in the rain.

“Then, I apologize,” he said. “I wasn’t aware tree warfare was involved.”

“Thank you.”

He nodded. “Should we keep going? Or would you prefer to stand here in the darkness, giving Quinn the perfect opportunity to attack?”

I took an involuntary step closer to him and looked around in case Quinn had sneaked up on us. I wouldn’t put it past him, diabolical rat. When it seemed the coast was clear I glanced back up at Nico who was now standing completely still looking down at me. His smile was gone, replaced by a searching look that took in my features one-by-one. It was only after several silent moments that I realized I continued to hold tightly to his arms, and that we were so close that our feet were touching. I stumbled backwards, letting go of him, and shaking my head.

Needing to get back on equal footing with him, I resumed walking and said the only thing that popped in to my head. “I sent my friends that picture I took of you.”

“Oh? ”

“They think you’re pretty.” His only response was a deep sigh. I pressed back to our earlier topic. “Anyhow, I need you to dust off your military skills and give me some pointers.”

“Porcupine warfare strategy is classified.”

I glanced at him, thrown completely off-center by this entire interaction. He kept looking forward, walking along in the rain like it was a balmy afternoon and he had nowhere to be. I huffed.

“Don’t Marine’s have a sworn duty to protect?” I asked.

“I’m retired.”

“You’re impossible.”

“You want my advice, Ruby?” he asked, and I recognized instantly that his tone had shifted from playful to serious. “Avoid warfare, and battle strategy, and engaging with your enemy. It’s not worth it. Let the porcupine live his life, and ignore him. Peace is the only goal you should be focused on.”

Nothing more was said as his words bounced around in my head. Hard won words that he clearly meant. Conversation dropped, and I didn’t press. The rest of the walk back to the Funky Bunks cabin was done in silence. By the time we climbed up the steps to the cabin, his vibes had returned to relaxed and I thanked him again for his thoughtfulness in bringing me a poncho.

Thoughtful was an attribute I was really beginning to appreciate.