Till Summer Do Us Part(20)

“Hey, Ellison.”

“Now, I don’t want to pry, because it’s none of my business, but…how did it go?”

None of her business, but then she goes and asks how it went. Make that make sense.

“It was great,” I say, plastering on a happy smile. “Sanders was just what we needed.”

Ellison fist-pumps the air. “I knew he would be. I’m telling you, he’s amazing. Not what you’re expecting when it comes to a marriage counselor, but I think that’s what makes his approach so unique.”

You can say that again. Talking to him felt like I was signing up for a team sport at the local YMCA. Makes me highly question the validity of his degree.

“Yes, very unique,” I say. “But it worked. Actually, I need to talk to you about something. Sanders was saying there’s a marriage summer camp—”

“Did you sign up for it?” She’s practically bouncing.

“Uh, yeah, we did. I hope that’s okay.”

Ellison claps her hands. “Oh, that’s wonderful.”

“Yeah, but, uh, Sanders says you don’t use vacation time for it. Is that true?”

She nods. “As you must know, we truly value the relationships our employees have, so we allow any time off to build and mend those relationships. So yes, you can have the time off.”

“Wow, okay. That’s very generous of you. Is it okay that I didn’t give much notice?”

“Yes, most of the guys in the office will be going as well, so there won’t be much going on here.”

Uh…what?

“The, uh, the office is going?” I ask, tugging on the end of my hair.

“Yup, they do every year, and it’s tradition at this point. Great time for rejuvenation. I’ll be there as well. We caravan up to the Catskills, if that’s something you’re interested in, but I’m not going to pressure you, given how sensitive your relationship is at the moment.”

Is that the nice way of putting it? Sensitive?

If using that term allows me to avoid any sort of direct, unnecessary interaction with the Brads and Chad, then by all means, let’s eat up the term.

“Thanks, yeah, I think Wilder and I will probably just drive up by ourselves.”

“Wilder.” She hugs her hands to her chest. “That’s his name?”

I will seriously never get over this marriage obsession of hers. It’s so weird.

“Yes, that’s his name,” I say with a curt smile.

“How did you two meet?”

What happened to not prying?

“At a bar. His brother is actually the bartender, and we just happened to bump into each other, and we hit it off.”

“Meant to be.” She sighs. “Well, I won’t hold you up. You probably have a lot of things you want to get done before you take time off for the next eight days.”

My phone buzzes with a text on my desk, but I ignore it and center all my attention on my boss.

“Yes, I have a lot of editing I need to get done to make some deadlines.” Lies. I have about three articles that won’t take me very long, because Brad and Chad are basic bitches when it comes to their writing.

“Wonderful. Well, I’ll leave you to it. Can’t wait till Monday,” she says with a whole lot of gratuitous joy.

“Can’t wait.” I try to match her enthusiasm with a simple thumbs-up.

When she’s out of sight, I reach for my phone, hoping for a possible reprieve from this nightmare I created for myself, only to find a text from Wilder.

I sigh and lean back in my chair to read it.

Wilder: Been doing some research on this camp. I’m going to make a trip to Target and pick up some necessities. Anything you need?

Necessities? What could we possibly need?

Scottie: What kind of necessities?

Wilder: Bug spray for one. I need some sandals because I don’t ever wear them. I also need some swim trunks. Some new socks. Toothpaste. Probably a new toothbrush. Some word searches. A deck of cards. And it says not to bring any food, but I’m a dick if I don’t have a sweet at night when on “vacation.” Nerds Clusters are my jam.

Why do I find it so amusing that this emo, beanie-wearing wannabe actor is going to just go grab some socks from the local Target? He does not give off those kinds of vibes.

He’s very different from what I pictured in my head, and I refuse to think that’s a good thing.

Also, he likes Nerds Clusters?

We unfortunately have that in common.

Scottie: I’m good, I’ll probably head out this weekend and get some things for myself. But if you’re stocking up on Nerds Clusters, get me a pack too.

I almost don’t send it, because I don’t want him thinking we can bond over Nerds Clusters, but I also don’t want to be trapped in a cabin with him chewing on his own bag that I’ll have to share. The text was a risk I was willing to take.

Wilder: You like Nerds Clusters too?

God, I knew he’d be excited about that. Why do I feel like I know him already? I need to ask Mika about his brother, because they’re nothing alike. Mika is more jaded, rough around the edges, can be flamboyant at times but not so much that it’s blatantly obvious. He tends to look at the glass as half-empty most of the time and rarely has a positive outlook on life.