“I don’t want to be cute. I want to go back there and kick that guy in the face.” She caught his arm before he could close the door. “This shit just became personal. If it means shutting up assholes like the ones we just had to deal with, I’m ready to do whatever I have to do to get you on a football team.”

“It sounds as if I’m going to have to suffer even more in the gym because of these guys.”

“In the gym and out of it,” she said. “It starts tonight with our survivalist training.”

Jamar winced. She’d asked him to join her for some lost-in-the-woods-type experience she wanted to develop for Taylor’d Conditioning. Even as he’d agreed to tag along, he knew he’d live to regret it.

“Are we still doing that?” Jamar asked.

“You bet your ass we are,” Taylor said. “Get ready to rough it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY

The last fading rays of sunlight cast dappled shadows on the leaf-covered ground of Pace Bend Park. Taylor led the way through the uneven terrain, trying her best to avoid unwelcome surprises left by the critters who called this densely forested patch of land home.

She’d considered a number of local parks for tonight’s adventure but had settled on this one in Spicewood because of its primitive campsites that would give them the “roughing it in the woods” experience she was going for.

She and Jamar had veered off the marked trail a good half mile back. They should be nearing the innermost area of the park soon.

“Let’s stop for a second,” Taylor said. “I need to get my bearings.” She reached into one of the zippered pouches on her backpack and pulled out her compass.

“Is that a compass?” Jamar asked.

She laughed at the incredulity in his tone. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

He slipped his phone from his pocket, swiped his thumb across the screen, then held it up to her. “Not sure if you know this, but these cool little computers that fit in your pocket? They come equipped with a compass.”

“Ha ha, smart-ass. What if that cool little pocket-sized computer doesn’t have cell service, or worse, what if you lose it? Knowing how to use an actual compass can be a lifesaver.” She studied the compass and confirmed that they were still headed in the right direction. “Remember, the whole point of this exercise is to be a survivalist. At least that’s what I’m hoping people will sign up for.”

Taylor had convinced him to join her on the test run of the survivalist camp experience she planned to offer on Samiah’s Just Friends app. She’d been honored when her friend asked her to put together a curated experience for Taylor’d Conditioning.