“Then this is what we call a minor breakthrough.” He tosses the ball across the room and then moves back over to his chair. “The key to a successful, championship-winning team is understanding each other. Understanding what you can offer and understanding what you need the most. We explored that today. Now, I want you to take what you spoke about and go see Ellison, as she has an activity ready for you two to participate in. I expect for you to continue down this path of honesty. And before you start yelling at each other, please remember the communication we experienced today in this room. And if you need a reset, remember this position you’re in. Return to it. Speak to each other like we did. Practice. Because if we’re not practicing, we’re never going to win.”

Eh, the last part could have used some adjustments, but then again, there’s only so much you can do when it comes to comparing a marriage to a sports team.

“You can find Ellison over by the dining hall. I’ll let her know that you’re looking for her.” He shoos us. “Now get out of here.”

“When we signed up for this camp, I never thought we’d be stringing beads,” Scottie says as her feet dangle over the dock, the lake right below us.

“Neither did I,” I answer. “Nor did I think I’d enjoy it.”

“Same,” she says as she holds up her bracelet. “What do you think?”

I take in her pink, purple, and white alternating beads and her name in the middle of it all. “Love it,” I say. “You need to add more beads though.”

“My wrist isn’t that big,” she says.

“Who says that’s for your wrist?”

She stares down at the name and then back up at me. “It has my name on it.”

“Yeah, and are you forgetting who is supposed to be claiming you?” I point to my chest. “That would be me.”

“Are you telling me you’re going to wear this friendship bracelet?”

“Isn’t that why you’re making it? For me?”

“Uh, I was making it for me.”

“Well.” I shake my head. “Don’t I feel like a fool.” I hold up my bracelet, showing her the black beads and the letters in the middle that spell out “Wilder’s Girl.”

“Wait, did you make that for me?”

“Yeah, Pips. That’s the whole point of this activity. To make something for each other.”

“Where the hell did you get that idea?”

I reach to the side and lift up the activity paper that Ellison gave us. “The directions.”

She takes the paper from me and looks over it for a few seconds and then says, “Huh, it does say that.”

“Yeah, it does. Then again, you’ve been in a fog since we got here, not saying much.”