“You embarrassed me,” I yell, causing him to pull back. “What you did was unnecessary. Okay? It was just not needed. I take that stuff from them all the time. It’s why they’re the Brads and Chad. And this might be all fun and games and improv for you, but this is my real life. I have to go back to work with them, and they’re going to see me, knowing that I’m the girl with the husband who was handing out pictures of nipples and dildos to my coworkers. That was…embarrassing.”

He twists his lips to the side, and after a few seconds, he says, “I’m sorry you see it that way. I see it differently.”

And then with that, he turns away from me and tucks his hands under his pillow, signaling that this conversation is over.

His back’s toward me, and there’s silence. It all feels so real, so familiar that as I turn away from him as well and turn out my light on my nightstand, my stomach churns with insecurity. It feels like we had our first genuine fight.

Chapter Seventeen

WILDER

“Does anyone care to explain to me what happened?” Sanders asks as he sits on the top of his chair with a tennis racket and tennis ball, bouncing it annoyingly.

I’m not in the fucking mood to watch this man toss a ball around and ask us about our feelings.

Nope, I had the worst night’s sleep I’ve had in a while.

I haven’t spoken but two words to Scottie all morning.

And even when we were on a morning reflection hike with the group, we kept our distance. And everyone felt it. Even Chad, who tried to strike up a conversation with me, but I ignored him and moved toward the front of the group, nearly leading the hike on my own.

I embarrassed her.

Me.

I was the one sticking up for her. I noticed the mob mentality, and I was not putting up with it. Yet I’m the one who got in trouble.

Unbelievable.

“So is no one going to speak?”

Scottie has her arms crossed, sitting on the very edge of the couch, not even attempting to look at me.

Jesus, she wasn’t this mad after the s’mores incident. I’m simply lost as to how it went so downhill after I asked my question about defending her coworkers. But I’m not sorry for what I did, and I’d do it over again. I’d make sure that no one even considers attacking her.

“Okay, I see how this is going to go.” Sanders walks over to a hockey stick positioned against a poster of LeBron James. When was that hung up? I swear with each day that we’re here, this becomes more and more like a man cave.