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Michaela always claimed that Fran was polite to a fault.
“Are you sure?” Michaela asked.
Fran was not sure, but it would be mean to not ask. “I’m sure.”
“You don’t sound sure.”
Fran glared at her smirking girlfriend. She turned to her sister. “Do you want to come with us?”
“Camping?” Eloise looked disgusted at the thought of it…which was good. Fran and Michaela’s camping time was theirs to do what they pleased.
That entailed talking to no one but each other in the tiny Stirling cabin in the middle of the woods for three days. Michaela would go hike and forage and do all her Highland raised things that were very sexy but also not interesting in the slightest, and Fran got to be as nonverbal as she liked.
“I want to go.” Colin said.
Fran fought a glare. She looked at Michaela, who was giving Colin a Look. Ah, her Why are you cock blocking me look. That was normally reserved for John.
Colin did not catch that at all.
“I think it would be cool. A little couple’s thing. You two. Pen and me.”
“Oh, we can bring someone?” Eloise asked.
Fran felt her jaw tick. “You have someone to bring?”
“Phillip.”
“You two are ready for that?”
“A weekend away? Yeah.” Eloise said. She shut her book and stood up. “Let me call him.”
Colin sent them a grin. “I’ll tell Pen. Are we leaving tomorrow?”
Fran nodded along with her girlfriend.
“Great.”
“How are we fitting six people in the cabin?” Fran whispered.
“We aren’t.”
They were actually camping. Fran wanted to pout. The allure of camping with Michaela was that she was not actually outside.
The cabin had electricity, running water, dial-up internet, an old TV, and several age beaten paperbacks that Fran was making her way through. That was as rustic as she got.
Michaela, who actually camped as a child, was putting their tent together.
“Hand me that pole, Fran.”
Fran handed her the pole in her hand while she finished up. The only bright side was that the tent looked like it would only hold them.
Colin and Phillip were fighting the four-person tent that the others were sleeping in. Eloise was reading the instructions to herself…but not out loud so she was not helpful.
Pen looked… “Thanks again for inviting us.” Pen said.
Fran winced. “I’m sorry.”
Pen sighed before swatting a bug out of her face. “It’s fine. I should spend more time outside. The lack of Wi-Fi will be good for me. How long are we staying?”
“Three days, babe!” Colin yelled. “They always do three days.”
“You spend three days sleeping on the ground?” Pen asked.
Fran usually spent three day sleeping on top of Michaela on a lumpy full sized bed, but she couldn’t let her sister-in-law know that. “Yes.”
Pen glanced at Michaela, who hammered the tent down with stakes. “Seriously?”
“She gets Princess treatment out here so it all works out.” Michaela stood up and looked at the men failing. “Do you two need help?”
“We’ve got it. Thanks!” Colin yelled.
Phillip sent a pleading look.
“Excuse me, ladies.” Michaela muttered.
Dinner was nice. They roasted sausages and ate s’mores and talked. Fran was actually wondering why she was even worried about camping for real with her siblings when El’s voice woke her up.
That and the rain hitting her face. “El?”
“Sorry.” Eloise climbed her way in, pushing Michaela on Fran’s lap and closing the tent. “I just-did you know Colin snored?”
Fran did not know that.
Michaela yawned. “It’s raining?”
“Yeah,” Eloise sighed. “Also, I think I heard an animal.”
“You probably did.” Michaela muttered. “What time is it?”
El pulled out her phone and blinded all three of them. “Like four in the morning.”
Michaela hummed. “Well, try not to get us too wet.” She leaned on Fran’s shoulder and went back to sleep.
Eloise sent her a pleading look.
Fran sighed. “Fine.”
Fran woke up to Colin’s giant head in her face. “Fran, breakfast.”
Fran pushed his head back. “Okay.”
“Pen and Michaela said we can’t eat until you and El get up.”
“So you wake Fran up?” Eloise grouched.
“I didn’t want to wake you up, you get mean.” Colin whined.
Fran stopped the bickering before it started. “Okay. Give me a second.”
Colin nodded and left.
Fran stared at her sister.
“What?”
“Out.”
Eloise huffed. “I forgot you get mean too.” She climbed out of the tent. Fran took a deep breath, counting to see how long she could sit in silence before -
“Hey. Your brother is being annoying.”
Fran opened her eyes to see Michaela looking at her with a smile. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Eggs.”
Michaela stuck her torso in and handed Fran a plate before joining her with her own. “I told them you would probably want to eat in here to give you a minute.”
Fran leaned her head on Michaela’s shoulder. “I miss the cabin.”
“I know.”
“How do we stop this?”
Michaela finished chewing. “Either Phillip or Pen. One of them will crack today.”
Phillip didn’t crack. He spent the entire hike, alternating between helping Eloise over some terrain, jabbering about some plant, and goofing around with Colin. This was the most she had heard him talk ever, and it was freaking Fran out.
Pen, though missing her internet access, kept taking pictures of the view and muttering what all people who live in the city say. “We should do this more often.”
Eloise nodded. “We should. You guys do this like once every other month, right?”
Fran successfully avoided her first reaction to that question, which was to immediately ask why. She looked down at Michaela, who was retying her hiking boot, since Fran had the pack on her back.
Michaela shrugged.
“Maybe we should make it a family thing. I think Ben and Soph would like it.” Eloise mused.
“Who would watch Violet?” Pen asked.
“Mum.”
Michaela got up from her crouch. “We don’t have a set schedule. It’s more of a vibe thing.”
“A vibe thing?” Colin asked. He squinted at Fran. Fran was very Type A and known to not do things based on a vibe.
“I’m allowing spontaneity in my life.” Fran answered. Eloise and Colin didn’t believe her.
“Your sister can be very impulsive. The places she has decided to stick her tongue-”
Her siblings yelled in unison for Michaela to stop talking before they both ran away. Pen chuckled before following them.
Michaela hummed. It was thoughtful. Fran loved hearing her thoughtful hum. It usually meant she was going to do something utterly wicked.
“What?”
“Sometimes I forget that your family is full of horny prudes.”
“I’m included in that?”
Michaela winked before pulling her by her wrist.
“Michaela?”
“I love you so much, my darling.”
Fran huffed. “What are you about to do?”
“I can’t tell you. You’ll veto.”
“I’m going to hate this, aren’t I?”
“You’ll hate the means but love the result.”
Her girlfriend was a menace.
Afternoon and Night Two of camping was filled with Michaela feeling her up and making her family very uncomfortable and Fran very turned on.
They weren’t however, too uncomfortable to leave.
“I would love a bath.” Pen sighed. She glared at Michaela. “Don’t.”
Michaela smirked. “I wasn’t going to say anything.” She adjusted Fran in her lap. Colin side-eyed them.
“Wait…” Eloise said. “There are no showers out here.”
“Correct.” Michaela said.
“You are out here for three days with no shower?” Eloise’s face went through a variety of feelings.
“You just realized that.”
“Yes.” Eloise sighed. “Excuse me.” She stood up and dragged her boyfriend away.
Fran didn’t want to get her hopes up. But if this happened… Fran leaned back. “What color?”
“Red.” Michaela whispered.
Fran nodded.
Eloise and Phillip step back. “We’re going home.”
“What? Why?” Colin said.
“I want to shower. There is no shower.” Eloise pointed out.
“It’s one more day! You can last one more day. Pen is lasting.” Colin nodded at his wife.
Pen looked very intrigued about leaving.
“I’m sure Fran and Michaela won’t mind.”
“Nope.”
“Not at all.”
“You guys are new to this.” Michaela nodded.
“Well, I want to stay. Why don’t El and Pen go back and Phil and I can just ride back together?”
Fran clutched Michaela’s hand around her waist. Michaela burrowed in her back and quietly yelled.
“Great. Let’s do that.”
Fran watched Pen and Eloise pull out already packed bags.
“We’ll see you guys at brunch.”
Her sister and sister-in-law had walked down the path and made it to the car in five minutes, pulling away in Pen’s car.
“Well, it’s just the 4 of us.” Colin grinned.
Fran weakly grinned back.
Fran stumbled out the tent the next morning to find Phillip, breaking down his tent.
“Are we leaving?” Fran asked. She looked around the camping area. The fire pit was properly doused. Michaela’s camping supplies were gone…as were Colin and Michaela.
“Colin and I are.” Phillip gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry for crashing.”
“Oh, no-”
“Oh yes. Your girlfriend let me know that El and Colin crashed. She’s packing up your car now.”
Fran looked and saw Michaela slamming the boot of her SUV closed. “Where’s Colin?”
“Hey, Fran. Sorry to ruin the trip.” Colin walked up, scratching his face.
He was covered in pink lotion.
“Oh?”
“I got in some nettles. I don’t know how. Luckily, Phillip had some lotion.”
“Always pays to be prepared.” Phillip nodded. He zipped up the tent bag. “See you next week.”
The boys waved at her before walking down to Phillip’s car, waving at Michaela as she made her way up.
Fran watched Phillip drive away. “Did you put nettles near Colin’s stuff?”
“I’m not cruel.” Michaela smirked.
Fran stared at her.
“He found them all by himself. I just talked to Phillip.”
“So we’re heading home?”
“To the cabin.”
Fran sighed in relief. “Finally. Real camping.”
Michaela laughed. “And what have we learned?”
“Stop being polite.”
“Exactly.”