"No more, Mommy! I want tee shirts!" Aaron whined.
"Goober, it gets really cold at night. We need to bundle up."
"It's not cold outside!" The blonde haired boy pouted.
"We're going in the woods. It's colder there. And we're sleeping on the ground."
"The ground?"
"Inside our tents and our sleeping bags. You might not want the sweatshirts and heavy clothes now but we'll pack them just in case," she offered.
"Okay, Mommy."
Kate smiled, another tantrum avoided. Aaron's daycare was having an overnight trip to go camping. Although Kate felt triggered by the idea of sleeping outside in tents like she had for so long on the island, she was helpless to say no to the little boy, especially when all his friends were going.
As she lugged her gear to the campsite, she had to do a double take. There was Jack, smiling gingerly as he stood in front of the tents.
She hadn't talked to Jack in three days. Not since that night. The night he used her for sex and disappeared before morning light. He had tried to call many times but she had opted to ignore his calls and only answering his texts. She couldn't bear to hear his voice, it was too hard and his betrayal was too deep.
"Jack?" She smiled so falsely that he almost winced. He had seen that smile so many times. To reporters. To Shannon when she said something bratty. But not him. Never him. "What are you..."
"You didn't tell me Aaron had a camping trip," he explained.
"Must have slipped my mind," she lied. "I didn't need you to set up the tent for us," she said quickly.
"If I'm gonna go camping the least I can do is set up the tent."
"Jack, you are not staying," she said sternly. "There's one tent—"
"— the tent fits four," he pointed out. "And co-parenting is important, right?"
She crossed her arms and furrowed her brow. She didn't want to be in such proximity to him. Her heart couldn't stand to see him; she could barely hold it together while hearing his voice.
"This is only for Aaron," she said in a low voice, knowing Aaron was close behind.
"Daddy!" Aaron squealed. "I missed you!"
"Me too, little man." Jack lifted the boy in his arms and hugged him tightly. "Are you excited to go camping?"
"Yeah. Can I play now?" He asked, already distracted waving to his friends.
"Be careful! And not too far!" Kate yelled as he ran off.
"Kate," Jack started when they were alone.
"Don't, Jack." She held her hand up, silencing him.
"Can you just let me explain myself?" He begged. She opened her mouth to refuse him but there was a desperation in his eyes she couldn't deny. She hadn't seen that look since the island. "I had a work emergency. I promise."
"And after?" She kicked at the dirt, refusing to look him in the eye.
"He died, Kate. I just needed..." he let out a big exhale. "I needed to be alone and process it."
She took a deep breath, processing what he'd said. She knew him. She knew when he lost a patient he took it as a personal failure. She knew he'd be too upset to come out on a happy face. "I'm sorry," she finally whispered.
"I'm the one who's sorry."
"Strange isn't it?" Kate changed the subject. "Being back to sleeping in tents—"She crossed her arms, hugging herself.
"Hey," he moved behind her, placing a hand on each shoulder and squeezing gently. "This is not the same."
"It just—"
"I know," he cut her off, "I know. It's the same for me."
"I guess I should go say hi to the moms," she whispered. Jack could practically feel the walls around her coming back up. Every time he got close to Kate, he seemed to take one step forward and two steps back. But in moments like they just had, he felt that same connection he had felt with her since they met on the island.
He watched as she made small talk, admiring her smile and physique from afar. She made such a causal outfit look so chic. She had a cableknit sweater and skinny jeans. He noticed the other moms giving Jack glances and leaning in, no doubt whispering.
"You aren't together anymore, right?" A blonde mother named Whitney asked. She looked more like a contestant on the Bachelor than a mom on a camping trip with her brand new riding boots and puffy insulated jacked and perfect braid.
"We're just focusing on Aaron," Kate said softly, glancing back to Jack.
"So he's single?" She pressed.
"Uh..." she gave Jack another uneasy glance. They weren't together but she felt a sting of jealousy. She had always been confident in her connection with Jack but now they were on such rocky ground that she couldn't be sure. "I'm not positive. He's never mentioned anything to me," she explained.
"Just what I wanted to hear," she smirked and swayed off towards Jack, target in sight.
