Free Stepbrother With Benefits 10 (Second Season) by Mia Clark

days.
    While the woman at the counter is ringing us out, I smile over to Caleb.  "Do you want to come over tonight for s'mores?" I ask him
    "Uh... is that alright?" he says.
    "Sure, why not?"
    "Er... Ethan?  I think he hates me."
    "He probably does," I say, faking a frown and nodding.
    "Ashley!  Ethan does not hate him," my mom says, shocked.  "He heavily dislikes him, that's all."
    Caleb stands there, mouth open wide, looking at the both of us.  He looks a little worried and scared, like as soon as we get back to the campground Ethan is going to search him out and beat him up or something.  It's kind of funny but then I feel a little bad, too.
    "Ethan doesn't hate you," I say.  "I don't think he does.  I'll talk to him, alright?  Just don't try to flirt with me or kiss me."
    "You should probably avoid hugs or overly friendly gestures, too," my mom adds.
    "What kind of overly friendly gestures?" Caleb asks.  "How do I know what to do?"
    "You probably shouldn't smile or laugh," my mom says.  "Also, I'd suggest standing at least arm's length away from Ashley at all times.  Don't look at her for more than two seconds, either."
    "Are you serious?" Caleb asks.
    "No, not particularly," my mom says, grinning.
    Caleb stares at her like she has two heads.  I think it might be an apt assessment at the moment.  My mom really seems to like teasing him.  It's kind of funny.  I start to laugh, and Caleb shuffles side to side for a second before cracking a smile.
    "You'll be fine, dear," my mom says, patting him on the shoulder.  "Just be yourself, alright?  We'd love to have you over for s'mores later.  It'll be fun."

*** Ethan
    The bait shop is crazy.  I don't mean to sound like some spoiled city kid, but they seriously have taxidermy stuff in here, too.  It's not a bait shop so much as an all-purpose outdoorsman sort of place.  There's guns locked up in cases behind a counter, and archery equipment off to the side, plus more fishing rods than any one person could ever need.  The guy who runs the place does taxidermy too, I guess, and he's showing my dad his handiwork.
    I'm not sure if my dad is impressed or scared.  I feel like in a situation like this you should be a little bit of both.  You don't want to screw around with a guy who makes home decorations out of dead animals.  I have to admit, they do look pretty cool, though.  There's a large moose head on a plaque hanging high up on the wall behind the clerk's counter.  That is not a moose I'd want to mess with.
    Also, there's a bear.  An entire bear.  It's standing on two legs on a short wooden pedestal, paws stretched out like it's about to attack you.  I'm pretty sure if Ashley saw it, she'd faint.  It's cool, Princess, I'll catch you.  I'm your knight in bad boy armor or something.
    Just so you know, the bear isn't real, though.  The taxidermy guy made sure to tell me that.  They aren't allowed to shoot bears here.  I guess if you see a bear you just punch it or something?  Or you hope and pray you never see a bear to begin with.  Fuck if I know?
    I go to a cooler in the back and look through my options while my dad talks with the shop owner.  Let's see, for fishing we have... worms, worms, and worms.  Lots of choices.  I go with the worms on the right instead of the worms on the left, because who the fuck likes things on the left?  I don't know.  Actually, I have nothing against left as a direction, but I just felt like going with the worms on the right.
    I take them over to where my dad and the shop owner are talking, but before I get there I see John, the campground owner.
    "Hey," he says to me, smiling and waving.
    I wave back.  "Hey."
    "You all going fishing later?"
    "Probably not today but we brought fishing poles, so we might try at the lake," I say.
    "Nice," John says.  "Yeah, it's fun.  You could try the river, too.  Feeds into the lake, but you can catch different kinds of fish over there sometimes.  They're a little more