Chapter 8
Contains spoilersOverview
Scottie Price and Wilder arrive at Camp Haven, surrender their phones, and are thrust into an icebreaker activity that tests communication and composure. They perform a staged bickering act to sell their cover story while competing in a tied-together mini-golf challenge, ultimately winning—but their over-the-top celebration leads to a fall that knocks Scottie unconscious.
Summary
Scottie and Wilder pull up to Camp Haven, a rustic lakeside retreat newly repurposed by Sanders Martin from his grandparents’ former children’s sports camp into a marriage camp. Sanders greets them, immediately hands Scottie a golf ball for the first activity, and directs them to leave their luggage to be delivered to their cabin. Scottie notes Sanders’s disheveled appearance and contrasts it with Ellison’s usual polish.
At a lounge-like outdoor area, they see coworkers including Chad and his wife. Sanders declares the space electronics-free and collects everyone’s phones after instructing Scottie to text loved ones; Wilder confirms Mika has contact info for emergencies. The couples are tasked with coloring a golf ball to represent their love. Wilder proposes a color timeline from black (before they met) to yellow/orange/green (joy and abundance) blending toward brown (their current troubled phase). Scottie colors while they quietly coordinate their story and resolve to avoid befriending coworkers.
Next, the group plays a five-hole mini-golf course while partners are tied together at ankles and wrists. Scottie and Wilder decide to bicker publicly to reinforce the image of a strained marriage. Their jabs escalate into raunchy taunts, drawing attention and prompting Sanders to intervene, asking them to save hostility for specific sessions and keep group harmony. They apologize but continue a milder version of their friction for effect.
Despite the tension and awkward restraints, Scottie and Wilder perform well and end up tied with Chad’s team, which frustrates Chad. For the final hole, Wilder snaps at Scottie to heighten the act; they line up carefully and sink a dramatic hole-in-one off a rebound. They win the challenge to reluctant congratulations from the other couples, while Sanders and Ellison observe them closely.
During Wilder’s exuberant celebration—still bound together—he jostles Scottie, who warns she is losing balance. Wilder keeps moving, and the pair tip forward. Scottie urges him to roll, but they fail to coordinate in time and fall face-first. Scottie’s eye strikes a rock, pain spikes through her skull, and she blacks out as Wilder belatedly echoes “roll.”
Who Appears
- Scottie Price
protagonist; attends Camp Haven under a fake marriage cover, colors the golf ball, competes in tied mini-golf, wins, then is knocked unconscious in a fall.
- Wilder
Scottie’s fake husband; social and enthusiastic, proposes the color timeline, argues performatively, helps secure the win, and accidentally contributes to the fall.
- Sanders Martin
camp leader and counselor; greets them, enforces electronics-free rule, assigns activities, intervenes in their public bickering, observes their dynamic.
- Ellison
Scottie’s CEO and Sanders’s wife; present at the activity area, observes Scottie and Wilder with Sanders.
- Chad
Scottie’s coworker; attends with his wife, trades barbs, competes closely with Scottie and Wilder, loses and reacts with frustration.
- Chad’s wife (Danielle/Diana)
Chad’s partner; present and competing, chastises Chad after his outburst.
- Finky
attendee; paired with wife Lindsey, moves smoothly through the course, noted by Scottie and Wilder.
- Lindsey
Finky’s wife; competes effectively with Finky.
- Duncan
attendee; competes with his husband, briefly observed struggling.
- Duncan’s husband
attendee; competes with Duncan, briefly observed.
- Camp staff
unnamed; handle luggage delivery to cabins.