chapter 2
We were on the road by seven a.m. sharp and seemed to be the only ones out; the rest of the world was getting to sleep in on this beautiful Saturday morning. Even still, my dad was driving a slow forty miles per hour down the highway. Since we were towing the car on the back of the RV, it made him nervous to change lanes, so we stayed in the right and kept plugging along. Thankfully, my parents let me sleep for the first part of the trip, but when I awoke they bombarded me with questions about college and my plans for the Pri*Tee Pixies. After lunch they even managed to coerce me into playing cheesy road games. Luckily, Tracey called me and interrupted license plate bingo.
“Hey Trace! What’s up? Miss me already?” I asked, thankful for the interruption. “Yes! You there yet?” she teased.
“Not even close. My dad is driving SLOOOOOWWWWW!” I emphasized with my tone, causing my Dad to chuckle in the background.
“So, guess what happened last night?” she demanded and I could hear the excitement in her voice.
“What?” I asked, eager to find out the scoop.
“Well, Tom and Jared decided to meet up with us at the movies, which was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! I, of course, made sure to score my first kiss, which was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!”
I could tell that she was glowing from the sound of her voice; her happiness was practically bursting through the phone. “You go girl!” I cheered, sharing in her excitement.
“Yeah, well, that’s not all that happened,” she said and her voice went up a couple octaves. For a second I became nervous that she was going to tell me she already slept with him, but then she filled me in. “Jared asked about you!” she sang.
“Wait, WHAT?” I shrieked.
“Yep. He was wondering why you weren’t there and sad to learn that he missed your big farewell lunch. Somehow he didn’t get the memo that you were leaving for the summer and was very disappointed.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Talk about really bad timing. What the hell?” I said and I saw my parents turn their attention towards my conversation.
“Actually, this could totally work in your favor, you know what they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
“Yeah, they also say out of sight out of mind.” I matched her tone in my frustration.
“All right Paige, don’t be such a buzz kill. After two years of wanting him to acknowledge your existence he is now disappointed that you aren’t going to be here. Besides, you didn’t let me finish. He checked with me to make sure he had your phone number correct and told me he was going to call you.”
Okay, now I was going to burst from my excitement. “Wow, really?” I asked, just to make sure she wasn’t playing a trick on me.
“Yes, really,” she assured me.
I was thrilled about the possibility and hoped that he would call soon. The problem was, I was now going to find myself obsessing with my phone.
“So, when are you and Tom going out again?” I asked, shifting the conversation back to her, so that my parents would quit staring at me in their mirrors.
“Tomorrow night!” she practically shouted.
“Well, you have to call me immediately after. I want to hear details,” I said. “Absolutely! And send me a text when you get in because I want to know that you made it there safe.”
“I will. Love you Trace! Bye.”
We ended the call and I was suddenly in a much brighter mood, obviously because of the new development with Jared. So I rejoined the bingo game with my parents but this time with a lot more enthusiasm. My mom, of course, tried to pry a little about the call by asking, “So is Tracey dating Tom now?”
“Yes. Well, tomorrow is their first official date. But yes,” I answered.
“Aw, that’s great. Maybe you will find yourself wrapped up in a little summer romance too,” she teased and I saw my dad cringe at the thought. It was obvious that he didn’t like where the conversation was headed so he quickly chimed in calling out some license plates, and distracted us with the game. I was thankful for his diversion, because as much as he didn’t want to hear about my love life and all of the possible wild affairs I could have over the summer, I didn’t want to talk about them. Especially not now, not after I had just found out that Jared might be interested in me. We continued to play the game until my mom and I had had our fill and then I pulled out my magazines and she took out her new book.
We pulled into the Willow Falls Campground around six p.m. The trip was only supposed to have taken us eight hours according to our GPS when we started out, but ended up taking us eleven. We hadn’t even stopped for dinner because my dad wanted to get in before dark so he could see what he was doing while hooking everything up. My mom and I waited in the RV while my dad went into the main building and checked us in. I took the moment to hop outside of the back and stretch my legs. I felt like a cat limbering up, but it felt so good after being cramped up all day. As I turned to get back into the RV, I noticed a bunch of guys headed into the building. Since I wasn’t sure of my appearance, I hopped back into the camper quickly hoping that I hadn’t been seen.
“Okay all set!” my dad said returning with a map and our campsite information. He then slowly maneuvered the RV through the woods down to our spot, which was a large grassy area surrounded by trees.
Once he got it parked, we immediately jumped out to take a look around. I noticed that there was a lot of space between sites, so, although we could see the neighbors, we couldn’t hear them. “Well, this is our home for the next two months. What do you think?” my dad asked, coming to my side and placing his arm on my shoulder.
“It’s great, Dad. Now, can you get that thing hooked up so that I can use the bathroom?” I had been holding it for a few hours and desperately needed to go.
“Well, you should probably go up to the main building. I need to read the manual on how to get everything set up here and that could take a while,” he said, clueless as to where to begin.
“Sweetie, I need to use the restroom too, so I’ll walk up with you. Might as well have a look around while your father figures this out,” mom said, grabbing my arm to make our way back up to the front of the campground.
The main building looked like a really big log cabin. Off the back, which we could see on our way up the road, was a giant deck that overlooked a huge lawn. There was a decent sized fenced in pool to the left with a basketball court behind it. On the right side was the playground and in the middle of the giant lawn was a huge fire pit surrounded by wooden benches. It almost looked like an estate home with all of the amenities, just surrounded by woods.
My mom and I made our way up the grass lawn admiring it all, eventually finding a Restroom sign that pointed to the side of the building. The bathroom was surprisingly large and had three separate shower/changing stalls in the back that were hidden by shower curtains. When we came back out, we saw that the laundry room was under the deck next to a gameroom. There was a billiards table, Ping-Pong, foosball and all sorts of arcade games. I was surprised by how much this place had onsite.
“Hey sweetie, let’s go into the building and see what we can grab in the way of food. I need to go to the grocery store but I doubt your dad will have the car unhooked by tonight. He said they had a little market inside, so we can get some things to get us by,” mom suggested, leading the way to the front entrance.
We meandered through the aisles looking at all of the silly souvenirs they had first and then found our way to the food section. “Oh look, sweetie!” my mom burst out in excitement at her find.
“What is it?” I said, coming around to see what she had found.
“Look! They have bread and peanut butter and jelly. I could make us sandwiches tonight.” Her tone was completely serious and I found it ridiculous that she was actually thrilled by the idea.
“Yum,” I sarcastically responded as I continued to peruse the shelf in hopes of a better option.
“Paige, does it bother you that I have never cooked for you? Or that I’ve never made you a homemade birthday cake and we’ve never baked cookies together like other moms and daughters do?”
My mom’s tone was somber, matching the look on her face, and I knew that she was being serious. I instantly felt guilty that my little comment had made her feel bad. “Mom, whether you cook for me or not has nothing to do with being a good parent. You are such an amazing mother. Please don’t ever doubt that. I love you!” I responded, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
“I’m going to miss you, sweetie!” she said, returning the hug tightly.
“I doubt that mom. After spending the next two months locked up together in that box out there, you’ll be anxious for me to go off to school. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to California for college, I’m staying in New York. So if you ever want to come into the city, you can.” I could see the expression on her face change and hope reappeared. Finally, she understood that things could be a lot worse.
“So, does that mean you’re okay with PB &J for dinner?” she asked, trying to get me to cave with her batting eyes.
“Why don’t we skip dinner and go straight to dessert? S’mores!” I grinned and held up a bag of marshmallows and a package of chocolate.
“Sure! But we need to figure out where to get the firewood and then see if your Dad can actually get a fire started,” she said, smirking in doubt.
“Come on. It’s not like it’s brain surgery. I’m sure he’ll manage,” I said, gathering up the ingredients.
“This is your dad we’re talking about Paige,” Mom reiterated her doubt, shaking her head.
I thought about it for a second and then agreed. “Yep, you’re probably right. We may not eat tonight if we put him in charge. I’ll do it. Actually, we’ll be lucky if he doesn’t hook up the waste line to the water line,” I joked and we both giggled at the possibility. My dad is a genius at his job, but definitely isn’t a Mr. Fix-it when it comes to anything other than brains.
My mom and I gathered a few more grocery items and then went up to the counter to pay for them. I put down the items I was holding and finally looked up.
As I raised my head, I met stunning blue eyes set in the most gorgeous face that I had ever seen. WOW! I thought as my body reacted on the spot. Trying not to ogle but unable to look away, I quickly took in the sight. He was tall, with short, dark, spiky hair and was sporting a slight five o’clock shadow on his perfect chin. So SEXY! my mind purred as I looked down to see the rest of him. Although he was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt and jeans, I could tell that he was built and that his body underneath was just as incredible. Our eyes briefly locked, and then he smiled. His mouth immediately drew my attention, and I had to look away before he could read my thoughts on my face.
“Hi!” he said and, of course, his voice was just as sexy as the rest of him. “Do you all happen to be the Rice family?”
I was surprised that he knew who we were, but probably shouldn’t be since he worked here and probably knew everything about everybody. “Yes, I’m Maxine and this is my daughter Paige,” my mom chimed in right away. I had yet to utter a word since I was still awestruck by his looks.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Travis Medler, my parents own this place,” he explained.
“Oh, so you’re Barney and Lucille’s son. I’ve heard so much about you. Your parents have been so sweet to help us get situated for this summer. You and Paige happen to be the same age and are both going off to college in the fall, so your mom and I have been consoling each other on the phone. Actually, I never asked your mom, where will you be going to school?”
As I waited for him to answer my mom’s question, I found myself crossing my fingers and praying for a miracle.
“I got into Columbia, so I’ll be in New York,” he replied and my heart beat a little faster, actually A LOT faster.
“What a coincidence. That’s where Paige is going. How funny! I can’t wait to talk to your mom again.” My mom delighted in the fact while I was trying to talk my cheeks into submission because I knew that they were flaming red. A thousand, no a million dollars says this Sex God has a girlfriend, so I needed to get my head on straight.
“No way!” Travis said and then turned his attention towards me. “Do you know where you’re staying yet?” he asked, giving me the sexiest smile.
“Yeah, my friend Tracey and I got a place off campus, but it’s right across the street.” I hated to admit that my parents bought me a beautiful brownstone to live in, so I kept my answer simple.
“Sweet. Well, I’m going to be in the dorms but at least I got a single.”
Based on his answer, I figured he was coming from a more modest background. Even though his dad was in the same field as mine, it wasn’t safe to assume that they made the same income. I was suddenly nervous that Travis was going to judge me as a spoiled rich kid and I felt self-conscious.
“Nice! I heard it’s tough to get your own dorm, so that’s great,” I said, hoping not to sound demeaning in any way.
“Yeah, my dad clearly gave a hefty donation to make that happen,” he said, rolling his eyes. His comment struck me as funny, and I hoped he wasn’t trying to boast on my account.
“Well, I’m glad that you all will have the summer to get acquainted. It will be nice for you to have a familiar face to turn to next year,” my mom said, looking between the two of us.
I was pretty positive that my mom was reading me like a book noticing that my cheeks were flushed. I just hoped that she wouldn’t say anything to embarrass me.
“Yeah, that will be cool,” Travis agreed, giving me another smile and then turned his attention back to my mom. “So, I heard that you all need firewood. Let me finish up here and I’ll bring it down in five minutes. I can also get you all hooked up if your dad needs a hand?” By his offer, it was obvious that Travis had overheard our entire conversation while we were shopping around.
“Oh, that would be wonderful Travis!” my mom enthusiastically accepted.
“Let me get you squared away here and I’ll be down shortly so that you all can have your dinner or dessert!” he said, giving me a wink.
I smiled in return and then decided to flirt just a little. I figured that even if he had a girlfriend it couldn’t hurt to be friendly. “I do have a love for all things sweet!” I said, returning his wink, and then grabbed the bag of groceries off the counter.
“Thanks Travis! We’ll meet you down there,” my mom said and then we both turned to exit the building.
My mom teased me all the way back to the site about my red cheeks, and the obvious fact that I found Travis attractive. I ignored her attempts to embarrass me and just rolled my eyes.
Travis showed up in a golf cart to deliver the firewood about ten minutes later. He and my dad had already met during check-in, so they greeted each other and spoke casually. Travis offered my dad a hand, which my dad willingly accepted. He proceeded to show Dad how to hook up the RV as they got more acquainted. My dad appreciated the help and so did the rest of us. If it weren’t for Travis, we would not have running water.
My dad then began pulling out the lawn chairs and bags from underneath the RV while my mom went inside to see if everything was working. Travis stacked our wood up for us and began to build us a fire.
“Thanks!” I said, touched by the gesture.
“No problem. I’ll show you how to do it and then you’ll be able to have s’mores every night if you want.” It was apparent that Travis was being a polite host, but his kindness went deeper then just good customer service.
“Fabulous! Does that mean you’ll roast my marshmallows too?” I teased and giggled at my remark. He laughed and I realized that my comment could be misconstrued as being sexual.
“In order to roast a good marshmallow, you need a really big stick.”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his remark. Now that my head was in the gutter, it sounded bad. He looked at me confused by what I found so funny, and I was thankful that our minds were not in the same place.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized, trying to come up with something to play off my embarrassment. “I just had no idea that there was an art to roasting marshmallows,” I finished, thankful for my quick recovery.
“The main art is ensuring that you don’t get burned,” he said and I found myself reading into the comment. Does that mean he thinks I’m some rich little airhead? He knows I’m headed to Columbia, which is Ivy League. Therefore, I’m going to take the advice as him showing concern for our safety and not wanting any accidents to take place on their grounds.
“Well, thanks for the tip,” I said and then went searching for a long stick.
Travis finished helping my dad with a few other things, and then climbed back into the golf cart to head out. He said he needed to get back up to the office because he was the only one on duty, but if we needed anything to let him know. Before he left though, I quickly roasted a marshmallow and handed it to him. “Here! One for the road. Does it meet your standards?” I asked, biting my lower lip while giving him my flirty smile. He didn’t even look at the marshmallow but stayed locked onto my eyes as he spoke.
“It’s beyond my expectations.” Then he turned and took off in the cart. My stomach was fluttering and I instantly liked the fact that I was going to be here for the next two months.