chapter 6
I spent the rest of the afternoon in my trailer reading, and avoided the social scene. Ashley never stopped by to return my sarong, but I wasn’t surprised. My parents got back around 5:30 and immediately informed me that we were going to have dinner with the Medlers. We needed to be at their place in an hour, so I had to start getting ready. I instantly wondered if Travis was going to be there, or whether that meant he would be filling in for his dad in the office.
“Hopefully, you and Travis will have a chance to chat tonight and get to know each other,” my mom said, answering my unspoken question.
“So, who’s running the office?” I asked, just out of curiosity.
“It’s Sunday, so the shop closes at six p.m. Lucille wanted to make sure Travis could join us, so Scott’s father will be on call tonight just in case anyone needs anything,” she said and I was instantly giddy at the thought of spending time with him. That was probably a bad thing since I’m sure his girlfriend would take it out on me later. Even so, I was going to make sure I looked cute for the evening.
I put on my white lace ruffled mini skirt that showed off my legs, paired it with a light pink lace trim tank top, and added a long beaded necklace. I threw my jean jacket on just in case it got chilly later in the evening, and wore my tan suede boots.
“You look cute sweetie!” my mom said as I exited the RV. Both of my parents were dressed nicely as well, so I didn’t feel too out of place.
We started our walk up the road and I realized I didn’t know where the Medlers lived. I wasn’t sure if they stayed in the main building or had a trailer or what. My parents led the way and said we were looking for campsite number one. When we finally found it, I was surprised to see that it was an RV similar to ours. For some reason I assumed that they would have been in the main house, or in something bigger. After all, they were the owners. But the only difference between our two sites was the fact that theirs was lined with trees that were strung with white Christmas lights. It actually gave it a homey feeling, and made it seem like a little yard. I giggled though at the realization that Travis had to sleep on the couch like me. Poor guy!
“Hi! Welcome to our summer home,” Lucille said as she popped out of the camper and came over to greet us. She was holding napkins and utensils in her hands, but still managed to give me a warm hug. The long picnic table was already covered with a tablecloth and the plates were laid out. To the left of the table in their “yard” was a fire pit that had a roaring fire going with a bunch of chairs set out around it. My dad immediately popped a squat by the fire, and Lucille offered him a beer. Then she served my mom and me some lemonade as we helped her finish laying out the utensils and napkins around the table.
Barney and Travis had yet to come out, and I wasn’t even sure if they were inside. “So how was your day Paige? Did you make it to the pool party?” Lucille asked and her question relayed that Travis had not filled her in on anything.
“I had a good day, and yes, I did go to the party for a little bit. It was fun and Travis was very hospitable.” I kept my answer simple and polite leaving out all the drama that took place towards the end.
All of a sudden I felt hands grab my waist from behind and heard a soft “Boo!” in my ear. I screamed, completely startled by Travis’s approach and practically leaped in the air. He had come from the woods behind me, and no one had let on about his presence. Of course, everyone burst out laughing at my reaction, and I turned to see Travis chuckling too.
“Jerk,” I sarcastically huffed and smacked him in the chest. He gave me a wink and then released his hands from my hips. The loss of contact sent a chill down my spine and I realized how flirty his actions had been.
“Gotcha!” he said as he went over to greet my parents: kissing my mom’s cheek and shaking my Dad’s hand. I took the opportunity to check out his body in his low rise ripped jeans and his black t-shirt. His hair was still a little damp so it was more shaggy than spiked, but he looked good!
A car pulled into the drive moments later and Barney hopped out with a couple boxes of pizza. “Dinner is served,” he called as he made his way to the table. He greeted us all and then took a seat with my dad by the fire while Lucille and my mom finished putting out the salads and dressings.
“Hospitable, huh?” Travis said, coming to my side to chat obviously having overheard my comment to his mom.
“Yep, you made sure that everyone had their ice cream,” I giggled.
“Yeah, I was also the cause of you getting drenched. Sorry about that. Ashley can be a pain sometimes.” His comment about Ashley lacked any endearment, which left me curious. I was desperate to find out whether he was dating her or not, but didn’t want to seem too forward by asking.
“Don’t worry about it. I don’t think she likes me though.” I failed in my attempt to come across unscathed by her treatment, and regretted my comment right away.
“She doesn’t like the fact that you’re drop dead gorgeous.” Travis’s tone was so matter of fact, but it was the sweetest compliment I had ever received.
“You kids ready to eat?” Barney asked, coming up behind us and putting his arms on our shoulders.
“Yep, I’m starved,” Travis said, then turned to give me a wink and a smile. As we headed toward the table, I felt his hand press on the small of my back as he guided me to my seat.
“Thanks,” I said as he sat down across from me. The soft contact left me wanting more and I worried whether I was developing feelings for someone that was untouchable.
We spent most of the dinner talking about Travis and me heading to Columbia in the fall. Our dads were discussing our educational tracks and giving us scheduling recommendations, while our moms were running over all of their worries and concerns for us being on our own for the first time. It was clear that Lucille was having just as difficult a time adjusting to the fact that her only son was going off to college and leaving the nest. I was happy that our moms would have this summer to help each other face the reality.
Travis and I sat interjecting and answering everyone’s questions. Throughout the meal, I couldn’t help but steal glances at him. Every time I would look over, I found his eyes on me and every time, he smiled a crooked little grin like he had been caught with his hand in the candy jar. It was adorable and made the butterflies buzz around in my stomach.
It was obvious that our parents had really connected because they were already laughing at inside jokes and had so much to talk about. “So Paige, your parents told us about Pri*Tee Pixies today. Impressive is an understatement. It’s amazing what someone your age has been able to accomplish. You should be so proud of yourself,” Barney stated and Lucille nodded in agreement. The comment broke through our silent ogling, and my cheeks burned with embarrassment realizing that Travis and I had been locked in a stare.
“Thanks, I just feel fortunate to be able to do it and for all of the support the community has provided,” I said and then looked back to see Travis’s confused expression.
“Travis,” Lucille said, gaining his attention, “has Paige told you that she started an organization a few years ago in order to support needy and starving families? She puts together dance performance events to raise money for the charity and has managed to raise over a few million dollars.” Lucille’s brief explanation captured the gist of my organization, so now Travis would be clued into my life as a Pixie.
“Wow, Paige that’s incredible. So is that what the dance is for?” he asked and looked to be putting it all together.
“Yes, we are hosting our next event on Labor Day. It’s usually one of our largest turnouts. So, I need to work on the dance while I’m here this summer,” I answered and met his eyes. He looked to be deep in thought and I wished I knew what he was thinking.
“Do you have other dancers Paige?” Lucille inquired, pulling my attention towards the adults.
“Yes, my best friend Tracey and I are usually the leads, but then we have a group of ten guys and girls that we pull from for different numbers,” I replied and glanced back at Travis.
“So how will you prepare for the dance while you’re here Paige?” Lucille seemed really interested and wanted to learn the details.
“Well, I usually write down all of the moves and then make a video of the entire dance. Tracey is back home and will teach it to the group, and then all of them will be able to view the video online to practice.”
“Wow, modern technology,” Barney said, shaking his head in awe.
“Yeah, it makes things easier that’s for sure,” I agreed.
After dinner was all cleaned up, we sat around the fire to roast marshmallows for dessert. Travis showed off his technique for getting a perfectly roasted marshmallow.
“This one’s for you! Perfectly golden brown,” he said, handing it over to me. I took a bite and immediately nodded my approval. Travis then continued making them for me. I tried to return the favor, and ended up handing him a fully charred marshmallow.
“Wow, that looks delicious,” he teased, looking at it from every angle.
“Aren’t you going to at least try it, you wouldn’t want to insult the chef,” I needled. He popped it in his mouth and then my mom started laughing.
“Sorry Travis, I only have myself to blame. She inherited her cooking skills from me!”
We all laughed and joked around and I couldn’t believe how comfortable it was with him and with his family. It was as if we had known each other for years. Finally, it got to the point where I needed to use the bathroom because I had drunk so much lemonade. Barney was in the RV taking his time, so I excused myself from the group to go over to the main building.
“I’ll walk you over,” Travis said, grabbing a flashlight to show the way.
“Thanks,” I said, thrilled by his offer. The entire night I had been flustered by butterflies and tingles from all of his flirtations, but I still had yet to learn whether he was taken. Boys have a tendency to flirt no matter what, so I wasn’t reading anything into it.
“So is that why your dad calls you Pixie, because of your organization?” Travis asked as we walked in the dark.
“No, it’s the other way around. My dad has always called me his little pixie because he said that when I came into his life I sprinkled magic all around. It is what I wanted to do with the charity, sprinkle magic all around to help people, so it just worked,” I clarified. I’d never told anyone other than Tracey my reason for the name before.
“We are the Pri*Tee Pixies, because we used our initials from Paige Rice and Tracey Eemer. Not because we were trying to be vain,” I added so he wouldn’t think we were just two obnoxious girls thinking we were all that.
“Well, it suits. You are pretty Paige,” Travis complimented my looks for the second time in the evening and I blushed. Thankfully, it was too dark for him to see though.
Travis waited for me outside of the restroom, so we could walk back together which I thought was really considerate. “Did Ashley give you your cover up back?” he asked, surprising me by his question as I exited the bathroom.
“No, did she find it?” I tried playing ignorant so that he wouldn’t find out about her secret.
“I know what happened Paige, and that you gave it to her. I just wondered whether she returned it.”
I didn’t understand how Travis could know unless Ashley had told him, and I doubt she would tell anyone other than her best friend or a boyfriend. That proves he’s her boyfriend, I thought and the confirmation left me more than disappointed. I wasn’t all that surprised that he was taken because he really was an incredible guy.
“Don’t embarrass your girlfriend, it was humiliating enough. She can keep the cover up,” I said, making sure he didn’t get mad at her for not returning it. Travis then halted right in front of me.
“Ashley is NOT my girlfriend Paige,” Travis’s voice became serious and it seemed as though he was adamantly trying to get that point across.
“Oh, so how did you know?” I asked.
“I overheard you two in the bathroom. When I saw her go in, I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t going to pull any more of her stunts. So I listened outside the back window.” His admission made me melt and I was thrilled to know that he was looking out for me.
“Oh,” I said, that being the only thing I could muster up. “Well, don’t say anything all right? She’ll give it back, and if she doesn’t I’m not worried.”
“You’re sweet Paige.”
Travis leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. The sensation sent tingles throughout my body, it was so innocent and yet the look on his face caused me to overheat. Now that I knew he was single, I was hoping that all of his actions throughout the evening meant that he was interested in me. I decided in that moment that I would have to step up my flirtations now that I knew I wasn’t infringing on anyone’s territory, and see what happened.
We made our way back to his place and our parents were already saying their goodnights. Travis and I did the rounds as well with each other’s parents and then he came back to my side. “So are you going to be around tomorrow or are you going out with your parents?” he asked, standing with his hands in his pockets giving me the most adorable grin.
“I don’t know. We haven’t made any plans yet, but I’m not sure.” I was trying to leave it open because I really wanted to spend some time with Travis, but I was uncertain about what my parents had planned.
“Well, I’m working in the morning but hopefully I will see you around after that,” he said, biting his lower lip. The action made me want to kiss his mouth and possibly bite his lip as well. I quickly had to brush away the thoughts though because our parents were present and might not appreciate me being that forward.
“I hope so!” I said, turning to leave with my parents. I couldn’t resist glancing back once more just to give him a wink and a smile, which he returned with the same sexiness.
On our walk back to our campsite, I was feeling giddy about how things went with Travis and couldn’t help but replay all of the evening’s events in my mind. He really is an incredible guy, and I definitely am developing a crush. A major one! I thought, silently enjoying the night and the fresh air. My parents were rehashing the evening amongst themselves expressing how much they liked the Medlers and I couldn’t have agreed more!