“I heard there’s a problem.”
Liz watched Andy climb off the four-wheeler so he could check out his son’s jaw and, when she heard their voices in very low conversation, she figured it was her cue to leave. “I’m going to go, uh...finish my laundry.”
She took the path Ryan had used, which would save her from making what would feel like a walk of shame through the campground. It dumped her out of the woods slightly above her aunt and uncle’s camper and she could see Aunt Mary and Rose standing in front of it, having what looked like a serious conversation. No doubt about her and Drew and Mitch.
Rather than veer off and hide in her tent, she walked down to the camper. Maybe she’d score a sympathy cookie, at least.
Since the rain had stopped and the kids were running around, the two women bustled her into the camper, where the air-conditioning chilled the surface of her skin.
“I’m still pretty damp,” Liz said when Aunt Mary sat on the couch and patted the seat next to her.
“It’ll dry. Sit.”
Liz figured a lecture was coming and she debated whether or not a cookie was worth it. Two cookies, maybe. Or a brownie. “Did you make any blond brownies?”
“Talk first. You save the goodies for after the tears.”
“I’m not going to cry.” She almost never cried. It was probably a holdover from growing up with four merciless brothers.
Then Rose sat in the swivel recliner and reached across the space to touch Liz’s knee. Before long, Liz found herself curled up on the couch with her head in her aunt’s lap. Aunt Mary stroked her back and Rose held her hand while she spilled out the entire story for her aunt’s benefit. With tears.
*
“You can’t stay up here forever.”
Drew knew his dad was right, but it was pretty peaceful at the top of the hill now that Mitch and Liz were somewhere down at the bottom of it. “It takes about a half hour for the worst of Mitch’s temper to burn itself out. Not everything will be all better, but I don’t want to have a scene in front of the kids.”
“Says the guy who just ran through the campground in his underwear.”
Drew chuckled, but that hurt his jaw so he stopped. “I wasn’t sure how bad things would get and if Mitch and I really went at it, I didn’t want it to be in that tiny bathroom where Liz could get hurt. And once I moved, I figured I should wear him out a little before giving him the chance to swing. I was always the stronger runner.”
“So, this thing with Liz...did it just happen or is it serious? What’s going on?”
Drew told the entire story to his dad, who winced when he got to the part about sneaking away from Mitch’s reception and then again when he talked about Mitch coming to his office and laughing off the idea Drew would touch Liz while Drew kept silent.
“Ouch.” Andy shook his head. “That’s going to be a sticking point there. That’s as close to an outright lie as you can come without opening your mouth.”
“I know. And I don’t know how to make it better.”
“A lot’s going to depend on what you do next. And then the rest is just time.” Andy sighed. “I think you’ve got to give him enough space to wrap his head around it, but not enough space so it’s easier to shove you away and be done with you.”
Drew sat sideways on the seat of the ATV, wanting to get off his feet. Now that the adrenaline was waning, they were really starting to hurt. His face didn’t feel much better. He wanted, more than anything, to go check on Liz, but he wasn’t sure what the current climate was in the family circle and he didn’t think Mitch had had enough time to cool off yet.
A couple minutes later, Ryan returned, this time walking up the road. He had a couple of water bottles and he handed one to each of them. “Lauren said you need to hydrate, so here. Hydrate.”
He cracked open the top and downed half the bottle in one shot. “Tell her I said thanks. So, what’s going on down there? Where’s Liz?”
“Paige took Mitch into their camper where, hopefully, she’s listening to him rant himself out and calming him down. And Rosie and Aunt Mary have Liz. Probably stuffing her full of cookies. The others are kind of giving the kids the bum’s rush toward the pool, not that they’re complaining.”
“So the coast is clear to grab my stuff and get the hell out of here, then.”
Ryan tilted his head, giving him a scowl. “I don’t think that’s how to handle this.”
“If I leave now, you can all salvage what’s left of your vacation.”
“If you leave now, you and Mitch are estranged. Probably forever. You’ll be working, he’ll go back to traveling. You won’t call him and he won’t call you and time will pass until it’s too awkward to even say hello to each other if you pass on the street.”
“I have to agree with that, son,” his dad said.