The Summer Place

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



DANIEL’S SMILE SAID IT ALL as he rose from the water a couple of seconds ahead of Carlos. Not only was he a fast learner, he was also a fast swimmer, beating all the other boys in every race during the past week.

Summer released the sigh that pressed in her lungs as she watched M&M. The girl was still only dog-paddling in waist-deep water while wearing a life jacket...another screwup on her side of the scoreboard.

Her phone conversation with Dr. Shelton had at least made her feel a little better about the publicity the newspaper had given the camp. He didn’t think it likely that anyone would try to dig for a mammoth. According to him, only a scientist would know what to look for, and a scientist wouldn’t run the risk of working in the dark. And, as he’d pointed out, what would a layperson do with something he found? Any find would be suspicious, thanks to the publicity the site had received.

So while she was breathing easier about that situation, she still couldn’t shake the uneasiness about the Byassee place. No one was searching for fossils there. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to rid them of the image of the dead kit and the smashed whiskey bottle.

“Why’s everybody so sad?” M&M stopped in front of Summer and peered into her eyes.

Summer forced a laugh. “Everybody’s not sad.”

M&M nodded sagely and glanced around the swimming area. “A lot of people are. You. Ms. Tara. Mr. Rick.”

“Maybe we just hate it that the camp is coming to an end. We’ll miss you all.”

A mischievous twinkle lit the child’s eyes. “I know something that will make y’all happy.”

“Oh, yeah?”

M&M nodded and unbuckled her life jacket, flinging it onto the beach. “Watch.”

Her form wasn’t perfect. She slapped the water hard and shifted her face from side to side with every breath, but the child swam across the area from rope to rope.

The entire camp population came to a halt, silently watching the feat.

When she popped up on the other end, a roar of applause greeted her, and she acknowledged the ovation by raising both hands and waving like an Olympian.

“You little imp!” Summer called. “When did you figure out you could do that?”

“Last night,” the child shouted. “I dreamed it. I think it was my pretty heart speaking to me. It told me I could swim and make people happy.”

That announcement was met by more cheers, and M&M beamed.

Neil hoisted her onto his shoulders for a triumphant ride through the crowd, being met with high fives all around.

* * *

RICK JOINED IN THE CHEERS as Neil picked the child up. From somewhere in the distance, a noise floated around his ear—a boat motor backfired with a pop.

The beach...the kids...Summer...Neil—everything in his vision zoomed away as if he were watching through a camera lens and needed a wide-angle shot.

He watched Dunk lift the child with tender care, staggering under the additional weight that should have been an easy carry.

“Can you make it?”

Dunk nodded, his face etched in determination as he turned and fled.

Another lap around the burned-out shell of a building turned up no survivors, and with every step, a sickening realization coiled his muscles tighter. The child had been left behind to die. A decoy, most likely.

Rage fueled his movement as he sprinted to catch up.

He could hear Dunk’s labored breathing.

“Let me have her, Dunk.”

“The name’s Neil, remember? And I’ve got her.” Neil glared at him, the indignation in his eyes magnified by the thickness of his glasses. “I may not be a marine, but I’m capable of carrying a child.”

“No, I, uh...” Rick ran a hand down his heated face, trying to gain his equilibrium. He glanced around the group of still-cheering kids, thankful no one else had heard. Thankful Summer hadn’t heard. She would’ve known immediately what had happened. “I didn’t mean to imply you weren’t strong enough to carry her. I just thought since it’s time to go, maybe I would carry her on up the hill.”

Right on cue, Tara blew a whistle. “Time to get washed up for dinner.”

The swimmers started slogging to the shore, gathering up their towels and shoes.

Neil looked at the hill, obviously sizing it up and making a quick calculation about the slope and the additional weight he carried on his shoulders.

Rick made use of the time by dropping under the water to rid himself of the cold sweat oozing from his pores.

“Okay, man.” Neil grinned, the indiscretion forgiven. “She’s all yours.”

M&M gave a delighted squeal as they exchanged her from one set of shoulders to the other.

On the way up the hill, Summer fell in step beside them. Rick’s heart thumped a double beat that had nothing to do with the extra weight of the child, which he hardly noticed, and everything to do with the fact that Summer was going to speak to him again.

“You know, M&M,” she said, “I think listening to your pretty heart has earned you a wand.”

The child let out another excited squeal, beating her hands on top of Rick’s head.

They reached the summit, and M&M held her arms out to Summer, who lifted her down with Rick’s help. They both were engulfed by the other members of the female group, chattering noisily about the turn of events in the past few minutes.

Rick watched them, thinking about the same thing, but with none of the enthusiasm. Oh, he was happy for M&M. But after the incident this morning at the Byassee place, Summer had returned to her cool distance, while the concern and fear in her eyes had put a choke hold on him he couldn’t break loose from.

Plus, he’d had to admit to himself that his own recent frustration had been fueled in part by self-serving motives. He’d wanted Sid to know what a good job he was doing...wanted his approval...wanted his nod for the pending job.

Were he and Summer really so different?

He touched the star beneath his shirt.

M&M had earned her wand, and at the same time the magic in his was sifting away.

While that should lighten his load, the heaviness in his heart told him he was losing something precious.

And he sure as hell didn’t want that to happen again.

* * *

“LOVE SHOULDN’T BE this difficult.” Summer dug her feet into the soft sand and patted it to cover her ankles. “I was watching the kids’ tug-of-war this afternoon and thinking how much that game is like love. You pull and tug, first one way, then the next. It goes back and forth, and then somebody weakens and ends up losing.”

“Tell me about it.” Tara’s voice lacked its usual spark.

It was such a relief to have her friend back to talk with again, even if the subject made Summer’s heart feel like it was being grilled on a spit over an open fire. Neither of them was in the mood for lemonade and chocolate in the cabin tonight. Instead, they’d chosen to hang out on the beach, despite the drop in the temperature—which Tara insisted on blaming Summer and Rick for.

“Selfish. He actually called me that to my face.” Summer bit her lip to stop it from trembling.

“He doesn’t really believe that, and you know it. We all see how much you love this place.” Tara tossed a pebble absently into the water, and they watched the ripples fan out.

Summer pointed to them. “The ripple effect. Another term he used. Every action leads to another one, and before you know it, it’s gotten out of hand and can’t be controlled. The hell of it is he’s right.” She formed a circle with her hands and let it grow larger as she spoke. “I get this great marketing idea for the camp, but Rick gets pissed because the kids miss part of the space lesson he’s sure might direct one of them to astronaut training. The article gives us some amazing coverage, but maybe too much because somebody finds the Byassee place, and a kit gets killed. I try to do something that I think will benefit my parents, but Rick sees my motives as selfish. I fall for him in a big way, and he thinks I’m a spoiled brat.” She folded her arms across her chest, warming her fingers under her arms. “My dad’s right. I’m a total screwup.”

Tara’s eyebrows drew together in concern. “Does your dad say that?”

“He doesn’t have to say it. I see it in his eyes. Hear it in his voice. But he trusts Rick. Trusts him implicitly.” A hard lump formed in her throat, and she took a deep breath. “I wish there was some way to get them out from under this debt. I’m terrified this worry will be the end of my dad.” A tear crept from the corner of her eye. “I mean, Charlie’s going to retire soon. Rick’s not going to be around next summer. The whole point was to prove I could run this place, thinking that might take the pressure off.”

Tara held out a tissue. “Have some faith in yourself, Summer.”

“Why? Nobody else does.”

“You’ve got good intentions.”

“Yeah...right. You know what they say about the road to hell...” Summer wiped her eyes with the tissue.

Tara snorted. “That’s one I’m definitely familiar with.” She pulled another tissue from her pocket and wiped her own eyes. “But I want to believe good intentions are rewarded sometimes, too.”

They sighed in unison.

A fish jumped out of the water, making a light splash. They watched in silence as the ripples widened in the cove until the tiny laps crawled onto the beach.

“The ripple effect,” Summer murmured. “Once they’ve started, you can’t pull them back in.”

* * *

RICK WAITED UNTIL HE SAW the shadowy figure making her way back to the girls’ dorm.

He’d watched Summer and Tara go down to the beach after the quick but tense staff meeting. No doubt Tara had needed some time to discuss whatever it was that had happened at home. She was obviously still upset. Ginny and Summer had clucked around her all day like mother hens, while the men in the camp had been kept in the dark about the entire situation.

A welcome cool front had come through on the heels of the blistering heat. Rick kept an eye on Summer’s cabin as he grabbed a jacket. The cabin stayed dark, so she must still be on the beach.

He could discern the small figure, huddled with her knees under her chin and her hood up.

She didn’t move as he approached, not even when he called to her from the edge of the trees.

“Not speaking to me, eh? Then I’ll have to do the talking.” He plopped down on the towel beside her.

A startled Tara threw her iPod with an “Eeep!”

“I thought you were Summer, Tara. I’m so sorry.” Tara wiped her eyes. Damn. She’d been crying.

“Summer’s staying with the girls tonight.” The young woman retrieved her iPod and sat back down beside him with a sniff.

“That bad, huh?” Not a great opening, but one she could either take or back away from.

“Yeah, but getting better.” She still didn’t offer to tell him what was wrong, so he didn’t ask.

“Help me understand men, Rick.”

The sadness in her voice clutched at his heart. “We’re very basic creatures actually,” he answered. “Feed our egos and our stomachs, and our hearts are in your hands.”

“Well, I’m not a very good cook, so maybe that’s where I went wrong.”

He wasn’t sure what happened, but he reasoned it had to do with another woman. He’d noticed that men, as a rule, wouldn’t leave one without another to go to. “Not that this is an excuse or anything, but sometimes guys leave their favorite dish just to try something new. Later, they figure out they still crave that favorite dish.”

“And sometimes the new dish suits their palate perfectly.”

“Then it was meant to be,” he answered softly.

She nodded and her breath stuttered.

“Want to talk about it?”

She shook her head with a sigh. “I’ve thought about it to death. Time to let it go.”

They sat mutely for a few minutes, avoiding eye contact.

Rick broke the silence. “Any words of wisdom for me? Any deep insights into the feminine psyche?”

“Summer’s an interesting person.” She didn’t hesitate on the name, so she knew whose psyche interested him. “She comes across as a free spirit, but she’s really a worrier about some things, especially her dad.”

Rick thought about the few times he’d been around Herschel Delaney. “He seems to be doing okay. I mean, he needs to lose some weight and get more exercise, but for a man his age, he’s not that bad.”

“Did you know Summer blames herself for his heart problems? She thinks she worried him too much in the past, so she’s determined to keep him worry free now. That’s why this place has such a hold on her. I didn’t realize how deep it was until a few minutes ago. She’s obsessed with getting her parents out from under the debt.”

Put that way, her recent actions didn’t seem so selfish...didn’t seem selfish at all. The conclusions he’d jumped to and the things he’d said to her gnawed at his insides even harder than before. Big chunks of regret landed with a thud in his stomach.

“She loves her parents...and she loves you,” Tara said.

The statement jolted Rick. The few looks he’d received from Summer the past couple of days had been anything but looks of love. “Your woman’s intuition may be a little outta whack right now.”

Tara turned to look at him squarely. “You’re not that clueless, are you?”

“Well.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “I never thought so until now. Does she say she loves me?” His breathing held as he waited for her reply.

“Yeah, and it’s tearing her up that you accused her of being selfish. She wants to prove she can run the place so her mom and dad will quit worrying. She really was doing what she thought was in their best interest.”

He picked up a pebble and hurled it as far as his arm could throw. “What an ass I’ve been. I need to apologize. But that’s not going to take care of her parents’ debt problem.”

“Sorry. I can’t help you there. Financial planning’s not my forte. Maybe that magic wand you earned can go poof and fix everything.” Tara gave a heavy sigh and stood to leave, brushing the sand from her feet and legs. “I’m getting chilly. Think I’ll call it a night.”

“Try to get some sleep.” Rick watched her go up the hill until she disappeared from sight. Poor kid. It was obvious she was hurting.

And, much as he hated to admit it, so was he—because he’d hurt Summer. Damn it all! He had to fix this. He wanted her in his arms...in his bed. Not just for the night. Forever. She brought a special magic to his life.

He pulled the chain hanging around his neck out of his T-shirt and fingered the star. His eyes fell on his dog tags, reminding him of the flashback that afternoon. That had never happened before...during the day. Were they getting worse? He shivered in the cool night air. He’d have to find a way to stop them.

He stood and stretched, dreading sleep and what it might bring, wishing he had Summer’s soothing warmth to share the night.

Seeing the camp and her parents’ retirement lost...needing to prove herself to them...fearing the decline in her dad’s health—those were Summer’s nightmares. What could he do to stop them?

His phone beeped when he walked into the cabin. He picked it up from the table, wishing for a text from Summer.

It was his mom. He’d missed her call, but she’d still be up. He pressed the button.

“Hi, sweetheart.” She answered after the first ring.

“Hey, Mom. Did you need me?”

“I wanted to see if you ever tried the costume on and if it fit okay?”

Rick chuckled. “It fits fine. Neil said I need to get a wide, flashy belt and tell my story in an Elvis Presley voice. Thank you. Thank you very much.” He tried an Elvis impersonation.

“Or maybe not.” His mom laughed. “But I’m sure you’ll look very handsome. Summer will love it.” She picked up on his pause immediately. “Everything okay with you and Summer?”

“I wouldn’t exactly say everything’s okay.” He blew out his breath. “What would be the opposite of everything’s okay?”

“Oh, Rick.” In his mind’s eye, he could see her leaning back, getting comfortable in her desk chair. “Things were going so well between you two. What happened?”

Rick gave her a brief rundown, leaving out the more intimate details, but focusing on his biggest mistake. “So I can apologize, but I want to do more than that.”

“Well, we know that selling the camp is a possibility. That would get rid of the debt, and ease Summer’s worries as well as theirs.”

Rick shook his head, then realized his mom couldn’t see him. “If there’s any chance of the property becoming a subdivision, she’ll completely freak out. I mean, she’d let it happen if it meant getting her parents out of debt, but it would break her heart.”

“And I agree with her. That would be a shame. But the place has just received some terrific coverage as a camp. If you could find that quick buyer who would offer a good profit and tie it to Summer’s promotional campaign, she could feel good about what she’s done and rest easy about her parents’ retirement.” Mom was on a roll now. Rick listened to her ideas with a growing interest. “Surely there’s a buyer out there who’d want to keep it as a camp. You’ve got contacts in the state government. Don’t you know somebody?”

Rick’s heart lurched. He did know somebody! “Riley Gibson,” he answered. “The state director of Parks and Recreation. He’s a friend. State money’s tight, but this place would be a great investment, and there would be no worry of subdivision development. Mom, you’re a genius!”

“Look how smart you are. It took your dad forty years to figure that out.”

“I’ll call Herschel first thing tomorrow and run the idea by him.”

“And you’ll apologize to Summer. That’s an order.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Rick answered.

“And you’ll quit worrying about Sid. The department has your personnel records from when you were a ranger, and those are going to mean more than that silly old coot’s grumbling.”

How come talking to Mom always made things better? “Yes, ma’am,” he said again, noticing how the weight had lifted from his chest.

“Good boy. Now get some sleep.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“Love you, too, bedbug.” She hung up.

Rick shook his head at the endearment. He and Dunk had brought bedbugs home from basketball camp one summer—their moms hadn’t found the real critters quite so endearing. He brushed his fingers over the tattoo and gave it a pat.

Then, grabbing the granite star, he pumped it in his hand. There might be a little magic left in the thing, after all.

* * *

SUMMER’S HEART NEARLY JUMPED out of her chest. Had the answer really been that easy all the time?

“From the mouths of babes,” she whispered to herself.

Returning to the bunkhouse after the talk with Tara, she’d met M&M coming out of the bathroom, apparently too keyed up over the events of the day to go to sleep.

The child, still clutching her wand, had given Summer yet another hug. “I wish I could live here with you.”

Maybe it was the wand or the magic behind it, but that phrase had started the wheels spinning.

For the past hour, Summer had been exploring the possibilities of leasing the camp from her parents...with an option to buy.

If she moved into Ginny and Charlie’s apartment and lived there full-time, her mom and dad would have rent income coming in every month. Insurance might even go down if the camp were occupied.

That thought spurred her ideas in a different direction.

What if she moved Fairy Princess Parties here? She would have the facilities for full-day parties...sleepovers? She could drive the bus. For an additional charge, picking the kids up and taking them home could be arranged.

And what about renting the facilities out for seasonal retreats? Her parents had never wanted to be tied down by the camp, but leasing it and living here opened up a world of possibilities. Churches? Businesses? Writers? Paducah had a huge population of artists in the Lowertown district! And Sunny Daze was central enough to pull from other surrounding towns rather than just Paducah.

Her breathing came so fast hyperventilation seemed likely. She stretched out in the bed to concentrate on calming down, but being there turned her thoughts to Rick.

She’d been looking forward to the end of this camp session when they’d have a week of downtime together, but now it was going to be a grueling week of awkwardness and longing. She’d never in her whole life felt so miserable.

She fended off the suffocating sadness by grabbing the pad off the bedside table and making notes of her ideas for the camp—anything to keep her mind from being idle. Her mom and dad would be here Saturday to say goodbye to the kids. When they arrived, she wanted a plan laid out to show them how serious she was about this endeavor.

The pen flew across the page as ideas poured from her pretty heart, keeping thoughts of Rick, and the part of her heart that ached for him, at bay.