The Summer Place

CHAPTER NINETEEN



RICK CAUGHT SUMMER IN A POSE that had been all too rare the past couple of days. She was smiling. A real smile rather than one of those fake things she’d been producing, and he wondered if perhaps she’d spoken with her parents. On closer study, though, he recognized the wary edge around her eyes, the tightness around her lips, which told him she probably didn’t know yet about his calls that morning.

His first inclination was to ask Charlie for a few minutes alone with her so he could apologize and make his big announcement in private. In his imagination, he was already picturing her reaction to the news that Riley Gibson was indeed interested in purchasing the camp as a future state facility. He was so interested, in fact, he was driving down from Frankfort today to meet Herschel and Agnes for a tour in approximately—Rick checked his watch—forty-nine minutes.

It wasn’t a done deal by any means. The meeting had come together without a hitch, however, so he couldn’t help believing that was a good omen.

But it wasn’t his place to tell her. The news should come from her parents. When she heard it, Summer would understand he’d used what power he had to make her dream of saving the camp and her parents’ retirement come true, and that realization along with his genuine apology would coax her back into his arms...where she should’ve been all along. Or, at least, that was the plan. He flexed his fingers, his arms already reacting to the mental stimulus.

When her stance shifted and her smile landed on him, he hoped it wasn’t accidental. But his heart, which had been riding high in his chest all day, sank a bit as he watched her cheerful expression waver and fade when he moved in her direction.

An itch to be near her propelled him forward nonetheless. Whether she knew it or not, reconciliation was only a few hours away. Probably some of his longest hours since Afghanistan. But being near her would help the time go faster.

“You seem in a better mood today. Not anxious to get rid of the kids, are you?”

Her answering smile encouraged him. “Never entered my mind.” She chose a plate of ants-on-a-log over the apple wedge and cheddar cheese combo snack. “Did you and Neil finish your project?”

“Yep.” His arm brushed against her as he reached for a plate of apples. She made a quick sidestep away. Yesterday, the movement would’ve caused an expletive to rise in his throat. Today, he put his hope in Tara’s theory. If Summer loved him, touching before they’d made up would cause the fire to burn too hot. It certainly fueled an instant heat in him. “We need to keep the kids away from the fire pit area until after dark, though. If they see the monofilament line, it’ll spoil the whole effect.”

While Summer studied the raisins on her celery as if they were the most interesting things on earth, he studied her. She couldn’t touch him...couldn’t be near him...couldn’t even make eye contact with him without being miserable? Hell-pee-roo. Tara was right!

Summer loved him.

Joy rolled out of him in a louder-than-warranted chuckle, which did draw a questioning glance. “Um, I was just thinking about how surprised the kids are going to be when the fireball comes swooshing out of the sky.” And how surprised you’re going to be when your parents arrive with the news.

She chewed her lip for a couple of seconds. “If Neil doesn’t catch the tree on fire in the process.”

The pleasant breeze had enticed everyone to snack outside under the trees, so Rick took advantage of the private dining hall, keeping his voice low. “All this talk of combustion reminds me of the first time we made love.”

“Don’t, Rick.” She stopped at the door and looked at him then. The longing in her voice and her eyes confirmed his suspicions and stretched his patience to the limit, but he reached above her head to push the door open, allowing her hurried escape. Agnes and Herschel couldn’t get here too soon.

As Rick and Summer joined the group, the mail truck arrived. Charlie shuffled across the parking lot to meet it, returning with a stack of letters, a plastic Walmart bag and a grin that spread from ear to ear.

He continued grinning as he called out the recipients’ names on the letters, passing them out one by one until he was left with only the bag, which he held up for everyone to see. “And this,” he announced, “is fan mail for Howard Gerard, Jr.”

The boy’s eyes widened in delight. “Wow!” Howie grabbed the bag and rummaged through his mail as the other kids swarmed around him. He proudly showed off several small packages, then dove in again, surfacing with a clutch of letters in his hand.

“Open thomething!” Willard’s request was seconded all around.

Howie made quick work of tearing into one of the packages. As he tilted it to one end, a letter and a carefully folded and taped mass of tissue paper fell out into his hand. He ripped it open, exposing two arrowheads fashioned from pieces of flint.

He unfolded the letter and read aloud. “'Dear Howie, my parents read me the article about your mammoth molar. I like looking for old stuff, too. These are two arrowheads I found in one of the fields on our farm. If you would like to come visit me sometime, we could go look for stuff together. It would be fun. Write me back. Love, Brandy Sherwood.’”

Reggie’s nose crinkled in a sneer. “Ew, a girl?” He glanced around the group, drumming up support. “Howie’s got a girlfriend. Howie’s got a girlfriend.”

“Shut up!” Howie, his face blazing with humiliation, shoved the letter, arrowheads and all, back into the sack, pulling it tight against his chest.

A couple of others picked up Reggie’s chant, and Rick thought he best put an end to the ribbing before things got out of hand. He spoke loud enough to be heard over the ruckus. “Howie’s got a fan, not a girlfriend. Big difference.”

“So, Ms. Summer.” Carlos’s mischievous grin passed from Summer to Rick and back. “Are you a fan of Mr. Rick or a girlfriend?”

Summer choked on her bite of celery, her face soon matching Howie’s in hue.

“Well, we’ve got more exciting things than girlfriends and boyfriends to think about,” Charlie said as he stood and held up his hands, drawing everyone’s attention. “Finish up those snacks and get on back to the bunkhouses to get ready for our last big adventure. We leave for the zip lines in less than an hour.”

A shout of excitement went up as the kids scurried to throw away their paper plates.

Rick watched the girls pull Summer and Tara into a jog, and he couldn’t keep from thinking how wrong Charlie was. Having Summer as a girlfriend was more exciting than zip lines any day.

He imagined her back in his bed tonight...the things they would do to each other.

Much more exciting...and he wouldn’t let them zip along too fast, either.

* * *

SUMMER WAS TOO...SOMETHING...to stay still. She meandered in and out among the buildings, waiting for everyone else. Or anyone else.

She dialed Kate’s number. No answer, so she let it go to voice mail. “Just wanted to see how yesterday’s party went. We’re going zip-lining, so I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She slid the phone back in her pocket and picked up her nervous pace.

She couldn’t name her emotion exactly. It was a conglomeration of too many things, pulling her from different angles, stretching her too thin and exposing raw nerves.

That it was the last day with these kids stung like a hornet. She would miss them and their cute ways...even Carlos and his mouth.

The possibility her parents might not be enthusiastic about her plan pricked at her, but she couldn’t come up with a good reason for them not to be. Her fiercest foe who might screw things up was herself, or rather her former self. The flighty ne’er-do-well who’d never before taken much of anything seriously. Well, this time she had the beginning stages of a five-year plan to show them that she’d changed.

But if all that wasn’t enough to fray her composure, Rick was flirting again, and the longing for him had come back with a vengeance. Her heart and her body had thrown up their hands in surrender—only her brain held out. He still hadn’t apologized for believing the worst about her, but was he coming around? She could hope. Maybe the week between sessions would give them time to work things out. Maybe they could even go out to dinner or on a real date.

She rounded the corner of the girls’ bunkhouse as a car turned in the gate. Her parents? What were they doing here? Had some fairy princess magic pulled them to the camp today? Her heart galloped away at the thought. If she gave the outline to them now, they’d have tonight to look it over, and the three of them could sit down and talk it over in-depth tomorrow afternoon after the kids were gone.

She ran to her cabin and snatched up the pad she’d been working on and then ran out to greet them. Her hurried walk slowed when she saw Rick already shaking hands with her dad, handing him the file folder he always made notes in. She wanted to talk to her parents about her plan alone. Perhaps she could get Rick to load the kids on the bus for her, which would grab her a few minutes with her mom and dad.

Her dad held out his arms when he saw her coming their way. “How’s my Nubbin?”

“I’m fantastic!” She hugged them both with enough enthusiasm to bring a question to their expressions.

“Well, camp life certainly seems to have agreed with you.” Her mom smiled, her glance shifting from Summer to Rick and back.

She hurried with an answer before her mom got too carried away. “I love it here. I think I’ve found my calling.”

That brought a laugh from her dad. “For...let’s see...the nineteenth time?”

“Now, Herschel...” her mom scolded. She turned back to Summer. “Well, if you’re serious, Rick might be able to help you get a job if things work out today the way we hope they will.”

Summer’s glance shifted to Rick. His huge grin startled her. “What’s going on?” Her gaze darted back to her mom and then her dad. “Why are y’all here, anyway?”

Her dad clapped Rick on the back. “Rick’s arranged for someone from the state to come look at the property. They might be interested in buying the camp.”

The words delivered a hurricane-strength punch straight to Summer’s gut. “The state might buy the camp?” No!

“It’s just a possibility.” Rick’s eyes were set on her as her breathing became stuttered. His smile started to waver. “I thought of it last night, so I made the call to Riley Gibson this morning.”

“We hadn’t considered selling it this quickly, but if the offer’s right, it could be our chance to get out on top.” Her mom gave Rick an adoring look.

“Summer should get the credit.” Rick flashed a smile again in her direction. “Having the news article to flaunt during the visit should make them sit up and take notice.”

Summer’s stomach lurched.

“Rick’s been drawing maps and diagrams and taking notes to help us out the whole time he’s been here. He’s got a whole file here with photos, measurements. ... Everything’s laid out and ready.”

One glance at the folder and Summer’s stomach turned over completely. She turned an accusing eye toward Rick. “You’ve known this the whole time? That they were interested in selling?”

“I, uh, yes.” His face reddened.

“We swore Rick to secrecy.” Her dad chuckled and gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Didn’t want you getting upset if we decided to sell it to a developer for a subdivision. But we think Rick’s taken care of that.”

No, no, no! This could ruin everything...all her plans. She closed her eyes and breathed, groping for a light to lead her out of this dark spot. Think...quick! If they were considering selling, anyway, maybe this was her chance.

A group of boys came out of the dorm and moved in the direction of the bus. Rick waved at their calls to him. “Sorry I won’t be here to introduce you.” He addressed her parents but kept throwing questioning glances Summer’s way. “But you’ll like Riley. He’s very laid-back. Easy to talk to.”

“I’m sure we’ll get along fine,” her mom assured Rick as he turned to leave.

Her dad spoke up. “Actually, today was perfect. With the kids gone, we’ll be able to give him a thorough look at everything.”

Now the girls were making their way to the bus, also, and Rick shot her a look over his shoulder. “You coming, Summer?”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” This was her only chance. She squared her shoulders and took a nervous breath as he walked away. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and...and figuring, trying to come up with a way that I could buy the camp myself. Or, at least, lease it to buy.” She held up the notepad so that it faced them. “I’ve even been working on a five-year plan of things that I could do to make it pay for itself.”

Her parents moved in unison. They stared at her, turned to stare at each other, some unspoken communication passing between them, and then moved their placating looks back to her.

She recognized the look. It was the same one they’d given her when she told them she’d decided to go to culinary school...and take up massage therapy classes...and...

Her dad ended the silence with his laugh. “With the imagination you’ve got, Nubbin, you need to be writing fantasy stories.” He gave her a hug and nodded toward the bus. “Go on now. We’ve got business to tend to.” He took her mom’s hand, pulling her in the direction of the dining hall.

Summer followed, determined to make them listen. “No, you need to hear me out.” She walked with them, holding out the tablet again. “I have some great ideas, like moving Fairy Princess Parties here, and renting the facilities out for retreats for various groups—”

Her mom took the tablet out of her hand and glanced down it. “She does have a lot of ideas here.”

“I don’t care how many ideas she has, it’s not going to happen.” Her dad’s face turned a deep red as he snatched the tablet from her mom’s grip and thrust it back toward Summer. The three of them came to a stop in the shade of the picnic shelter. “You don’t have money for a down payment, we can’t afford to finance it for you—”

“I’m not asking you to finance it for me, Daddy—”

“—and you don’t have any collateral, so no bank is going to finance it for you.” His forehead broke out with sweat even though there was a cool breeze where they stood. He mopped his face on his sleeve. “If we sell to the state, we’ll have the money in hand, free and clear.”

His breathing labored, and the sound ran shudders up Summer’s spine. She had no right to ask them to give up a sure thing and gamble on her dream. They’d gambled on too many of her dreams in the past.

Don’t be selfish.

She took the tablet without further protest.

“See you tomorrow, dumpling,” her mom called as they headed away from her once more.

“Yeah. See ya.” Summer stared down at the tablet, watching the words blur. She wiped a hand down her face, still stunned that things had happened so quickly. The hurt was too deep to even cry about yet.

Slowly, she made her way to the bus, following the last of the girls onto it, and plopped into the driver’s seat with a heavy sigh.

A trash can sat under the lever that closed the door. She let the notepad drop into the receptacle, feeling its thud at the bottom of her heart.

* * *

RICK SAT IN THE SEAT BEHIND the driver’s—the one that had become his usual spot for all the road trips. Summer moved like she’d been trampled by buffalo as she got on the bus.

He watched her, scrutinizing every movement to try and figure out what in the hell had gone wrong.

The woman was impossible to please. He’d just given her exactly what she’d wanted—and now she wouldn’t look at him except to give an evil glare when their eyes happened to meet in the rearview mirror.

She’d thrown away a large notepad when she got on the bus. His gut told him that had to be significant, though he couldn’t for the life of him decipher what a notepad would have to do with Riley Gibson’s visit—a visit she didn’t even know was going to occur until a few minutes ago.

When they arrived at the zip lines, the crew divided them into four groups with a camp counselor in each group, effectively squelching any hope Rick had of a private word with Summer.

But a bit of luck was with him. His group finished first. While they waited for the others to return, his kids played hacky-sack in the parking lot, and he went back to the bus and retrieved the tablet from the trash. One glance at it had made him wish he hadn’t.

Shitfire and damn it all to hell! She’d written out a plan. To own the camp herself! His stomach drew tighter with every flip of the page. Ideas for moving the Fairy Princess Parties to Camp Sunny Daze. Ideas to rent the facility out to groups for private parties, church groups, businesses, weekend retreats.... She had some wonderfully imaginative ideas that sounded like they could work.

Too late the realization came to him that he should have talked with her before he’d made the call to Riley. He’d tried to anticipate what she wanted, what she needed. Why hadn’t he just asked and listened to her answer?

Because first he’d been too busy judging her, then he’d been trying to impress her, trying to win her adoration, trying to fix everything.

Oh, he’d fixed everything, all right.

He’d led the enemy directly into her camp.

Literally.

Hell-pee-roo.