I pondered the idea of sleeping in a bedroom near Sebastian's, and let's just say it took all of about three seconds for me to say, "Sure. When should I get my stuff?"
Sebastian stifled a snicker, but I swear his eyes lit up when I agreed to the move.
"Now would be a good time," Lacey said. "The kids are still down at the lake."
Sebastian jumped in. "Do you have anything heavy you need help with?"
As tempting as it was, envisioning Sebastian's straining muscles as he engaged in manual labor, I needed some alone time with Lacey. How else was I supposed to get the lowdown on her brother? Forget about my need an hour ago to have her talk me out of leaving. I was staying, sister. You bet your ass I was staying.
I declined Sebastian's generous offer, explaining I had only clothes, makeup, and other girl stuff to move. He nodded understandingly as Lacey and I said good-bye and left.
As we meandered along the trail that led to our cabin, I could feel Lacey's eyes on me. "What?" I asked, innocently.
Stepping over an exposed tree root, she said, "Don't hold out on me, Brooks. You like my brother, don't you?"
I blew out a breath. "Yes," I admitted. "I guess it was kind of obvious when you walked in on us, yeah?"
Lacey chuckled. "Very obvious, and I have to say I was surprised. You seem so shy around guys. But then again, Sebastian does have a way with all the ladies."
My in!
"You know," I began. "I was a bit worried when I saw the look on your face. Is Sebastian a player?"
Lacey laughed and shook her head. "Sebastian's not a player at all, Brooks. You needn't worry." She paused. "I mean, Sebastian does well with the ladies and all, but he's still a great guy."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
When we reached the girls' cabin, I grabbed my clothes out of our shared closet and took one last look at the three single beds crammed into one small room. It was going to be great having a bedroom of my own. But it was going to be even better sleeping in a bedroom in the same cabin as Sebastian.
As I gathered my toiletries out of the communal bathroom, I wondered if I would be sharing a bathroom with Lacey's brother. Probably yes. That brought on another vision, this one of a showering Sebastian—all wet, tan, glistening.
"Come on," Lacey said, breaking me from my X-rated reverie. "I'll help you carry all this stuff back up to the main cabin."
Back at the cabin, as we walked down the upstairs hall to my new bedroom, I noticed there were only two other rooms—one with a closed door that I assumed was Sebastian's bedroom, and the other, a bathroom.
The door to the bathroom was wide open, so I glanced inside as we passed. I was pleased to observe that although Sebastian and I would be sharing the small space it was still way larger than the bathroom I'd been sharing with the girls. Plus, Sebastian wouldn't have makeup and crap spread out everywhere.
Things were looking good, and when we stepped into the bedroom that was to be mine, things got even better.
I squealed with delight. The room was the size of the entire space I'd been sharing with the girls. And this bedroom had a full-size bed. There was also a great view of the campgrounds since we were on the second floor.
Lacey helped me put my stuff away, and after she left, I plopped down on the big bed and sighed happily.
Despite a rough first couple of days, things were definitely looking up, especially since Sebastian had arrived on the premises.
Chapter Two
Canoe Hear My Heart?
The next morning I ambled over to the bedroom window, all set to enjoy a sunny bright vista. No such luck. I was greeted instead with a foggy mess, as a misting rain pelted the glass.
"Ugh. Not again."
It never rained like this in Phoenix. How did these people stand it?
The inclement weather meant another indoor activity day for the kids. At least until the drizzle stopped and the fog lifted.
I showered and dressed for the day, with not a single sighting of Sebastian. He must be an early riser, I concluded. But then I saw it was after ten. Maybe I was just a late sleeper. Good thing camp activities didn't start until noon today.
When I started down the stairs, I discovered quite a crowd had gathered. All the counselors were lounging in the main room, munching on pastries and downing assorted fruit juices.
"Sleep well, Brooks?" Sebastian asked with a smirk. "We were wondering if we'd see you today."
"Well, here I am," I replied as Mr. Smug himself passed me a glass of orange juice.
I sat down on the same Adirondack chair he'd been leaning against yesterday and accepted the glass of juice. "I slept great, by the way," I huffed. "And you?"
"Better than expected," he said. "But my big ole bed sure did feel lonely."
Before I could think of a good retort, Sebastian turned to the other four counselors and began to outline the plans for the day.
I mumbled, "Smart-ass," under my breath.
Sebastian ignored me completely, but Lacey glanced my way, brow arched.