“Jay asked me to lunch,” she brags, slathering sunblock on her arms. “Well, he asked me where the counselors ate lunch.”
“And that’s a date?”
“He was being sly, so he’ll know where to find me later.” She is a fairly intelligent person, but sometimes she can be dumb.
“Maybe he was just asking where to find food.”
“Oh, Abs.” She wipes excess lotion on my thigh. “You have so much to learn about men.” She stands and walks towards the water. “Aren’t you going in?”
“No.” I won’t go for a swim just because she wants me to. It’s childish, and I don’t care. Just like I don’t care about her and Jay and lunch.
I eat lunch on the dock so I don’t have to watch Raine nibble a carrot while she flirts with Jay. Afterward, I take my girls to the crafts cabin to make our cabin sign.
“How about Abbi’s Avengers,” Sarah suggests.
“I like it.” I stand behind her chair as she paints yellow chevrons on the piece of wood. “Should we take a vote?”
The group gives a collective yes. Sarah is proud of herself. Acknowledgement is important to her, reminds me of someone else I know.
“Okay, it’s Abbi’s Avengers!” I shoot my arm in the air like a superhero. “Our color is green.”
“Ugh, I hate green,” Sarah moans.
“I bet you look good in green.” I dip my finger in the paint and swipe it across her cheek.
Her astonished expression gives the girls pause. We wait for her reaction. She dabs her paintbrush in the paint and smears it on Leslie. Before I know it, we’re having a paint war. It flies around the cabin. The tables and chairs are splattered in it. My girls are laughing to the point of crying. This is what camp is about. Making memories.
“What is going on in here?” Rusty booms from the doorway. He surveys the mess. “Abbi, outside. Now.”
The girls fall silent as I leave.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Rusty.”
He holds a hand up. The stern expression flips into a smile. “It looks Kermit vomited on your face.” He laughs. “I need to take a picture of this to show your mom.”
“Oh my god, why is everything about her?”
“Hey,” Rusty chides.
“I’m just tired of everyone worrying about her feelings when it comes to me. Can I just live my life without her knowing every single detail?” The paint begins to dry in the heat. My face feels like a facial gone wrong.
Rusty puts his phone away. “You’re right. We don’t let you do you. It won’t always be this way, Abbi.” He moves to hug me, then stops of the paint. “You need to be patient a little longer.”
“Why? Raine and Ozzy are getting out. It isn’t fair that I’m stuck here with no say. Mom won’t give me a definitive reason why I can’t apply to college or move to the city with Layla. Everyone keeps telling me to wait. Wait for what?”
Rusty knows the answer to my question, but he says nothing. I feel guilty complaining to him. He’s been through enough.
“Things will work out, you’ll see. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Rusty fights back tears. They aren’t for me. He’s thinking of his daughter, Taylor. “We all learned something from her tragedy. Life shouldn’t be wasted.” I move to hug him, and he holds me back with a small laugh. “I love you, Abbi, but you’re green.”
Rusty and Carrick have been through hell, but they somehow find the will to get out of bed every morning. They eat, and work, and on occasion they laugh. Someone they have found a way to live Taylor.
“I should get back inside.” I open the door.
“You don’t have to wait for other people to decide your life, Abbi. Start making choices, and you will gain the respect you’re looking for.”
He’s right, but it isn’t that easy.
It takes the remainder of the day to clean up. My girls, including Sarah, never complain, even when they miss free-time.
“Why don’t you guys get washed up before dinner,” I announce as I shove the mop into the bucket of swampy water. They leave the cabin with smiles. I return the supplies to the kitchen. Tessa gives me hell for ruining her mop.
“Take it out back and hose it off,” she demands.
“Chill. It’s just a mop.” I drag the bucket behind the kitchen and fill it with fresh water from the spout. As I rinse it for the hundredth time, Raine runs up the path.
“Jay, wait up!”
He’s at the far end of the trail that leads to the woods. “I’m going for a run,” he yells back and doesn’t stop. “I’ll catch you after dinner.”
Raine is persistent. “You don’t know the area. I wouldn’t want you to get lost.” She sprints toward him, and they disappear into the trees.
I really thought something amazing was going to happen this summer, like my boobs would grow, or I’d meet a hot guy who liked me first. I’m always waiting for life to happen. Raine waits for nothing and nobody. She creates her own adventures. I wish I had her confidence and her boobs.
◆◆◆
After dinner there’s a campfire on the beach. I’m arranging logs around the pit when Jay and Raine finally show up. I hear her laughing before I see her. It’s her fake laugh. The one she uses when she’s trying to be cute.
Gag.
“Hey, Abbi,” Jay says. “Let me help you with that.” He lifts the other side of the log.
My first instinct is to tell him I’m fine. When I see Raine’s dejected face, I have a change of heart.
“Thanks.” I give the log one last shove so it’s perfect.
“Should I start the fire?”
“All fires are controlled by Rusty or one of the camp engineers. We’re really sensitive about fire around here. Ever since the big one in 2017.”
“I heard about that.” This is the first time I’ve seen him without a smile. “Was your family close to the area that burned?”
“Yes,” I reply quietly and look at Landon. His mother died in that fire. “It was fifteen years ago, but so many people lost family, it’s still a sore subject.”
Jay places a hand on my shoulder. “Sorry.” I feel like he has more to say, but we’re interrupted by my crazy uncle, running toward the beach with a torch.
“I give you fire!” Rusty does his best caveman impression.
He dips the torch into the pile of wood. Flames start slow, weaving through the gaps, before shooting into the sky.
“Abs, give me a hand.” Raine rips open a bag of marshmallows and dumps them into a huge metal bowl.
Raine and I have had our share of camp flings, her more than me. But we were kids then. Now that we’re older, a fling means something different. It’s more than stealing kisses in the woods. There is more at stake, at least for me.
“How was your date?”
“What date?” She plays dumb.
“I saw you go into the woods with Jay.”
“Are you jealous?” She eyes me, but I don’t look up. “You are. You’re jelly because I took a stroll with him.”
I shove a marshmallow in my mouth. “I am not.”
“You have a little green right there.” She scratches at my neck. I swat her hand away.
“Ha ha. Yeah, I’m green with envy.”
“No, really, Abbi. You have green on your neck.”
“Oh.” I lick my finger and rub it off.
“As for my date, let’s just say most guys don’t normally spend the entire time asking about other females.” She knocks her shoulder against mine. “All he wanted to do was talk about you.”
“Me?” I look up. “Why did he ask about me?”
“Hm, I wonder why?”
“What did he want to know?”
She sighs. “A lot.”
Raine won’t go into detail. I doubt she even remembers them since they don’t include her. I love her, but she needs to be the center of the universe. When she isn’t, she’s aloof.
“This is hard for me to admit, but I don’t think Jay finds me attractive.�
� She pops a marshmallow into her mouth.
“Shut up.”
“Seriously.” She looks at him. “He’s into you, Abs, and if I were you, I’d go for it.”
He stands on the other side of the fire, his hands spread in front of him like he’s cold. That’s impossible, because he’s so freaking hot.
“Abbi—” She steps in front of me. “I’m saying this as your best friend. You need to bang that boy.”
I push her aside, so I can stare at Jay.
“You were waiting for something big.” She points across the fire. “It doesn’t get any bigger or better than that.”
Chapter Five
The entire camp is gathered around the fire, roasting marshmallows. Any moment Rusty will pull out the guitar. I love my uncle, but his singing is painful. I sit on the ground in front of my girls. It’s warmer down here, and I have a better view of Jay. I peel a sticky, hot marshmallow from my stick and take a bite.
“Sarah has a crush,” Amanda spills. “On the new counselor.”
Get in line, sister.
I look through the flames at the guy sitting on the other side of the fire. The guy who didn’t want Raine.
Leslie leans in to offer her two cents. “He’s too old for you.” Leslie is the practical one. “And he lives out of state.”
The amount of information the girls have collected on Jay is impressive. He surfs, his favorite color is purple, and he likes strawberry jelly.
“My parents are four years apart.” Sarah informs her.
“A lot of life happens between fourteen and eighteen.” I give advice like I have life experience. “If you want a shot with Jay, you have to wait at least ten years, when he’s twenty-eight and you’re twenty-four.” A little hope never killed anyone.
“I’ll wait,” Sarah declares.
“But he won’t.” Leslie bursts Sarah’s bubble.
The others snicker. I don’t like when the girls are catty, even if Sarah deserves a taste of her own medicine. As the grownup in this situation, I feel obligated to say something.
“Hey, we have no idea what he wants.” Believe me, I wish I knew.
“Why don’t you go ask him?” Leslie smarts.
“No way, Jose.” And just like that, I’m fourteen again.
“Please, Abbi.” Sarah is desperate. “Will you do it for me?”
Leslie and the other girls whisper as I lick the marshmallow from my fingers. My heart kicks against my chest at the thought of speaking to Jay. Now that I have Raine’s blessing, I’m marinating the idea of me and Jay. “What do you want me to say?” I toss my stick into the fire.
“Ask him if he likes Sarah,” Leslie dares.
“Ask if he likes girls first.” Mary is the liberal of the group.
“Good thinking,” I tell her.
Sarah joins me on the ground. “Ask him if he would wait for true love.” She stares across the fire with a dreamy glow in her eyes. The little heathen is a romantic. Who knew?
I stand up and dust off my butt. I don’t really know what I’m going to say but I’m grateful for the excuse to be near him. Moving around the fire takes a few minutes. Crossing over feet and bodies while trying not to fall on anyone or into the flames takes effort.
Jay is sitting with a couple of camp regulars, Justin and Curtis. Like Sarah, they will be junior counselors next year.
“Hey, guys.” I stop in front of them like I just happen to be in the neighborhood.
“Hi, Abbi,” Curtis says.
“What’s up?” Jay probably thinks I’m here to ask for help with food or something camp related. I suddenly feel incredibly lame.
“Do you want sit down?” Justin finally asks.
“Sure.”
“Curtis, move,” Justin demands.
“You move,” Curtis snaps. “I was here first.”
This cannot get any worse.
“It’s okay. I just wanted to ask a question.” I look at Sarah’s anxious face. Jay looks too, and my girls squeal. Leslie and Amanda cover their faces.
“Are you playing messenger?” Jay rubs his hands together and stands so I can take his seat. “This is gonna good.”
I’m sitting between Justin and Curtis. Jay sits at my feet. His manly face glows in the firelight. It’s sexy, sweet, so many adjectives.
“Justin likes Sarah,” Jay blabs.
“Dude!” Justin throws his hands in the air. “You’re breaking bro-code.”
“Hey, do you want my help or not?” Jay gives him a look. “I told you it isn’t always bros before those.” He points at the girls. “You gotta go for it, dude.”
“Fine,” Justin concedes. “You’re the expert.”
Jay looks at me with a giddy grin. “What’s the message?”
“I don’t have a message, just a question.”
He gets excited, like he’s fourteen and scoots closer so he’s leaning on my legs. I wish to god I shaved today.
“Sar… I mean I was wondering if you had a girlfriend.”
“Who?” Justin asks.
“You.” I lie. Yes, technically, I’m cock-blocking Sarah but it’s for her own good.
“Well you were looking at Jay.” Justin is right.
“Both of you then.”
“I have a girlfriend,” Curtis interjects. “She lives in Texas.”
Justin rolls his eyes in disbelief. “Well, I’m single.”
“I don’t have a girlfriend either,” Jay says.
“Are you looking for one?” Justin wonders aloud for both of us. “If I were you, I would always have a girlfriend. A new one every month.”
“That isn’t how life works, buddy.” Jay ruffles Justin’s hair.
He isn’t a player. That’s a plus.
“How does it work?” Justin looks at Jay as if he has all the answers.
“It’s pretty simple. You meet a girl you like and hope she likes you. If she does, maybe she asks to sit next to you at a bonfire, then agrees to meet you in the morning for coffee on the dock.”
His eyes flit to me then back to Justin. If I were a confident person, I might assume Jay’s example was about me.
“But I hate coffee,” Justin says.
“Okay then, chocolate milk,” Jay suggests.
“I’m lactose intolerant,” Curtis informs us.
“Water then! The point is, when you find the right girl, you keep her.”
“Forever?” Justin confirms.
I don’t look up. I stare at the sand. Jay gently touches my pinky finger. The gesture is small but so intimate. He turns his palm up so his fingertips match mine. We’re barely touching, like a game of hot-hands. The current running from the tips of my fingers to his could light the entire camp.
“When you find the right girl, never let her go.”
“How long would you wait for true love?” The question slips out. I catch myself and try to recover. “Sarah wants to know.” Kill me now.
“Sarah wants to know, huh?” Jay furrows his eyes. “Tell Sarah I’d wait as long as it takes. There’s no time limit on true love.” He withdraws his hand from mine and stands. “Who needs another marshmallow?”
Curtis follows Jay to the snack table.
“The dude is good,” Justin says admiringly.
“He is.” Too good to be true.
I return to my seat and spill the tea. “Justin likes you.”
Sarah dismisses the information. “What about Jay?”
“But you can be with Justin right now.” I try hard to sell it.
“Justin is a turd,” Leslie snickers.
“We don’t speak that way about fellow campers.” I remind her. “He’s sweet.”
Sarah looks across the fire. “He smells.”
“No, he doesn’t. I just sat beside him.”
Amanda moves closer. “He has this body spray. It’s a cross between toilet cleaner and dead flowers. He was wearing it during the bus ride to camp.”
“That’s a problem.” I look across the fire to see
if Jay has returned to his seat. “Maybe I should tell Justin not to wear it.”
“Yes!” Sarah and Amanda finally agree on something.
I take the same path back to the boys.
“You just can’t stay away, can you?” Jay scoots over, and I squeeze between him and Justin.
I take a quick whiff in Justin’s personal space. He backs away like I’m a nut. “Your marshmallow smells good.” I play it off.
“Uh, thanks?”
“Are you wearing cologne?”
“No,” he replies incredulously and slides farther away.
Jay hands me his stick with a new marshmallow. “Are you hitting on my campers?”
“What? No.” I hold the marshmallow over the fire and motion for Jay to move closer. “The girls said Justin has a weird-smelling body spray.”
“Oh, that. Yeah, I tossed that.”
I give him a thumbs-up. “Perfect.” I stand to leave.
Jay catches my hand. “Where are you going?”
“Back—”
Jay shakes his head. “You’re staying with me.”
I don’t believe in true love or fate or anything involving princesses and happily ever after but Jay’s eyes, his smile, and those five little words just made a believer out of me. “I am?”
“Yes. I’m going to sing to you.”
What in the what?
“Okay, campers.” Rusty does the camp clap, then snaps. “Jay is going to honor us with a song.” Rusty looks at me and smiles as he hands Jay a guitar. I know that mischievous grin.
“Did you plan this?” I look at Jay in disbelief.
“Maybe.” He shrugs. His lips curl into a playful grin. “Do you have a problem with being serenaded?”
“I’ve never been serenaded.”
“So I’ll be your first.”
Not the first I was thinking of, but what the hell.
Justin and Curtis move to the ground, out of the limelight. Jay positions the guitar across his lap and strums. It doesn’t take long to recognize the tune. It’s by an old artist named Bruno Mars. He was famous twenty years ago, before I was born. This song is sung in schools and at camps all over the country. Jay’s voice is flawless, his guitar skills are perfection. He sings every word without breaking eye contact with me. Not until the last verse, when he stands and encourages the campers to sing and clap along. Raine catches my attention and gives me a double thumbs-up, then makes an inappropriate gesture.
The Lunam Legacy (The Lunam Series Book 3) Page 3
