‘OK, sure. That shouldn’t take much. From memory there’s already the electrics in place for such a thing.’
‘Great. Also there’s a leak in one of the bedrooms, coming from the window.’
‘I’ll fix that too. How’s Noah shaping up?’
‘He’s been OK, but a tad unreliable. To be honest, I think I hired him too quickly because there weren’t many suitable applicants and he was the only one who seemed to fit the bill. He comes and goes when he wants, doesn’t follow the schedule we made but he did a mammoth day yesterday, so I suppose that’s most important thing. And now we just have to figure out what they’re going to do today since it’s like the Arctic all of a sudden and no one has slept except our troublemaker. Noah’s not here yet so I’m hoping that means he’s sorting alternative activities. I’ve got Es standing in to keep the peace.’
‘I asked around about Noah but no one’s heard of him. Seems he’s keeping a low profile.’
‘Probably smart in a town like Eden Hills.’ I laugh.
‘Hmm,’ he says as if not convinced. ‘Shout if I can help. My plans have been skewed today too because of the rain. If you get stuck I can teach them how to make something? Photo frames, book boxes, that kind of thing.’
I smile big and wide even though he can’t see me. ‘You’d do that?’
‘Of course. Keeps the boredom at bay. Chat to Noah and let me know.’
‘Thanks, Leo.’
‘My pleasure. But about Noah …’ He pauses as if debating whether to start this line of conversation again. ‘From what I can tell, no one has bumped into him yet either, which is weird, don’t you think? And another reason why I’m more than happy to hang about today, to be honest. Did he say where he was staying?’
I think back to our first interview. ‘No he didn’t, but I’d have it on the employment contract. I’m sure he’s fine though, Leo, really. I sense that Noah is the type who prefers adventure to hanging out in town. His idea of a great night out is flinging himself off the highest rock into the lake. That’s probably why no one has heard of him – he’s probably closer to the birdlife, than real life.’ From my conversations with Noah about his exploits, he’s more the type to go hunt for truffles in the woodlands than sit around drinking beer. He’s probably camped out in there … I make a mental note to check his paperwork and see where he said he lived.
‘OK, it’s just it doesn’t sit right with me for some reason. I’ll come around now to install the bell and fix the leak.’
‘You’re the best.’
‘Thanks for noticing.’
I laugh and hang up, feeling a little frisson that soon he’ll be here. Leo to the rescue yet again. His concerns about Noah are valid but once he meets him I think he’ll realise our camp leader is a wanderer at heart. I get the impression Noah isn’t used to taking orders and prefers to do things his own way.
The phone buzzes again and I snatch it up. ‘Hello?’
‘Darling, it’s me, how’s it all going? Tell me how much fun I’m missing out on.’
‘Maya, it’s so good to hear your voice! You’re missing out on so much fun! And when I say fun I mean fun tinged with a teeny-tiny bit of disaster.’ I hurriedly tell her everything.
‘This Anomaly fellow sounds like a handful! I’m surprised there wasn’t bloodshed. But I’m thankful, too. Who knew adventure camps could be fraught with so much drama?! I am kicking myself I’m not there.’
‘Right? Who knew I’d have to spell out rules about not making noise at that time of the morning? But anyway, I think it’s sorted now and Leo’s on his way now to fix those things, and make some picture frames with them because of this ghastly rain.’
‘Ooh, he is! Why don’t you tell him you need some of the picture frames hung above your bed? That way you can get an idea of what it would be like with him sitting on your mattress …’
‘Oh, God, you sound like Esterlita! You sex-starved woman!’
‘I am actually; I haven’t seen Preston for ages.’
‘What, why?’
She makes a sound like a groan and a yawn. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll ring you later in the week when we can chat over a drink, eh?’
‘OK, good plan. When the campers are gone we can have a proper Friday night debrief. You can take me to Bai’s. Well, virtually.’
‘Great, that’ll be a cheap date since you can’t actually eat through the screen.’
‘True. It’ll be torture missing out on those morsels.’
‘Come up for a few days when you can, yeah?’
‘I will, as soon as I can.’
‘OK, love you, darling, now go have fun. If there’s any more drama at least try and film it for me, won’t you?’
I laugh. ‘Yeah, right, that’ll help for all the lawsuits I’ll be served with. Love you too.’
Chapter 23
I dash back through the rain, which feels more like hail, to see what the new plan is. Thankfully Noah has finally arrived and has everyone lined up in the activity room playing balloon basketball. I did think he’d organise some better activities but I guess we’re both new to this. It doesn’t take long to hear a pop as the balloon bursts. The culprit Teani is then made to answer a question from the group.
‘Who’s going to start the interrogation?’ Noah asks, and we all settle down to listen.
Thomas raises his hand. ‘You said yesterday your dream was to throw it all in and backpack around the world, yet you’ll never do it. Why? As far as dreams go that sounds pretty achievable to me.’
I’m thrilled he’s asked – I’ve been curious about that too.
Teani taps her chin before saying, ‘Well, you’re right, I guess. It is a doable dream. Especially as a backpacker. But the thing is, I built my little fitness club up from one member to over a thousand. It took so much work, so many hours, to the point I was obsessed with the numbers in an unhealthy way. People join gyms and cancel all the time, right? But for me, if one cancelled that meant I had to find two more to replace them. It took over every facet of my life before I ended up being hospitalised for stress. My hair started falling out; I was tired all the time. To any outsider, I looked the part – fit and trim and healthy – but inside I was a mess. When I started seeing a therapist, my whole life changed. I put some boundaries in place. Made myself stick to certain work hours and I switched off when it was home time.’
‘It sounds like you’ve come a long way,’ Thomas says gently.
She smiles. ‘I have. But there’s still that stubborn part of me that thinks if I took a year off, trusted my baby to a manager, I might return to a gym with no clients. Everything I worked for p-o-o-o-f …’ She blows on her open palm. ‘Gone. And then what?’
I can understand her hesitation, but if that’s her dream goal why not try? ‘I know it’s scary taking that risk after building up your gym for so long,’ I say. ‘But what if you set yourself up with a fabulous manager, someone who is also driven by numbers, with the ultimate motivation, like, every time they sign up someone new they get a bonus. It might not come cheap, that year off, but nothing good ever comes easy.’ It’s easy to say all this, when I know I’m a lot like Teani and don’t often get the work-life balance quite right either.
She stays silent for the longest time. ‘What if I came home twice the size I left?’
We all laugh. Even twice the size, Teani would be smaller than the average person, but I guess if your whole life is fitness these are the things you worry about.
‘Then you start a program with your clients and see who can drop the most weight in three months,’ Lulu says. ‘I’d join something like that,’ she says. ‘If only to get away from my kids.’
‘You make it sound so easy!’
‘What if it is that easy?’ Jock says. ‘What if the only thing stopping you is your mind?’
‘Yeah.’ She shrugs. ‘I guess.’
‘Think about it like this,’ Thomas says. ‘A year abroad, backpacking, no work stress, no life stress,
following your heart, or your stomach if you were me. I largely travel to hunt out new food! Wouldn’t that be something your doctor would recommend? So think of it less like a year off for a frivolous pursuit and more like a necessity for your health. You obviously look after your body with exercise, but do you look after your mind with as much care?’
Something changes in her eyes, as if Thomas’ words ring true. A little shiver of excitement runs through me; this is exactly the kind of life-changing experience I hoped campers would have. Little did I know it wouldn’t come from climbing trees or sailing down the lake, but from the support of strangers in the group.
There’s a rap on the door and Leo wanders into the hall. Dang it, I forgot to tell Noah about the possibility of doing some hands-on work. Today feels a hundred hours long and it’s not even lunchtime yet. Leo catches my eye and every other thought flies clean out of my head. It feels like it’s been months since I’ve seen him. Time sure has slowed down since he left.
‘Leo, hi.’ I introduce Leo to the group and I notice Noah giving him some serious side-eye. What’s that about? ‘Leo’s here to install the bell and fix the leak in your room, Jo …’
‘There’s also some problems with my room,’ Anomaly says. ‘The wind whips in there like I’m in the Artic. Horrible, I tell you, and part of the reason I was up all night. Couldn’t sleep with that racket.’
I hold in a groan.
‘There’s no such problem,’ Jock says. ‘We were all in your room last night, Walter, and the only thing whipping around was the game controller. Why are you trying to cause more problems? Just to save face?’
All eyes land on Anomaly who sits with arms folded, mouth like he just sucked a lemon.
‘Well, it was very cold in there. Maybe it was a chill I was feeling.’
‘The beds have electric blankets, Anomaly,’ I say. ‘And all the rooms have heating …’
‘He’s not sleeping in here again, though, right? He’s going to sleep in the cottage,’ Lulu demands. ‘I’m here to get away from kids, not to deal with someone else’s.’
She’s got a valid point. Even though he’s twenty-three he sure as hell doesn’t act like it. How he’s successful in IT is beyond me – perhaps he’s one of those genius techies who have trouble in social situations, and if that’s the case then maybe the camp can help.
‘Ah, well,’ I say to Lulu, regretting my earlier on-the-spot offer to move Anomaly into the cottage. It’s my retreat, my quiet place to go and make sense of things, so I can’t have this petulant man-child invading my space. There must be another solution?
Leo gives me a worried look, like he also doesn’t like the idea of Anomaly in the cottage. ‘I can set up one of the tepees, Orly. They arrived yesterday.’
Anomaly’s eyes light up. ‘A tepee!’
‘If he thinks the heated room with an electric blanket is cold, how is the fragile lad going to last in a tepee?’ Jock says.
‘I’m not fragile, and don’t you speak about me like that. You’re not the group leader, even though you think you are.’
Oh boy. ‘Why don’t we give the tepee a go?’ I say, butting in. ‘If you don’t like it, you can always move to the cottage, yeah?’ The tepee won’t have any electrics either, so he won’t be able to keep anyone up with his games. But what about the woolly weather, as if the seasons got themselves all mixed up? While it’s chucking it down, it’s not supposed to last.
‘I’ll set it up in the grassed area near the orchard, Orly,’ Leo says. ‘That way it’s a bit more protected than by the lake where we originally planned for them to go. If the sun is shining tomorrow, we can move it near the lake. What do you say?’
‘What do you think Anomaly?’ I ask.
‘I’d like to try it. I’ve always wanted to sleep in a tepee.’
‘Great. Leo’s also here to do some woodwork with any of you if you’re keen? Since the rain has put paid to our outdoor events we thought we’d partake in some activities that will keep you dry!’
Noah frowns. Leo grins.
‘No thanks,’ Anomaly says. ‘I’d rather just hang out in the tepee, if you could put that up first.’ He folds his arms.
I look to the rest of the group but no one speaks up.
‘Anyway, Leo will be busy for a bit so no rush. You can chat to Noah about the plans for the rest of the day and we’ll reconvene for lunch. Esterlita is cooking up another Filipino storm for those who want to partake in her amazing cooking, or you can help yourselves to anything in the fridge.
‘Sounds good,’ Leo says. ‘I’ll get these jobs done and then I’ll meet whoever is keen in the undercover area and we can bang some nails, eh?’
‘Great, or you can come kayaking with me,’ Noah says. ‘It’s only water, not poison. The lake is a lot more fun in weather like this. We can paddle to the point and check out the view over the gorges. It’ll definitely give you an appetite for Esterlita’s food.’
My mind goes to a camper falling overboard in the freezing water, but I guess they’re adults and they’ll be able to swim to safety. I hope so anyway.
‘I’d prefer to be left alone,’ Anomaly says. ‘I’ll take my lunch in the tepee.’
I clench my jaw. He’s the reason everyone is a little ratty today and yet he doesn’t care one iota. ‘Then that’s your prerogative. But I hope you’ll try an activity. You never know, it might help you sleep so you don’t feel the need to be playing games all night. Leo isn’t going to put up the tepee until later today, anyway, so you won’t be able to hang out in it for a bit. And lunch will be served in the hall, today and every day.’
‘That’s not fair.’
‘It is fair. The itinerary was emailed to you before you paid for the camp, Anomaly, and that included specifics about eating meals as a group and lending a hand to cook and clean when asked. This isn’t a restaurant.’
He gives me a dark look. ‘You can say that again.’
‘Why not give kayaking a go?’ Noah says. ‘You can go in the two-person kayak and just sit there if you want.’
‘What fun,’ he says with heavy sarcasm.
‘What do you think you’ll try?’ I say to the rest of the group, not wanting to give Anomaly all the attention when he so doesn’t deserve it.
Lulu pipes up first. ‘Kayaking in a lightning storm sounds risky and unsafe and something a mother of five kids, one husband, two dogs, three cats, and a goldfish named Stumpy should definitely not do – so count me in.’
With his hands tucked into his jeans pockets, Jock says, ‘A wee bit of carpentry might be just the ticket for me. It’s been a while since I did anything like that.’
‘I’ll kayak, why not?’ Teani says. ‘Jo, want to join me in a two-person?’
She smiles. ‘I’d love nothing more, but Esterlita roped me into helping with the food, and to be honest I’m pretty happy she did. We’re making kwek-kwek and pichi-pichi. I have no idea what that entails but Thomas would probably know …?’
‘Very popular street foods and super delicious. Who knew coming to camp I’d be enjoying authentic Filipino foods every day?’
‘I’m enjoying the cooking the most,’ Jo says. ‘Do you know a woman is not allowed to sing while she cooks or she will end up a spinster? Esterlita is full of these fun little facts. I’m not much of a singer anyway, but I’m definitely not going to risk it am I? Enjoy the rain, guys.’
‘I’ll have to put my hand up to help tomorrow,’ Thomas says, ‘And I’ll hold off on singing too just in case.’ He laughs. ‘But if you want, I’m happy to go in a two-person kayak with you, Teani.’
Teani hesitates for a second and then beams. ‘Great.’ He holds her look for a fraction longer than I deem normal. Is Thomas here for more than just burnout? My thoughts run away with me as I think of Cupid visiting the camps and sprinkling love dust all over the place …
‘And what about you, Anomaly?’ I grit my teeth waiting for another sarcastic response.
‘I guess I can wield a
hammer for an hour or so.’
‘You never know; you might enjoy it.’
‘Yeah and the rain might stop this week. Never gonna happen.’
‘Don’t jinx us,’ Teani says, groaning.
He holds up his hands as if in surrender. ‘Wouldn’t dream of it.’
I clap my palms together. ‘OK, well let’s meet back for lunch, yeah?’
The group stand up and gather their things, looking a lot happier than they did this morning. If the activities don’t energise them, Esterlita’s food surely will. I hope.
*
Leo turns out to have quite the skill when it comes to teaching the unskilled how to navigate a saw. I’d been thinking we’d just hammer a few bits of wood together and voila done! But not on Leo’s watch. We’ve used a saw, a plane, and a sander. I should be in the kitchen helping Esterlita, but working side by side with Leo is a lot more appealing all of a sudden.
As I run my hand along the wooden frame to make sure it’s smooth, Leo comes up behind me and leans over my shoulder. He puts his hand over mine and says, ‘Feel that? You need to take it back a little more.’
I gulp. All I can feel is him pressed up against me. Lest I make a fool of myself I just yelp a response and realise too late, I’ve indeed made a fool of myself. ‘Take it back. Got it.’ I thank all the stars in the universe Esterlita is not here to jump in with jokes. My face is already flaming. Why can’t I move on? Harry has. My camp is set up. Leo has been paid for his work so it’s not as if I’m blurring the lines. He’s not married. Or in a relationship. My whole body feels like it’s on fire in Leo’s presence.
When I close my eyes and picture my future, one of my daydreams, I can see Leo here … Is that a sign or wishful thinking? He hasn’t made a move, has he?
Chapter 24
Day three of the camp arrives and I dillydally over my coffee, bracing myself in case there were any more dramas overnight. The newly installed buzzer didn’t ring and I haven’t missed any calls, so I hope that means everything went according to plan and the campers had a good night’s sleep.
Escape to Honeysuckle Hall Page 22
