by Kay Gordon
“Hey, Shaylee,” Jordan said with a smile as he approached us. “Drew and I were thinking that it might be nice if we split up since the kids are mingling. I can take this side with Hannah…”
“So smooth, Jordan.” I winked at him and meandered over to the other side of the rec hall, stopping to answer questions or help campers as I did. When I finally made it to where Drew was standing with his arms crossed, he stared at me as the corners of his lips twitched.
I stood next to him and mimicked his stance as we watched the campers play, some of them jumping when the thunder sounded again. Neither of us moved but the urge to reach out to him was strong.
“Can I touch you?” he asked quietly, shifting his body so he was facing me.
I raised my brows in surprise and nodded my head as I let my arms drop to my sides. “I wish you would.”
Drew’s hand immediately found mine and I let out a content sigh at the contact. We stayed up against the wall, our fingers entwined, and just watched the campers.
“You have Wednesday off, right?” I turned my head to look at him and he regarded me with a smile.
“Yeah.”
I squeezed his hand once, holding his more-green eyes with my own. “Want to go out? Like on a date… with me.” I realized how stupid I sounded but Drew’s smile transformed into a grin. He ran his free hand across his damp hat and nodded.
“I’d love to.”
Before I could say anything else, the rec hall was plunged into darkness, causing some of the kids to let out scared yelps. Drew’s lips were suddenly pressed against mine in a brief, but promising, kiss. He pulled back and squeezed my hand once before dropping it.
“Campers. Stay where you are and calm down,” Drew yelled into the dark building. “Counselors, the emergency lights should be kicking on any moment. In the meantime, let’s pull back the curtains and try to let some light in.”
True to his statement, the emergency lights kicked on about thirty seconds later, causing a dim glow to spread through the building. The intercom in our building wasn’t working but one from the nearby media center chimed twice loudly and everyone quieted down as Howard began to speak.
“Attention Camp Holcomb. The area is currently experiencing a power outage which is impacting our little piece of paradise. Several buildings, including the dining hall, are connected to long-term power generators to ensure we have the ability keep you fed. You may notice that emergency lights are on in the area, those will not last long, however. Cabin Counselors, please send one person back to your cabin to ensure you have twelve working lanterns and spare batteries for each. You should find ponchos for every person in the preparedness kit as well. If you do not, please come to the amphitheater to pick up more. Lunch will begin in the dining hall in forty-five minutes as normal. Thank you all.”
“Come on,” Drew said as he grabbed my hand again. We walked over to where Hannah and Jordan were standing on the opposite side of the room. “I’ll run to the cabin and check our lanterns, Jord.”
Jordan nodded and Hannah gave me a pleading look that said she didn’t want to go out in the rain. I narrowed my eyes as I stared at her.
“Doesn’t it rain a lot in Florida? Shouldn’t you be used to this?”
She grinned and shrugged her shoulders. “Being used to it doesn’t make me hate it any less.”
“You owe me,” I replied as I grabbed my wet sweatshirt and pulled it back on over my head. Drew followed me to the door and we stood on the covered porch as we watched the rain pour down from the sky. I let out a long sigh and looked over at him. “Come with me?”
“I was planning on it,” he said with a nod as he reached over and pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. “Let’s run.”
The rain seeped through my sweatshirt almost immediately and we jogged through the wet grass. By the time Cabin Fifteen came into sight, we were both soaked. When Drew’s foot hit a slippery patch of grass, he tried to stay on his feet but fell to the ground, almost taking me with him. I managed to stay on my feet while he ended up on his ass.
I stared at him for a brief moment before I began laughing hysterically. Drew looked up at me with a grin on his face and reached out to grab my wrist. He tugged on me until I was sideways in his lap with his arms wrapped around me.
“You’re so beautiful. Especially when you smile.”
I pressed my lips to his as rain streamed down our faces. The raindrops mingled with our tongues and I wanted to stay like that all day, but Drew pulled back first.
“You’re shivering. Let’s go inside.” He stood from the grass and tugged me to my feet so we could walk up the stairs to the cabin.
“Go change into dry clothes, Shay. I’ll check your lanterns.”
I got him a towel before doing as he said. I quickly undressed in the bedroom and dried my body off before pulling on dry shorts and a fresh t-shirt. I stuck my feet into my water shoes and tried to towel dry my hair enough to get it back into a ponytail.
When I went back out to the main area, Drew was dropping a battery powered lantern on each bed. I grabbed the backpack of ponchos from the closet and counted the batteries quickly.
“Thanks for your help,” I said to him when he put the last two lanterns in the counselor bedroom. He just smiled and opened one of the ponchos.
“Of course. Put this on so you don’t get soaked out there.”
I did as he said and offered him one but he shook his head.
“I’m already wet so it’s no use. You ready to hit my cabin?” He grabbed the backpack of ponchos and offered me his hand.
I nodded and took it before following him out the back door. We dashed through the rain until we were walking in the side door of Cabin Seven. I unbuttoned my poncho and nodded towards the main area.
“I’ll get the lanterns.”
Drew’s grip on my shoulder stopped me and his lips met the back of my neck softly.
“Your mouth isn’t allowed on my neck, Moore,” I murmured as I titled my head to the side. Drew just chuckled and continued to kiss a path up to my ear.
“I don’t even know when I would have marked you like that. Even in high school, I never left hickeys on girls.” He used his hand to turn my head and our lips met for a gentle kiss. I pulled away that time and stepped out of his grip.
“We have fifteen minutes until lunch and you and I both know that’s not enough time to do what we need to do and… this.” I gave him a pointed look and Drew just laughed.
“Fine. I’ll change.”
I counted the lanterns and batteries before putting one on each camper’s bed. I handed the last two to Drew and grabbed their backpack. We both put our ponchos on over our dry clothes and began the soggy walk back towards the rec hall.
Chapter Fourteen
The power didn’t come back on until after dinner and the rain was still pounding on the roof when we called lights out. I felt antsy from being inside all day and even crocheting couldn’t calm me down. I ended up falling asleep wishing I could run.
On Tuesday morning, the rain was still drizzling but the lightning had passed and we were cleared for our regular schedules with the exception horseback riding and mountain biking due to the mud.
We said goodbye to our campers after breakfast so we could work our scheduled activities outside and I was already feeling less suffocated by lunch time. We sat down at the table with our girls and they excitedly told us all about their mornings. Lizzy complained about not being able to ride horses that day but they all seemed happy otherwise. As we walked back to the cabin after lunch, they chattered away as if they had to get it out before their quiet rest period.
We were almost to the cabin when someone called my name. I turned around and saw Christy walking heading in my direction.
“Shit,” Hannah muttered behind me and I sighed.
“Seriously. Wish me luck.” I headed towards Christy and met her at Cabin Fourteen. “Hey, Christy. What’s up?�
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She put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “So, was it all an act to try to get him to chase you or what?”
“What?” I shook my head quickly. “What do you mean?”
“Don’t act stupid because we both know you’re not. Was your plan to get your hooks into Drew all along?”
I shook my head again and let out a sigh. “No. Of course not. It just… happened.”
“Sure it did.” She stepped towards me with an angry look on her face but I didn’t retreat. “Now that the chase is over, it won’t last. He and I have a history, Shaylee. I know what he likes and what he needs. Don’t get comfortable.”
She didn’t wait for me to respond as she turned on her heel and walked back towards her cabin. I waited a minute before doing the same to mine. I didn’t go into the main cabin door just in case any of the girls were trying to nap and opted instead for the side door to the counselor room. As I turned the corner, I was surprised to find Drew leaning against the cabin near the door.
“I’m not going to lie… It feels good to be fought over,” he said with that cocky smile on his face. “I was just waiting for the hair pulling to start.”
I rolled my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he replied with a chuckle as he closed the distance between us. “Seriously, though, are you okay? What did she want?”
“She wanted to know if I’ve now achieved my endgame, which is apparently you.” I shook my head in annoyance. “Oh, and to warn me that you were only in it for the chase and that this won’t last through the summer.” I used my hand to gesture between the two of us.
“This,” Drew mimicked my gesture. “is none of her business.” He placed his hands on either side of my neck before smiling at me. “Please don’t listen to a word she says.”
“I haven’t before. Why would I start now?” I asked as I ran my hands up his chest. Drew leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips.
“I actually had a real reason for coming over,” he murmured as his thumbs swept against the charm on my neck before doing the same to my lips. “We’re still going out tomorrow night, right?”
I nodded and narrowed my eyes at him. “You trying to back out?”
“Hardly.” His mouth quirked into a smile. “Do you want to stay in town for the night? If so, I was going to bring a change of clothes with us.”
“I figured it would be easier.”
Drew just gazed at me for a moment, his blue-green eyes bright as they roamed my face. I waited for him to kiss me but he didn’t. He let his hands drop instead and took a step back.
“I’ll see you later?”
I furrowed my brow and stared as he took another step back. “Seriously?”
“No,” he answered with a chuckle as he surged forward and pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his came around my back as our mouths moved together like a synchronized dance. When we finally broke apart, I opened my eyes slowly and couldn’t help the smile that flit to my lips.
“Walking away without kissing you takes more strength than I have,” Drew whispered as the tip of his nose touched mine. “I’d rather run ten miles and you know how much I hate running.”
I laughed and kissed him once more before gently pushing on his chest. “That says a lot.” I moved towards the door and wiggled my fingers in a wave. “See you at dinner.”
“Bye, Shay.” Drew grinned and disappeared around the corner.
I walked into my room and Hannah was writing in her journal when she looked up at me.
“I was starting to worry that Christy killed you and buried your body somewhere.”
“I can see that you were very concerned.” I smiled at her and poked my head out into the main cabin. The girls were reading, painting each other’s nails, or writing in notebooks. No one even noticed me as I retreated back into our room. “We have a really good group of girls.”
“We do,” Hannah agreed as she closed her journal. “Are you sure you’re okay if I hang out with Jordan tomorrow night? I hate to abandon you on our day off.”
I nodded my head, toeing off my shoes so I could fall onto my bed. “It’s really fine, Han. I see you more than anyone else so spend time with Jordan. Drew and I are going to hang out.”
“Okay, good. Maybe we can meet for lunch on Thursday or something.”
“That would be great.” I watched as Hannah opened her journal back up and my eyes drooped until they were closed. It felt like just seconds later that she was shaking me awake and we were heading off to our afternoon activities. Hannah and I had lifeguard duty, arts and crafts, and obstacle center coaching for the afternoon.
We met our girls in the dining hall for dinner and they were eager to tell us their soccer game against Cabin Seven earlier.
“Six to two?” I asked, truly impressed. “You guys killed them.”
Maria nodded happily as she took a bite of her garlic bread. “They were talking so much trash. It was nice to rub their faces in the mud.”
“I wish we’d been there to see,” Hannah said as she grinned at the girls.
“Me, too,” I agreed. “We’re really proud of you.”
Lizzy was giving us the play-by-play during dessert when someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned and saw Keaton standing beside our table with a smile on his face. I stood and gave him a hug.
“Hey, stranger.”
Keaton’s grip was tight as he returned the embrace. “Hey, Shaylee.” He released his hold and took a step back as he gestured to the dining hall doors. “Do you have a second?”
“Yeah, sure.” I looked at Hannah questioningly and she nodded.
“We’re almost done. We’ll meet you outside.”
I followed Keaton and he led me to the small bench that was right outside the door.
“I wanted to apologize for asking you out and then disappearing,” he explained quietly as he sat and gestured to the spot next to him. “I had an emergency back home and had to go take care of it.”
With everything that had gone with camp beginning and falling into our routines, I’d actually forgotten about him asking me out. “Oh, that’s okay. I understand.”
“Good.” He reached out and tugged on a piece of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail. “I saw on the schedule that you’re off tomorrow night. Can I take you somewhere?”
I gave him an apologetic smile before shaking my head. “I already have plans tomorrow night.” For some reason, I felt like I had to add, “With Drew.”
“Drew?” Keaton’s eyes went wide with surprise and I wasn’t sure why. “Don’t you think that’s a little strange?”
I furrowed my brow in confusion and shook my head. “Why would that be strange?”
“Hey, Keaton.”
Both of us turned our heads to find the man in question walking towards us, his hands shoved into his pockets. Keaton gave him an annoyed look before jerking his chin towards him.
“Drew. What’s up?
Drew looked at Keaton before glancing at me. “One of your girls- Jenny, I think- is looking for you, Shay.”
“Jenny?” I stood quickly before looking at Keaton. “I’m sorry. Jenny has health issues. I have to go.”
I didn’t wait for him to answer as I powerwalked into the dining hall and back to the table. I immediately went to Jenny and crouched down next to her.
“Hey, you okay?”
She looked at me, surprise coloring her face, and nodded. “Oh, I was just wondering where you were.”
“Oh.” I released a relieved breath and nodded my head. “Okay. Well, I’m right here.”
The tone chimed over the intercom to let us know that dinner was over. I straightened up as the girls stood from the table and I followed the group out of the dining hall. I looked for Keaton and Drew when we made it outside but neither were anywhere to be seen.
Alexandra went to m
ail distribution at the rec center to pick up our cabin’s mail and we took the thirty minute respite to go through the letters and digest our food before heading to the treehouse for our final activity of the night. This was my favorite end of the day activity because we spent the hour sitting at top, overlooking the camp, and just chatting. The girls also loved doing the zip-line over and over and they were getting really good at it.
After we’d all taken the fun way out of the treehouse, we went back to the cabin and the girls began showering. Once everyone but me was clean, we played Twister in groups of five for a few rounds, everyone giggling uncontrollably after every round. When we were done playing, Hannah and I reminded them about our night off the next evening and rehashed the expectations we had for the ten of them.
I also spoke to them about potential pranks and got their input so I could shop while I was in town. The trick was going to be getting rid of Drew while I bought what I needed. The girls were on board, though, and they had a few ideas of their own.
I went for my run after the kids were in bed and grabbed a shower as soon as I was back. When we were up the next morning, Hannah and I changed our sheets so Joanne and Tammi would have someplace to sleep.
The day went by at a snail’s pace but when we made it back to the cabin at seven-thirty that evening, I was nervous. I didn’t understand why, especially since I’d obviously spent time and even the night with Drew before, but the butterflies raged like a hurricane in my stomach.
Although I’d technically asked Drew out, he’d planned the evening for us. Since he knew the town better than I did, it made sense. He told me to be ready by nine so we could make it to dessert by nine-thirty.
“That dress looks fantastic on you,” Hannah said when she came out of the bathroom. I tugged at the short-sleeves of the lilac-colored dress and sighed. It fell about mid-thigh, a bit shorter than I would have liked, and was modest in the front but showed a lot of bare back.
