Summer by the Lake

by Kay Gordon

  “I’m not sure. I just woke up and thought I heard something. When I went to investigate, I saw this woman in a tiny pair of sleep shorts and a hoodie, grinning as she pulled on a really disturbing clown mask. I was torn between being horrified and being turned on.”

  “Those were the two desired effects, honestly.” I had to resist sighing as I ran my eyes down his body. He looked almost too good in nothing but a pair of sleep shorts and flip flops. “You know it would have been amazing if I’d woken the boys up by standing over them, right?”

  Drew visibly shuddered at the thought. “They would have nightmares for years. That mask is seriously terrifying.”

  “It really is.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “Your girlfriend, huh?”

  “I thought that was obvious, honestly. I finally have you and I’m not letting you go, Shay.” He placed a kiss on the side of my head and I had to resist swooning.

  The rest of the walk was silent and Drew pressed another soft kiss to my lips when we made it to the side door of my cabin.

  “You’re the only person who can wake me up in the middle of the night and I won’t mind.”

  “Ditto, handsome.” I wrapped my arms around him and let my cheek rest against his bare chest. “Goodnight.”

  He kissed the top of my head before letting me go. “Goodnight, babe.”

  I waved to him before disappearing inside. Hannah was asleep and I didn’t bother waking her as I kicked off my sandals so I could slide under the covers.

  “We found your can of tuna fish,” Drew declared after breakfast the next morning. We were all walking out of the dining hall and he caught up to drop his arm over my shoulders. “Nice touch.”

  I’d briefed everyone on my accomplished pranks and my not-so-accomplished pranks from the night before. All of the girls teased me for getting caught and Hannah had declared that we had to find a way to get the mask back before they decided to turn the tables and use it on us.

  I grinned and turned to wink at Lizzy on my other side. They’d only found one can. “I was hoping you wouldn’t realize it was there until after a nice, warm day.”

  “We gave you points for the clown even though you were caught,” Jordan told me from the other side of Hannah, who was trying to push him away. “A couple of our kids admitted that you still scared them.”

  I smirked and nodded slightly. “I knew it.”

  “Don’t be mad, Han,” he said to my friend, whose face was painted with irritation. “You can’t even tell your skin was red.”

  He was wrong. Hannah looked like she had a really bad sunburn all over her body. I didn’t say that, though, and instead kept the kids with me as she stopped to chew out Jordan.

  Our campers wanted to spend all of Sunday at the lake as usual, but Hannah and I were able to compromise with them. We rode bikes before lunch and spent the afternoon in the water. The girls were getting really good at both the kayaks and the paddleboards.

  Cabin Seven swam with us for most of the time and I was happy to see the kids bonding. By the time we were getting out of the lake, Kevin had worked up the courage to ask Thalia to the dance and I hid my pleased smile really well. One down, nine to go.

  “We’re going to head back and shower before the movie,” Jordan told Hannah as we began to amble back to the cabins. “Smelling like the lake while sitting next to a bunch of kids for two hours who also smell like the lake isn’t too appealing.”

  “Good idea,” I replied, keeping my poker face securely attached. “We should do the same. We’ll see you guys at dinner.”

  Drew squeezed my hand and dropped it so they could head off in the direction of the boys section. As soon as they were out of earshot, my grin broke free. I was really glad that we were coming to the moratorium of pranks because the boys were going to be bloodthirsty for revenge.

  After doing a test run in our bathrooms to make sure they hadn’t been tampered with, everyone took a quick shower. I didn’t bother drying my hair and chose to let the wet strands fall down my face as I dressed in a pair of shorts, my camp shirt, and my hoodie. The last girl was ready with five minutes to spare and we headed to the dining hall.

  Cabin Seven showed up for dinner fifteen minutes late and Drew narrowed his eyes as soon as they met mine. I offered him up a sweet smile, playing innocent, and I could tell he was trying not to smile. He gestured for everyone to go get food before walking over to where we were sitting.

  “Imagine our surprise when we walked into our cabin and the smell of tuna was overpowering.” His hands squeezed my shoulders gently when my girls started to snicker. “How many cans are there?”

  I twisted my head so I could look up at him, batting my eyelashes as I did. “Just the two.”

  “Uh huh. Well, once we finally found that can, we started showering. Weird how we were all sticky when we got out.”

  “You have to use soap, Moore,” I said sarcastically. “That’s how you get clean.”

  “It wasn’t until after my own shower that I started investigating,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “Lifesavers in the showerhead was smart. The water ran clear and if there was any sort of odor, we couldn’t detect it thanks to the tuna. Everyone was insanely sticky no matter how much they washed.”

  Everyone at our table started giggling and I snorted as I tried to hold in my own laughter. “I was busy last night.”

  “It would seem so. You ladies are a force to be reckoned with.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and didn’t say anything else as he headed to the buffet line to get some food.

  We all exchanged victory high-fives and went back to eating our dinner. We were done before the boys were and went ahead to the media center without them. I noticed that the girls saved seats once they were sitting and I couldn’t help but smile.

  When Cabin Seven showed up, they didn’t hesitate to sit with the girls. Some of the kids ribbed each other and a few sent scathing glares, but they were already getting along better than they had in weeks.

  “The moratorium was a good idea,” Drew murmured behind me and his warm arms came around my middle seconds later. “My sources tell me that two more of my boys are planning on asking some of your girls to the dance tonight.”

  I let my head drop to the shoulder behind me. “Good. I’m pretty sure Cate is going to ask Luka, too.” I turned so my nose was pressed into his throat and let out a small huff of laughter. “You smell like candy.”

  “Still? I scrubbed my skin at least four times.” Drew dropped a cheek to the top of my head and sighed. I kissed his warm skin and pulled myself from his hold.

  “It could be worse. You could smell like the tuna fish.”

  He laughed loudly, drawing attention from all around us. “Touché, babe. How many cans are there really?”

  My only response was to twist my head and shoot a wink in his direction, earning me another laugh.

  We settled into seats behind our kids and Hannah took the spot next to me, offering up the bag of popcorn she’d taken from the snack table. I shoved some of the buttery kernels into my mouth as the lights went dark and Moana started.

  “I love the girl power in this movie,” my roommate murmured to me about halfway through and I nodded in agreement, lifting my hand so she could high-five me.

  The best part of the movie was how the majority of the campers sang along to the songs. It didn’t matter if they were third graders or tenth graders- they loved the soundtrack. Hell, a lot of the counselors were singing, too.

  When we went to bed later that night, I was hit with the overwhelming realization that the campers would be gone four weeks from that moment. Time was passing by too quickly, just like when I was a child. I missed my friends, my family, and my own bed but there wasn’t any point in trying to deny that camp made me happy. The kids, the counselors, the activities, and… the guy.

  How the hell had Drew come to mean so much to me in such a short period of time?

  Des
pite my exhaustion, that question swirling around in my head kept me up until well after midnight.

  Chapter Twenty

  The moratorium wasn’t only good for the relationships between our cabins, but it was good for my sanity. It was nice to come back for our rest period or at night and not have to worry about tampering. I was still weary of the toothpaste, though. That damn mayonnaise had scarred me for life.

  Our schedules changed on the first day of week five to give us some variety. We would still have free days on Sundays but the different activities the campers went to and the activities the counselors oversaw had been rotated.

  The shake-up was a nice change of pace, especially since we no longer had archery duty at all. Golf was still on our schedule unfortunately, but I would take it.

  As we approached Friday, the entire camp was buzzing with excitement from the upcoming activities. It didn’t matter if they were going to the ball or the field movies, the campers were excited. That excitement was on overdrive with our girls. The hairstyles were planned out, the dresses were showed off, and everyone giggled about the dates that had been planned at that point.

  The day of the ball, activities were dismissed at five so the entire camp could eat earlier. I had to force a few of the girls to actually put food in their stomachs when they were too nervous to eat full meals. There would be snacks and refreshments at the ball but I doubted any of them would stop to eat once they started dancing.

  After dinner was over, we headed back to the cabin and everyone started showering. I took a quick one myself and headed out to the main part of the cabin in shorts, a t-shirt, and wet hair to help the girls.

  “Okay, all done.” I set the curling iron down and sprayed Jenny’s hair one last time. “Go look in the mirror and tell me what you think.”

  Hannah and I had been doing hair for over an hour and Jenny was the last one. Han was in our room getting herself ready and I waited to make sure Jenny was satisfied before I stood to go do the same.

  “What do you think?” Hannah asked when I closed our door behind me. She was wearing sleeveless sky-blue dress that had a repeating gold chevron pattern across it. The skirt of it fell almost to her knees and it hugged her in all of the right places. It was modest yet sexy and perfect for an event with the kids. She’d left her hair straight and braided some of it into a half-updo, somehow causing the pink strands to stand out more.

  “You look amazing,” I said with a slight shake of my head. “That dress is perfect for tonight.”

  She twirled once, still in her bare feet, and gestured to the bathroom. “Come on. I’ll curl your hair.”

  Once my brown hair was curled, she pulled it into a low updo on the back of my head and I hurried to apply a light layer of make-up. As soon as I was done in the bathroom, I slipped into the coral pink lace dress I’d brought just for the formal. With the halter tie, it ensured that I didn’t show any cleavage but my shoulders were completely on display. It dropped to my knees and I was pairing it with the same shoes I’d worn the last time I’d gone to town with Drew.

  “Perfect, Shay.” Hannah grinned and strapped on her sandals. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded and stood from the bed with my own shoes on. “Let’s do it.”

  We moved back out to the main area and the girls were buzzing with excitement. All of them were in dresses, with the exception of Jenny and Emma, who were both wearing leggings instead. Hannah clapped her hands twice and beamed at our campers.

  “Let’s go, ladies.”

  The group of us followed the path towards the rec hall and I could hear music playing the closer we got. When it finally came into view, campers from different cabins were joining up and heading inside. Drew and Jordan were outside waiting with a small group of their boys and they both smiled when they saw us.

  Boys from Cabin Seven, along with a few from other cabins, came and met up with our girls. Of the ten, six of them had dates and the other four were perfectly happy going in with each other. Hannah and I watched the couples pair up and we stayed outside until all of our girls had gone in.

  Drew walked towards me wearing a pair of black slacks, cream-colored dress shirt, and a navy blue tie around his neck. He’d trimmed his beard but his brown hair was just as disheveled, as if he’d just taken off his hat, and I loved it that way.

  “Hey,” he murmured, one of his hands moving to rest at my waist while the other tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. A soft smile was on his lips as he looked at me. “You look beautiful.”

  I shiver ran down my spine when the tips of his fingers grazed my cheek. “Thank you. You clean up well, Moore. If I’d know this is what you looked like in a tie, I might have been nicer to you on the first day.”

  “I don’t know. I kind of preferred our rivalry.” He grinned and held out his arm for me. “It was sort of like foreplay.”

  “Right,” I replied with a laugh, taking his arm and letting him lead us into the rec center. The muffled music blasted us as we walked through the door and I felt like I’d been transported back in time.

  The first dance I’d ever been to at Camp Holcomb had been Kira’s last year. It was just a few months after we found out the tumors had come back and we were living it up to the fullest. Weeks before summer started, she had helped me pick out the dress I’d take for the ball and given me her best advice.

  One of the boys from the seventh grade cabin had asked me to go with him and it was the first ‘date’ I’d ever been on. He and I didn’t really spend too much time together once we got to the ball, but we’d shared a few awkward dances. I’d ended up hanging out with Kira and AJ instead and felt like the coolest person ever to be spending time with the older tenth graders.

  Like it had been all of the years before, the games and furniture had been removed, leaving the rec center completely open. Silver and Green decorations were hung everywhere and strings of lights in the same colors cast a glow around the area. A DJ was set up in the corner, opposite of where the refreshments were, and a photographer was set up near the entryway. A few kids were already dancing but most of them were in small clusters, just talking.

  “Let’s get a picture taken,” Drew said, his lips at my ear so I could hear him, and I let him lead me to where the small line to get photos done was. We waited our turn to stand in front of the white backdrop and I felt like I was sixteen years old all over again.

  “Good, now put your hands on the lady’s waist,” the photographer said and Drew obliged before pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

  We took several pictures and moved to where Hannah and Jordan were standing off to the side. Jordan was dressed similarly to Drew, although I didn’t think he looked quite as handsome. I’m sure Hannah would have disagreed.

  “Do the kids stay clumped together like that all night?” she asked, swaying slightly to the music and it was Drew who answered first.

  “Nah. They’ll migrate to the dance floor soon enough.”

  The song changed to “Can’t Stop the Feeling” by Justin Timberlake and I grinned up at my boyfriend. “I know a way to encourage that.”

  With Drew following behind me, I moved to the dance floor and turned to face him once we were in the middle. My hips moved on their own and Drew grinned at me before doing the same. The last time we’d danced together, both of us had been drinking and our moves had been sloppy. We were much more coordinated without the alcohol and a few other counselors joined us on the floor almost immediately.

  By the time the song changed to Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”, the dance floor was packed. The smile felt stuck to my face as I looked around and found many of my own campers letting loose. Drew kept one of his hands on my waist and I turned in his hold so I could loop my arms around his neck.

  We stayed on the dance floor for two more songs, including some slow Miley Cyrus song where Drew held me close and swayed our bodies slowly. After that was over, we moved towards the refreshment table to get som
e water.

  He twisted the cap off of my water before handing it to me. “Having fun?”

  “I am.” I took a long drink and smiled at him. “Are you?”

  “I can honestly say this is the best ball I’ve been to in all of my years coming to Camp Holcomb.”

  We stood at the table for a few minutes, interacting with campers and counselors as they dropped by to get drinks, too. May was among the staff chaperoning the dance and she came over to hug both Drew and I before giving us knowing looks as she walked away.

  “Walk with me?” Drew asked a few minutes later, holding out his hand. I nodded and placed my palm against his, letting him lead me towards the exit. I caught Hannah’s eye and jerked my head towards the door. She smiled in understanding and nodded once.

  We stepped outside and the music became muffled the moment the door shut behind us, cutting off the Katy Perry song that had been playing. The night air was cool and humid but welcoming after being stuck inside the rec center for almost two hours.

  “Where are we going?”

  Drew smiled and shrugged his shoulders, keeping his hand tightened around my own as we walked. “I just need a moment to admire my beautiful girlfriend without that terrible music. Let’s walk to the treehouse.”

  The two of us strolled across the campus towards the treehouse, opposite of where the students who didn’t attend the dance were watching movies. Thousands of stars were viewable in the dark night and fireflies glowed all around us. Despite being in the middle of a busy camp, it was quiet. Peaceful. I couldn’t have envisioned a more romantic setting if I’d tried.

  “Have I told you amazing you look?” he asked, bringing our conjoined hands up so he could kiss the top of mine. “Because I seriously can’t take my eyes off of you.”

  I shrugged and let my head drop to one of his shoulders. “You are good for my ego Drew Moore.”

  “I’m only being honest.” He paused for a moment, and I could almost feel the hesitation rolling off of him. “In the spirit of honestly, I want to tell you something.”