Canyon Walls

by Julie Jarnagin

  “We constantly have to keep up with whatever his coworkers are doing—house, car, private school. His mom doesn’t think much of me. She thinks I purposefully don’t bring the kids over enough, but she doesn’t realize it’s hard work getting the kids loaded up and driving them by myself for three hours for such a short visit.” Her sister appeared so vulnerable.

  “I didn’t know,” Cassie said.

  “And then there is Mom,” her sister said. “She’s always asking me if I plan to finish college, which I tell her of course I would love to do, but it’s not the easiest thing to find the time and money with two kids.”

  Cassie didn’t know her mom saw Melissa as anything but perfect. She squeezed her sister’s arm. “You know I’m really proud of you.”

  Melissa laughed.

  “No, I’m serious. My baby sister has it all. She has a great husband and two girls, and she has done an amazing job raising them.”

  Melissa bit her bottom lip. “Thank you. It means a lot.”

  “I get so caught up with everything here, and sometimes I forget to tell you. I’m sorry for that.”

  Melissa smiled with her lips pressed together. “Mom told me about Will. Do you want to talk about it?”

  Cassie didn’t have the energy to be angry at her mom for telling Melissa. They talked every day, and keeping secrets wasn’t her mom’s strong point. She cringed when she thought about how much her mom might have told Will during their talk. “I don’t know.”

  An owl cried in the tree above her.

  “I’m sorry it didn’t work out with him,” Melissa said.

  Cassie felt an ache deep in her chest. She pulled her knees up against her body and leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know anything about him. I can’t believe anything he’s ever told me. The hardest part is he’s still the guy I fell for, but at the same time, he’s not.”

  Melissa took a long drink of water. “Love is hard. Daniel and I still have to work to keep ours strong.”

  “Really?”

  Melissa shrugged. “It’s tough to have your heart in someone else’s hands.”

  A lump formed in Cassie’s throat. “How do you know they won’t trample on it?”

  Melissa shook her head. “You don’t.”

  Cassie stared out into the darkness. “Then what makes love worth the risk?”

  Melissa leaned on the arm of the chair, and a shadow covered her face. “You still care about him, don’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Because I’ve never seen my big sister actually calculating the cost.”

  Cassie shook her head. “It’s too late for us. At this point I don’t even know how to fix it.”

  “Sure you do,” Melissa said.

  She looked at her sister. “I do?”

  Melissa opened her eyes wide. “Of course. Deep down you know.”

  Cassie had been thinking about Will from the moment he walked into her camp, and she still hadn’t figured him out. How could she know?

  Melissa leaned forward in her chair. “But usually whatever it is just seems too big or too difficult or too scary.”

  Cassie’s pulse raced.

  Melissa smiled. “If you love him, really love him, you’ll figure out how to do that big, scary thing.”

  Cassie felt like God had been chiseling away at all the darkest places of her heart during the past few weeks, and it had been difficult and painful. Right now she felt like He had cracked her heart wide open, and she knew what she had to do.

  Seventeen

  Will and his father walked out of the small room they used as their conference room. “Do you think you could get those estimates finished by the end of the week?” Will’s father asked.

  Since returning from the retreat, Will operated on autopilot. His attempts to make things right with Cassie had failed, and he came back to an office full of work to close the deal on Sunset Camp. “I’ll take care of it,” he told his father.

  “Will.” His sister smiled at him from the receptionist’s desk. She motioned her head toward the door. “Cassie is here to see you.”

  The air rushed out of him.

  Cassie stood at the front of the office, her hands hanging loose at her sides. “Hi, Will.”

  Hope sprung up in his chest, but he pushed it away. Cassie despised him. He had hurt her, and he was paying the price. What was she doing here?

  His father stepped between them. “Are you going to introduce us?”

  “Sure. I’m sorry,” Will said, floundering for the right words to say. “This is Cassie Langley, director of Sunset Camp.”

  His father reached a hand out to her.

  “Cassie, this is my father, Leonard Overman.”

  She looked pretty in jeans and a light blue top. Her face was pale, and she appeared more nervous than he had ever seen her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Will’s father clapped his hands together. “Well, what can we do for you, young lady?”

  Please don’t scare her away, Dad.

  She swallowed and stared at Will. “Um. Well, actually, I came to ask Will if his offer still stood.” Her voice shook.

  “Offer?” his father said. “What offer would that be?”

  Will waited for her answer.

  Cassie took a deep breath. “As you know, the camp is still in some financial trouble, and Will had kindly offered to help me work through some of those issues. Now I see how beneficial that could be for the camp, and I’ve rethought my refusal.”

  Will’s heartbeat pounded in his chest. Cassie was here with her guard down asking for him to come alongside her and save Sunset Camp.

  His dad shook his head. “I’m sorry, but it’s not quite that simple. We—”

  Will walked toward Cassie. “Dad, let her finish.”

  Cassie stood up straighter. “I know you’ve been working with Mr. Hartley to purchase the property, but if you consider the purpose of the camp and the good we could do there, you might reconsider.” Before giving them time to respond, Cassie said, “I respect that this is something you’ll need to talk about. I appreciate your time. Will knows where to reach me.”

  Cassie spun around and was out the door. Will followed her and caught her as she opened the door to her truck. “Wow. What just happened in there?”

  Her big brown eyes stared up at him. “I know it’s probably too late, but I’ve been pushing you away because I was afraid. It wasn’t fair to you or the camp.”

  He nodded, understanding how hard this was for her. “I’ll need to work out a lot of things with my family and Mr. Hartley. It’s not going to be easy.”

  Cassie nodded. “The board meeting is on Saturday, so there isn’t much time,” she said.

  A hundred questions ran through Will’s mind. Was it too late? Would his dad and brother agree to it? Could he get Marvin Hartley to agree to it? Would Cassie get scared and change her mind again?

  Cassie, the woman who lived her life wearing a suit of armor, had come to him and dropped her defenses. If she saw that she could trust him with this, maybe she would be able to trust him with her heart.

  Eighteen

  The next few days were a whirlwind for Cassie. Not only did she have a canyon full of campers, but she felt like she had left her heart with Will. With each day that passed without hearing from him, the more difficult it was to stay hopeful.

  No matter what happened with Will, she would do everything she could to make a case for the camp to the board.

  On Saturday morning the camp was eerily quiet, and today the silence haunted her. Beth had offered to help her set up for the board meeting, but Cassie had given her the day off. Mr. Hartley’s town car pulled into the canyon exactly an hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin. Cassie’s palms were damp and her eye twitched—not the first impression she wanted to make on the board.

  As the car approached, she saw Mr. Hartley was alone. His tie was tied tightly under a shirt collar that was turned up at the ends and badl
y in need of a pressing.

  After he parked he opened the trunk and pulled out a large box.

  “Can I help you with anything?” she asked as he approached.

  He hoisted it up in his arms. “No, I’m fine. Which room have you set up for our meeting?”

  She led him to the largest small-group area. Three long tables were set up in a U shape. In front of each chair, Cassie had placed a booklet of papers complete with financial information, bios on the staff at the camp, a list of campers, and even copies of touching letters she had received from campers.

  He handed her a stack of papers to be laid out at each chair. “We’ll need three more chairs. The Overmans will be in attendance.”

  She nodded, but inside she felt nauseous. Will not telling her he would be there and having his family with him were both signs of bad news. Her legs wobbled as she carried three more chairs into the room and made copies of her presentation.

  Once everything was ready, she sat in one of the seats and waited, but eventually her nerves kicked into high gear. She needed to escape the walls that seemed to be closing in on her. She headed across the camp to the chapel. The air inside was warm and still, and light poured in through the stained-glass windows.

  She rubbed her hands together trying to work out the nerves. She broke a spiderweb from the wall with the tip of her finger and walked to the small wooden railing. She placed her knees on the red velvet cushion on the bottom and leaned her body weight onto her elbows on the wooden rail.

  Everything she carried with her was too heavy to bear. She had prayed so hard for God to save the camp. She had even listened to Him when He led her to accept Will’s help. Had God abandoned her, too? She had been let down so many times—by her father, by Will. Her soul felt clenched like white knuckles on the steering wheel, driving through the pouring rain. She had been holding on so tightly for so long, she wasn’t sure she knew how to let go.

  “Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

  She remembered the verse from the day she asked Mr. Hartley to give her a chance to fight for the camp. A tear fell on her folded hands, and she realized they were streaming down her cheeks. She couldn’t do it anymore, not alone. She needed God’s help. It wasn’t in her hands, and she accepted that.

  The heaviness lifted off her chest and head. God didn’t tell her He would save the camp or if she would still have her job, but He was going to take care of her. Her heart overflowed with faith that He was in control.

  When she returned to the meeting room, the board members were filing through the door. Will Overman stood in the room with his back to Cassie. He wore a gray suit and worked setting up an easel and a presentation board covered in charts and figures. His brother sat at the table and flipped through the reports in front of him, and Will’s father stood in the corner of the room, talking to one of the board members.

  When Will turned and looked at her, Cassie felt hollow.

  Mr. Hartley stood in front of the group before Will had an opportunity to speak to her. He appeared even more nervous and flustered than usual. “Because we have guests in our meeting today who would like to be a part of the discussion about the issues we are facing with this particular camp, I would like to begin with that item on the agenda.”

  Cassie couldn’t bear to look at Will.

  Mr. Hartley held up one of the stapled stacks of paper he had brought with him. “You should all be familiar with the financial outlook of the camp because we’ve gone over it during the last two meetings. You should all have a copy in front of you for your review.”

  The room filled with the sound of pages flipping. Mr. Hartley led them through all the details of the camp, realities Cassie lived with every day. According to the numbers they looked at, it would be a better financial decision to close Sunset Camp and integrate all the camps held there into the nearest camp in another part of the state.

  Mr. Hartley pointed at Cassie. “Miss Langley, who is serving as the interim director, would like to say a few words and present some information about the camp to us before we vote. If you have any questions, I’m sure she would also be happy to entertain those as well.”

  He nodded to Cassie who stood and walked on shaky legs to the front of the long table.

  Will’s eyes were on her, but Cassie avoided his gaze. Instead she made eye contact with the board members waiting for her to speak.

  “Honestly,” she said, trying to hide the tremble in her voice, “I may not be the most objective person to look at whether or not the camp should stay open. This isn’t because I would lose my job, but because God used this camp to change my life when I was a camper, and I have seen Him change countless other lives here.”

  Will leaned forward in his chair.

  “So I believe I have a lot of vital information for you on where the money is and where the camp is going that could help you see why this camp should survive. But in all actuality, I believe this camp should be here because God does some great work down here in this canyon. I understand that this is a business decision, and I respect that. Please also consider the impact this camp has on the hearts of everyone who comes here.”

  The board members stared at her without expression on their faces. Cassie led the group through the factors and numbers that Mr. Hartley didn’t present, including the reasons the outgo appeared larger this year because of all the old debts and bills the former director had failed to pay. “Finally, I’d like to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak here today. If you take one thing away from what I’ve said, please know that if you give this camp more time, we can turn it around. Think of the history and the effect it has had on the lives of so many. It deserves another chance.”

  When she sat, no one said a word; they only stared at her.

  “Are there any questions or comments?” Mr. Hartley asked from his seat.

  “I was a camper here,” a woman in a suit jacket said. She looked out the window wistfully. She pointed toward the canyon wall. “I was right over there when I became a Christian during a small-group meeting.”

  Another board member leaned over and patted her arm.

  After the room was silent for a moment, Mr. Hartley said, “I think we should move on. We still need to give Mr. Overman the chance to speak.”

  Cassie’s face and neck burned as she watched Will take the floor. She focused on breathing, hoping she could sit through what he had to say. Will straightened his tie as he walked by Cassie.

  “I would like to begin by thanking Mr. Hartley for allowing me, my father, Leonard, and my brother Connor to be here today. I think we’ve come up with some great plans for the camp if you decide to go in this direction, and after looking at the numbers, I think you’ll agree.”

  Cassie held her breath and braced herself for everything to fall apart. He stared straight at Cassie as he spoke, but she broke his gaze.

  “I’m pleased to say we’re here to offer our time and our combined years of experience to make sure this camp survives. We’ve decided that it’s important for the area to have a place like Sunset Camp, and I think we can help.”

  Cassie looked up at Will, her mouth open in disbelief. He nodded at her.

  “I think there are some opportunities for additional income for the camp if we just take advantage of them. I’ve done some research on camps with similar facilities bringing in about half of their income by making the facilities available for renting and even catering from the cafeteria. With the facilities and talented staff already here, I think it could be a smooth transition, and we wouldn’t have to sacrifice the original vision for the camp.”

  The board members nodded as he spoke. Will continued to explain all the ways he had mapped out for the camp to get back on its financial footing. Cassie struggled to hold back the tears.

  When Will finished his presentation, Mr. Hartley asked them to leave the room so they could discuss the item and vote. Cassi
e, Will, Connor, and Leonard filed out of the room. Connor and Leonard flipped open their mobile phones and headed out in different directions.

  When she and Will walked toward the grass, Cassie reached out and wrapped her arms around him, almost knocking him backward. “I don’t know how I could ever thank you for what you’ve done.”

  He hugged her back. “This is enough.”

  She pulled back to see his face. “I mean it. I turned you away so many times. I couldn’t have blamed you if you hadn’t bothered to help me.”

  His eyes were warm, and his face relaxed. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you I would be here.”

  She smiled at him. It was impossible for her to be irritated after what he had done for her. “Why didn’t you?”

  Will shook his head. “There was no time. I didn’t want to say anything until I was absolutely sure, and it took every minute I had to convince Mr. Hartley and my father that it was the right thing to do.”

  Cassie looked to the window of the meeting room. The faces at the table all turned up to Mr. Hartley. “What made Mr. Hartley change his mind?”

  “Well, Hartley had a hard time with the concept of a developer working with one of his camp directors.”

  “Why?” Cassie asked.

  “According to him, Henry Mason was letting the camp crash because another developer agreed to cut him in on the deal.”

  Cassie shook her head in disbelief, but it explained all the incorrect books and the unpaid debts. “I can’t believe he would do that.”

  “It made Mr. Hartley extra cautious about us working together, and from what I hear around town, everyone thinks we have a relationship outside of camp business anyway.”

  They would have plenty to talk about now. Cassie laughed. “What about your dad?”

  Will stared out toward the nurse’s cabin where Will’s father stood on the porch on the phone. “It took him a few days, but he came around. It’s not hard to see how many lives this place has changed.”

  Cassie thought about how much his family must have given up for Will to do what he did.

  “Plus, I told him how I feel about you. You wouldn’t ever guess it, but he’s a romantic at heart. Just ask my mom.”