“I want you all to follow this path, and when you get to the clearing take a seat on one of the wooden seats. Tommy?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Call me Cooper. That goes for all of you. My name is Cooper, and as you pass me I would like you to tell me the name of the person behind you.”
He assumed all the kids knew each other’s name already, and if not, it was a good exercise for them to get to know one another.
“Tommy, I want you to lead the way.”
“All right!” He tossed his hand in the air and hurried to the front. “Come on guys and lady,” he emphasized. “Kayla, you can stand behind me.”
Not only was this kid a natural born leader he was a ladies’ man. Cooper didn’t want to pick favorites, but this kid was making it hard not to.
A single file line formed, and as Tommy led the way, Cooper learned the names of each of his campers, making sure everyone stayed on track to the clearing. The last thing he needed was to lose a kid on the first day.
Once everyone found a cut piece of wood to sit on, he walked to the middle of the circle. All eyes were on him, and he thought about the summer when he was one of the kids, staring up at Bob and waiting to hear about all of the cool things he had planned for the summer. Cooper remembered being so excited for what was to come, and he hoped he would be able to put that same kind of enthusiasm into these kids.
“Now that I know everyone’s name we can get started.”
“Are we going to look for moose?” Kyle asked.
“I don’t think so,” Cooper said, and Kyle looked up at him with annoyance on his face.
“That’s lame.” Kyle crossed his arms over his chest and slouched forward in disappointment.
This was not going the way he wanted it to. He should’ve known he’d have a wiseass in his group. It was the first day, though, and he didn’t want to send the little punk home disappointed.
“Tell you what, Kyle. If you behave for the rest of the summer, meaning I never have to take you aside and have a conversation, then on our last day I will take you to look for moose.”
“You’re not pulling my chain, are you?”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Cooper said. “The first thing about the wilderness is always be honest with the people you are with. If you want to have any chance at survival, you need to be able to trust each other. Got it?”
He received a collective nod from all the kids and felt relief as he continued on, explaining what he had in store for them for the rest of the summer.
“You’ll learn about animal tracks, how to identify the animal, how long it’s been since they’d been by, and if they’re travelling alone. That way you can prevent yourself from coming face to face with something you might not want.”
“Like a lion!” Tommy said.
“There are no lions in New Hampshire, stupid.”
“Hey,” Cooper said, pointing his finger and feeling very much like an adult. “There will be no name calling. That’s strike one. Two more and no moose expedition.”
“Fine,” Kyle grumbled, slouching forward again.
“While there aren’t lions in these woods, there are bobcats. Lucky for us, they’re usually more scared of us than we are of them. They are nocturnal. Does anyone know what that means?”
“They only come out at night like bats!” Kayla called out.
“Exactly. But in the winter, they are known to come out during the day in order to hunt for prey.”
“Have you ever seen one before?” Robbie, a dark-skinned boy with black hair said.
“I have.”
“Liar!” Kyle called out, and Cooper was tempted to give him another strike, but he had a feeling the kid needed a little leniency.
“There was a den up by my parents’ farm when I was a kid. We left them alone and eventually they moved on. I’ve also seen a lion in the wild,” he said, knowing if he was a kid he’d be fascinated by the idea.
“Yeah right,” Kyle said, and at this point Cooper just chuckled at his lack of belief.
“Where?” Rico asked his eyes wide with curiosity.
“Africa. Tanzania to be exact.”
“No way!” Tommy and a few of the other boys said.
“What else did you see?”
“Giraffes, hippos, gorillas, zebra, elephants, and a rhino.”
All eyes stared up at him like he was the most interesting thing on the planet; even Kyle’s mouth was ajar as he listened. Apparently, Cooper had converted the skeptic.
He spent the next ten minutes answering questions about all the animals he had seen. At one point, he felt like he was being interrogated with the way the questions flew out of these kids. As soon as he answered one, three more were flung his way. But it was as if he was made for this—sharing his adventures with these kids who genuinely cared. Maybe he would plant a seed in their heads and some of them would become world travelers themselves.
He looked down at his watch, amazed at how quickly their time had passed. Earlier in the day he had no idea how he would keep ten kids occupied for six hours, and here he was not ready to say goodbye yet.
Tommy, his little leader of the pack, led the kids back to the main area where they could meet their parents. Cooper followed closely behind, making sure each kid arrived safely.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow. Remember sunscreen, bug spray, and what else?”
“Sneakers,” they said in unison.
He had been surprised to see some of the kids wearing flip-flops. For what he had planned that wasn’t going to work. Safety was the number one factor when it came to working with these kids. He was responsible for them, and he wasn’t going to let them get hurt because they weren’t wearing the proper footwear.
He gave each kid a high five as they made their way to where their parents were waiting to pick them up near the parking lot.
One of the other counselors, Shelley—who couldn’t have been a day over eighteen—approached him. “Hi Cooper. How was your first day?” she asked a slight blush spreading across her cheeks.
“Went really well. How about you? Handling that group of girls okay?” Shelley was with a group of girls that ranged between the ages of eleven and twelve. If given the choice between gauging his eyeballs out with dull pencils or taking that group, Cooper would definitely choose the pencils.
“Oh you know it’s easy for me. I remember being that young,” she said as if she was twenty years their senior instead of six which made Cooper laugh. Cooper could tell when a girl was trying to flirt with him, and he needed to put an end to this before she got any ideas in her head.
“It wasn’t that long ago. I remember when you were a little girl in pigtails coming to the Fall Festival and fighting with your mom over not wanting to leave the bounce house.”
A flash of embarrassment streaked across her face, and while Cooper felt a little bad, he knew it couldn’t have been helped. It was better to nip it in the bud.
“That was like forever ago,” she said with a wave of her hands. “Oh, my ride’s here. I’ll talk to you later.” Shelley ran off, and Cooper sighed in relief.
“Cooper! Cooper!” He heard Tommy calling his name just before the little guy grabbed his hand. “Come meet my mom.”
“Okay buddy, lead the way since you’re so good at it.” He followed Tommy, and when they broke through the now dwindling crowd of campers and parents, his heart slammed against his chest.
“Mom! This is my counselor, Cooper. Cooper this is my mom. She worries a lot so she wanted to meet you.”
“You?” Sarah exclaimed. Her shocked tone a reflection of exactly how he felt.
Tommy turned back to Sarah, tugging on her blouse and causing the V neck to dip even lower, reminding him of what was beneath the white fabric. “Mom, Cooper went to Africa and he saw elephants and lions and giraffes. Can we go to Africa?”
“Tommy, get in the car,” Sarah said, her voice calm and cool even though he could still see the shock in her dark brown eyes.
“But Mom!”
Sarah knelt down to Tommy’s level. “I can’t wait to hear all about your day, but I want to talk to Cooper for a minute. Is that okay?”
“I guess so.”
“I’ll be right there. Promise.”
Sarah waited for Tommy to get in the car before she turned back to him.
“You’re Tommy’s mom?” Cooper asked, knowing the information as it was just displayed right in front of him, but he couldn’t seem to wrap his head around it. Of all the kids, all the camps, her son just happened to be in his group for the next two weeks. What the hell were the chances?
“Yes, and I want to make sure that he never finds out anything about us.”
Frustration boiled beneath the surface, and Cooper stepped closer to her, lowering his voice so not to draw attention. “What do you think? That I’m going to brag about it to a seven-year-old? Give me some credit for crying out loud.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I just don’t know how to navigate this. You and Tommy were supposed to be two completely separate parts of my life and somehow this happened.” An annoyed laugh slipped from her pretty lips. “I swear someone up there must hate me.”
“Or maybe someone up there is trying to tell you something.”
“And what exactly would that be?”
“That you shouldn’t try to keep your life in parts. Maybe someone is trying to tell you that there’s no reason why you can’t have all of it.”
He had been terrified at the thought of her having a kid, but now that he knew Tommy was her kid it didn’t bother him like the thought once did. Tommy was a cool fucking kid with a good head on his shoulders. He wouldn’t mind spending time with him, especially if it meant he could spend time with Sarah.
She ran a hand through her hair. “I’m not doing this right now.”
“Doing what? Listening to the voice of reason?”
“Is that what you think you are?”
“Someone has to be. You’re so stuck in your head, lost in this stupid notion where you can’t have a social life when really the only person you’re hurting is yourself.”
“I said I’m not doing this.”
“Fine. Walk away. I’m getting pretty used to seeing your back anyway.”
“Me?” she snapped, causing a few people to look their way. She stepped closer to him, and he had to swallow down the desire to snake his hand around her waist and yank her up against him. “You’re the one that keeps leaving. At Matt and Shay’s you walked away first. At Ellie’s store, you again.”
“So, you’re paying attention?”
“What is that even supposed to mean?”
“It just seems that you’re so consumed in your own life that it’s a surprise you see anyone else but yourself.”
“That’s where you’re going with this? Really? That’s real mature, Cooper.”
“What can I say? The truth hurts sometimes.”
Her lip twitched with annoyance and it was the sexiest damn thing. He wanted to take that lip between his teeth and nibble on the plump flesh while he ran his hands over her body.
She held up both of her hands, taking a deep breath. “This isn’t going to work.”
“What isn’t going to work?”
“This.” She waved her finger between them and then turned her attention to Tommy who was staring down at a tablet. “You being his counselor. I don’t want to but I think I have to pull him from your group.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“I don’t know how else we can make this work.”
“Easy. You drop him off just like you did this morning and you pick him up just like you’re doing now. We never have to see each other if that’s what you want.”
She was quiet for a second, and Cooper wondered what the hell was going through her mind. She was a hard person to crack, and he never knew what she was thinking. Even if he could get a peek on the inside, he had a feeling it would be a complicated web that he wouldn’t be able to decipher anyway.
“I don’t want that,” she said so softly he almost didn’t hear her.
“You don’t?”
She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes catching his and slaying him into a thousand pathetic little pieces. “Of course I don’t. But it’s not about what I want. I have to do what is right for my son, and I’m sorry if you don’t understand that, but that’s just how it has to be.”
“I get it.”
“Wait what? You do?”
“Tommy’s a great kid. Really special. Most kids don’t just turn out that way on their own. Whatever you’re doing, you’re doing it right.”
He hoped his words would take back the previous ones he had said a couple of months ago.
A smile touched the edge of her mouth, and he wanted to kiss it so he could watch it spread further. But then he saw the tears in her eyes, and all he wanted to do was pull her against him and comfort her.
“You have no idea how much that means to me.”
He reached forward, tucking her hair behind her ear because he couldn’t stand being that close to her for another second without touching her. “I think I do.”
When she blinked up the tears were gone, but her eyes still shimmered. “I should go.”
“Only if you promise you won’t punish Tommy because of us.”
“He’ll see you tomorrow morning,” she said and stepped back, making him feel the loss of her closeness almost instantly.
He didn’t want to let her go, but she wasn’t his. Not yet at least. She would be, though. He was sure of it now.
She rounded the car, and he called out to her. She stopped, looking back at him.
“Congratulations by the way.”
“For what?”
“On your new-found fame. I knew you could do it. I had no doubts.”
She pulled the sunglasses off her head and slipped them over her eyes. “Don’t worry, I won’t forget the little people,” she said and just like that, the Sarah that she kept hidden so deep inside came out to play.
Chapter 11
She wasn’t sick. Nope. Absolutely not. She did not have time to be sick. Not when she had a flood of new orders sitting in her inbox and another hundred emails she hadn’t even opened yet. Her to-do list needed its own to-do list. This was the worst possible time to not be a hundred percent.
And it was the summer. Who got sick in the summer? Definitely not her. But she couldn’t ignore the boulder that decided to implant itself in her nasal cavity. She had to have swallowed rocks because why else would her throat hurt so damn bad?
It was okay. This was nothing some vitamins, a little cough medicine and a nasal decongestant couldn’t fix. Luckily, she still had some in the house from when Tommy got sick this past winter. She was a mom damn it, and she could handle a small case of the sniffles.
She went to the kitchen made herself a cup of hot green tea and downed the recommended doses. Once the meds kicked in she would be as good as new.
Her cell phone rang, and she looked at the screen, immediately answering it when she saw Bex’s name pop up.
“Hey Sarah. You busy?”
“No, not at all.”
“You okay? You don’t sound right.”
“Just a little cold. No big deal. What can I do for you today?”
“I’m doing the cover for Vogue.”
“Oh my god, that’s amazing. Congratulations!”
“Thank you. Now this is the best part. Are you sitting? Because you should be sitting.”
Sarah sat down in one of the chairs at the kitchen table, the movement using way too much energy and causing her to slump forward. “I’m sitting,” she said.
“Perfect. Because this is going to knock you on your ass. They loved the necklace you made me, the one to go with the coral dress so much that they want me to wear it on the cover.”
“My necklace? On the cover of Vogue?”
“Isn’t that fantastic?”
Sarah didn’t know wh
at to say. That magazine was an iconic symbol of fashion. She grew up flipping through the pages, admiring the models, the clothes, the jewelry, and hairstyles. Never in a million years would she ever have imagined that one of her own pieces would one day grace the pages, no less the cover.
She was speechless. There were no words to even begin to describe the emotions running through her.
“Sarah, you there?”
“Yeah,” she managed, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know if you heard me. Your necklace is going to be on the cover of Vogue.”
No matter how many times Bex said it, it just didn’t seem to sink in. It was a dream come true.
“I heard you,” Sarah finally said. “I’m just…”
“Speechless? I figured as much. Take some time to process.”
“Okay.”
“Listen, they need me back on set, but I’d love to discuss a few other things with you. Can I call you later?”
“Absolutely!”
“Awesome. Talk then. Bye.” Bex hung up, and Sarah lowered her hand to the table, letting the phone fall from her grasp.
Excitement bubbled inside of her until tears filled her eyes. Damn sickness was breaking her down and making her a weepy mess. She tried to fight the overwhelming emotion, but she was a prisoner to its strength.
Tears filled her eyes as she let out an excited laugh. She jumped up from the table with renewed vigor only to realize how bad of an idea that was. She managed to grab hold of the chair before her weak legs gave out on her, and she eased herself back down.
Maybe if she just closed her eyes for a few minutes, she would feel better. She’d celebrate by going down to Sweet Dream Bakery and treating herself to a midweek cupcake. Yes, that’s exactly what she was going to do… after she closed her eyes for a few minutes.
She rested her head against the cool wood of the table and relaxed.
When she finally opened her eyes, she knew without even looking at a clock that her eyes were closed for a lot longer than she’d hoped. Her neck was killing her from being at such an awkward angle.
She dragged her hand across the table, searching for her phone. It took a few passes before she finally found it. Expecting to have only slept for an hour tops she was stunned to see she had slept the entire morning away and most of the afternoon.
Catching Cooper (Red Maple Falls, #4) Page 11
