And there he was again: Rick.
It seemed he was dropping off his campers at swimming too. This was the morning session, where three of the smaller groups get dropped off after their midmorning activities. I hadn’t realized one of the other ones could be Rick’s. And it was just my luck that he was standing by the gate, talking to one of the other counselors. I could have just waited with Rachel, but she’d needed to get back to the kids.
I said good-bye to Rachel and headed toward the gate, silently praying that I could sneak by undetected through what was, unfortunately, the only exit. As I walked through, I heard him wrap up a conversation with one of the other counselors.
Since this was now my break, I started walking toward the beach in hopes of getting some rays and relaxing before the afternoon activities. Just as I was convinced I’d made a clean escape, I heard a voice behind me.
“Man, I am not looking good here, am I?” Rick snuck up behind me.
“What is it now?” I said, turning around slowly with an exhausted look, as if I’d been babysitting a toddler who’d finally fallen asleep until I walked out of the room.
“Oh, let’s see—first I disturbed your peaceful walk by the pool at night, where, I’d like to remind, you had no right to be wandering. Then I complicated your clean break out of the staff lounge. And just now—back there,” he said pointing in the direction of the pool gate, “I clearly caused some major discomfort in your shoulders,” he said, stiffening and pulling his own shoulders to his ears and widening his eyes.
“There was no discomfort.”
“I’m a water sports instructor,” he said calmly. “I know body tension when I see it.”
I wondered if he was going anywhere with this. I was already feeling irritated with this guy. At the sudden realization, I relaxed my shoulders and noticed him smirk at my efforts. “There’s got to be something else you can turn your focus on…hmm…a camp full of kids eager to try some of those water sports you keep bragging about.” Okay, it wasn’t a strong blow, but I was tired of being bullied by this guy.
“You’re probably right,” he said without looking away. It was a look I couldn’t quite name. For the first time in all of our encounters, I noticed his green eyes. They seemed to sparkle in the sunlight, which might explain why I had just noticed them. “A pleasure as always, Amy.” He turned to walk back to the pool.
Strange, I thought as he walked back in the direction he came from. Had he come back out here just for me?
Saturday morning, Rachel and I decided to have breakfast at Bays Grille again. While my roommate, never knowing who you might run into, chose to a wear a miniskirt and a pink blouse, I opted for my heather-gray sweat pants and black tank.
“I guess we have different views of what Saturday morning should be,” I murmured before we left.
We walked in to the café and chose the same outdoor table in the back facing the beach.
“What can I get you girls?” A tall and thin girl who appeared to be close to our age asked. She had wavy red hair and her name tag read “Haley.” I recognized the waitress from last Sunday.
“Black coffee with cream on the side please, and two over easy eggs,” I asked politely.
She looked at Rachel. “Might want to order light in case she runs off again.”
I offered a small, ingenuous laugh. “I’ll be sticking around this time—promise.”
While Rachel was ordering her breakfast, I noticed Rick walk in with another member of the camp staff. They sat a few tables over on the opposite side.
“Oh, and can I ask you to bring a cup of coffee in a large to-go cup?” I asked.
“You got it. Be right back with those coffees.” She raced off before we could ask for anything else.
“You don’t want to wait until we leave to get the coffee to go?”
“It’s not for me.” I said absently, glancing in Rick’s direction.
Rachel frowned.
I hadn’t really talked to her about my issues with Mr. Cool over there. Knowing Rachel, she’d probably mistake it for flirting. Me, I just wanted to finally get Rick off my back for his stupid spilled coffee. The linen shirt, on the other hand, was probably out of my budget.
“Here you go.” Haley laid our coffees in front of us.
“Thanks. Hey, could I ask you for a favor?”
She raised an eyebrow at me. Clearly it was not that kind of a restaurant—you know, the kind where the waitstaff is friendly.
“Do you have a marker?” I asked, ignoring her rudeness.
“Uhh…yeah.” She reached into her apron and pulled one out.
I scribbled on top of the white plastic coffee lid, the words “Now we’re even!”
“Would you mind handing this to the guy sitting by the window, with the white T-shirt.”
“You mean Rick?” Haley raised an eyebrow at me.
I nodded, suddenly self-conscious. I hoped she didn’t take it the wrong way, since she knew him.
“Well, when I ran out of here last week, I accidentally spilled his coffee and—”
“Gotcha.” She cut me off impatiently.
Rachel squinted, watching Haley walk away. “Hmm, watch out for that one…” she mumbled.
“What? Why?” I asked, genuinely confused.
“She’s clearly got a thing for Rick. Did you see how possessive she got when you sent him a cup of coffee?” She raised an eyebrow at me. “Smooth, by the way.”
I had told her about my, literally, running into Rick last weekend, if only so she knew she wasn’t the only person I’d dumped a coffee on that morning. Except in Rachel’s case, it was to finish mine.
I watched as our friendly waitress approached Rick’s table and put down his cup in front of him. He looked over at me after Haley pointed me out before walking back to her station. Maybe Rachel was on to something.
“Well she’s got nothing to worry about. I am not interested,” I stressed, hoping to get my message clear.
Rachel shrugged, sipping her coffee.
I stirred mine while trying to convince myself I hadn’t thought twice about Rick’s broad shoulders when I’d run into him or his strong grip when he’d saved me from plunging into the pool. As if that wasn’t enough, he just had to stare long and deep into my eyes, showing off his greens that day when he caught up with me outside the pool gate. And his smile, which I was sure he thought was charming, was nothing more than infuriating.
“Here are your eggs,” Haley said, dropping the plates at our table before walking away.
“That’s okay. We won’t be needing anything else,” Rachel said, almost a little too loudly.
I laughed. “This was your idea.”
After a few bites of my breakfast, a slim shadow appeared over me, and before I could look up, I saw the same to-go coffee cup I had sent Rick’s way placed back in front of me. Haley didn’t bother saying anything before fleeing off to her probably less demanding customers. My words had been crossed off and the words “It was a latte” were inscribed un-derneath. I stared into it for a minute.
“How rude!” Rachel said after reading the lid.
I struggled to avoid Rick’s eyes, which I felt on me. It didn’t matter. I’d done my part. I’d made my peace offering. And it had been rejected.
“Okay, I’m done with this,” I finally said, unintentionally out loud.
“Breakfast?”
“No, trying to be nice to someone I apparently offended.”
“I know. I mean, it was just spilled coffee. It’s not like you deliberately threw it at him.” She studied me after considering the thought. “Is there something else?”
I looked at Rachel for a moment before starting, trying to decide if any of it was worth mentioning. Considering I hadn’t had a confidant in some time, it would be nice to open up. But I was going to keep it short. The subject of Rick had already creeped its way into my weekend for much longer than I cared.
Rachel leaned back in her chair after I’d given her a
quick rundown, starting with my first night here. She gave me a look as if I’d been trying to tell her that the sky was green and the grass is blue.
“A coffee for a spilled coffee makes you even—cute even,” she started. “But after trying to kick him out of the pool and then dissing him at the gate—not even.” She stopped for a minute and frowned. “By the way, why was he at the pool that late drinking alone?”
“I don’t know. Does it matter?”
“Probably more than you know.”
CHAPTER 6
A my, thanks for coming by,” Sarah said that Monday morning.
“What’s up?”
“Remember the Kinsley farm across the river that you proposed as a nature art site?”
“Yep, what about it?”
“Still want to do it?”
“It’s not possible; it would be over an hour walking both directions,” I reminded her. Confused, I’d thought the subject was closed.
“Not if you kayak right across the river.” She looked at me with one eyebrow raised.
“Oh, Sarah, I don’t know if I can handle that. I mean, I barely know if I can do it myself—”
“Of course you can’t!” she agreed immediately. “You’ll do it with Rick.”
“I’m not following…”
Sarah let out a breath. “Look, I need to combine classes this week because of the Fourth of July concert rehearsals.”
The Fourth of July concert was basically the club’s summer kickoff party. From what I understood, it was their busiest weekend of the year, and everyone made a big deal about the entertainment and the decorations.
“We’ll extend the sessions, of course, to accommodate for the double activity,” Sarah continued. “It’s going to be with the same group. Rick will tag along with your nature art class and engage the group in the water sport activity, and you’ll join his group at…” She looked down at her schedule. “Well, I haven’t decided that yet.”
Clearly their planning needed more work.
“But either way,” she continued, “it’s going to be your Friday morning class.
I smiled politely. “Sounds great, Sarah.” As if I was being given a choice.
I was excited about the farm, but not sure about Rick tagging along. I mean, the few and irritable interactions I’d had with him thus far hadn’t lasted more than ten minutes, and I could have walked away at any moment. But to spend an hour and half with him on two occasions this week—no doubt he’d mock me every second of it.
I groaned. That better be one heck of a concert.
The next two days I managed to somehow miss the sunrise. I guess running around in the heat with kids most of the day could really wear a person out. When I lifeguarded the last two summers in Denver, it was a four-hour gig starting mid-morning, and then we were free for the rest of the afternoon. Now even after a full day’s class, I had to head to a staff meeting. We met every Wednesday from four to five.
When I walked into the office, Lindsey and Trish were there, babbling away about what lotions to use for a better tan. Rick and Jeff were somewhere between talking about upcoming weekend plans and rolling their eyes at the girls. I looked for an empty chair in the double office that Sarah and Mr. Myers, the owner, who was rarely in, shared. Rick watched me as if something really exciting happened when I was around. Or maybe that was just how it felt to me. I avoided his eyes and sat by Sarah’s desk, a few feet away from Rick and Jeff.
I learned that Jeff had been working at the club’s fitness center year-round, but in the summer, he taught basic martial arts at the camp. Jeff wasn’t enormous, but extremely muscular and an average height. That day, and basically every other day, he wore a red polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts. Those were the camp colors, and management recommended we wear them as often as possible—but not every day, since it was also important to show our unique selves.
“Hey, Amy.” Jeff moved his head to face me but kept his body turned toward the others.
I must have subconsciously recognized that as a noncommittal conversation move and simply looked up from my phone, which I was currently using as a prop to appear distracted.
“Hey.” I glanced up and replied.
Apparently, Jeff was used to more of a reaction when he spoke to girls. He’d suddenly lost interest in the rest of the group and turned fully to me.
“So, how are you liking it here?”
“It’s only been a week.”
“Getting homesick yet?”
“No.” Not until just now, that is. I could tell this was leading to an interrogation, and I desperately hoped that either Sarah or Rachel would walk in at that moment.
“Really? Guess you didn’t have much going on there. Is that why you chose this super exciting town to escape to?”
I swallowed, ignoring the sarcasm, and kept scrolling through my phone.
“I’m just curious—to what does the city of Madison owe to become your destination?” he pressed.
Rick snickered and threw a playful punch at Jeff’s arm. But I didn’t miss the force behind it. “Leave her alone,” he said quietly.
“I was just being polite. But Miss Texas here is too good for casual conversation.”
That did it. I was getting tired of being pushed around by the boys of summer. And I wasn’t about to let this jock pick on me like some geeky kid who always sat alone at lunch. “It’s Ms. Denver. And if you must know, what brings me to Madison is that I heard it was a lovely place to visit in the summer. Not all of us are comfortable still living with our parents, Jeff.” I heard the girls giggle, and I glared at Jeff until he turned away.
Not such a tough guy now, are you?
I didn’t know whether Jeff lived with his parents or not, but it was an easy guess around here. And I seemed to have hit it right on the nose. He turned to face anywhere in the room but me and kept a locked grin on the side of his mouth.
Rachel and Peter finally walked in and stood in the back. Rachel waved and smiled at me, then frowned at Jeff and Rick as if she were wondering what the awkward silence in the room was about. I rolled my eyes and gave a light shake of my head.
CHAPTER 7
Friday morning in the art room, I grabbed all the necessary items we would need while on our trek across the lake. I made sure to bring extra paper towels and white plastic bags to protect their art pads from getting wet. At that thought, I took another glance at my outfit. I’d chosen to wear my fitted navy T-shirt, khaki drawstring pants, and my running shoes.
A parade of eight children raced in—all geared up for their morning activity. Rick strolled in behind them. I noticed his outfit was fairly similar to mine and silently sighed with relief that I wouldn’t be critiqued for my choice of clothes for this.
“Okay, are we going to have fun today?” Something about his cheerful tone sounded forced.
“Yaaay!” the group cheered.
Rick walked over to me, handing me a light-gray life jacket and glancing at my outfit and shoes. “Okay, let’s get going!” he said in a rushed tone as I self-consciously scanned my outfit once more.
We stepped outside, and the sun had almost completely disappeared, which was expected; the air was warm, but there was a chance of rain later in the afternoon. The kids would be finished with lunch and on their way to rehearsal in the gym by then.
We strolled down the few blocks to the river and loaded up the kayaks. Rick had prepared the kayaks and paddles earlier, and we divided the kids into groups of two in each boat. That way each had a turn to row, in either direction.
“Okay, guys, remember what I told you last time. Slide, don’t push, your kayak into the water. Pick up the handle on the tip of the boat and glide it. Make sure the kayak is steady in the water before you get in.”
I watched Rick gently guide the campers into firm sitting positions, tighten their life vests, and reassure a few kids that they would be able to lead on the way back. I slipped on my backpack with the extra supplies and scanned the area before hea
ding for my boat.
“Think you can handle one on your own?” He sounded annoyed, as if he was babysitting on of the CITs who was tagging along.
“You mean that floaty thing over there…how hard can it be?” I smirked. Although I was equally annoyed at his skepticism, I didn’t want to start a head-on duel in front of the kids or take time away from their activity. I was clearly being the adult here.
“I’m serious, Amy,” he barked. “I plan to stay between two kayaks, and I’ll need you to have one on either side too.”
“That way they’re all covered. Yeah, I got it.”
“Great.” He turned toward the boats. “Try not to tip over.” He yelled over his shoulder, glanced up at the sky for the third time in the last ten minutes, and quickly slid his boat into the water.
I was dumbfounded at his chiding. Was I that much of a nuisance to him? Was he still mad that I’d run him out of the pool grounds? I rolled my eyes, bracing myself for nearly two more hours of this.
Midway through crossing the river, I kept my eye on the two girls on my right, since they were all the way on the end of the row of boats and were more likely to drift off, out of my reach.
“Kathy, if you even your strides, you’ll float straighter.”
“But it’s heavier on this side.”
“See if it helps if you center your weight and not lean on one side,” I advised.
She did. And tried again.
“How’s that?” I asked, noticing a difference.
“It’s working. Thanks, Amy.” She smiled.
I smiled back. Then I snuck a few glances in Rick’s direction. His arms were visibly stronger looking than I remembered. He was wearing a light-gray T-shirt, which was showing his tanned arms flexing each time he extended the paddles and pulled back. I shook my head lightly, miffed at myself for losing focus for those few seconds. I noticed him slow his rowing and eye the farmland for a desirable and safe spot to park.
“Okay guys, paddle toward that open space behind the shed. The water is calmer there, and there aren’t any rocks,” he instructed.
A Summer of Chances Page 4
