A Summer of Chances

by Roxanne Tully

  “What do you think this is about?” Rachel asked as we walked past the fenced-in field.

  Her guess was as good as mine. For some reason, I hadn’t been focused on the why. I was dreading seeing Rick again. I hadn’t seen him since he and Haley lip-locked on the beach, and I’d managed to avoid him successfully. I shook my head, deciding that it didn’t matter. I was here for only another three weeks, and then I’d be heading to New York.

  “I don’t know,” I finally replied. The only time we’d met our campers inside the gym was the first day of camp, so we could all meet everyone in one place. But this was strange. And sudden. Which never meant anything good.

  We walked into the air-conditioned gymnasium. It was a bit shocking, since it was rarely air-conditioned unless there was an event. A crowd of people, including staff for both the camp and the club, were spread out across the gym. I looked for Sarah and found her up on the short, green-felt stage with a podium set up and a few chairs off to the side. From the back office, I saw Tom Myers walk in, a white-haired man in his late seventies, the owner of the camp. A woman close to his age I presumed to be Nancy, his wife.

  As they got settled, I absently watched the door, and my heart dropped when Rick walked in. Alone. Everything became a blur around him. He wore a clean, white T-shirt and khaki pants. His hair looked dry and soft, not the usual slick style he had when he was working. I imagined running my fingers through it. Rachel nudged me.

  “You’re staring,” she whispered.

  I snapped out of my daze. “Huh? Oh. Thank you.”

  “Do you want to go stand in the back?”

  “No.” I insisted. “I’m not going to hide or let him run me off, Rach,” I paused. “Besides, I was here first.”

  “Mature. It’s a shock you guys didn’t make it.” She rolled her eyes and focused back on the podium, where Sarah was still chatting away with Grace while checking the mic. Her head was down over some papers. Then she finally looked up and scanned the room for a few short seconds.

  “Thank you all for coming this morning,” she paused. “Wow, it’s quite a turnout this early.”

  “Does she look nervous?” I whispered to Rachel.

  “Shh,” she replied without looking at me.

  Sarah continued. “As you all know, Tom and Nancy opened this camp in 1975. And in the last few years, they have been spending more time with their own families.” Sarah looked back at the couple. “We all know that time is a valuable possession and that we can never get it back.”

  Sarah took a deep, shaky breath.

  “Being aware of this fact of life, Mr. and Mrs. Myers decided not to reopen the camp next year.”

  A small cluster of whispers started to spread.

  Sarah raised her voice slightly. “This will be Bays Beach Summer Camp’s last season”

  The chattering and whispering got even louder.

  “I realize this is a shock and definitely a conversational item, so I will finish with inviting you all to Tom and Nancy’s retirement party at the Admiral this Saturday night. We will also be inviting a few club regulars and some parents who have made large contributions to the camp over the years. We hope to see you all there.” With that Sarah took off to her office.

  CHAPTER 26

  The Admiral was a stunning venue. After the valet had taken Peter’s car, we walked down a stone pathway surrounded by potted flowers and rosebushes generously coated with tree lights. The entire outdoor pathway was covered with white tentlike material. I walked into the dimly lit, luxuriously sized ballroom. The interior was truly breathtaking. The grand chandelier hung miraculously under the high, rounded ceilings. Tables were covered with gold and burgundy cloth. The shiny ivory drapes hung over the large windows and were elegantly pulled to the side with braided ropes. It was clearly a black-tie type of place, but Tom and Nancy Myers insisted we wore what we wanted, other than camp uniforms. But it was pretty much understood that we were to bring our A game. Rachel and I had gone shopping, since neither of us had anything to wear to such an elaborate place. She wore a silver off-the-shoulder dress, and I had picked out a black minidress with thin straps. The only reason Rachel was okay with me choosing black was because of how fitted it was and that it looked amazing on me, despite her dislike of black dresses.

  “There’s our table.” Peter pointed out to the far end of the circular room, opposite the front entrance.

  As much as I hated to admit I was doing it, I subtly scanned for Rick and possibly Haley. There was no sign of them, and I hoped it would stay that way. I wanted to be here for Sarah, for the camp, and for Tom and Nancy.

  “You guys go ahead,” I said to Rachel and Peter. “I’m going to go say hi to some people.” I wasn’t sure who I was supposedly making rounds to, but I certainly didn’t intend on trailing Rach and her boyfriend all night.”

  I stayed back and looked around the room for familiar faces. There were very few. Sarah spotted me and walked over. She was only an inch or so taller in her heels and wore a loose navy-blue dress.

  “Amy. You look great!” she said with a smile, then almost immediately turned serious. “But also a little lost. You looking for someone?”

  I shook my head. “No. I just didn’t want to spend my night tied to the lovebirds.” I glanced in the direction of my table.

  Sarah looked over and nodded. “Well, I’m glad that I have you alone for a second. Take a walk with me.” She led us to one of the enormous windows. As I leaned against it, I spotted a girl in a fiery red dress. Her hair was up and styled so I didn’t recognize her right away. Until I saw who opened the door for her. Rick.

  Maybe in the past, seeing Haley or someone as beautiful as she looked would have made me feel self-conscious. But in my newly discovered aspirations, I felt more confident than ever. I just smiled to myself as they walked through the door. It may have hurt to see Rick with someone else when I knew he belonged with me, but I wasn’t going to let this make me feel inferior or less worthy. I blinked and focused on Sarah.

  “Amy, I imagine I’ll be extremely busy the last three weeks here. And in case I don’t have a chance to do it later, I wanted to tell you that it’s been a real pleasure having you here at the camp. You know, I was skeptical of you when you walked through my door, but you’ve been amazing. The kids adore you, the staff fell in love with you,” she paused. “And I don’t just mean one of them.” She raised an eyebrow. “You’ve helped the kids create some amazing artwork just by taking them out to be inspired by nature.” She squinted a little and smiled at me. “I’ve got to tell you, when you walked in and pitched the idea, I thought you were full of it. But then I remembered, no one ever says anything by accident. It’s always in their heart.”

  “Sarah, thank you. It’s been so great, and I’ve loved every part of it.”

  “I’m glad.” She took in a breath. “And listen, I wouldn’t worry about that over there,” She nodded toward Rick and Haley as they made their way to their table. Rick looked wholly miserable. It could have been my imagination or that he was upset about the camp closing. “They dated last summer, and he ended it. She’s just trying to get the last word in.”

  Just like he’d ended it with me?

  “What you’re seeing over there is a girl who won’t accept being dumped and a guy who’s just trying to keep his mind off someone else.” She turned to me and quickly changed her tone to one of a chipper cheerleader. “So we’ll see you next year?” She said with a strong clap of her hands.

  I lightly shook my head. For a minute, I thought Sarah must have been so used to inviting people to come back next year after one of her speeches, but then she grinned at me slowly. “The Myerses signed over the camp to me.”

  “What? How—did you buy it?”

  “No sale necessary. They didn’t want to sell it to me. When I asked them if I could buy it, and that I had the money saved up, they said to use it on redecorating my office.” She laughed. “Tom and Nancy signed it away to me. All they want is
for me to take care of it and keep it going. Obviously, I’d assume all expenses, insurance, and responsibilities, but I can keep the camp open.” She was near tears, and I hugged her.

  “Why didn’t you tell us this on Thursday? Why didn’t they tell you?”

  “This didn’t happen until this morning. They said they were waiting for me to ask. Ugh, I’m not supposed to cry. I have to make the announcement later tonight.”

  “Okay, well don’t drink too much. I’ve never seen you in heels, but you look very uncomfortable.” I looked her up and down with half a worried smile.

  She smiled back and slowly walked away to greet some guests. I walked back to my table.

  An hour later, Sarah made a wonderful, heartbreaking speech about losing two of the most influential people in her life and make her chatter-inducing announcement. Sarah talked about life before and after the camp and that how somehow life always takes you where you belong. The cliché of just believing that the path you chose will guide you was making a lot of sense in both Sarah’s past and future and my present and future.

  Tom and Nancy danced in the center of the floor. Soon others joined, and I stood to walk. I never liked being the only person sitting at the table when others were dancing. I tried to get around a crowd of people when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. It was gentle and subtle.

  I turned to find Chris looking down at me.

  “Hi, there.” He grinned at me shyly.

  “Chris! Hi.” I realized my reaction might have looked as though I was expecting someone else, so I hugged him.

  To my surprise, he hugged me tightly then pulled back holding on to my shoulders. “Would you like to dance?”

  “Um, being that we’re practically already on the dance floor…sure, I’d love to.”

  “I’ll take it.” Chris said with a rise of his eyebrows. “So.” He stared after a minute. “I realize our date might not have gone exactly as you’d hoped.”

  “I think it might not have gone exactly as you’d hoped!” I corrected.

  “Fair enough,” he replied, looking over my head. “So, should I even beg the question of where you’re headed after camp is over?”

  “I know what my next move will be.”

  “Hmm…and after that?”

  I grinned and shrugged, in the most relaxed, carefree way possible, knowing that it didn’t matter where I’d go from there—because wherever I ended up, it was where I was meant to be.

  Chris nodded. “Not everyone needs a plan to be happy, I guess. I think that’s what intrigued me about you in the first place. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to not need to know or have a plan. To not want to know. To just take life for whatever it has to offer and be…well, surprised along the way.”

  “Not everyone likes surprises,” I offered.

  “No. That’s for sure.”

  He twirled me once and steadied me to face him.

  “Good luck, Amy. Not that you’ll need it. You’re a talented, driven, and smart girl. I’m happy to have gotten a chance to meet you.”

  “Thank you, Chris. I have to be honest, it’s a little scary, and I’m still not sure I’m doing the right thing.”

  “You’ve got this.” He stopped us from moving along to the music and lightly pulled my hands to kiss me on the cheek. Then he slowly let go of my hand. “It’s been really nice getting another perspective.” He winked and walked away.

  With that, I smiled to myself and looked around. I didn’t see Rick anywhere. I guess he’d gone home. Haley wasn’t around either.

  Well there’s that, I thought. I said good-bye and thanked Mr. and Mrs. Myers and hugged Sarah, even though I’d be seeing her for another few short weeks. I let Rachel know I’d be walking home so she and Peter could enjoy the rest of the evening without concerning themselves with me.

  CHAPTER 27

  About twenty minutes later, I found myself walking past the pool grounds again. I walked past the tall trees and bushes right outside the gate. The light breeze and the warm night air were soothing, and it was nice to be alone. Relief was an understatement for the way I felt now that I had a plan in motion. I was excited—free to explore and live a new adventure. I knew there would be challenges along the way, but I was even eager to meet and overcome those.

  I inhaled a deep breath when I thought about the people I’d be leaving behind. It would really just be my dad and my best friend, Emily. And even though Em and I were good again, I knew it would be hard to stay close now that I was moving to New York. Maybe this is what she had been suspecting and was just making it easier on herself. I couldn’t blame her. But still, I felt better than I had in nearly a year—except for the nagging lump I was feeling just beneath my throat. But I had no doubt that would go away with time.

  I flipped open the latch and let myself through the gate, closing it behind me, quietly, even though it probably didn’t matter. Anybody who would even care that I was back here would still be at the party. The swimming pool LED lights were on, but the two single overhead lights on either side of the long end of the pool were off. I looked up at the large, milky, full moon. It generously lit up the sky, revealing its shaded tones of midnight blue. It was just as shiny as that first night I had been here.

  “You should leave before I call security.”

  I swirled at his familiar voice.

  “It’s okay, I’ve been vetted,” I replied. My back was to the swimming pool, only a few steps from it.

  Rick grinned from one side of his mouth and took a few steps toward the pool, then glanced at the corner where I’d first spotted him. “Yeah. Maybe that’s what I should have just said.”

  I shook my head, keeping my focus on the pool. “No, you were looking for trouble.”

  “I was looking for trouble? You could have been killed out here if I was the bum you suspected me to be.”

  “Nah, bums don’t hurt people; they just want to be left alone.”

  He turned on his heel, his eyes focused on mine. “Are you sure?” He took small, slow steps toward me. “If they’re so harmless, why’d you look so nervous when I was walking past you?”

  A brief memory flew by of when he approached me in almost the exact spot he stood now, wearing his dark jeans and gray hooded sweatshirt.

  Only this time, he was wearing a suit that made him look incredibly sexy. And this time, I wasn’t stepping back; I was resisting the urge to go toward him.

  Then I realized I didn’t need to. He was now standing directly in front of me.

  “What are you doing here?” he breathed.

  I wasn’t sure if he meant where I was standing at that very moment or why I had stayed in Madison. “I needed to be alone.” I turned away. I glanced around him and didn’t see Haley anywhere. I resisted the urge to ask.

  “Do you still want to be alone?” he asked, taking another step closer to me, as if it was possible.

  I couldn’t answer. There was a ball forming in my throat with every step he took closer to me. I swallowed it away and stared back at him, waiting for my heart to stop beating before I spoke.

  After glaring at me for another moment, he glanced down and stepped back. “I took Haley home a little early.”

  “Was she not having a good time?” I asked, relieved for the breathing room.

  “I think she could tell it wasn’t her I wanted to be there with.” He waited for me to respond, but I just waited back, not trusting my voice. “I went back to the Admiral after dropping her off and looked for you. Rachel told me you’d left but that she didn’t think you were headed back to the apartment.” He glanced around. “Last time you needed to take a walk, this was where you went, wasn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  He took a step closer. “You didn’t leave.”

  “I don’t think I was ever going to.”

  He looked down at his feet. “I should have known that. I’m sorry I got so angry and stormed off the way I did. You needed me, whether it was my support, or advi
ce, and all I could do was get angry because Chris had been more what you needed, and I was the flake that was only holding you back.”

  I shook my head. “No, you weren’t holding me back. Rick, you’ve been the only one who believed in me when everyone else thought I was too impulsive and out of my mind,” I started. “It was one thing hearing it from Em and Chris…” I felt the lump in my throat again. “But then my dad, the one person whose opinion matters, the last real family I have left, came here to shake me back to my senses. So…I broke.”

  Rick looked me up and down. “Obviously not.”

  “No.” I admitted. My breakdown didn’t last long and I did eventually find my way, but it had cost me my relationship with him.

  “I heard about the art school in New York.” He raised an impressed eyebrow.

  I nodded. “I was accepted.” I smiled. “My dad sent them some of my work, and they offered me a partial scholarship with a work-study program on campus. I move in the end of August.”

  Rick beamed. “That’s incredible, Amy.”

  The incredible part for me was that I finally had my dad’s support in something I had a real passion for.

  “If I come near you again, do you think you could keep yourself from falling?”

  I blushed. I knew what he meant. I was fully aware of my proximity to the edge of the pool and knew I was safe. “I can’t make any promises.”

  “In that case…” Rick took a single quick step toward me and pulled me by the waist away from the edge. It was so quick, I almost lost my balance, but he held me securely with both hands, catching my lips with his. We kissed for a moment until I lightly pulled away.

  “Do you always kiss girls you’re irritated by?”

  He looked confused for a moment until I looked toward the beach. He breathed and nodded once. “If you’re talking about the one time at the beach after you left, yes. I kissed her, but only to show her that there’s nothing there and never was. And maybe, to convince myself of something I already knew.”