“Ew! That’s an awful thing to imagine,” she cried.
“Probably not awful for Leo,” he said, biting back a grin.
She donned the lobster crown and took his hand, dragging him out of the lodge. “You got me into this, and now I’m going to help you get me out of it.”
“How? I don’t think the lobster queen has any real powers. Unless that fancy lobster crown lets you command all those cooked lobsters to come to your defense.”
“You’re awful, and I’m a vegetarian. I’d never rule over dead seafood,” she laughed.
“No, that’s perfect! Zombie lobsters, coming back from the dead to defend their non-lobster eating queen,” he said, lowering his voice as if he were narrating a horror movie.
She shook her head. “Enough with the lobster! You need to focus. The last thing I want to do is kiss Leo or Marcus—even if it is only on the cheek. You nominated me to be queen, so you have to win.”
“Because you want to kiss me?” he asked with a cocky twist to his lips.
She shot him a sharp look. “So, I don’t have to kiss a perverted podiatrist.”
He shrugged. “Fair enough, but how hard can it be to win an obstacle course race?”
“Harder than you think. It’s a blindfolded obstacle course, but I’ll guide you through it.”
“What’s up with blindfolds and this place?” he murmured as they headed toward the lobster bake luau on the far end of the camp’s coastal property.
“You’re about to find out,” she said, swiping one off a folding table, then assessed the situation.
Leo and Marcus stood in the crowd of Woolwich men waiting to compete in the race with their heads bent over, having what looked like a serious tête-à-tête with Leslie and Lara.
Jake gestured to the mass of men. “Why does everyone do this? Wait, don’t tell me. It’s a Woolwich tradition.”
“That, and you get the first lobster,” she replied.
“Early access lobster and a kiss from the lobster queen. I see the appeal, but why would Leslie and Lara want their husbands to do it?” he asked.
Natalie shook her head. “Because for some reason, Leslie lives to one-up me, and that means also beating you since you’re my…”
He frowned. “Yeah, I should have thought about that.”
She fashioned the bandana into a blindfold. “It’s no use now. I’ve been crowned. Are you ready?”
“Last call! All the gents who want to get in on the race need to line up!” announced one of the Woolwich uncles.
She turned to her fake boyfriend. “Just today, we’ve saved a full-bladdered child from peeing his pants in a tree, organized a scheduling nightmare, and thwarted a group of horny nuns. I think we can handle an obstacle course. Plus, you’re built like a…”
His lips curved back into that smirk of a smile. “Built like a what?”
She scoffed. “Give me a break! You saw what you did to those women of God! You’re like that snake in the Garden of Eden—but with better abs.”
“I don’t think snakes have abs, Heels.”
“You know what I mean.” She narrowed her gaze but couldn’t hold back a grin.
“On your marks!” her grandmother called from the starting line.
“Hurry, we don’t have much time,” she said as they weaved their way through the spectators to get to the starting line, edging in next to Leo and Leslie.
Leo glanced at her feet. “It’s nice to see you in something other than high heels.”
“Oh, shut your trap, Leo, and pay attention!” Leslie snapped, pulling the bandana over her husband’s eyes.
“Get set!”
Natalie pushed up onto her tiptoes, and Jake leaned in. “There are four obstacles. You’ve got the Hula hoop hop, the cone maze, a big jump over a seaweed pit, then you have to cross the length of a giant log and finally, ring the bell.”
“Got it,” he answered as she pulled the blindfold over his eyes.
“Listen for my voice,” she directed.
“Don’t worry. I would know your voice anywhere, Heels.”
She stared at her blindfolded fake boyfriend. That was a weird thing for him to say, but she didn’t have time to mull it over.
“Go!” her grandmother called.
With the awkwardness of twenty blindfolded individuals jostling for the lead, the Woolwich men lurched forward in a tangle of limbs and curse words muttered under their breaths. Lucky for her, Jake broke free of the pack.
“Hula hoops, five paces ahead! Hop, hop, hop!” she called as he approached the first obstacle.
Jake sailed through the hoops, dropping his feet inside the prostrate rings with laser precision.
“Cone maze, straight ahead,” she directed. “Two steps right. Four steps left.”
Jake wove his way through the narrow passage as if he were Luke Skywalker, and she was the Force, guiding him seamlessly through the battalion of cones.
“What’s next?” Jake asked.
“You’re going to sprint, and then I’ll tell you when to jump. This is the obstacle that disqualifies most competitors.”
Jake bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Where are the podiatrists?”
“Right here!” Leo cried, limbs flailing as he shot forward.
“Run, Jake! Run!” she ordered.
Like a thoroughbred champing at the bit, Jake took off. In the blink of an eye, he passed Leo and charged toward the mound of slippery seaweed. If he got caught here, it would be over. She’d seen many a Woolwich man thwarted by the slimy substance. She sprinted along the edge of the course with her gaze locked on Jake, timing his steps.
“Jump!” she cried as time seemed to compress and morphed into slow motion.
Jake leaned forward and pushed off just as Leo came up behind him. The two men hung in the air for a split second before Jake’s left foot landed on solid ground while Leo came up short, and the seaweed claimed its first casualty. With a thud, the podiatrist fell to the ground, knocking into Marcus. Both men flopped around in the slick greenish-brown pit like a pair of flounder on dry land.
She jumped up and down. “Run, Jake! Foot patrol is out of commission! All you have to do is cross the log.”
She glanced over her shoulder at the growing seaweed pile-up. Wives called out to their blindfolded husbands, trying to help them navigate the messy commotion when Leo clawed his way out. Strips of salty seaweed clung to his legs as Leslie yelled for him to run.
This wasn’t over yet.
“Where’s the log?” Jake asked, running in a zigzag with Leo gaining on him.
“Three paces to the left, then freeze!”
Jake edged over as his toes scuffed the log.
“I need you to channel your inner gymnast. Step up onto the log,” she directed.
Leo was closing in, but she couldn’t lose her cool. If he fell off, he’d have to start over, and they didn’t have a second to waste.
“Follow my voice and take it nice and slow,” she called as Leslie ran to her side.
“Get him, Leo! Jake’s only a few steps ahead of you. Knock his ass off the trunk and win this thing!” her cousin cried.
“Hurry, Jake!” she called.
The log rolled side to side as the men traversed the knotty trunk. Jake held out his arms for balance.
“How many more steps, Heels?”
She sized up the log. “Five or six!”
Leslie cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her shrill voice. “Roll the log, Leo! Knock him off!”
“But if I do that, I’ll fall off,” the man complained, working to keep his balance.
“Do it!” Leslie bellowed.
Leo leaned over, pushing off the side of the log and causing it to roll out of position.
Natalie gasped as Jake hit the end. “Jump off,” she cried as Leo crashed to the ground for a second time.
“Where’s the bell?” he asked, landing solidly on the ground.
She ran over to the tabl
e where the bell sat, waiting for the winner. “Here! It’s here!”
“Keep talking, Heels!”
“Keep talking. Okay, here goes. A, B, C, D, E, F, G,” she sang out.
Jake bumped into the table.
“Oh, sorry! Stop!” she directed, a second too late. “The bell’s right in front of you.”
“And Leo?” he asked.
She craned her neck to see past him. “He’s on the ground inspecting his foot. He’s out for the count. Now, ring the bell!”
Jake patted the table then found the bell’s handle. “You know this means that you’ll have to kiss me.”
She checked on Leo, then spied Marcus, coming in hot. “I know! I know! Hurry! Mr. Funyun Breath is almost to the log!”
“I’ve never kissed a lobster queen before,” he mused as if she wasn’t in grave danger of having to kiss not only another idiot doctor but a doctor with a predilection for noshing on bait.
“Ring the damn bell,” she said, laughing.
Thank God, the man complied. The clang of the old bell cut through the cheers and chants. Jake peeled off the bandana as a wide grin stretched across his face. “Did you ever doubt me?”
She stared into his eyes—the eyes of a man she hardly knew, yet she could barely remember what life was like before he got in line behind her at the airport.
“No, I never doubted you,” she answered, unable to look away.
He straightened her crown. “I’m ready to claim that kiss.”
“You don’t want to eat your lobster first?” she teased.
His gaze darkened. “Hell no.”
She glanced around to find her entire family watching them, then leaned in and lowered her voice. “Remember, we have to make this look—”
Before she could say real, Jake cupped her face in his hands and planted one hell of a kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her feet off the ground as their kiss picked up steam. His grip tightened around her waist as their tongues met in a slow, sensual rhythm. His teeth grazed her bottom lip, and she sighed, again, losing herself to his scent and taste and touch, ready to surrender to her growing desire when someone cleared their throat.
She pulled back a fraction to find her grandfather biting back a grin.
“About done there, claiming your kiss?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Jake answered, setting her down, then took a step back.
“That was some kiss,” her grandmother added, threading her arm with her husband.
“They do that,” Lara chimed.
Marcus nodded. “Yeah, you should have seen them last night.”
“You should have heard them last night,” Leo mumbled.
She glanced up at Jake, then pasted on a beauty queen, or in her case, a lobster queen-sized grin. “Congratulations on your obstacle course win, Jake Teller. Would you like your crustacean?”
For a beat, nobody moved or said a word. Yes, she sounded like a moron. But what was she supposed to say with her family staring at her, all slack-jawed? Thanks for that amazing kiss? It’s too bad that my grandpa is hovering a few feet away or else we could have totally gone at it right here on the beach?
“Let’s hold off on the lobster for a minute, Nat. I’ve got a few things I’d like to announce,” her grandfather said, sharing a look with her grandmother.
“Is everything okay, Grandpa?” Lara asked.
“That all depends on one of you,” her grandmother answered.
“One of us,” Lara and Leslie echoed.
“Your grandmother and I have spent fifty wonderful years here at Camp Woolwich. We’ve raised our children here and welcomed friends, cousins, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. But we’ve come to a turning point.”
“And as much as we love Camp Woolwich, we’re getting older, and there are some things on our bucket list we’d like to do while we still can. So, tonight, we’re announcing that we’re ready to pass the torch, and we’re hoping that one of you will accept,” her grandmother said, smiling into the crowd.
“You want one of us to take over?” Natalie asked. She’d known something was up with her grandparents, but never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined they’d give up the camp.
“Wouldn’t it make more sense to sell the land since no one in the family has followed in your footsteps? There’s nobody among us that could drop everything to run a camp,” Leslie replied.
Bev nodded. “That’s true. We never expected any of our children or grandchildren to follow in the family business. We wanted you all to have your own lives and follow your own passions.”
Her grandfather nodded. “We’ve looked into several options, but Bev and I know it’s time to take a step back. We’re seventy-five years old, but I’ll be damned to sell this place to a stranger before trying to keep it in the family,” her grandfather added.
The crowd buzzed with chatter as people shook their heads and crossed their arms.
Natalie glanced away from the group and stared up at the camp. The setting sun lit the buildings in a warm glow. She’d seen it like this a thousand times, maybe more. It had become a constant, grounding force in her life. A memory that she clung to when her life was falling apart. Not only that, it didn’t seem possible that Camp Woolwich could cease to exist. It was a pillar of the community. They offered summer camp scholarships to foster children and constantly invited community groups to enjoy the grounds.
But more than that, this place was her center.
The one place where she fit, where she belonged. For much of her youth, she’d been shuttled back and forth across the country. Two bedrooms. Two lives—one as her mother’s daughter and the other as her father’s little girl. Here, at Camp Woolwich, she was herself, her best self, her whole self.
“Are you okay, Heels?” Jake asked, pressing his hand to the small of her back.
She looked up at him and saw pain and confusion welling in his gaze. Why would this affect him so profoundly?
“Here’s what it comes down to, folks,” her grandfather said, cutting into the conversations and drawing everyone’s attention. “Bev and I can sell, and we can all share in the profits or someone—”
Natalie shook her head. “No, we’re not selling. I’ll do it. I want to run Camp Woolwich.”
“Do you think you can handle it?” her grandfather asked.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I do.”
“Hold on a second,” Leslie quipped. “You guys are going to trust our family’s legacy to Natalie? She’s been fired more times than I can count, and she bounces around from guy to guy—and only seems to date men named Jake—which is pretty damn weird. Plus, let’s face it. She’s not reliable, and she wouldn’t be a good steward of all you’ve built.”
“Yeah,” Lara chimed. “How can she take over? She doesn’t even eat lobster!”
“Nor does she care for her feet properly,” Leo mumbled.
Leslie stepped forward with her signature bullshit sincere expression shellacked to her face. “Grandma, Grandpa, I love the camp, but I fear that Natalie would run this place into the ground.”
Jake took a step forward and started to say something, but she stopped him.
“This isn’t your battle,” she said, giving his hand a squeeze. She turned to her cousin and lifted her chin. “You know what, Leslie? I don’t know what I ever did to you. We were close once, but then you changed, and you’ve been awful to me ever since. You’ve teased me, tricked me, and you seem to take great pleasure in all my failures.”
Her cousin’s jaw dropped, but Natalie wasn’t done. A switch had flipped, and little Natalie Callahan, the youngest Woolwich grandchild, was done taking shit.
She climbed up onto the folding table and stared out at her family as a resolve like nothing she’d ever known coursed through her veins.
“I know what you all think of me, but I have news for you. I love this place. With or without your support, I’m going to continue building on what Gra
ndma and Grandpa have created. In fact, I’m going to make it better. There are going to be more nuns, more Elks, more marching bands, and I’ll double camp attendance. I’m not going to stand back and watch Camp Woolwich become condos or a beach resort. This place is a part of me—part of us—and I’m going to make sure it stays a part of our family.”
She met her grandfather’s eye, and he winked. He actually winked.
Holy shit!
He was onboard. He was okay with this.
The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks.
She took a steadying breath. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have a lot of planning and whatnot to get to. So, as the lobster luau queen and soon to be camp owner, I bid you to enjoy your murdered lobsters,” she added, then jumped off the table and sprinted up the beach.
The salt air rushed over her skin and blew off her lobster queen crown as she ran.
What did she do? Could she even run a camp? And did she agree to move here permanently?
“Jesus, Heels. That was…”
She glanced over her shoulder as her fake boyfriend ran up alongside her.
She waved him off and kept going, knowing where she needed to go to work all this out.
“Natalie, can you stop for one second?” he called.
She stilled and caught her breath. “I get it, Jake. That was kind of insane, but I couldn’t let this place go. I couldn’t let it get sold off because that’s exactly what my cousins or any other family member would do. You get it, don’t you? This place gives people…”
“Hope,” he answered.
She blew out a tight breath, then spotted what she’d headed up the beach to find. “Yes, that’s it exactly, but now, I need to think. I may have made the craziest decision of my life, and I have to figure this out on my own.” She touched his chest as the last wisps of light warmed his features. “As sweet as you’ve been, agreeing to play the part of my boyfriend, and God help me, the sex has been mind-blowing, but I need to be alone, and I need to work this out all on my own because we both know that, at the end of the day, you’re just another Jake who’s going to leave me.”
She turned away from him and stared out at the water, listening to the ocean. The unbroken ebb and flow she could never forget, night after summer night, falling asleep to its calming lullaby when Jake came up behind her and whispered in her ear.
The Kiss Keeper Page 14