“Can we really call you when we need help, and come see you?” She held the door open and waited for an answer.
“Yes, you can,” Jayden told her. “I’ll always be there for you just like I am here, and I’d love for any or all of you to come visit me anytime you can manage it.”
They went on inside, and in a few minutes the lights went out. She could hear them whispering for a little while and then all the noise stopped. Gramps and her mother both had often said that hindsight was twenty-twenty, and Jayden fully understood that old adage that evening. Now that the dust had settled, she felt even more like she’d handled the situation wrong. She would still have told Skyler no about giving her the money, but she wouldn’t have fallen to pieces and felt sorry for her sister afterward. Her sister had made her own bed.
She was still too wound up to sleep, so she went out to the barn and visited with Dynamite for a while. When she started back to the cabin, she saw Elijah heading across the yard, going toward the dining hall.
“Hey,” she yelled out as she got closer.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“I might ask you the same thing, but to answer your question, I went out to the barn to talk to Dynamite. He’s an excellent listener,” she said. “Need a midnight snack?”
“I can always use a snack.” He grinned and held up a thick catalog. “But my real purpose is that I brought these out for you to take a look at. This is our uniform book, and we always get the girls one new one midway through the session to replace the worst one they have. They get stains and rips and tears and, besides, it makes them feel good to have a new one after four weeks. I’m hoping you can figure out sizes for me.”
“Be glad to,” she said.
“After what happened today, would you like a little nightcap?” Elijah asked.
“You got a beer hiding inside that catalog?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Nope, but I know where Henry hides a little bottle of whiskey for special occasions.” He grinned. “How are you holding up now that you’ve had time to think about things?” He held the door to the dining hall open.
“Then bring it out.” She smiled.
He went to the kitchen and got a bottle from the freezer. “Henry hides things very well, and he likes his whiskey cold.”
“I’d love a nightcap.” She nodded.
He poured two fingers in a couple of glasses they used for sweet tea and handed her one.
Jayden took a sip of the whiskey and enjoyed the warmth that flowed all the way down to her stomach. “I’m pretty good, actually. I just gained eight little sisters. I guess that’s almost as good as one big sister.”
“This bunch of girls is finding a lot to bond over, but I’m sorry that your heartache has to be part of it.” He touched his cup to hers and then sat down in the chair beside her. “Here’s to tomorrow. May it be a better day.”
“Amen, but on another note, I couldn’t ask for more love and support through it all. I never expected to make friends with Novalene and Diana. I just thought I’d come here, do my job, and go home, but now I’ve been surrounded by all this love, and I got to tell you, it’s pretty damn nice.” She took another sip of the whiskey, held it on her tongue for a few seconds, and then swallowed. “And that includes you having a drink with me.” She smiled across the table at him.
“You are welcome,” he told her.
She’d never been one to take risks, or to do anything without weighing all the odds. Gramps had said that was because her zodiac sign was Libra. Folks born under that sign had a tendency to think things through and put everything on the balance scales. She wanted to tell him that what had been on her mind since Skyler left was making a brand-new start, but she needed to lay out the pros and cons before she made a decision.
She was eager to write in her journal that evening. Maybe by writing to her mother, her decisions would become clear.
Dear Mama and Gramps,
Skyler came to see me. We thought she was coming to accept a job as counselor, but I was so wrong. She’s engaged to a guy named David, who comes from a lot of money. Her ring is gorgeous, but then we wouldn’t expect anything less. She wanted to show her huge diamond and ask demand that I give her my savings to pay for her wedding. When I said no, she really got ugly—just like always. I felt so guilty when I told her that I wouldn’t give in to her that I cried. She needs help, not for a wedding, but psychiatric help, Mama. She’s probably needed it her whole life. I’m surprised that she ever worked here with young, troubled girls—she’s a school counselor and can’t see her own problems.
On another note, I’m in quite a quandary here. I’ve been offered the job of full-time cook here at Piney Wood, and I’m seriously considering it. I’m not a risk-taker so I keep wondering if I’ll have regrets. I can hear you telling me not to throw away my education. I want to make the right decision, but the way my feelings are all jumbled about you, Skyler, this place, and Elijah, I’m not sure that I can. Maybe I should go back to my school job for a year and sort out this thing with you and Skyler before I dive into a new job or a relationship. Until I get rid of that baggage, I won’t have much to give to a relationship anyway.
Thank you both for listening. I could always depend on y’all.
She yawned and laid the journal aside, but that night she dreamed again of decorating a Christmas tree in the dining hall. When she awoke, she wondered if perhaps that meant she and Elijah might not say a final goodbye at the end of July. After all, she had dreamed that Skyler would marry a red-haired guy, and that had come true. She just might come back for a minivacation in December. Would the girls all join her? Maybe her returning at Christmas would be for them and not Elijah at all. She was taken aback at the disappointment that she felt at the idea. Seeing her girls and maybe even Novalene and Diana would be great—but Jayden wanted to know there was more.
Chapter Thirteen
Sunday morning must be the day for the demons to come out,” Jayden muttered as she listened to her girls arguing in their bedroom. By the time the siren blew telling them to line up for exercises, Jayden was ready to throw up her hands, quit the job, and go back to Dallas as fast as she could run. No wonder Elijah flew up to Fort Worth to get them. Bring them in by air and leave their means of transportation behind. That kept them from getting into their vehicles and getting the hell out of Alpine.
“What’s the problem in here?” Jayden leaned against the jamb of the door into their room.
Ashlyn popped her hands on her hips and said through clenched teeth, “I want Tiffany to cut my hair and she won’t do it. It’s growing out and I look horrible.”
“I’ve got one demerit. I’m not getting another one,” Tiffany declared.
“I read that handbook from one end to the other, and I didn’t find a thing about cutting hair or not cutting hair,” Carmella said. “What do you think, Jayden?”
“I can’t think that if Ashlyn wants her hair cut it would warrant a demerit,” Jayden answered. “Maybe you should both sign a paper saying that Ashlyn wouldn’t hold Tiffany responsible and that Tiffany would do the best job she possibly could. We could put it in your files.”
“We have a file?” Tiffany asked. “What do you do with it when our time is up here?”
“We send them to the court when you finish this course, and they can see by our recommendations, or by what kind of demerits or merits you earn, whether or not to allow you to go back to your high school or if you’ll need to do some time in juvie,” Jayden answered.
“Holy sh—” Carmella clamped a hand over her mouth. “I don’t want to waste a demerit on a cuss word.”
“If it is directed at a counselor or an employee of the camp, it is, and the f-bomb is forbidden,” Tiffany answered. “Page fifteen, paragraph six.”
“What are you, like a lawyer?” Ashlyn asked.
“Nope, but I read that whole thing, too, after my demerit because I don’t ever want to do the hog lot stuff again.” Tiffan
y shuddered. “I hated that job worse than even doing the stalls with all that horse crap and wet straw.”
“All right, already,” Ashlyn almost snorted. “Can she cut my hair or not, Jayden?”
“Not right now because in one minute it’s going to be time for you to hustle outside for exercises,” Jayden said. “So, get your hair put up in a ponytail and pull it out the back of your cap.”
Carmella reached for her cap that hung on the bedpost and dropped it—then it bounced up under her cot. When she bent to get it, she jumped back and yelled, “Spider.”
The siren sounded and both of the other girls took off out of the bedroom in a run. All the color left Carmella’s face and she started to whimper like a puppy. “Jayden, the spider is on my cap, and I’m going to be in trouble if I go out there without my cap.”
Jayden got down on her hands and knees and peeked under the bed. “That damn thing is as big as King Kong! Here, you take my cap and get on out of here. I’ll deal with this monster before I go to the kitchen.”
“Thank you.” Carmella jerked the hat onto her head and pulled her ponytail out the back as she ran for the door. “If you can catch it, please put it in the box and freeze it,” she yelled just before the wooden screen door slammed shut behind her.
A big brown tarantula sat on the top of Carmella’s cap like a king on a throne and seemed to glare at her as if it were daring her to approach him without permission. She wasn’t afraid of a normal spider, but in her mind this thing was as big as a gorilla and looked twice as vicious.
“Is everything all right in here?” Elijah yelled from outside.
His voice startled Jayden so much that she jumped backward, lost her balance, and sprawled out on the floor on her back. The spider must’ve heard boots on the wooden floor because it hopped off the hat and became nothing more than a dark blur as it ran right toward Jayden’s hair.
“Help!” She jumped back and tried to yell at the same time, but her voice came out more like a cross between the whine of a hungry puppy and the screech of an owl.
She was still scrambling backward when Elijah entered the room. Even though he wasn’t riding a white horse, Elijah damn sure looked like a knight in shining armor when he reached down with one hand and let the spider crawl right up on his arm.
“Are you crazy?” Jayden gasped.
He extended his free hand toward her. “Need some help?”
She put her hand in his, but once she was standing, she let it go and took a few steps back away from him. “Doesn’t that thing bite?”
“Not unless provoked. This is mating season for them, so they come out of their burrows in the wilds looking for mates. This boy got lost. What do you want me to do with him?” Elijah asked.
“Put him in Carmella’s collection box”—she pointed to the shoebox sitting on top of a footlocker—“and then make sure the lid is on it. I’ll take it from there. Why aren’t you out in the yard with the girls?”
“I left Ashlyn in charge.” He managed to get the spider into the box and quickly put the lid on it. “After a couple of weeks, I do that so they can learn even more responsibility. I knew something was wrong when the dining room was still dark, and you didn’t come out of the cabin with your girls like you always do.”
“Thank you for rescuing me.” She grabbed a broom from the corner of the room and swept Carmella’s cap out from under the bed.
“You are welcome.” He nodded. “But why did you use a broom? You could have reached the cap with no problem.”
“You said those things are harmless, but, honey, they could cause me to hurt myself.” She settled the cap on her head. “If his new little wife had set up housekeeping under the cot with him, I might have busted up a leg or an arm when I fell this time. Better to be safe than sorry.”
“Is that your whole philosophy about life?” Elijah asked.
“Nope, just when it comes to big-ass spiders.” She brushed past him, picked up the box, and started for the door, but she did sneak a glance over her shoulder at him on the way.
“What are you going to do with him?” Elijah followed so close behind her that she could feel his warm breath on her bare neck.
“He’s about to have an up-close-and-personal cryogenic experience,” she answered. “Then Tiffany will figure out a way to sketch him. I’m hoping she draws him on top of a skyscraper with airplanes flying all around him.”
Elijah opened the door for her, and they walked side by side across the yard. Ashlyn had finished the morning exercises, and the girls were still in formation.
“All right, girls. We’re going to do a fast walk this morning and cut our time by a third. We’re up to three miles now, and some of you can do it without groaning. By that last week, you’ll all be ready to go all the way to the mountain and camp out for a night.”
“What is this all you are talking about?” she asked. “You got another tarantula hiding in your pocket. Is it going with us? I love to exercise, but I’d just as soon you leave all spiders at home.”
Elijah chuckled. “I don’t carry spiders in my pockets, and I mean all of the girls and you counselors. We wouldn’t leave you out of the fun—those hot dogs won’t cook themselves. See you later.”
Jayden went straight to the big freezer in the pantry and carefully put the whole box inside it. She wasn’t sure if she shivered because of the cold air, or if it was the idea of that huge critter in the box, or if maybe it was because she could still feel Elijah’s breath on her neck.
The calendar on the wall in the kitchen said it was the third week in June, but the weather said something altogether different. For the second Sunday in a row, it rained. Not just a little sprinkle or two to water the cacti between the camp and the far mountains, but a serious downpour. Thank goodness it didn’t start until they were in church, but still, when the service was over, all eight girls got soaked running from the church to the vans. They were all moaning about having to stay inside all afternoon when they reached Piney Wood and jogged from the parked vehicles to the dining hall.
“I’m not looking forward to this afternoon,” Novalene groaned.
Jayden was the last one to sit down at the table with the adults, and she nodded in agreement. “I have an idea, and it might not be a good one, so I want all y’all to voice your honest opinions.”
“I’m all ears,” Novalene said.
“Me too,” Diana added.
“Ashlyn was throwing a fit this morning about her hair. She wanted Tiffany to cut it, but Tiffany already has one demerit, and she’s afraid to do anything against the rules. What if we let them do each other’s hair this afternoon, since they have to stay in anyway? I’ve got a decent pair of scissors in my suitcase if any of them want a haircut,” Jayden suggested.
“Man, that would take a lot of trust. Some of them are still pretty wary of the girls who aren’t in their cabin. But I’m willing to give it a try, and I’ve got a curling iron they can use,” Diana said. “Who’s going to do the cutting, and who’ll use the curling iron? What if one of them decides to do a shabby job on the styling or burn someone with the iron?”
“We could have a war,” Novalene said, “but if it will keep them from being bitchy all afternoon because they can’t play softball, then I’m all for it.”
Elijah covered a yawn with his hand. “If y’all are going to primp all afternoon, then I’m going to my cabin for a nap. You don’t need me to play beauty shop.”
“Oh, come on,” Jayden teased. “I thought maybe you’d like a facial.”
“In all the years I’ve been here, I can’t remember ever letting the girls do something like this after only three weeks in camp,” Diana said.
“No, but it sounds like a good idea.” He pushed back his chair and stood up. “They haven’t gotten to primp in a while, and they have been pretty good, even with the transition.” Elijah took his tray to the counter. “See y’all at supper. My cell phone number is on the front of the fridge if you need me.”
“So, how do we get this started or even find out if they’re interested?” Jayden asked.
“It’s your idea—you tell them,” Novalene said.
Jayden tapped a fork on the side of her iced-tea glass, and the room went quiet. “As you all know from your damp uniforms, it is raining, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to clear up, so . . .” She went on to tell them about her plan, ending with, “Does anyone here have any kind of experience in hairstyling?”
Novalene’s two girls raised their hands. “You learn something new every day. Neither of them mentioned having any cosmetology experience until now,” Novalene said.
“We have a stylist that comes to the house every week, and she’s taught me a little about hair,” Keelan said.
Bailey raised her hand. “Sometimes me and my friends all get together and have a makeover. I can do about anything with hair if I have the right equipment. I can’t believe y’all are going to let us do something like this.”
“It’s a reward for not one of you having a demerit all week,” Novalene said. “You might think about that when you want to do something stupid in the coming days.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Keelan said. “Is there a spray bottle somewhere in the kitchen I can use to wet hair?”
“I know where one is.” Tiffany hopped up and started around the end of the bar.
“How about a towel?” Bailey yelled. “We can use it for a cape.”
“Will this work?” Tiffany held up a muslin tea towel.
“It will do just fine,” Keelan said. “Who’s first?”
Ashlyn held up a hand. “Me.”
All eight girls who had been used to makeup, hair salons, and the best that money could buy were suddenly in their element, laughing and talking and getting everyone’s opinions about how much hair to cut, and what style would look best.
“I betcha if one of them breaks a rule this next week, they’d better sleep with one eye open.” Diana laughed.
“Why’s that?” Jayden asked.
“Because after all the fun they’re having today, if one of them keeps the whole bunch from getting a treat like this next Sunday, the other seven might not take too kindly to it,” Novalene explained.
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