“You’re in my way,” she warned, then easily sidestepped him and disappeared down the dock.
After a quick change of clothes now, he decided to head back out and see if he could find Zoey again. After all, her evening ride with her sister was probably coming to an end, since the sun had set already.
He hadn’t expected to see a silver-haired woman walking down the path toward him. Her resemblance to Zoey was so uncanny that he stopped to say hello.
“You must be Zoey and Scarlett’s mother.” When her eyes lit up, he smiled. “Dylan C—Rhodes,” he corrected quickly.
“Call me Kimberly.” She took his hand easily. “I’ve heard all about you and your brothers.”
“Lies.” His grin stretched his cheeks. “Whatever you’ve heard.”
She chuckled, the sound so much like Zoey’s own laughter that he couldn’t help smiling with her.
“I’ve booked a zip line tour with you for tomorrow.” She looked over him as a mother would her own son. He fought the urge to squirm under her gaze. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Something told him she wasn’t talking about his job but something deeper. Still, he decided to keep things light.
“I do. I spent a summer as a guide in Brazil; their zip line was ten times longer and higher,” he assured her.
“Good.” She sighed and glanced toward the main building. “I’m heading in for dinner. Care to join me?”
He shook his head. “Can’t—heading to the barn to meet your daughter.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Like I said, I hope you know what you’re doing.” She started to move past him. “It was nice meeting you, Dylan.”
“You too.” He watched her stroll toward the main house, then turned back down his route.
As he approached the barn, he saw Scarlett leaning against the paddock railing talking to Carter, the veterinarian.
Deciding he didn’t want to waste any time chatting with the two of them, he ducked into the barn to look for Zoey.
He found her in a stall, brushing a large cream-colored mare. Zoey was talking to the horse as if the creature could understand every word.
“So, you see,” Zoey was saying, “that is why humans don’t get to sleep standing up.”
He must have chuckled, because her head jerked in his direction.
“Sorry.” He stepped from the shadows and into the stall. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your story.”
He saw her tense, so he walked over and started stroking the horse’s mane. The creature leaned into his shoulder while he scratched its neck. He’d visited the stalls a few times already and had even taken a ride on Duke, who had quickly become his favorite out of the half dozen horses housed in the barn.
“Lady, right?” he asked the horse, not the woman. When the horse gave him a quick nod, he laughed and hugged her.
“She does that to everyone,” Zoey said, causing him to glance over at her.
“Jealous?” He smiled. Zoey gave a quick shake of her head, then walked out of the stall and set the brush down on the table.
“Why are you here?” she asked, turning around and almost bumping into him, since he’d followed her out.
“Is this a private club?” he asked with a hint of humor.
“No, I mean . . .” She motioned around to the trees, and then to him. “You and your brothers are up to something. I just haven’t figured it out yet.”
“We can’t just be here for the work? We’re doing pretty well at it, I think,” he teased and smiled more deeply when her eyes narrowed. “How about a walk?” he asked.
He could tell she questioned it for a moment, but then she fell into step beside him easily.
“So?” she asked once they were outside and heading on the path toward the water of the bay.
“So?” He peeked over at her, but it was too dark to see that annoyed look he knew she got. The one he was quickly growing to enjoy too much.
“Are you going to tell me?” she asked. She pulled her arm free and stopped in the middle of the pathway.
“What makes you so sure we’re here for anything other than work?” he asked.
“It doesn’t add up. Since arriving here, the three of you have been sneaking around the place as if looking for something.”
His eyebrows drew up, and he was thankful she’d begun pacing and didn’t seem to have noticed.
“What makes you say that?” Damn, he thought. He’d have to warn his brothers to be more discreet.
“Every time I turn around, I bump into you or one of your clones.” She ticked off offenses on her fingers. “Not to mention, apparently Liam gets lost so much that I keep finding him in different places. Yesterday he was in the main kitchen.”
“Maybe he was hungry,” Dylan said. The look Zoey gave him sent him into a smile again. “Or not.” He held up his hands.
“Then there’s Owen.” She tilted her head.
“What about him?” He was almost afraid to ask.
“He has a head for business,” she answered.
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“It is if he were applying for a job as manager of a retail store; instead, he comes all the way out here for a job as a camp counselor.” Her voice rose slightly.
“We like to stick together”—he shrugged—“and we like the outdoors.”
She gave a low growl and threw up her hands in frustration. “Okay, so it’s a game. What are you, internet millionaires who do this for fun?”
He walked over to her and took her shoulders in his hands to stop her. “Zoey, what makes you think that there’s anything more than three brothers down on their luck, looking for jobs that they could all enjoy?”
She sighed and relaxed slightly. The moonlight streamed through the trees overhead, giving her skin a glow. Her dark eyes searched his face, and he was grateful that it was most likely hidden in the shadow, since the moon was behind him. His eyes darted down to her lips, wanting, wondering what they would feel like against his.
“I will find out,” she said slowly, breaking his thoughts. “I have a nose for things like this.” She stepped back, breaking their contact.
He watched her turn away and head down the path and, for a moment, thought about following her.
Instead, he continued on his way and sat on the dock until his head was cleared.
When he returned to the main house, the lights were dark. Knowing the schedule of most of the employees by now, he wagered he had enough time to make his way into the office wing of the first floor without being seen. There was a new coded lock on Zoey’s office door, but he’d paid attention when he’d followed Aubrey into the room the other day.
He punched in the code and smiled when the green button flashed and the door lock was released.
He glanced up and down the hallway before stepping into the dark room. He didn’t even know where to begin looking. Should he chance turning on the computer? Since he didn’t know any of the passwords, he doubted it would do him any good anyway.
He walked over to the file cabinet and pulled open the first drawer and realized it was full of HR folders with small labels for each employee.
Seeing his and those of his brothers, he pulled them out and glanced inside. Their initial applications were stapled to the back with a printout from a website. The background check using their altered names showed that they had no criminal history and no outstanding warrants and that their work history didn’t have any grievances. It was a pretty basic search.
What it didn’t show was the vital information, such as his family’s wealth or the fact that he and his brothers had stock in their father’s business.
He put the files back in place and scrolled through the rest of the files. When he opened the second drawer, he found what he’d hoped he would. Financial papers.
That was, until he looked closer. There were several folders, one for each major bill the camp accrued. Water, gas, electric—all the basic bills a business would normally have.
Deciding in a heartbeat, he moved to the closet and shut himself in the tight space.
When he heard his brother’s voice, he relaxed and began to emerge—that was, until he heard Elle’s voice respond. Then he tucked back into the darkness and prayed that she had no reason to reach into the closet.
He leaned closer, eavesdropping.
“Is there a reason I keep finding you in the strangest places?” Elle asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
“Like I said, it’s not a crime to go for a walk.” His brother’s voice sounded relaxed.
Dylan chanced a peek through the crack in the door. Liam was leaning on the edge of the desk.
Elle was standing in front of him, her arms crossed over her chest and a look of disbelief on her face.
“This makes it four times in six days I’ve seen you sneaking around after dark.”
“Sneaking?” Liam’s voice rose slightly. “If you consider an evening stroll sneaking, what are you going to do when guests start arriving and milling about?”
Dylan smiled. Liam was a sneak and, as the youngest of the three of them, had learned early on how to get out of any circumstance.
The fact that Elle remained quiet for a moment told Dylan that his brother had most likely smooth-talked himself out of this situation as well.
“Why were you out near the River Cabin?” she asked.
Dylan ran through the map of the campgrounds in his head and determined she was talking about the lone cabin that sat off by itself near the edge of a small stream. Every cabin had its own unique name etched in a wood sign that hung over its front door.
He’d learned the cabin in question had been remodeled like the rest of the camp cabins, thanks to his chat with Aiden, head of construction. But when he’d asked Julie if it was booked, she’d informed him that that cabin wasn’t part of the rentals. When he’d asked her why, she’d only told him that it had been marked for private use.
Of course, the brothers had instantly decided that it would have been a perfect hideaway for their father.
Still, the place had been sitting empty so far.
“I saw a light,” Liam said, earning Dylan’s attention. “I thought someone might be messing with the place.”
“No, no one is messing with the place. It’s private,” she said after a moment.
“Someone’s living there?” Liam asked.
“Yes,” Elle answered.
“Who?” His brother didn’t miss a beat.
Elle shifted, and from his place in the closet, Dylan could tell that she hadn’t wanted to answer. But after a moment, she threw up her hands.
“Zoey and Scarlett’s mother.” Elle started pacing. “Scarlett and Kimberly just got back from Jacksonville after selling their old home.”
Liam was silent. “Why keep it a secret?” he asked.
Elle turned back toward him. “I’m not.” She gasped slightly. “Why are you and your brothers sneaking around?”
“We don’t sneak.” Liam stood up and used his full height to tower over Elle.
“Still, either you keep getting lost or—”
“I enjoy evening walks in the great outdoors,” Liam finished for her. “The three of us enjoy nature. It’s one of the reasons we got jobs here.”
There was another moment of silence, possibly as she absorbed that, before Elle finished. “Either way”—he heard steps toward the office door—“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go sneaking around the River Cabin. We’ve allowed Kimberly to rent it from us as a private home. She’s a very reclusive person and doesn’t wish to be harassed.”
“I have never harassed anyone,” Liam said after he’d moved toward the door. His brother stood in the entrance, looking down at Elle for a moment, then moved out of the doorway.
Dylan was lucky: Elle shut off the office lights and closed the door behind her.
He waited almost five minutes before walking out of the closet and leaning his ear against the door to the hall. He glanced back at the file cabinet and wondered if he should chance looking any more. Deciding not to push his luck, he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.
“Well, well,” a female voice purred behind his back, causing him to spin around.
CHAPTER FOUR
Zoey’s hand clasped Elle’s, who was holding on to Hannah’s. When Scar and Aubrey walked over, their hands were quickly taken up as well.
It was opening day. So much had gone right to get them to this spot in time, and so much was hanging on their success. Not only was money getting tight, but now they had a trio of spies in their mix.
One of the improvements Aiden had convinced them to begin with was a good security system. They had small cameras set up on every main building.
It hadn’t been long after the brothers had arrived that she’d spotted them sneaking around. At first, she had gone to Elle in fear they were trying to steal; then Elle had convinced her to sit back and watch them.
For the next two nights, they had been glued to the computer screen, as if binge-watching their favorite shows.
Sure enough, once all the lights went off and everyone was tucked inside, the three brothers hit the trails, looking around, each of them taking part of the camp to search.
“It looks like they’re looking for something,” Hannah said, a bowl of popcorn in her lap as they huddled around the laptop. “What is the question.” She sipped her wine.
“Something they could pawn for quick cash?” Aubrey asked as she reached for a handful of Hannah’s popcorn.
Zoey watched the brothers more closely, her eyes zeroing in on Dylan, who was at the moment sneaking around the boathouse. Her mind returned to the first night after they had hired them. She’d found him by the boathouse after she’d returned from checking out the new-to-them sailboat. “No, they’re looking for something specific.” She squinted and wished that the camera’s night vision was higher quality. “But what?”
“We can’t afford to fire them,” Elle said, biting her bottom lip. “Not now. Who would we get to replace them? Besides, they’re building that slide thing.”
“Dry tube slide,” Zoey provided.
“Right.” Elle nodded. “So, what do we do?”
“Two can play at the game of spying.” Zoey smiled. “Why not let them sneak around? With us watching them, of course. We can each take a brother to watch.” She leaned forward and opened her web browser.
“What are you doing?” Aubrey asked.
“Google search.” She typed in Owen Rhodes and frowned at the eighteen million results that came up. Then she typed in each brother’s name and the address they had put on their applications.
“Nothing.” She frowned at the screen. “Even the address is just an apartment block.”
“So? Have you googled yourself lately?” Elle sighed. “What did you expect?”
“I don’t know, at least a Facebook link.” She leaned back after flipping the screen back to the cameras.
“How about we each take turns watching them?” Hannah asked.
“Good idea—plus it gives us some time to figure out what they’re doing here,” Elle added.
“Here we go,” Elle whispered, breaking into Zoey’s thoughts.
“Ready or not,” Zoey chimed in with a sigh; her nerves tingled as the first cars pulled into the parking lot at the edge of the field.
The covered parking had been one of the best ideas from Aiden. Since it had been a summer camp for kids before, most parents had dropped off their children. There had never really been a need for long-term parking.
Using the existing field that had been used for parking back when the camp had been open was obvious, but covering it with asphalt and adding the carport covers was a big bonus. One that apparently had been needed, since any car that pulled in parked underneath the shelters.
“Smiles,” Elle said and squeezed her hand before dropping it.
The flow of guests coming in that first Friday morning warmed Zoey’s heart and had her believing that they had all made the right choice.
Employees took care of the guests with alacrity, making sure everyone arrived at their cabins with all their luggage while giving them a quick tour around the grounds.
Zoey herself had a handful of guests to guide. First, she took a nice couple who had driven all the way from Richmond, Virginia. Mary and Luke Young were celebrating their fortieth anniversary.
They’d been one of the first couples to book and had requested the Love Shack—the cabin set off deeper into the woods by itself with a view of the bay.
The trek to that cabin was a little harder, and Zoey ended up driving them up on one of the many repurposed golf carts they had purchased from a defunct golf course across the state line. All the carts had been painted the camp’s teal-green color and had the River Camp’s logo on the sides.
Several of the carts bore EMPLOYEES ONLY signs; they used them to get around when toting bags or guests who required special help.
She took the pathways slowly and made sure to highlight all the attractions for the guests as they moved toward their cabin. The couple gushed about how their daughter and son had pooled together to purchase the vacation for them.
“Forty years together—that’s amazing.” Part of her questioned what it would have been like growing up with loving parents like this couple. What if her mother and father continued to look at one another like the Youngs were currently doing? Had her parents ever looked at one another like this? Of course, then her mind switched gears, and she started dreaming about looking at someone with so much love and admiration.
She watched as Luke reached up and placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders. The simple touch said so much that she found herself glancing away as a slow pain spread in her chest.
“It’s not long when you’re with the right person,” he said.
Zoey held in a sigh as more aches spread throughout her heart. She parked the cart in front of the Love Shack.
“Here we are—the Love Shack. It’s all yours for your entire stay, which is . . .” She glanced down at their sheet and smiled. “A full month.”
Summer Nights Page 6