“Probably just one of the campers trying to get into trouble while away from home. I think every group that comes in here has at least one or two of those. Some kids are here because they want to be, and others are here because their parents made them.”
“And some of those kids who are forced to be here actually leave changed. I guess that makes it worth it for all of the headache and trouble of the others.”
“Agreed.” He took a sip of coffee and looked at her over the rim of his mug. “So, what are your plans for the day?”
“I’m hoping I might pick up my car. The sheriff said I could get it back a few days ago, I just haven’t had the chance.”
He sat the coffee mug down and turned toward the sizzling griddle. “What’s the update on the dead man?”
Molly shrugged. “They still don’t know his identity. It’s all very strange. This is a small county. The idea that a stranger is found dead in the middle of the road is unsettling.”
“I agree.” He flipped a piece of French toast. “I’ll give you a ride into town. I have to do a few errands anyway. You may have to tag along for the first couple, if you don’t mind.”
Spending time with Nick brought both apprehension and curiosity. She wanted to know about his life since they’d last spoken. She wanted to find out if he was still the same person he was before. At the same time, she didn’t want to get too close. “I’d love a ride. Thank you.”
They sat down in the cafeteria to eat and chatted casually about campers, upcoming schedules and highlights from the past week. Casual. Impersonal. Safe. Molly could handle that.
Something about the moment caused her heart to unexpectedly, and abruptly, lurch. Though she’d long since forgiven Nick—at least, she thought she had—she knew part of the reason she’d never married was because no one had ever compared to Nick. She’d never experienced a connection like they had. But he’d proven that trusting a man with her heart would only lead to heartbreak. First Nick, then Derek. If a chaplain and a doctor weren’t relationship material, she held little hope that she’d ever find someone that was.
Her mom had once said, after one of her many breakups, that men weren’t trustworthy. None of them. Molly was beginning to think that was true.
She took another bite of her breakfast, trying to swallow her thoughts.
She and Nick had no chance at a relationship again. The sooner she grasped that thought, the better.
Then why did the task feel impossible?
* * *
Nick saw the different emotions washing through Molly’s eyes. What was the woman thinking? Would she ever forgive him for ending their relationship so badly? Would she ever understand why he’d done it?
He’d come back to the States ready to face his demons. He’d never expected his biggest regret to walk right back into his life again, though. God definitely had a sense of humor...or was it simply a great sense of timing?
He knew he needed to talk to Molly sometime, to explain himself, to tell her about the realizations he’d had over the last year. But now wasn’t the time. He sensed something fragile about her now, a certain hurt in her eyes. What had happened to bring her back here? Certainly there was more to her story than she let on.
He wiped his mouth and stood. “Ready to roll?”
She nodded. “Thanks for breakfast. It was great.”
Silently, they walked out to his dusty old truck. His grandfather had left it for him and it served its purpose here at the camp. It was really all that Nick needed since most of his time was spent right here on the campus.
He opened the door for Molly. As she climbed in, he caught a whiff of cucumbers and watermelon. He could bury himself in that scent, and, at the moment, wanted nothing more than to tuck her into his arms and let her presence consume him.
Of course, he could do none of that. They couldn’t pick up where they’d left off. Even if Nick wanted to, Molly would most likely never forgive him and Nick couldn’t blame her.
He wished he’d been strong enough to be his own man back then. Instead, he’d caved to the pressure around him. He’d given in to his hidden fears, fears that no one would have guessed...except maybe Molly. And that was precisely why he’d had to break up with her. She’d gotten beyond his walls, and that terrified him.
He pushed those thoughts aside as he climbed into the truck and cranked the engine. Cool air-conditioning blew through the vents at full blast, and again the scent of cucumbers and watermelons drifted to him.
That hadn’t changed in all these years. Molly still smelled as sweet and innocent as ever.
As the truck bounced down the road, Nick decided to risk asking Molly about her past. The worst she could do was refuse to answer. “So, what’s been happening in your life since camp, Molly?”
She shrugged and stopped examining her unpainted fingernails for a moment to glance at him. “What can I say? I went to nursing school, graduated, got a job. I worked at a Maryland hospital for six years and now I’m here. Pretty unremarkable, I’d guess.”
“What happened to your dream of going overseas and being a medical missionary?”
Her lips seemed to pull down at the corners briefly. “Sometimes life gets in the way and you move on.”
Questions swirled in Nick’s mind. What had happened? How much should he pry? And how would things have turned out differently if they’d stayed together? Not only for Molly, but for Nick, too?
It didn’t matter. As much as he’d like to believe his life could have turned out differently, he knew that he was his own worst enemy. He’d given so much of himself to other people that he had nothing to offer anyone else. He didn’t foresee that changing any time soon. Sometimes, in fact, it felt like the walls around his heart were even higher and stronger than ever. Losing people you loved could do that to you.
Sadness pressed in on him at the thought.
Molly seemed equally as melancholy at the moment. Her eyes wandered the truck’s cab until finally she plucked up a piece of paper that had gotten wedged between the seats. Nick’s name was written crudely across the front.
“Looks like you’ve got some fan mail,” she muttered.
He squinted. “I’m not sure where that came from.” He pulled up to a stop sign, took the envelope from her and tore across the top of it. The typed words on the page made his heart stammer.
“What? What does it say?”
“It’s from Gene. He said he’s sorry for leaving so abruptly and please forgive him. He’s decided that life is too short to work in a career that he doesn’t love.”
“At least we know he’s okay. One mystery solved.”
Nick looked over at Molly and shook his head. “Not quite.”
“What do you mean?”
“Gene’s last name is misspelled. Who misspells their own last name?”
SIX
“How is Gene’s last name spelled?” Molly held her breath as she waited for his response.
“His last name is A-L-A-N. They spelled it A-L-L-E-N.”
“What does this mean, Nick? Did someone hurt him and write this note to throw us off the trail? How long has this letter been there?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t really driven anywhere in almost a week. Someone must have stuck the letter in here, but it got wedged between the seats.”
She crossed her arms. “I don’t like this.”
Nick shook his head. “I don’t like it, either. I’ll drop this letter off at the
sheriff’s when we pick up your car.”
Molly licked her lips, wondering what she and Nick would talk about now. Her thoughts whirled on Gene and everything else that had happened. Her first thought was that she should leave. But she knew she was too stubborn to be scared away. Even Derek hadn’t scared her away from living up in Maryland. She’d left only after much prayer and feeling like leaving was the right thing to do.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I’m trying to think about anything but Gene right now.”
Nick cleared his throat. “How’s your mom?”
Molly’s heart thudded with sadness. “She died two years ago.” That’s when she had met Derek. She’d been vulnerable and he’d stepped into her life at just the right time to swoop in and help take her worries away.
“I’m sorry, Molly.”
“Me, too. But she battled cancer for four years. At least she’s not suffering anymore.”
“You were able to be there with her?”
“I was. She had no one else to take care of her. Her no-good boyfriend left after her first chemo treatment. He couldn’t take it anymore.”
“She never had good taste in men, did she?”
Molly let out a small laugh. “No, she always had awful taste. She seamlessly moved from one jerk to another.” She’d always tried to find her self-esteem in men. Molly had told herself she’d never follow in her mother’s footsteps. She’d watched the way men treated her mom, and vowed she’d never settle for someone who didn’t respect her. In that sense, maybe it was good that Nick had broken up with her all those years ago. The past few years, however, had proven that she wasn’t as strong as she’d thought.
“And your parents?” Even as she asked him, her throat felt dry. Nick’s parents had never liked her. They’d had such high expectations for their son, and Molly didn’t fit any of their standards. She didn’t come from a good family. Her mom wasn’t affluent, wasn’t a churchgoer or respected in the community. On the other hand, Molly had found Nick’s parents to be self-righteous, pious and too concerned with appearances.
“They’re doing well. Dad’s still the pastor up at Richmond Community.”
“Church still growing?”
“Largest one in the city.”
“I’m sure they’re glad that you’re back in this area.”
He hesitated a moment. “They’re not actually speaking to me right now.”
“Oh,” was all Molly could say. What had happened to fracture their relationship? Nick was their only son, and they’d had so many hopes for him. Molly had always wondered how Nick handled their overbearing nature so well. Whereas her mother had had no expectations for Molly, Nick’s parents had had an overabundance.
They pulled to a stop in front of a hardware store. “I just need to pick up a few things.”
“I’ll tag along and stretch my legs, if you don’t mind.” Molly stepped out of the truck onto the dusty gravel parking lot. The summer sun beat down on them as their feet crunched against the rocky ground outside of the small-town store. Bells on the door handle jangled as they stepped inside.
Molly took a deep whiff of motor oil, spray paint and fertilizer. Something about the combination felt comforting and down-to-earth. Small-town America, she realized. She missed it. She’d been in Maryland for the past two years, living in an apartment only minutes from downtown. Being in the store made her feel like she’d returned home.
As Nick started down an aisle toward paint supplies, a round, robust man with a fringe of black hair called to him, stopping Nick in his tracks. “Nick White. When did you get back in town?”
Nick put on a good front, but Molly knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t excited about conversing with the man who approached him.
“Wendell Manning.” Nick extended his hand. “It’s been awhile.”
“You back at the camp?”
“I am.”
“Never thought I’d see you back in this area. I thought you’d pulled up your roots and hightailed it out of here.”
“I was gone for awhile, but I’m back now.”
Wendell leaned toward Nick. “Funny that I ran into you because I’ve been wanting to talk to you. I’m hoping you might want to discuss the property that Camp Hope Springs is located on.”
“What about it?”
“You interested in selling some of the acres? I’d like to expand the paper factory.”
Nick shook his head. “My grandfather made it clear when he left the land for the camp that we couldn’t ever sell any portion of it.”
“I could give you a good deal. A deal good enough that you might be able to fix up some of the buildings on the property, maybe add a rock wall or a ropes course, update everything. Of all the acres the camp owns, how many are used? Ten maybe?”
“I can’t change my grandfather’s wishes, Wendell. You know how much he loved the forest—and how stubborn he was, for that matter. He made his intentions very clear. He wanted to preserve this land and there’s no changing his will.”
“There’s always ways to get around legalities.”
Nick bristled. “What are you suggesting, Mr. Manning?”
Wendell backed up, raising his hands in the air. “Not trying to offend you. I just thought it might be a win-win for both of us.”
“Doing something illegal is never a win-win.” Nick wrapped his fingers around Molly’s arm. “Come on. Let’s go.”
Molly didn’t argue, and Nick didn’t say anything else until they were inside his truck. By the way his veins popped out from his temples, he clearly wasn’t happy.
“What was that about?”
“Wendell Manning thinks he owns this town. He’s always thought that and will probably never change. Just because he’s the richest man in the area doesn’t mean he can buy his way around the law.”
“I can’t believe he even suggested that.” Molly tried to phrase her next words carefully. “It’s too bad that your grandfather said you couldn’t sell any of the property. Some of that money would be really nice for the camp right now since it’s struggling so much.”
“I’ve thought of that before myself, but it just isn’t an option.”
“Why’s the camp gone downhill, Nick?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what happened in the time that I was gone. Half of the members of the board of directors stepped down. Gene disappeared. Registration has been down. I guess Gene wasn’t always the easiest guy to work with. Rumor has it that he ran off a few of the board members and ticked off a few of the churches that normally supported the camp, which is why registration is down.”
“What did he do that was terrible?”
“He just wasn’t a people person. I guess I should have been here and tried to referee things. Maybe I could have nipped this in the bud before it got out of control.”
“You couldn’t do that, Nick. You were stationed overseas.”
He shrugged, the burdened look returning. “Yeah, I guess not.”
A few minutes of silence passed. Farmland blurred past them, interspersed with patches of thick woodlands.
“What did you see over there, Nick?”
He jerked his head toward her. “What do you mean?”
“I see it in your eyes. Being in the Middle East changed you.”
He shrugged, the action a little too forced to seem natural. “Being in a war zone does change you. Of course it does. But I wasn’t even in the middle of the combat.�
��
“Not physical combat, at least. I’m sure talking to all of those soldiers, helping them deal with their problems, was an entirely different kind of war zone. It was the war zone of the heart and mind.”
“Yeah, but I had the easy job.”
“I just have a feeling that you’re holding things inside, like you’re battling something on your own that’s trying to defeat you.”
“You talk like you know about it.”
She shrugged this time. “As a nurse, I worked a lot with military returning from the Middle East. Of course they were hospitalized for physical injuries. But physical injuries seemed to just be a scratch on the surface. Seeing the things you do over there can make the most levelheaded person teeter on anxiety or post-traumatic stress.”
“That’s probably true, but I’m fine.”
Molly was silent a moment before clearing her throat. “You always try to help other people and you forget about yourself. Sometimes you have to address your own hurts, Nick.”
“You’re assuming a lot, Molly.”
“I don’t think I am.”
Nick didn’t say anything else, and Molly wouldn’t push him for answers. But more than anything she wished she could reach into his heart and treat it like she did a physical wound. Too bad it was never that easy.
* * *
Nick and Molly had just spent the last hour at the sheriff’s department, explaining the note. The sheriff took the letter, said he’d check it for fingerprints and asked that they not share this information with anyone in the meantime. He’d also shown Molly a picture of the man in the road on the night she arrived. She didn’t recognize him.
All along, Nick had hoped that everything that had been happening was some kind of misunderstanding or mischief. But he was coming to believe that there was more to it.
He drove solo back to the camp, Molly following behind him in her own car. As soon as Molly had gotten out of his truck and was safely tucked into her own car, Nick missed her. Which was crazy. Why did he miss the woman, who thought she understood him when she clearly didn’t?
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