Lunch ensues without a hitch and the kids seem calmer than last week’s bunch. My gaze keeps drifting to Kat, and then to the rest of the male counseling staff. Who the heck did she hook up with? Even still, she’s avoiding any interaction with me, which is good.
Once we clean up, I snag the money till and my ice tea, and head for the snack shack. I twist the key and the door opens. Sunlight falls over the floor. The worst night of my life ends up being the best after all. I retrieve the wayward stool and give it a good cleaning with Logan’s cleaner.
By 1PM, there’s a line twenty deep, and I keep checking the pool area for Logan. Wherever he is, I try not to think too deeply about it.
“So, about today’s skit—” Dirk walks in with the treasure box and gives me a double take. “How come you’re not ready?”
I turn to him with a scowl. My nap trumped finding my tank top, which I suspected Syd still had in her possession.
“Because Sophie snores.”
“What?” Dirk twists his lips.
I roll my eyes. “Never mind.”
He huffs. “Where’s Logan?”
“Beats me.”
As I take another customer, he scans the pool area for him, like that’ll make him appear magically.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Can’t I just do it without a costume?” I ask.
“No. I’ll be back.”
Logan shows up a few minutes later out of breath and decked out in his pirate vest and swim trunks. I can’t help but notice the rosy tinge to his cheeks.
“You’re happy,” I comment between campers.
He shrugs. “Sorry I’m late.”
“Rough commute?”
“You could say that.”
After a few more orders, Logan’s still in Lala Land for whatever reason. I brush past him to get some candy out of the cabinet. Floral perfume—Kat’s scent—tickles my nose.
My heart plummets. I take the next order when Kat catches my eye. She strolls across the deck with a skull and cross bones shirt cut in strips, dangling around her bare midriff and black bikini bottoms. Her girls swarm her like she’s a long lost sea princess, while a trail of horny high school boys are left drooling.
Jealousy roars inside me and I’m nauseated she’s getting away with two timing Logan, and wearing a bikini around the kids, which is against the rules for female counselors.
I turn to Logan, and he’s lost in a daydream, watching her. I give up for the moment and take the next order.
“Ice cream sandwich, please,” the camper says.
I nudge Logan when he doesn’t retrieve the dessert right away.
He breaks eye contact, and looks at me. “What?”
“Sandwich ‘O Cream, please.”
He reaches around and opens the freezer for one, then sits on the stool. A vision of Kat getting laid on the stool comes back to me. Somehow, though it’s a horrible thought, I have to help Logan catch her in the act, but how?
The next girl in line slaps her hands on the counter and snaps her gum. “I want… a Pot O’ Booty and a Shiver me Timbers Bar and…”
“You got it.” I shove the candy across the counter. “Three fifty. Who’s next?”
“I’m not done.”
I look down at her, tempted to rattle off the caloric content of what she’s about to eat. “What else?”
“Um…” She stares at the board for a good minute. The kids behind her start to get antsy.
“While you’re deciding, I’m going to take someone’s order who’s ready.”
The girl gives me a nasty look, but slides over.
“Man.” Logan perches his eyebrow.
I turn to him, pissed. “They don’t call me Wench for nothing.”
“Whenever you’re ready.” Logan moves over and waits for the indecisive brat to finish her order. I get through the rest of the line by the time they finish and once there’s a lull, my anxiety rockets.
He leans against the counter and his bicep flexes. I’m temporarily distracted.
“Hey, you two.” Dirk shows up just in time with clothing in hand. “Here, Maddy. I want to get the skit rolling.”
I hold up the ugly dress, scowling. “Can’t someone else fill in for me?”
“What?” Dirk asks.
“I just don’t want to get wet.”
“Come on, Wench.” Logan nudges me and winks. “You can’t withhold your booty from me hearties.”
I give him the eye. “Naughty.”
He lifts his lip up at the corner.
“Fine, but not that. I’ll just run to my cabin and get my tank top.”
“I don’t care what you wear. Just hurry.” Dirk huffs under his breath. When he leaves the shack, he heads over to Kat. My smile fades. He’s letting the sex magnet get away with murder.
“What’s wrong with you today?” Logan asks.
Maybe the fact that I’m falling for you, and you’re oblivious that they’re cheating on you for starters.
“Nothing,” I lie.
“Nothing?” He cracks a smile.
“Yes.” I try not to smile, but it doesn’t work.
“Are you going to wear this, or get your shirt?” He holds up the hideous dress. “I won’t look when you change.”
“Maybe I should just go naked.” His brown eyes darken at my statement. “Or get my shirt.”
“You should get your shirt.”
I bolt to Aspen with a smile on my face and, of course, I can’t find my tank. Instead I put on my bikini top, since it’s my only suit, and rule breaking apparently is okay these days. Anything to lighten the load once I’m drenched. The whole time, though, I’m formulating a plan.
I return to the shack. Logan eyes me up and down. “I thought you said…”
I hold out my hand. “Give me the damn dress.”
After I pull it over my head, I catch another eyeful of Kat as she strolls around the deck again, swaying her hips.
“Maybe I should just wear a torn shirt. It’s very popular with me hearties.” I gesture to her.
Logan’s gaze swings to me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I blink at him. “Are you serious? What she’s wearing is,” giving every poor guy here blue balls, “against the rules.”
He glares at me. “And you’re not breaking the rules?”
“Forget it.” I blow out a breath and stand in the doorway to signal I’m ready, hoping he’ll hurry up and get this skit underway. This solidifies even more that Logan is Kat’s ally first, so without proof, he’ll never believe me.
So, I’ll just have to figure out a way for him to find out on his own.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I stare wide-awake at the ceiling, questioning my sanity. My first attempt to catch Kat in the act bombed after I’d begged Logan to patrol after Lights Out with me, looking for wayward kids, hoping to come across them somehow without luck.
I roll over, mad I forgot my earplugs at Logan’s, and shove the cotton balls further into my ears. The clock reads 2AM and I’m half tempted to sleep downstairs on the couch. As if on cue, Sophie starts to hack like she’s about to cough up a hairball.
Then my phone vibrates with a text, startling me.
Sophie mumbles, “Turn that thing off.”
I almost cuss her out while I grab it. Syd’s name reads across the screen.
Syd: Some guy just tried to get into the cabin. Should I call 911? I don’t have the camp’s address.
I sit up in bed.
Me: Yes. Hell, yes.
Syd: I called Dirk, but his phone kept rolling over to voicemail.”
I get out of bed and slide on my pants.
Me: Forget Dirk. Just call 911. They’ll know where the camp is.
Syd: OK
I put on my sweatshirt and zip it up.
Me: I’ll get Logan and Dirk.
Syd: OK
“Where are you going?” Sophie asks groggily.
I glare at her in the dark. Oh, now suddenly
she cares. “Just go back to sleep, Sophie.”
I slide on my shoes last. I’m outside and running down to Logan’s cabin within minutes terrified I’ll run into the thugs. Luckily, the door’s unlocked.
“Logan,” I shake his shoulder.
His eyes pop open. “Maddy? What’s wrong?”
“Syd says there’s some weird guy trying to break into her cabin and she can’t get ahold of Dirk.”
“Oh, shit.”
He jumps out of bed in his boxers with his messed up hair. I turn away, but get an eyeful of sexiness before I do. Good lord, he’s gorgeous.
Focus, Maddy.
Once he’s dressed, he goes and wakes up Brady in the other room. The three of us take off running down the trail. Once we get within eyesight of Dirk’s cabin, I gesture to the trail leading to the girl’s side.
“You go check Syd’s cabin. I’ll get Dirk.”
Logan gives me a look. “You sure?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Go.”
We split up, but I’m terrified something bad has already happened.
“Dirk,” I whisper-yell and rap on his door. “Open up. It’s an emergency.”
There’s no answer. I bang harder. “Dirk!”
Is he a hard sleeper, too? “Please, dear God. Dirk! Open the damn door.”
When I’m about to give up, the door finally opens.
“What’s going on?” he asks.
My eyes go from his mussed up hair, down his bare chest to the jeans riding low on his hips sans boxers. I suck in a breath and move backward two steps, my eye catching the rumpled sheets of his bed.
“Maddy, what’s wrong?”
Beyond him, the light from the bathroom clicks on, and shoots out from under the closed door into his darkened room. Is he not alone?
“Maddy?” he asks again as he steps out and closes the door.
“Oh, uh, someone tried to break into Syd’s cabin. She’s been trying to call you,” I finally spit out. “Brady and Logan are checking it out.”
“She has?” He fumbles in his pockets for his phone and pulls it out. “Oh, crap. It’s been off.”
He returns to the cabin, grabs his shirt from off the chair and puts on his shoes, before shutting the door.
“Should I stay here?” I ask.
“No.” He guides me away from his cabin as he returns Syd’s call. “Hey… Sorry… I’m glad you’re okay. When did you last see him? You called the cops? Okay. Hang tight.”
I breathe a huge sigh. Within moments, blue and red lights shine through the trees from the parking lot.
“Shouldn’t we do a headcount?” I ask.
“Uh.” Dirk looks back toward his cabin. “Let’s see what the cops want to do first.”
Logan walks up with Brady and Matt. “We walked around the girls’ cabins. We didn’t see anyone.”
I suck in a relieved breath. “What if they’re inside one of the cabins? Or on the guys’ side?”
Two officers walk up and Dirk meets them. After a quick chat, Dirk turns to me. “Can you take the officer to Sydney’s cabin? Stay with her girls if she needs to leave, will ya?” Logan volunteers to go along with me.
“Sure. Of, course. It’s this way.”
A helicopter circles overhead, shining a light through the trees. Dirk and the other officer head the opposite direction while Brady and Matt head for the guys’ side. I hope whoever is trolling around has left by now.
As we approach Mulberry, I see a row of girls with their noses pressed against the small rectangular windows just under the roofline.
“You should check on the other cabins,” I say quickly to Logan.
“Holy crap,” Kat runs up behind us from out of nowhere.
“What are you doing out here?” Logan asks.
“I—I saw you,” she says, and crashes into him with an embrace.
I’m suspicious at her being fully dressed and wide-awake, but now isn’t the time to accuse anyone. I direct the cop to Syd’s cabin.
Once we step on the deck, I hear the girls chattering inside, “It’s the cops. It’s the cops.”
Syd opens the door before I get a chance to knock. She tackles me with a hug. “Oh, my gosh. I was so afraid,” she says as she sniffles.
“It’s okay now.”
The cop questions her and Syd gives them a description. Then her phone starts to blow up with instructions for a head count. Within minutes, all the campers are accounted for and whoever was on the grounds has split.
Syd grabs my hand. “Stay here, tonight, will you?”
“Of course.” I can’t think of a better idea.
Dirk finally shows up, more frazzled than I expect him to be. “They didn’t find anyone, but… I’m going to talk to the owners. I think we need a security guard.”
I can’t agree more.
“Can I stay at Mulberry?” I ask.
“Of course.” He gives me a worried look. The helicopter circles around again ominously. “Brady, walk with Maddy to Aspen so she can get her stuff.”
Brady escorts me to my cabin and Sophie rattles off a million questions, which I try to answer quickly. “They said to lock the doors and go to bed.”
“Go to bed?” She gasps. “What, you’re leaving me?”
I want to laugh. “Syd’s girls are freaked and you snore like a freight train, so yeah. Have Jordan sleep here tonight if you want.”
I leave her there, wide-mouthed.
After I get to Mulberry and the helicopter finally leaves, I snuggled in my bunk that’s next to Syd’s. It’s like old times again, only we’re the adults.
“You can stay all week, if you want,” Syd says.
“Yeah,” a few girls chime in.
“Okay.”
I don’t know why they feel safer with me around, but I’m happy to oblige. After twenty minutes, the room quiets, along with my heartbeat. It’s way past four in the morning. Tomorrow is going to suck.
My sore body melts into my mattress, but my brain doesn’t settle down, circling the events around and around. I’m so relieved nothing bad happened, but the more I think on it, the more I suspect Dirk and Kat’s secret.
Then the gravity of it hits me. If it’s true, not only could this little rule-breaking hookup get them fired, it could ruin the camp’s reputation in the process. And Logan may just quit, leaving no chance for us.
I’m shocked and appalled, and a little disappointed. Dirk was someone I looked up to and wanted to impress, only he has no decency, and hides secrets of his own.
Any way I look at it, the aftermath would be disastrous.
Morning comes way too early. No one stirs from their bunks. Syd touches my shoulder. “I have a counselor meeting, so… get up when you want.”
I nod and roll over. Breakfast duties wait, but I don’t move. I’m half tempted to ask Dirk to do it, after all his “favors.”
Guilt kicks in and eventually, I crawl out of bed and head to the kitchen. Since the breakfast hour has been moved to nine, hot links have been replaced with oatmeal and cereal. Joe has me fill up the cart with ice for the yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit. I notice Logan is late as well.
The kids start to stumble in along with the counselors. Logan escorts Kat in the dining room, and my heart sinks. She’s an absolute mess of nerves, probably from guilt.
“You did good last night,” Joe says from behind me.
I swivel around. “What do you mean?”
“You got the crew up after Sydney called 911.”
“How did you hear about that?”
The skin next to his eyes crinkles with his smile. “Oh, I have my ways.”
Dirk walks in with his typical pirate uniform on, and heads to the podium. Keeping status quo. It’s obvious he has the weight of camp on his shoulders and rightfully so. As he takes the microphone, it squeals, jolting everyone to life.
When we were campers, the worst thing that ever happened was Kim’s asthma attack, oh and when Molly lost her retainer in the garbage. We
never had anyone break any bones, get kicked out for stealing, or have strangers try locked doors in the middle of the night.
“Good morning, Mateys,” Dirk says.
The campers chime back a less enthusiastic, “Good morning.”
“Last night was pretty exciting, wasn’t it?”
The crowd groans in agreement.
“Well, it’s a good thing today is beach day. I think we could all use a little relaxation.” He drones on with the new schedule changes, and I look forward to having the afternoon to myself. “But there’s no need to worry. We have things under control.”
Logan gets up and walks over, taking a moment to chat with Joe first. He stands next to me and leans against the wall.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Don’t tell any of the kids, but they ended up finding a guy hiding in the boat house.”
“What?” I work to control my reaction.
“Shhh… yeah. A sex offender.”
“You’re kidding,” I mumble.
“It’s a good thing Syd acted fast, and the doors were locked. They arrested him, so…”
“Oh, good.”
“Even still, Dirk’s hiring a security guard today and the guy counselors on rotation will be patrolling at night.”
“Is that why Kat is so shook up?”
Logan stares at me for a second, the pupils of his brown eyes dilating. “Something happen to her when she was younger, so this kind of brought it all up.”
I hold my breath for a second. “Really?”
“Don’t tell her I told you. It’s not public knowledge.”
The desire to have her sins exposed evaporates, and I feel something I’ve never felt for her: pity.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah, so…”
Breakfast drags on longer than I like, and the last of the kids finally pack up their sack lunches and leave.
“You coming today?” Syd asks.
I sigh. “I hadn’t planned on it…”
“For me?” She bats her eyelashes.
I shake my head. “How can I say no to that?”
After wiping off the tables, I toss my apron in the hamper and exit the front doors of the dining room.
Dirk sees me and jogs over. “Hey, thanks for everything you did last night. You saved the day.”
Truly Madly Deeply: Volumes 1-4 Page 22