Snapshot (The Jamieson Collection)

by Angie Stanton

“Oh yeah.” Brooke smoothed down her clothes. “I heard Melody and Brian talking earlier. They’re sneaking off to the bar tonight.”

  “I bet they’re sneaking off to more than the bar,” Kayla said.

  “What are we going to do?” Haley sat crossed legged on her bed.

  “I’ll tell you what I think,” Brooke announced. “I think we should go skinny dipping!”

  Marti’s head swung around, and her eyes bugged out.

  “What?! You aren’t serious, are you?” Haley shot them a worried glance.

  “Serious as a missed period,” Brooke said.

  “And why not? Let’s live a little.” Kayla bounced onto the edge of Haley’s bed. “No guts, no glory!” She shook Haley playfully by the shoulders.

  “But what if we get caught?” Haley’s voice quivered.

  “Then it will be the best story of your entire summer.” Brooke pulled her long tresses back in a ponytail.

  “Are we really gonna do this?” Marti asked, nervous, but excited. She’d never done anything like it in her life. What would Grandma say if she found out? Marti smiled. Grandma would love it.

  “Yes, we are! Now quick, get ready,” Kayla said.

  Marti loved how Kayla always seemed ready for a new adventure.

  Haley looked at Marti across the moon lit room. “Oh boy.”

  Marti grinned. “We need something fun to remember when we look back at our youth.”

  Ten minutes later, covered only by their beach towels, the girls of Firefly tiptoed past the guys’ dark cabin and to the forest path. Brooke boldly led the way with her flashlight to the trail leading down to the water and a small sandy area. A perfect spot to wade in. Marti’s stomach performed Olympic level flip flops and her body tingled with awareness.

  “I feel so naked!” Marti whispered.

  “That’s because you are so naked!” Kayla giggled.

  The nearly full moon reflected off the water, and the lights from the distant lodge glowed like a string of holiday lights. Cricket chirps echoed in the air. The cooler night air chilled Marti’s skin. She pulled the towel tighter, nearly dropping her flashlight.

  “If I get caught, my mom is going to kill me,” Haley said.

  “Come on, there’s far worse things we could get caught doing,” Brooke said. “Like getting drunk at camp. Oh yeah, we did that last night.”

  Kayla laughed. “I think we should do a different outrageous thing every night.”

  They arrived at the sandy expanse and stood in a tight clump, staring at the water.

  “Now what? Who’s going first? ‘Cause I can guarantee it won’t be me,” Marti said.

  “And it won’t be me,” Haley added.

  “We could all go at the same time,” Kayla suggested.

  Marti looked behind them to the darkened forest. Even though they were all alone and a towel covered her privates, she’d never felt so exposed.

  “I’ll go. I don’t care.” Brooke took a quick glance around before she tossed her towel and slowly walked into the water.

  * * *

  As Adam reached his cabin door, he heard his name whispered. Actually, he heard the name AJ whispered. He glanced around, saw nothing, grabbed the door handle.

  “AJ! Over here.”

  The girls’ cabin looked dark and unwelcoming, like Marti’s feelings for him. He looked the other direction toward the path and saw a shadowy figure. He squinted. Justin stepped out and waved him over.

  Adam held up a finger, signaling that he’d need a minute to put his camera away. He used the excuse of leaving his camera at the lodge so that he could sneak back in to play the lights out lullaby. Of course, he added a bit of his own flavor to the melody, but he didn’t think Tony minded. Tony had been supportive of Adam attending camp and even changed his name on any paperwork that other employees would see.

  “Bring it!” Justin whispered again, waving him over.

  What the hell was up? Adam looked around to make sure no one watched as he joined Justin, Ryan and Kyle in the shadows of the trees.

  “Dude, what’s going on?” he asked.

  “Shh! They might hear you?”

  “Sorry.” He lowered his voice. “Who might hear me?”

  “The girls,” Justin said.

  Confused, Adam looked at each of the guys and their shit-eatin’ grins.

  “They’re going skinny dipping!” Ryan whispered.

  Adam’s eyes widened, and he immediately scanned the area. Naked girls!

  “This way.” Justin pointed and then silently led the way. The rest of the guys followed.

  A couple minutes later, they heard the girls’ giggles and whispers. Adam peeked through the trees, as the full moon illuminated the four girls, each wrapped in only a towel.

  Holy crap! They were about to drop towel and go in. Adam glanced at Justin who nodded and grinned like he’d just produced the Holy Grail, which he sort of had.

  With more stealth than a SWAT team, they crept close to their prize. Adam recognized each girl by her silhouette and quickly spotted Marti. He wished he could figure out a way to make her stop hating him. He really hadn’t done anything wrong.

  Then Brooke looked around. The guys all crouched down in case she could see them. Suddenly, she tossed her towel aside and walked straight into the water. Her nude body, outlined by the moonlight, reflected off the water. Adam’s jaw dropped. He’d never seen a naked girl before. He lived in a household of guys and, other than his mom, the only girls he got close to were fans at meet and greets after a performance. Those girls possessed more bodyguards than the president.

  Before Adam could blink, Brooke moved out of sight, her form blocked by the other girls. Justin motioned to Adam’s camera.

  Oh shit! Adam fumbled to pull the case and lens cover off, but his fingers moved in slow motion. He glanced up to see if he missed anything. The guys motioned for him to hurry. He freed the camera and turned it on. The low mechanical sound seemed loud as thunder, but the girls didn’t notice. He futzed in the dark with the controls, trying to adjust the shutter speed for such low light. He didn’t know if he had it right or not, but was positive he turned the flash off. A camera flash would not be cool!

  He looked up. Brooke bobbed in the water, and the other three seemed ready to join her. He nodded to Justin and raised the camera, watching the action through the viewfinder.

  The towels dropped, and his finger pressed the shutter. He zoomed in, his eye drawn to Marti. She turned her head and he saw her naked body in silhouette. She laughed, and he imagined her nervous excitement and guessed she’d be unwilling to back down from a dare. He smiled as she waded into the water. Her lithe body moved with an erotic beauty and grace.

  For a moment, he felt like kind of a creep for stalking her, but he pushed the thought away as she turned and revealed a pale breast. She reached down and splashed the other girls, then sank under the water’s dark cover.

  He lowered the camera, dumbfounded, and glanced at the guys. Ryan wore the expression of a twelve-year-old boy with his first hard on. Kyle turned his head away as if watching would burn off his corneas. Justin asked, “Should we join them?”

  Adam looked from Justin, to the girls playing in the water, and back again. “Hell, yeah!” He shoved the camera back in its case and stashed it behind the nearest tree.

  “They are going to freak out!” Ryan said.

  “I don’t know if this is such a good idea,” Kyle hedged.

  “Come on, man. Don’t pussy out on us now!” Justin led the charge as they broke out of the woods to the small clearing.

  It only took a moment before Haley noticed them. “Oh my god! Look!” Her voice went so high, Adam thought she might cry. The others shrieked. Kayla and Marti moved into deeper water.

  Brooke immediately took charge of the situation. “Hi guys, want to join us?”

  Adam figured Brooke probably planned the whole thing to work out this way.

  “What are you doing?” Haley squeaked, on th
e verge of tears.

  “Oh relax, they’re harmless,” Brooke said. “Aren’t you?” she crooned.

  “Totally.” Justin pulled off his shirt.

  Adam wanted to crack up as Haley began a new round of “oh my gods!” Brooke looked encouraged. Marti and Kayla stayed far enough out that he couldn’t see their reactions. Did he have the nerve to follow Justin? Hell yes!

  Chapter 6

  “They aren’t really coming in are they?” Marti asked.

  “Sure looks like it,” Kayla said with a grin that proved she liked the idea of sharing their private swimming beach with the guys.

  Marti’s jaw dropped as Justin boldly dropped trou. Brooke glanced back at the girls with a proud smirk. Adam follow suit, and for a moment Marti tried to think of a way to hide. Her panic quickly turned into excitement. Only silky smooth water covered her naked body. Her heart pounded as her emotions couldn’t decide if she was in physical danger or experiencing her first real sexual attraction.

  She watched Adam kick his shorts away, and in that couple seconds before he hit the water, Marti couldn’t tear her eyes away. Her breath caught in her throat as he strode forward wearing nothing but a smile; a playfully cocky one at that.

  She’d never laid eyes on a naked guy before. Except once at her friend Kristi’s house. They’d looked at naked pictures of guys on the internet.

  Adam, along with Justin and Ryan, hid their manly jewels underwater, but not before the image of Adam, naked, embedded itself in her brain forever. The guys headed to the deeper water.

  “Geez, it’s cold.” Ryan raised his hands above the water.

  “Don’t worry, it warms up fast.” Kayla swished her hands through it.

  Compared to the cool night air, the water felt warm and toasty. Marti floated in about four feet deep water. She kept her shoulders below water to stay warm.

  “Hey Kyle, get your lily white ass out here!” Brooke called to Kyle, fully dressed on the shore.

  “Nah, I think I’ll take a rain check.” He looked away.

  “Come on man! Don’t be a dick!” Justin hollered to him.

  “Shh! Keep your voice down. Do you want us to get caught?” Haley chided.

  “Maybe, could be fun,” Justin said the words to Brooke and she arched a seductive eyebrow. He swam closer and scooped her into his arms cradle style. Brook wrapped one arm around his neck and twirled the other in the water and laughed.

  Marti couldn’t stop thinking about their naked bodies touching. Brooke’s breast against Justin’s chest and her butt rubbing against his… front. She loved their throw-caution-to-the-wind attitude, but knew she could never be so gutsy. She glanced at Adam and wished it was twenty-four hours ago. Maybe then she could have felt that comfortable. But that bridge had fallen. Still, he was the closest she’d ever gotten to a guy. No one had ever kissed her the way he did. She’d played truth or dare in the back of the bus riding home from school ski trips, but never actually had a guy kiss her over and over again the way Adam had. She pressed her lips together, recalling the sensation and the gentle touch of his hands.

  “Oh my god,” Haley moved a little further away. “They aren’t gonna start going at it right here are they?”

  “Hard to say,” Kayla said.

  “Nice night for a swim.” Adam swam up to Marti, his chin dipping into the water. The moonlight reflected off his dark eyes. His hands swished under water, creating a tide that caressed her as it moved across her stomach, against her breasts, and between her legs. Her breathing hitched as she thought of her naked body so close to Adam’s. She couldn’t spot how near his hands might be.

  “Hi, AJ,” Kayla, the daring soul, said.

  “Hey, Kayla,” Adam answered, clearly loving the situation. “Nice night for a swim.”

  He inched closer to Marti. She backed away.

  “Oh my god! Oh my god!” Haley squealed in a high-pitched panic.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Ryan asked, ignorant of Haley’s innocence.

  Marti glared at Ryan. “You okay, Haley?”

  “Something rubbed against my leg!” she all but screeched.

  “What!” Marti scanned the water for signs of something lurking. The guys were too far away to be pranking them.

  “I swear to God, I’m serious!” She screamed again and jumped up, covering her chest with her arms.

  “What? What’s going on?” Kayla asked.

  “Something’s in the water,” Marti’s voice shook. She hugged herself underwater and moved a few feet closer to shore, scanning the water the whole time. She hated that she couldn’t see what was down there.

  “Of course something’s in the water,” Adam said, following her. “It’s a lake. There are musky, walleye, trout, probably snapping turtles.”

  “Don’t forget crawfish and snakes…” Ryan added.

  Brooke giggled and hugged Justin closer.

  “Stop saying that!” Haley all but cried.

  Marti had enough. No creepy fish were coming after her in the dark, but she didn’t know how to get out without everyone seeing her naked. Particularly Adam, not that it should matter, but somehow it did.

  “It just bit me!” Adam yelled and splashed.

  Marti, Haley and Kayla screamed.

  The three girls made a bee-line for the shore.

  The guys laughed. “I’m kidding,” Adam said. “Come back.”

  But Marti wasn’t taking any chances. She didn’t care who saw her bare ass. She didn’t want any creepy water creatures biting her. She hit the shallow water and ran for the shore. She snatched her towel and covered herself, grabbed the flashlight and took off up the trail like a shot with Haley and Kayla right behind.

  She heard the guys roar with laughter.

  Assholes.

  * * *

  At breakfast the next morning, Marti froze Adam out. She didn’t want him to think she’d forgiven his stunt with the biting fish last night or forgotten his lies. Not to mention the awkwardness of swimming naked together. She reminded herself that he was a rocker and possessed limited ability to be a normal, caring human being. She didn’t need any more people like that in her life.

  After breakfast, the photography group met in the nature center for their next assignment.

  “Today, you’re going to take water-related pictures,” Mike announced, picking up a bowl containing slips of folded paper. “I’m going to have you pair off, and each pair will select a topic from the bowl. Each slip has a different subject matter for you to photograph.”

  Relieved that this wasn’t another large group where she’d be forced to hang with Adam, Marti turned to the girls.

  Brooke wrapped her arm around Justin’s, resting her head on his shoulder. No separating them in the foreseeable future.

  Kayla glanced at Marti, then sidled up to Haley. “Haley, let’s you and me go together.”

  “Okay.” Haley looked at Marti and shrugged.

  Ah, so this is how it’s going to be. Marti saw through their sly maneuvers. They wanted her to be stuck with Adam.

  Marti watched the other kids pair off. Kyle and Ryan gave each other a high five. That left Adam, who stood off to the side futzing with his camera.

  “Marti, this will give you a chance to make up with AJ,” Kayla whispered, acting all pleased with herself for pairing the two up.

  “Come on, you guys. This is not funny,” Marti muttered under her breath.

  “He’s a nice guy, and you know you like him.” Haley tilted her head Adam’s direction.

  Adam looked up and noticed everyone paired off. Kayla nudged Marti in his direction.

  Marti shook her head and crossed her arms. Her friends needed to back off.

  He glanced from her to his friends and back at her. The realization of the situation finally dawned on him. Clearly annoyed, he shook his head. He seemed as unhappy about the situation as she felt. At least she could be happy about that.

  “Can I pick first?” Kayla asked.

  “
Sure.” Mike handed her the bowl. She scrambled the pieces around and pulled one out.

  “Rowboats.” She looked at Mike. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.” He smiled in response.

  Brooke took the bowl and pulled out a slip. She eyed Justin with her large doe eyes and opened the paper. “Waves, ripples and reflections.”

  “Sexy,” Justin replied. Brooke passed the bowl on and more slips were pulled. Water bugs. Piers. Plant life. Rocks.

  The bowl came to Marti. She uncrossed her arms to accept it. One slip of paper remained. Uninterested and avoiding eye contact, she held the bowl out to Adam.

  He grabbed the last paper and opened it. He muffled a laugh. Marti looked up.

  “Loons,” he said, catching her eye.

  Marti bit at the inside of her cheek and put the bowl back on the table. Of course, it would be loons. They spent yesterday morning watching them from the side of the lake. It had been special.

  “Very good. Any questions?” Mike asked.

  “Is it a race?” Kyle asked.

  “No, it’s not a race. You will boat out to reach your subjects, so you’ve got all morning,” Mike said. “You can take out any type of watercraft you want, but keep in mind the positioning you’ll want. A sailboat might not be the best idea. Also, be sure to use a dry bag for anything you don’t want to risk getting wet. It will keep your cameras safe and dry until you get to your destinations and again on your way back. We don’t need any expensive cameras at the bottom of the lake.”

  “What are we supposed to do for rock?” asked a girl from another cabin.

  “Use your imagination,” Mike said. “Alright, off you go. I look forward to some amazing pictures this afternoon.”

  The group dispersed out the lodge doors with cameras in hand and headed for the boats. A bunch of kids ran ahead and snagged the paddleboat and two rowboats. Marti didn’t care what she ended up with. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be enough boats and she could blow this challenge off.

  At the waterfront shed, she picked out a life jacket and dry bag for her camera.

  Haley joined her. “Marti, this is your chance. So be nice to him. You know the guy likes you.”