His Semi-Charmed Life: Camp Firefly Falls Book 11

by Lisa Hughey

  Diego had a hard-on. He hoped no one was paying attention.

  “See this bird here. That’s a blackpoll warbler! She’s not on the card because she’s difficult to spot.” Her voice was light, her smile wide. “This is a rare treat. And since we found her, you can mark the more common raven off on your card.”

  She paused so everyone could get out their pencil and X out the bird. Diego handed their bag to Raul. Unbidden, his gaze kept returning to Penny. Diego’s mind wandered to when he’d been inside her. Her sleek legs were bare. He wanted those legs wrapped around his hips, heels digging into his ass.

  She had removed her flannel and tied the arms around her waist. He could see the light green scalloped lace straps of her bra. Fancier than her white cotton from this morning. He could give a fuck what her underwear looked like, but he was man enough to admit that the green lace was more intriguing.

  The tank top dipped low enough to give a peek at the shadowed valley between her breasts and slightly reddened skin—likely from his beard. He had the inappropriate urge to find out if her panties matched that very feminine lace. Chances of that happening were less than zero. She was still pissed at him.

  As she should be.

  Penny pointed to another tree, explaining the characteristics of the leaves. But his brain focused on the defined muscles in her arms. An army-green bucket hat covered her rich auburn hair, shaded her face, and gave her an impish appeal. Her face glistened with a slight sheen of sweat from the exertion of the hike.

  A ray of sunlight speared through a break in the canopy and highlighted her eyes, and the mesmerizing forest echoed back in her gaze, seemingly lit from within.

  She’d kept up a vigorous pace while they hiked through the woods. “Make sure not to stray too far off the path. The groomed trails are to keep the rest of the forest as natural as possible.”

  They stopped regularly so she could point out balsam fir needles, sugar maple leaves, and wild blueberry brambles, and then mark them off on their cards. The group was able to X off various items on the bingo cards as they spied them on the hike.

  A loamy decay of dropped leaves and the damp from last week’s rain scented the air. Musical birds twittered and small animals chattered in the lush greenery of the woods surrounding the hikers.

  During the hike Diego had moved through the crowd as more people lagged behind, needing to be closer to her. Like a magnet pulled toward metal, he couldn’t ignore the draw of her personality.

  A frog croaked, and Sherry shrieked.

  “That’s just a bullfrog. At the lower elevations, during spring the wetlands flood, creating vernal pools which are breeding grounds for all sorts of amphibians.” Penny’s gaze sparkled with mirth. “So if you see a salamander or newt in your cabin, just open the door and let the little guy out.”

  “Oh my God.” Sherry pranced on the trail like she was terrified of a frog.

  Diego caught the evil twinkle in Penny’s smile. “Don’t worry, they don’t bite.”

  When Sherry squealed and ran back the way they came. Diego jerked his head at Raul telling him to go after the annoying assistant. Raul sighed, mouthed, “You owe me,” and followed the overly excitable woman.

  Penny switched back to explaining the benefits of her corporate farming project, finishing with the option to give the food to the local food bank. “Any questions?”

  Alma raised her hand.

  “Alma, you don’t have to raise your hand, we’re informal here.”

  “What made you envision this program and giving back to food pantries?”

  “Good question.” Penny laughed. “When I was a kid it never occurred to me that other kids went to bed hungry…” she trailed off.

  If he hadn’t been explicitly watching her, he might have missed the guilty little jerk of her gaze away from him.

  Penny smiled wistfully, “Then one day, someone made me realize that I was pretty lucky.”

  Diego nearly stumbled. Was she talking about him?

  She shrugged. “When I was in Ag school we had a final project that involved giving back to the community. And I conceived the idea for FEED Together. I’ve been dreaming about implementing this for years.”

  “Well, I think it’s a great idea,” Alma praised.

  Penny’s smile lit up her whole face. “Me too.”

  They continued to tromp along the trail with the group asking questions and Penny answering, while pointing out flora and fauna.

  But Diego only half-listened, his mind back on the confrontation they’d had twenty years ago.

  Apparently he wasn’t the only one who’d had his world view changed all those years ago. That blew his mind. He’d never even considered that his rant in the parking lot had made an impression on her.

  10

  Thank the full harvest moon that was over.

  The mood among the group she’d led along the trail had been a mix of annoyance and interest. Now the campers were headed off to zipline or make crafts or just hang by the lake, and Penny had a few hours free before she had to help serve dinner.

  She plopped down on the folding chair someone had put at the trailhead for Zinnia. She’d kept her promise to Michael Tully, and now thankfully Diego Ramos seemed to have disappeared. He had sent her smoldering looks all through the hike.

  Mixed signals much?

  After judging her because of Jeffrey London’s bias this morning, he’d ignored her at lunch.

  She should still be mad at him. But if she was honest, she was hurt more than angry. However he seemed open to her corporate farming project so she couldn’t afford to piss him off. And damn him, he’d certainly looked sexy during the bingo hike.

  The walkie-talkie at her hip squawked. “Penny, can you check the trail to make sure no one got lost?” Tegan requested.

  Penny wanted to roll her eyes. “Who’m I looking for?”

  “Mister London is looking for his assistant.”

  “She ran back the way we started when we heard a frog.”

  Tegan snorted.

  They weren’t supposed to laugh at the guests. Of course they weren’t. But Penny laughed anyway. She wasn’t an employee of the camp, and Mister London’s assistant had been completely rude while Penny had been speaking. She’d talked through her entire speech. “Apparently, she’s not really a nature girl.”

  “Make sure she isn’t lost on the trail?”

  “Sure.” Penny pushed to her feet. She’d really been hoping for a nap.

  Diego jogged up beside her, looking far better than any guy had a right to. “I’ll come with you.”

  How did he know where she was going? “Not necessary.” Her tone was clipped.

  He sidled closer to her. “Didn’t you emphasize the buddy system before our hike?” His words puffed against her neck. A chill shivered over her skin and peppered her arms with goose bumps.

  She flushed. “Fine.”

  They retraced the hike from the beginning. Penny walked briskly, trying to race through the re-walk. She doubted Sherry was still on the trail. The faster she got through this, the faster she could ditch one Diego Ramos.

  “How old were you when you discovered kids didn’t always have three meals and a snack every day?”

  Nine years and nine months old. Near this very spot. Fudge. She did not want to talk about this. She kept walking, now practically sprinting. “Ten? Eleven? I don’t remember.”

  “Bullshit.”

  She jerked to a stop. “What?”

  “You know exactly when.”

  Not touching that one. “What do you care?”

  After all, he was the one who’d judged and juried her when it became apparent that Jeffrey London had a problem with her very existence.

  She wanted to hold on to that resentment. Yet, she had to play nice because based on what Alma Fuentes had relayed, she was very interested in being one of Penny’s first customers.

  “What I meant to say was, I have high hopes for the program starting a movement.”
She kept her tone even and her words measured. But she didn’t look at him.

  She was doing a decent job of masking her frustration. But she seesawed between her passion and commitment to this project and her conflicted emotions after sleeping with him and then getting rejected. Ugh. It had been years since she worried about her reactions and her words. She’d left all that behind, and yet here she was. But the project was worth her hurt feelings and having to hold in a few choice words.

  “Penny.” Diego grabbed her hand. Halted her in her tracks.

  His hand was solid, a little rough, as he curled his fingers around hers. She remembered him cupping her face so very gently. All those lovely pheromones flooded her body, lighting up her nerve endings and fizzing through her bloodstream.

  “Yeah?” she rasped.

  He tugged her around so she faced him.

  His dark eyes were serious, his expression gentle. “I think it’s a great idea.”

  Warmth flooded her, filling her heart with an unexpected joy. “Oh, well, thanks. Me too.” She stumbled through gratitude.

  He stood strong and resolute. The forest was alive with the clicks and clacks and chirps of birds and squirrels. Dappled sunlight hid and revealed his heated expression.

  They were probably the only humans around for several miles.

  If this were a Disney movie, this would be the moment when the birds and wildlife fluttered around the couple and dropped a crown of flowers on their heads, singing while the characters kissed and the music crescendoed.

  In the hushed air, anticipation shimmered between them.

  Her heart thudded in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the forest. Her blood slowed, chugging when instead of letting her go, he stepped closer.

  She was mad at him. Wasn’t she? She still wasn’t quite over the accidentally-slept-with comment.

  And he was mad at her. Illogically, she might add. Wasn’t he?

  Diego tipped his head. His hand came up, his thumb caressing her cheek.

  “What—” she said faintly “—was that for?”

  “You had a smudge of dirt on your cheekbone.”

  “Oh, um, thanks.” Penny flushed. She always seemed to be dirty around him.

  “For how perfectly pristine you were as a kid, you certainly have changed,” he murmured.

  There was a subject she’d rather avoid.

  “Why the face?”

  “I was expected to stay clean, perfect.” And yeah, a psychologist would probably have a field day with her obstinate refusal to adhere to those expectations anymore. Her parents had insisted Penny always be above reproach, clean, put together, not a speck of dirt anywhere. Her resentment at their standards bubbled through her. “Apparently, embezzling money wasn’t a problem as long as the Hastings’ appearance standards were met.” Her bitterness seeped into her words.

  She hadn’t heard from her parents in over eleven years. You’d think she’d be over it.

  She was mostly resigned to the fact that her parents were assholes. But sometimes she still wanted to scream about it.

  Diego studied her. “Didn’t mean to bring up a painful subject.” His missed her earlier joy. She’d been animated, happy, while wandering through the woods and teaching the crowd about nature. His careless observance had smothered that delight.

  She shrugged. His palms slid over her sun-warmed skin. The scent of coconut and bug spray mingled with something floral. “It’s a fact of life.” But she grimaced. “But they aren’t here to release my frustration on, so sometimes I let my abandonment issues get the better of me.”

  “You never heard from them again?” Her parents had left her alone to face the scandal?

  “Nope.” Penny closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sun. The muted rays filtered through the canopy of trees. The expression on her face had relaxed into her normal cheerfulness. “What can you do? You go on.”

  He had so many questions, but she had exuded a peaceful, natural vibe, until she talked about her parents. And he wanted to bring back that joy.

  Diego rubbed his jaw. The slight dusting of stubble was now the full-on beginnings of a beard. He should probably shave. But he found the texture beneath his hand soothed him.

  She inhaled deeply and he tried, he really did, not to notice how her breasts lifted. And he remembered how she’d filled his hands.

  She didn’t need him creeping on her right now.

  A smile spread over her upturned face. “I can seriously hear you thinking right now.”

  “Hopefully not completely.” The unfiltered words tumbled out, surprising him. He never spoke without thinking first.

  She laughed, and opened her bright green eyes. “Inappropriate?”

  “Maybe.”

  Her smile was contagious, and Diego smiled back.

  “As much as you’re giving me a hard time about changing, you’re a lot different than you were as a kid.”

  He was curious what she’d thought of him. “How so?”

  “You’re very…focused.”

  He could be. Lust simmered between them.

  “What I remember about that summer is how angry you were.”

  True.

  “Now you’re so….”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Respectable.” She snorted.

  Diego had worked his ass off to become a respected businessman. He made all the right connections, dated all the right women, contributed to all the right causes. Every single decision he’d made since finding the breakfast club had been geared toward success. “I try.” And yet, he’d thrown that all to the wind when he’d had sex with her without vetting her. So unlike him. “And yet, I am still impulsive on occasion.”

  “Turning a negative into a positive?” She waited.

  “About that.” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”

  She blinked, tilted her head, assessed him. “For what?”

  Shit. This was a frickin’ minefield. He knew it and yet he could only answer one way. “For yelling at you all those years ago.”

  She flicked her hand. “I was a spoiled b—”

  “Baby.” He finished before she could. “You were a child. And I never should have yelled at you.”

  She shrugged, a half lift of one shoulder. “We both got over it.”

  “That is true,” Diego said. “But I should also thank you.”

  “Thank me?”

  “You opened my eyes to another way of looking at life.”

  “Same.”

  That regretful lump that settled in his breastbone whenever he thought about their clash dissolved, just flowed away like oil into the garage drain.

  Before he could tell her how profoundly grateful he was for that confrontation, she beat him to it.

  “I wouldn’t be where I am today if you hadn’t made me see the world differently.”

  Well.

  Her look was provocative. And that joy was back. She wasn’t mad anymore. And that he was able to prod her out of that mood sparked something in him. A little pop of satisfaction his chest puffed with a weirdly inordinate pride. He’d done that.

  They stood in the middle of the forest, staring at each other.

  The moment was fraught with an importance that suffused them both. Diego edged closer to Penny. The burden of that weight now gone, he was lighter, more hopeful.

  In the hushed forest, the only sound was their breathing. A thick soup of regret and gratitude and relief and joy simmered in the air around them. Those emotions morphed, and the attraction that they’d managed to suppress roared back to life.

  “So that’s how you ended up as CEO of your own company?”

  “Well, there were a lot of factors, but it all started when you opened my eyes to possibilities.”

  “That’s a nice way of couching my naïveté.”

  “Maybe. But you also didn’t think twice about believing that I could become more.”

  “More what?”

  “More than I was. That started my j
ourney.”

  “That’s still a pretty big leap between a kid who needed a new whatever car part, and CEO,” Penny said, prodding him to tell his story.

  “I always thought I’d be able to apologize to you later,” Diego said.

  “It’s later.” She smirked.

  “The next summer,” he clarified. “But I ended up learning how to fix cars in my uncle’s shop instead.”

  “Zinnia’s dad?”

  “Yep. And Raul’s.”

  “You still haven’t explained how you got from there to here.”

  “About six years later I was trying to sneak into a seminar for young entrepreneurs—”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” He ducked his head. “I didn’t go to college. No money. No time. But I read about this thing taking place at Harvard so I was going to try to sneak in.”

  She clapped. “So you got in and the rest is history?”

  “No.” Diego shook his head. “The attendees had these laminated passes and I didn’t have one. They wouldn’t let me in.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “Why?”

  “When I didn’t get in, I went to this diner across the street. There was a group of the people who’d broken out of the lecture and I ended up meeting these guys and we…hit it off, and formed our own little club.”

  “What does your club do?”

  “We ah, share business ideas, information, brainstorm through challenges, and generally support each other.”

  “That’s…wonderful,” she said softly. “It’s so great that you have that support group.”

  “Yeah.” Diego smiled. “They’re an amazing bunch. And we’ve been there when each of us reaches milestones.”

  “So you see each other often?”

  “Once a month we meet for breakfast.” He laughed.

  “That’s really…great.”

  “I never would have the courage to approach them if I hadn’t taken your words to heart.”

  “What words?”

  “I figured out how to turn the failure into a success.”

  “My dad’s words,” she said bitterly. “Too bad he didn’t follow his own advice, or maybe he did.”