She blows a strand of her blond hair out of her face and holds up the hand that isn’t clutching a clipboard to her chest. “I get it. I really do. But you know the rules for these things. Everyone on the grounds has to participate. I’m not looking forward to it either.”
“Yeah,” I say. Heather isn’t the sporty type, and I know she hates it as much as I do. But since we’re both leaders, we have to set a good example.
“I think I’ve found the perfect thing for you,” she says. “How about the egg carry?”
I take a moment to consider moving quickly with an egg on a spoon. All I have to do is make it to the finish line with it still intact. It doesn’t sound like it requires more athletic ability than being able to walk, which apparently I need two legs to do if last year’s three-legged race fail is any indication.
“Okay, fine. Egg carry it is.” I sigh. “What are you signed up to do?”
“Humiliate myself,” says Heather. I frown. “We have to double up on a couple of activities, and since Lexi will crush the obstacle course, it was decided I was a good strategic choice as the second person.”
Field day competitions at Camp Firefly Falls are complicated. Points are awarded based on placement. When two people are entered in an event and one wins, that team takes the points of the second and third place as well. So Michael must be hedging his bets on the obstacle course being a score booster and utilizing one of his weakest team members to make it happen.
“Oh my God,” I say. “That would be my nightmare. Are you sure you want to do that to yourself?”
She tilts her head at me. “Michael likes to win. I don’t have a choice. Unless you want to take my place.”
I chuckle. “No way. But I promise to be at the finish line with the first aid kit.”
She reaches over and snitches one of the peppers. “Good. Because I’ll likely need it. I’m going to give it a trial run later if you want to come watch the fun.”
“I’ll pass.” As she walks out of the kitchen, I call out, “Good luck!”
When I’ve finished chopping vegetables, I toss them in a pan to sauté for salsa. The odor of garlic and sweet peppers fills the air.
The back door creaks open. I turn to see Lexi. It’s hot out today, so she’s wearing a sports bra and tiny running shorts that show off how incredibly fit she is. “Holy cow, girl,” I say. “You’re like a walking anatomy lesson.”
Lexi’s face is red, and her body glistens with sweat as she looks down and pinches the minuscule amount of excess on her stomach. “About five more pounds, and I’m competition ready.” At the end of the summer, she’s participating in some insane Ironman that lasts all day.
“You’re going to crush the obstacle course tomorrow. I talked to Heather earlier, and she’s doing it with you.”
“Really?” Lexi runs water into her water bottle.
“She said Michael likes winning, and considering Heather and I are the weak links, and I’m not his wife who can’t quit, she’s it.”
“Makes sense. I hope I can win.” The contents of my pan spit and sizzle as she drinks. When she stops, she asks, “What are you doing?”
“The egg carry.” I toss my wooden spoon up in the air, but when I manage to fumble catching it and it clatters on the floor, I chuckle at myself. “I figure I can practice at work.”
Lexi picks it up as she grins. “Hold off on real eggs for a bit.” I grab a clean spoon as she puts the one I dropped in the pot sink. “Do you want to practice for real?”
“What?” When I glance at her and realize she’s serious, I brush it off. “Nah. I’m fine. How hard can it be?”
“I’d practice,” she says. “But then, look at me. I’m all about the training. The real event is just the day before I take a break.”
“Have you been to the obstacle course?”
“Ah, yeah.” She chuckles. “I’ve run it almost every day this summer.”
“Wow. Talk about a sure thing.” My pan clatters on the burner as I set it aside to simmer.
“Don’t tell Finn,” says Lexi as she walks over to my tortilla soup and sniffs it. “Those real estate agents are one fit bunch, and we’re going to need every advantage we’ve got.”
“You’re as bad as Michael.”
“Or Finn.” Lexi offers me a sly smile as she reaches for a bowl on the shelf. “I overheard him strategizing with his team earlier today. He’s definitely in it to win.”
“This is supposed to be fun.” I grab a ladle, and soup splashes in her bowl as I scoop it out for her.
“For some of us, winning is fun, Meg.”
I think about Finn and David racing to win the night they made ravioli. Of course he’d be analyzing the events and his team members. I wonder if he knows Lexi is running the obstacle course and how great an athlete she is.
Lexi moans as she swallows a mouthful of soup and says, “Promise me you won’t breathe a word, or I’m cutting you off my desserts for the rest of the summer.”
I may be in love with Finn, but I won’t be telling him a thing. My loyalty is with Camp Firefly Falls. Besides, I really like sugar. “Of course not. I’m a team player, after all.”
“In that case, go get some eggs. You may not think you need to train, but I do.” When I scowl at her, she waves her hand in a shooing motion. “I’m serious. Go.”
Five minutes later, she’s sitting on the counter, enjoying my good food as I walk across the floor, trying to keep an egg on a spoon. It’s harder than it looks, as evidenced by the cracked hard-boiled eggs I’ve dropped. “Stop looking at it,” says Lexi. “Look where you’re going and work on keeping your hand steady instead.”
“But then I drop it.”
Her feet thud on the ground as she jumps down from the counter. “I have an idea.”
She comes to take the spoon from me. “What if you squeeze your elbow slightly into your side for stability and hold the egg up higher so you can see it without looking down.”
She demonstrates the technique, walking easily across the kitchen with the egg. “That’s it. You try.”
“Okay.” I change my position and discover she’s right. I’m better able to keep the egg on the spoon if I watch where I’m going and keep it in my peripheral vision instead. “Hey, this works,” I say just as there’s a light rap at the back door.
“Finn!” says Lexi, a little louder than necessary. She moves in front of me and puts her hand behind her back. I give her the spoon and egg before I walk over to him as he steps inside.
“Hey.”
“You look guilty,” he says. “You wouldn’t be training for field day tomorrow, would you?”
“What?” I shake my head.
“So that egg you were carrying on a spoon is a cooking technique?”
Lexi says, “Protein.” She picks at the shell as she holds the egg up to show Finn. “Meg was reminding me I need to eat more protein.”
“Right,” he says, drawing out the word.
“So,” I say. ”What brings you here to visit?”
“Can’t I come and give my girlfriend a kiss?” Finn asks as he puts his hands on my hips.
I smile up at him. “Sure you can.” I reach up and kiss him quickly before I ask, “What’s the real reason?”
His eyes twinkle with mischief. “Got any hard-boiled eggs I can have?”
I slap at his stomach. “Only if you tell me who my competition is.” Wait. How did I go from wanting to get through my event to caring if I win?
He grins at me. “Nope. But prepare to lose. I’ve got a ringer.”
“We’ll see about that,” I say as I reach for the walk-in refrigerator door. The handle is cool in my hand when I open it to retrieve hard-boiled eggs for Finn.
When Finn is gone, I pull an egg out of my pocket. “Okay, time me,” I say to Lexi.
“Someone’s got the competitive spirit.”
I shrug as I ponder the strange need I feel to win, or even stranger, the idea that I could. “I guess you’re rubbin
g off on me.”
“Nope. I think it’s Finn.” Masking tape tears off a roll as she rips it and applies it to the floor to mark the start and finish lines.
I think about how, in a few short days, my confidence has grown beyond being comfortable with myself to imagining I could win a sporting event, even if it is only an egg carry. She’s right. This new boost in my confidence is because of Finn.
Chapter 16
A blender whirrs as I roll the last cart of picnic food into the walk-in refrigerator. After field day is over, there will be a cookout. We’re having burgers and hot dogs on the grill with a variety of typical picnic items like potato salad, chips, and fruit laid out buffet style. When I come out of the fridge, I glance over at Lexi, who’s manning the blender. She pours the contents into three glasses and brings one to me. “Game day prep,” she says.
I look at the green concoction she holds out to me. “I don’t think so. That looks like salad in a glass. I like to chew my vegetables.”
Lexi rolls her eyes at me as she hands a drink to Ethan. She pushes a cup at me again. “Try it. Besides, all you’ve had this morning is coffee. You’ll zonk out if you don’t get some protein in you.”
The glass is cool in my hand as I take it. “Zonk out?”
I glance at Ethan, who shrugs.
Lexi grabs her drink. “The highly technical term for the lethargy you feel when your body has run out of fuel.”
“Oh. And here I thought it meant I was going to fall on my face.” Lexi smiles at my joke as she licks foam off her lip, and her gaze drops to my glass. “Fine,” I say, and I lift the smoothie to take a sip. It’s an odd combination of flavors, and I’m perplexed as I try to identify them beyond yogurt and avocado. Since I don’t gag, I swallow it down.
“So?”
I lift the glass to inspect it. “It’s not bad in a healthy, what-the-heck-am-I-drinking way.” I take another sip. It’s been a busy morning, trying to get ready in time for our events, and I realize I’m hungry. So I drink more of the smoothie as I watch Lexi plate up whoopee pies. I think about how, last night, Finn tried to pry information from me and was especially interested in who was running the obstacle course. Since it’s the last event and often the deciding factor for who will win field day, it tends to be the one given the most attention. I didn’t tell him a thing, and in return, he refused to let me know who I’m up against in the egg carry.
When Ethan and I finish our drinks, Lexi asks, “Ready?”
Ethan’s fist slaps into his palm as he smacks it and strikes a He-Man pose. “Give me my bag, man. I’m going to show those suits how a real sack race is run.” I imagine the injuries I’d sustain if I had to hop toward a finish line with my legs in a bag and grimace at the thought.
Field day is already in progress. Since Michael organized the order of events to accommodate his staff, Lexi, Ethan, and I are scheduled near the end. Ethan takes off to go to his event, and I make my way to the changing room to get ready.
While I’m a little jittery with nerves about the upcoming egg carry, I’m also excited. I want to win and feel as if I’m prepared enough that I could. I smile as I think about what a little training can do as I tighten the laces of my sneakers.
When I stand up to leave, Lexi opens the door and takes a deep breath as she looks at me. “Ah, Meg?” Her brow knits as if she’s hesitant to tell me something and she shifts from foot to foot.
“What? What’s wrong?”
She steps aside, and I see Heather holding a bag of ice on her wrist. Oh no. I rush toward her. “Oh my gosh. What happened?”
“I tripped going up the stairs and must have landed on my hand wrong.” She sighs. “It’s probably just a sprain.”
I nod because tripping on stairs is a regular thing for me. “Ouch. That’s a tough way to get out of doing the obstacle course, though.”
Heather glances at Lexi and then back at me. She gets the same look on her face Lexi had, and it hits me that I’m about to hear something I’m not going to like. “What?”
“You only need one hand for the egg carry,” says Heather.
I get where she’s going right away and take a step backward. “No way.” I shake my head. “Uh-uh. I am not taking your place, Heather. Tell Michael no.”
“Meg,” pleads Heather, “you can walk the whole thing.”
Lexi nods a little too enthusiastically. “You can, Meg. I swear it. And even the tight rope is barely off the ground, so it won’t hurt if you lose your balance and fall off.”
I look at Lexi. “Really. People like Heather and me sprain our wrists on stairs. Think of the potential for injury here.”
Heather says, “It’s actually not that hard. And really, all you have to do is get through it.”
I squint at her as I realize I’m being difficult. I’m sure the obstacle course isn’t set up to be grueling enough to pose a lawsuit threat. If Heather was willing to do it, I should be too. Besides, I’d be letting the entire staff down if I said no. I sigh. “Okay. Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Yes!” says Heather. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” I mutter. But I don’t feel good about saying yes. Now my smoothie is sloshing in my stomach, and I wonder if I’m going to keep it down. The excitement I had about competing has been replaced with cold, hard dread flowing through my veins. I follow the women as they walk out through the swinging doors.
Cheers and shouts greet us well before we make it to the wide-open field where the competition is taking place. Afternoon sun beats down on my shoulders like a heavy weight, and I’m sweating by the time we get there. I look around to find Finn and discover he’s in full coach mode with a baseball cap, a company tee shirt, and a clipboard in hand. He’s even got a whistle around his neck.
He smiles and waves when he sees me. While Finn is in his element, I wish I could run and hide. Heather has disappeared, but Lexi is still by my side. She’s jogging in place and says, “You should warm up.”
I scowl at her but march my feet in place anyway as we watch the sack race. Ethan crushes Finn’s guy and jumps out of his bag to whoop before he shakes hands with the loser.
I notice Michael is standing with Heather preparing for the egg carry, which is next. He appears to whisper words of encouragement before he kisses her cheek. As the participants line up, Michael glances around. When his gaze lands on me, he comes over. “Thank you so much for stepping in, Meg. Heather and I really appreciate it.”
“Sure. No problem,” I say as I stretch my leg back the way Lexi has. My calf muscle threatens to defy me with a cramp, and I slide my leg closer for a more comfortable position.
Michael addresses Lexi. “You’re up against Finn, and the guy looks like a tough competitor.”
“Finn?” I look at Lexi. “Finn. Oh wow.”
She smiles. “Is it okay if I crush your boyfriend?”
I chuckle. “Have at it. But once you’re done, come make sure I’m not stuck in the sand trap, okay?”
Lexi tilts her head toward the course. “There are two more events before ours. Let’s go take a look.”
I follow her without a word as sweat trickles down my back. At least I’ll look like I tried, with my damp tee shirt. The course is set up in a sparsely wooded area, and tree cover offers some shade. Nobody else is at the course, so I take in the different obstacles as we walk beside them slowly.
It starts with a wooden ramp that has tires attached to it to help one climb to the top. A slide is on the other side, followed by a series of pipes the participant is supposed to crawl under. It’s made more difficult by the sand.
Next, tree stumps are set out for the competitor to hop on, and then there is a culvert-shaped tunnel. After that, two ropes are stretched out tight, one above the other, about five feet apart. One rope is to walk on, and the other is to hold for balance. There is one more wall to climb, followed by a long ramp to run down, before hitting the home stretch of land to the finish line.
Lexi asks, “Wh
at do you think?” as she walks me back to the beginning.
“I’m not going to die.”
She smiles. “Let me talk you through each obstacle. Okay?”
“Sure.”
My friend instructs me as I try each section, but when we get to the final wall, I freeze. It looks much bigger when I’m standing at the base, and the foot and hand holds are smaller than I expected. I don’t want to climb it. At all. I glance up at the top, and my stomach rolls. I have a healthy fear of heights, but I wouldn’t say I’m phobic. And even though the wall probably isn’t even a story high, it looks like the Matterhorn in the Swiss Alps. Lexi says, “Use as many of the holds as you need. Remember, you only have to get through the course, Meg.”
Her voice is soft and encouraging, and I don’t have the heart to tell her I’m scared to death. I say, “Got it. But I should probably save my strength.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” I add more conviction to my voice. “Definitely. I’ve climbed a rock wall before at the gym. I’ve got it.” I notice people walking over toward us, and I say, “We should go back to the beginning. It’s almost time to start.”
She glances over at the approaching crowd. “Right.” Lexi holds up her fist to bump with mine. “Let’s do this.”
I’m distracted slightly when we get to the starting line because Finn walks over to shake Lexi’s hand. He says, “I hear I’m up against an iron woman. It’s a shame I’m going to beat you.”
She smiles at him. “Prepare to lose.”
He chuckles and turns to me. “You’re good. All this time you made me believe you were doing the egg carry. Nicely done.”
“I was supposed to. But there was a last-minute switch when Heather got hurt.”
He nods. “Well, then.” He holds out his hand. “Best of luck to you. I’m sure you’ll be great.”
I roll my eyes. “Just pray I don’t break something.”
He frowns. “Meg, you can do this.”
I wave him off. “I know. I’m fine.”
“Finn!” yells David, and I glance over to see he’s holding the clipboard.
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