by Krista Lakes
“How many years experience?” Mia asked.
“Just over five years,” Bonnie answered. “Plus college experience.”
Mia nodded, looking thoughtful. “You filled out the background check sheet, right?” she asked. “Elena got you in our system?”
“I filled out as much of it as I could,” Bonnie explained. “Given my situation.”
“Right.” Mia tipped her head and evaluated her for a moment before smiling. “We might have something for you that isn’t in the kitchen. If you’re interested.”
A flutter of excitement filled Bonnie’s chest. Helping kids was what she lived for. She had been so excited to ask Mia about the spaghetti pool, and she had so many other ideas after seeing what the kids were eating. There was so much she could help with.
“I’d love to!” Bonnie grinned, then pulled it back. She had to remember why she was here. “But, I did tell you that I’m kind of on the run. I can’t guarantee how long I’ll be able to stay here.”
Mia frowned. “You know we can help you with that, right? We have a lot of resources around here.”
“Thank you, but it’s complicated.” If that wasn’t the understatement of the year, Bonnie wasn’t sure what was.
“It always is,” Mia agreed. Mia checked her baby to make sure she was still sleeping and then looked over at Bonnie. It felt like she could peer straight into Bonnie’s soul and see exactly what she had hidden there. “I’m going to take a chance on you, Bonnie. I have a pretty good track record with people, and I have a good feeling about you.”
“Are you sure?” Bonnie asked. She fiddled with her hands in front of her. “I mean, I would love to work with these kids, but I just don’t want to put you in a difficult position if I have to leave suddenly.”
Mia chuckled. “One thing I’ve learned since starting this is that there’s always some sort of difficult position with everyone. Employees are hard work.”
“Thank you for believing in me, Mia,” Bonnie said softly.
Mia reached out and put her hand on Bonnie’s shoulder and smiled. It was the first time since leaving the police station she’d let someone get close enough to touch her. It was nice to have the connection. She’d missed interacting with people, and she was surprised by just how much the simple touch made her chest ache for friendship and belonging.
“I’ll let you know when your background check clears.” Mia smiled and then turned to continue her walk. “Keep on working hard. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Bonnie stared after her. Her heart felt heavy and light at the same time, and she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it.
Chapter 8
Bonnie
“You go take a break for a bit,” Chef told Bonnie, patting her on the shoulder. “You got all the dishes done. Dinner will be soon enough, and it's going to be a doozy.”
Bonnie's arms were tired. Her feet were tired. She'd washed dishes all morning, all afternoon, and was preparing herself to wash dinner dishes again this evening. It was hard, but it was worth the room and board.
“That sounds great. Thanks,” Bonnie replied, putting her drying towel up on a rack. “What's for dinner?”
“Tacos,” Chef informed her. “My secret recipe for the salsa.”
“I'm already looking forward to it,” Bonnie said. “I mean, the meal. Not the dishes.”
Chef laughed. “Go take a break. You've earned it.”
Bonnie thanked her and took off her apron. She stepped out into the warm summer mountains sunshine. The scent of pine was almost overwhelming, but it was dry and pleasant. There was no humidity up here, even after all the rain.
She walked past the garage, sad to see that Dylan wasn't in it working. She'd enjoyed peeking out the kitchen window to see him up to his elbows in grease as he worked on her car. He had some of the older camp kids helping him out during the day as they fixed up cars and farm vehicles.
She liked a man that could work with his hands. If he saw her walking past, he would always smile and wave. Yesterday, he'd even invited her to come to the garage if she wanted.
Bonnie's phone chirped in her pocket. She looked down to see that it was a calendar reminder to check her email. She grinned and hurried back to her cabin. It was mail day.
She made sure the door was securely locked behind her. It didn't really matter, but it made her feel safer nonetheless. She found the laptop she'd bought in Kentucky on her way here and pulled it out of a bag. It was time to check in on her brother.
She logged into the throwaway email account she'd made for him to contact her. He had one of his own. Waiting in her inbox was an email from Brett. She grinned and opened it up.
Dear Sis,
Things here are good. It's kind of boring right now, so my “friends” are teaching me all about their jobs. I think they are just sick of me beating them at poker every night, but I kind of like it. They say after this is done, I might be able to get a job. I'm seriously thinking about it.
Anyway, that's it here. I hope you are safe. Love you.
His “friends” were the police officers keeping him safe. She let out a sigh of relief. He was safe.
She opened up a new message.
Hey Bro,
Be nice to your new “friends.”
Things here are good. I'm safe and far away. It's really beautiful. I'll take you here someday.
I haven't had anything bad happen, so you don't have to worry about me. Things actually seem to be looking up for a change. I'll let you know if anything changes. Until then, stay safe.
Love you.
There was so much more that she wanted to write. She wanted to tell him about Dylan and her car. She wanted to let him know that the house and the fire were taken care of. She wanted to tell him that she'd gotten a job and that she was actually verging on being happy, despite everything.
But she didn't dare.
If they managed to get their hands on these emails, they could use that information. Neither one of them wanted to risk any extra information getting out, so they made sure to cover their tracks and give as little detail as possible.
So, she didn't tell her brother what was going on in her life. She hated not being able to talk to him. Even though they were night and day opposites, Brett had her back. He looked out for her, and she looked out for him. They were family.
It was why she was on the run. If they captured her, Brett would do anything to save her. He would hold his testimony to keep her safe. She knew that if their situations were reversed, she would do the same. It was what siblings did for one another.
So, since the police couldn't protect her, she was on the run. She was going to keep her brother safe by not being found. She knew she could do it, even though it was hard.
She looked out the small window at the dark green pines and the bright blue sky. She was safe here. They would never find her here. For the first time since the fire, she felt like making it to the trial was possible.
Chapter 9
Bonnie
Bonnie fell effortlessly into the rhythm of the camp. By day four of working in the kitchen, she was joking with Chef and already knew all the names of the horses in the barn. She worked her tail off washing dishes and making request meals for the camp kids. Anything Chef asked her to do she did as quickly and efficiently as possible.
She felt safe here. There wasn’t a whisper of her former life. She secretly started to wish that the part for the dish-washing machine would keep getting delayed. She didn’t want to leave this place.
Bonnie picked up another bowl and quickly scrubbed, rinsed, and placed it on the drying rack. Only fifty more bowls to go for lunch, she thought.
She paused and saw Dylan walk past the window with a gaggle of children at his heels. He never seemed to be far from her during the day. She wanted to imagine that it was on purpose, but it was far more likely that he just liked being in the garage or out with the camp kids.
The kitchen doors opened, and Mia strode in right as the lun
ch rush finished. Today her daughter was with her husband, and she was running around the camp getting things done.
“I have good news and bad news,” Mia announced. Everyone turned to look at her. The kitchen became quiet except for the sounds of the food sizzling on the grill and the water filling the sink.
“Well, start with the bad news,” Chef replied, crossing her arms across her chest. She held her heavy wooden spoon like a sword.
“Chef, you’re losing your human dishwasher,” Mia told the kitchen staff. Her face was stern and businesslike. “She can’t be in the kitchen anymore.”
The news hit Bonnie harder than she had expected it to. She didn’t want to leave this place. She knew this was only temporary, but she certainly wasn’t ready to go yet. She wasn’t ready to run again.
“What?” Chef hurried over to Bonnie and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Bonnie leaned in, taking strength from the older woman. “No. I like her. She stays, Mia.”
“Chef, the dishwasher part came,” Mia replied gently. “Dylan’s coming to install it now.”
“What about Bonnie?” Chef’s arm tightened around Bonnie. Bonnie’s throat was thick, and she was glad she didn’t have to say anything. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to say anything without crying.
Mia walked over to stand in front of Chef. Her face twitched with a smile, betraying the stern, business-like look she currently wore.
“That’s the good news,” Mia told the two of them. “Her background check came through today.”
“What?” Bonnie’s heart skipped a beat. Why would she be getting fired if her background check came in? What had Mia found?
“Bonnie, if you’d like, I need someone to work with some of our kids. We have a lot of un-diagnosed behavioral issues. It’s hard to get a diagnosis for some of these kids, but they need help just the same.” Mia’s false sternness disappeared, and she grinned. “So, we need someone here to help come up with programming and activities for these high-need kids.”
“You want me?” Bonnie whispered, unsure if she understood correctly. “You’re giving me a job?”
“After your idea for the spaghetti bath and talking with your old boss, I think you’re perfect for the camp. We need someone with your qualifications,” Mia confirmed. “Are you interested in staying?”
Bonnie’s lower lip trembled, and she felt her eyes starting to fill with relief. “Yes! I would love the job.”
Chef’s arm tightened around Bonnie into a full-fledged hug. Bonnie wrapped her arms around Chef and hugged her tightly back.
“Thank you so much, Mia,” Bonnie said, releasing Chef and facing Mia. She wiped at her cheeks.
“Your boss had the most glowing and amazing things to say about you, Bonnie. She couldn’t speak highly enough about how well you work with kids and make them feel safe,” Mia replied. “I’m hoping that you can bring that same magic here. We need someone like you.”
Guilt pricked at Bonnie’s chest for half a second. She was going to have to leave this place eventually. Even if everything with her brother and the mob disappeared, her home was in New Jersey, not Colorado. She had a life there.
She pushed the guilt down hard. For now, she had a place. She had a place where she could use her skills and talents with kids to make their lives better. She wasn’t about to turn down this opportunity.
“Thank you, Mia. I promise to do whatever I can.” She could keep that promise, she told herself. It wasn’t promising to stay. It was just to do what she could.
Mia stepped closer and hugged her. “And I don’t want you to worry. I was incredibly discreet with the background check. Your boss doesn’t know what state you’re in, and I used a different office for all the paperwork addresses. No one can trace you back here,” she said quietly into Bonnie’s ear.
Bonnie hugged her tightly. “Thank you.” Mia had no idea how much it meant that she’d done her best to keep Bonnie safe. It meant more to Bonnie than she could ever say.
“You’re welcome,” Mia told her, giving her one more squeeze before letting her go. “You start tomorrow. Once Chef lets you go tonight, feel free to explore the camp. You’ve been cleared to work with kids, so you can enjoy what the camp has to offer.”
Excitement bubbled up through Bonnie’s chest, and she felt like she might burst into song. She was going to be able to stay at this beautiful place where she felt safe. It was more than she could have asked.
“Okay. Bonnie, I’ll see you tomorrow morning in my office to come up with a plan,” Mia said. “Everyone else, have a great evening and I won’t see you in my office.”
Chef and the other two kitchen workers chuckled as Mia left the kitchen. As she left, Dylan replaced her. He wore his soft denim jeans and T-shirt like a work uniform as he held up the small plastic and metal piece for the dishwasher. He smiled at everyone, but Bonnie felt for a moment that he smiled at her the most.
She shook her head as he went to the dishwasher and began taking it apart. She was just high on the job offer and seeing good things everywhere. She glanced over to get the perfect view of him reaching into the machine, his strong arms flexed and his legs braced against the floor as he worked the new piece into place. It was a great view.
She was going to enjoy her new workplace. Especially if Dylan was nearby.
Chapter 10
Bonnie
Once the dish-washing machine was fixed and loaded with dishes, there wasn’t much left for Bonnie to do in the kitchen. She helped with putting the food from lunch away and sweeping the floors before she left. Chef had her promise to stop in and say hello on a regular basis, but then promptly shooed her out of the kitchen to go explore the camp.
Chef had mentioned multiple times how nice the camp pool was after a hard day’s work. Now that her background check had cleared, Bonnie felt like she could go to the pool and not be afraid of interacting with the campers. Up until today, she didn’t want to go where she wasn’t allowed, but with the job offer, the camp opened up to her.
She put on her favorite one-piece swimsuit, a pair of sweatpants, and a light jacket and began to wander the ranch looking for the famed pool.
She found the barn where Laura was teaching some of the older kids how to groom horses. She waved, but since she wasn’t dressed for working with animals, continued on her way. She promised herself that she would convince Laura to give her riding lessons one of these days, though. It was too good an opportunity to pass up.
She found the ropes course, a fire pit, a badminton court, a horseshoe pit, and several other outdoor games, but no swimming pool. It was a great camp for the foster kids to gain life skills and have an amazing week where they were special. The more she walked around the camp, the more she shared in Mia’s vision to make this place a sanctuary for kids who didn’t have families.
Mia’s statement the night they met about this being a place to help people, really sunk in. This was a place for hope. This was a place for dreams and love.
She was about to give up and ask for directions when she finally saw it on the far edge of the property.
It was a beautiful pool. There were two lap lanes on the far edge, but the main pool area looked like something out of a travel magazine. The clear blue water had a beach entrance and a small slide shaped like an octopus. A larger yellow slide dropped into the deep end. There was also a hot tub nestled off to the side that bubbled and beckoned her to come and relax.
Two boys jumped into the deep end with a splash. They looked to be around five to six, and both shrieked with delight as they flew through the air and into the water. Elena laughed as the two of them came to the surface and asked her which splash was bigger.
Elena raised a friendly hand in greeting as Bonnie approached. She was busy watching the two boys, so Bonnie didn’t want to bother her. Besides, she was more interested in scoping out the pool for a sensory activity. The gentle slope of the beach entrance was perfect for kids afraid of the water. She wondered if they had some pool noo
dles as well. Pool noodles would be perfect for what she had in mind.
She set her towel on a chair by the edge of the water and walked over to the pool shed. It was just a small building off to the side of the pool that she figured housed the pool supplies. If there were pool noodles, they would be inside.
She pulled open the heavy wooden door and looked around. The inside was neatly organized with pool cleaning equipment on one side and toys on the other. There were some arm floaties hanging on the wall, a couple of deflated beach balls, and about half a dozen pool noodles.
Bonnie grinned. There was so much she could do with this. Her brain buzzed with sensory activities that would help the camp kids feel comfortable in the water and learn to swim. She loved working with water because most kids ended up loving it.
That’s when she heard the sniffle.
It was small, but it made all thoughts of pool noodles and activities vanish. She looked around, closing the door and searching for whoever was crying.
Behind the pool shed, sitting on a smooth gray stone was a little boy. He was small and thin with shaggy blonde hair and big brown eyes. As soon as he saw her, he wrapped his arms around himself and shrunk down. His swim trunks were sun-bleached and worn, but the turtles decorating them were still visible. His dark blue sweatshirt was a size too big.
“Hi,” she said, taking a step forward and then crouching down, so she was at his height. He looked up at her and then quickly back down at the ground. He wiped his nose with the back of his hand.
“My name’s Bonnie. I’m new here.” Bonnie gave him a small wave. “What’s your name?”
“Tyson,” the boy replied, still looking at the ground. “T-Y-S-O-N.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Tyson. You must be, what? Eight years old?” She purposefully guessed high. The boy couldn’t be more than five or six, but kids always seemed to like that they looked older.