Scoffing, he moved the paper to the side and crossed his arms, turning to face me. “Enough about me, dude. What about you? You’ve been distracted lately.”
It was my turn to sigh. We’d only been at camp for two days. I thought I could at least squeeze by the first month without the stress showing. “I don’t know. Life kind of sucks right now.”
“Because?”
Shrugging, I threw my fork into the box and shoved the lid down. “Because I can’t control what’s happening at home, and it’s spiraling out of control.”
“Your parents?”
I nodded, sitting forward to take my shoes off. “My dad left last August.”
“What?” His eyes bulged. “Big Hank? No, man. That guy’s beyond solid.”
“That’s what I thought too, but apparently he had some secrets.” I swallowed, crossing my arms. “I think my Mom’s been hiding something, too, but I can’t figure out what. She’s been acting so weird. But my dad ran off with his secretary, so it’s not like I can expect normal out of her.”
Nolan cleared his throat. “Dude. Tucker. I’m sorry, man.”
“That’s life, right?” I reached for my shoes and moved them to the bottom of my closet, glancing at the family picture from my high school graduation taped onto the door. Dad’s smile beamed across his face, Mom standing all teary-eyed beside him. Walker and Ky were smiling, too. Carefree and innocent. So much younger.
Who would’ve seen it coming?
Nolan stood and yawned, stretching as he faced me. “Put your shoes back on.”
“What? Why?”
“We’re getting shakes and I’m buying.”
I frowned.
He nodded. “I stood you up. It’s the least I can do.”
We headed down to the Snack Shop and he made good on his word, buying us both shakes and fries. We took them to the picnic bench out front and dunked our fries in our shakes, in Bridgeport tradition.
“Thanks for buying,” I said. “I’ll get you next time.”
“Ha. Next time I won’t forget to meet you.”
“Yeah right, Nolan. You’re the king of forgetting.”
“Mi found a new app for helping me remember, but we don’t have cell service up here.”
“Of course she did.” I cleared my throat. “So what were you saying about Hannah?”
He filled me in about a few conversations they had, and a freaking epic water balloon fight they got into a few days ago. He said he realized she’s totally his type and he thinks she’s reciprocating. “Should I go for it, dude?” he asked, stirring his shake.
“You’re the only one who can answer that,” I offered. “You should definitely pray about it first.”
He nodded as Mal spotted us from the road. “You guys busy, or do you want to hit up the ping pong tables?”
I drew a deep breath, frogs croaking all around us, the stars shimmering across the surface of the lake, reminding me of the time and my plans for the morning. Power washing with Emery.
Not a bad way to start a day.
“I have to be up early tomorrow,” I said. “You guys should go for it though.”
SIX
-Emery-
Lauren groaned when my alarm went off at five thirty. I made myself get out of bed and got ready, heading out into the morning stillness with a bright outlook. Even as a camper, this had been my favorite part of Bridgeport. Chilled, silent mornings by the lake, just waiting for the sun to rise over the mountaintop at the opposite end of the water. The sound of nature waking up. The scent of misted pine.
The sky glowed with the promise of the sunrise, the mountain set on keeping the lake and everything on campus in its shadow. Tucker sat at a table on the patio facing the lake. His sweatshirt hood was up, his arms folded across his chest, probably shielding himself from the cool air. I took the place across the table from him, settling in with a soft sigh as I followed his line of sight to the mountain peak.
“Crazy, right?” he asked. “The way everything seems so dark, but the sun’s already out.”
I nodded, fixing my eyes on a momma duck and her ducklings bobbing their way to the edge of the lake, rising from the misted water, taking to the shore like they owned it. I grinned.
Tucker cleared his throat. “We’ll get started as soon as the sun crests.”
“No rush.” I glanced back to the mountaintop, the sun rays beaming out from the peak. “So, I’m not usually an early morning philosopher, but the hidden sun thing kind of seems symbolic.”
“What?”
“What you said. I mean, it took forever to drive up that mountain in my car and it would take months to climb on foot. But as intimidating as the mountain is, the sun’s still bigger and higher, its light still stronger than the mountain . . . like, no matter how long the night is, the sun still rises.” Regardless of the phone call I got on the way, and the mess of a future I needed to figure out, and the draw of everything else I left behind . . . “I don’t know. Maybe I’m being overspiritual or something—”
“You’re not,” he said softly, his dark eyes flicking to mine as he gnawed the inside of his cheek. “I get it. It’s just. The mountain can seem never-ending sometimes, you know? Even when you’ve spent months climbing it, and you look up and there’s still a thousand feet to go.”
I nodded, swallowing as I turned my eyes back to the sky, a shade brighter with every second as the rays above the mountaintop melded. The sun finally made its appearance and everything covered in darkness was illuminated in an instant—the lake glistened with sunshine.
“Just have to keep climbing,” I said, in a half whisper, trying not to think of Nick. Of the time I wasted on him. Time I could have used to figure out what I was supposed to do with my life. What I was meant to do. Not just what I’d worked to do for the last four years . . . something beyond basketball and college. What I was made for.
“Thanks for saying that,” he said, standing and stretching. “I needed to hear it.”
I swallowed, trying not to guess why. He seemed like the kind of guy who didn’t flinch at life. But obviously he was facing some type of a struggle, or he wouldn’t have mentioned it. “You’re welcome,” I said, standing with him.
“Ready to learn the sprayer?” he asked, that challenging brow raised again.
“Is it really that hard?”
“Not really. A little dangerous if you do it wrong, though.”
“Ha. I’m a sucker for a little danger.”
“Really?” He returned my grin. “Maybe we’ll have to hit the zipline sometime.”
I cleared my throat, nodding. “I have a love-hate relationship with that thing.”
“Not surprising. I think we all feel that way. Except for Mal, but he’s crazy.”
“All right, boss. Teach me the ropes.”
He stood and nodded toward the machine behind us. “You’re on this one.” I’d watched my dad use one before. It seemed simple enough with the trigger on the handle, the nozzle like a long wand.
He pointed to the hose snaking back to the spicket in front of the Boathouse. “You connect the hose to the valve on the bottom, make sure the water’s flowing on full power, then really all you do is squeeze. But you have to make sure the nozzle’s set right.” He sniffed, showing me which way to turn it. “It’ll shoot a wide stream of water and you just sweep it across the surface of whatever you’re cleaning. Go ahead and squeeze.”
I did, the tip of the wand shooting up in the air, spraying a wild rope of water across the whole patio. The wand was like a wild animal and the harder I tried to control it, the more it rebelled. I eased up on the trigger, but the rope of water turned to a showering mist, raining icy water down on me like an overhead sprinkler, dousing my hair, plastering it to my face.
I gasped and goosebumps pricked across my skin.
“Let go of the trigger!” Tucker shouted, over the sound of the engine.”
I let go, and glanced at him, his eyes glinting. I frowned. “You did
that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“Sorry.” He chuckled. “It’s like maintenance initiation.”
I scoffed. I wanted to let him have it, but he was moving toward me, his strong hand covering mine as he adjusted the fitting where the wand met the handle.
My heart beat a little faster and something sparked in his eyes. “Try again.”
His voice was a hint deeper than before, but I couldn’t let it get to me. We’d just met a day ago and I probably just imagined the dip in his voice anyway.
I tucked my dripping hair behind my ear and nodded, following his instruction. Every piece of dirt and grime coating the brick pavers was gone the second the water hit them.
“Just like that,” he said, moving to the opposite end of the patio with a second sprayer.
My stomach was growling by the time we were through. We shut the sprayers off and returned them to their shed behind the Boathouse, the wooden door creaking closed as Tucker gave me a high five.
“Nice work, Chuck. Ready to grab some eats?”
“Beyond ready.” My stomach growled again.
Heading to the cafeteria, Tucker and I travelled across the dripping patio and the bridge that spanned the creek feeding into the lake. We passed the pool, the volleyball pit, and as we crossed the paved roadway, I could smell bacon frying. “So. What’s next?” I asked as we loaded our plates and took them to the dining hall.
He slid into a seat at an empty table. “Clearing the north trails.”
“Oh. Off-roading?”
“Kind of, yeah. You all right with that?”
“Sounds amazing.” I tried hedging my excitement, but I wasn’t doing that great. It sounded like this day was going to be the exact type of day I’d envisioned when I applied to be on maintenance. An entire day spent in nature. What could be better? I glanced at Tucker, trying not to notice the glint in his eyes. I mean, an entire day spent in nature with a guy like him might be better than a day spent alone, but I couldn’t let myself think those kinds of thoughts. It was way too soon. I had my no-guys-summer mantra. I took a sip of water instead.
“Eat up,” he added, looking at my plate. “You’re gonna need your strength.”
-Tucker-
“All right, what’s normal life like for Emery?” I asked, as the wind whipped through the truck on our way out to the north trails. We’d been on the road a half-hour. It was still another half-hour out and a pretty good hike across the trails from there.
“Normal life . . . ” she trailed off, chewing her bottom lip. “Sleep. Eat. School. Sports. Church.” She rubbed her arm and turned to face me. “What about you, Tucker? You seem like a guy that’s going somewhere.”
I scoffed. I was going somewhere before everything with Dad happened. “I hate to know your idea of nowhere is if you think Bridgeport’s going somewhere.”
“Oh. You don’t want to be here?”
Ah. How could I explain this?
“No. That’s not it. I mean. It’s an awesome summer gig, right? Who wouldn’t want to work at Bridgeport? And I’ve been doing it so long, I can’t imagine doing anything else with my summers, but . . . I was thinking about applying to the fire academy before this summer.”
Whoa. The only one who knew that fact was Mom, and she was all gung-ho about it . . . before dad left. Not sure what it was about Emery that made me want to say it, but something about her did.
“The fire academy?” She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear, staring at me with raised brows. “I thought I was the sucker for danger. That’s awesome!” Her dimples deepened at the corners of that cute smile.
“It was about to be.” I turned from the main road onto a maintenance trail, trying to forget the whole idea. Trying to make peace with the path I was on now. Whatever path it was.
“What do you mean? I thought you’re going for it?”
“Was going for it, is more like it.” Something about the way genuine curiosity played across her face made me want to tell her. A thick lump formed in my throat the longer I thought about it.
“What happened?” she asked, her voice quieting.
“My, uh . . . my dad left last year.” I cleared my throat, trying to clear the pain. “I had to drop out of school and get a job to help my mom out.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.” She sighed. “That seriously sucks.”
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat, leaning forward in my seat as we bobbed and swayed over the uneven roadway. I slowed around low-hanging limbs, making mental notes for when we came back for trimming. “But what about you? You seem like a girl with goals.”
She let out a half-laugh, back to gnawing her lip. “You’re easily fooled.”
“Seriously though. I mean. I haven’t known you that long, but you seem like you have a good head on your shoulders.”
“Sometimes.”
“Meaning?”
She shrugged. “The ex.”
“Okay. So he didn’t turn out to be the best thing ever. He wasn’t everything there is to you though, right?”
“No.” She took a deep breath and glanced out her window. “He wasn’t.”
“I mean, if you’re looking at the radius of your whole life, two years is just a blip on the radar.”
She nodded, like she could see it.
“All right. So what else?” I prodded, because I wanted to know more about this girl.
She grinned, ducking her head. “I got into my dream school. He got in, too. We were supposed to go together, but obviously that’s not happening anymore.”
I furrowed my brows, trying to get a gauge on why someone like her would plan their world around the kind of guy who would throw it all away at a party. I couldn’t figure it out. “But, you’re still going, right?”
“Yes,” she said softly, staring out the windshield. She lifted a shoulder and cleared her throat. “I was stoked when I got in. Just. Everything with Nick. It all still burns, you know?”
Lauren came to mind, and I nodded. “I do.”
“But, I’ll get over it.”
“You’d better. There’s no reason to be planning your life around a guy like that.”
She tucked her hair behind her ear, studying me for a minute. Something in the engine squealed for a couple seconds before it evened out again.
She frowned. “What was that?”
All the gauge levels were riding right where they should be. “Not sure. That’s the third time it’s done that this week.”
“That can’t be good.”
“No.” I scanned the brush on the shoulder of the road, and pulled onto a small turnout designated for our trucks before I shut off the engine. “So, we’ll grab the gear and get going on this trail. You ready to get started?”
She unbuckled and opened the door, glancing at me over her shoulder. “I was born ready.”
We talked as we traveled the paths, cutting fallen logs and branches, moving them to the sides and noting where we left them. Another team would be up with a woodchipper tomorrow. Today was about getting the bulk out of the way. Emery watched me work the saw on the first branches and then I handed it over. She was a natural. I probably could have signed it over to her and went on ahead of her, but it was only her first clearing day. And as weird as it was to admit, I was enjoying my time with her. The no-drama aspect of our conversation was refreshing. She was refreshing.
“How long were your parents married?” she asked, as we finished dragging the remains of a fallen tree to the pile, both of us sweating, breaths pounding hard. “I mean, if you’re okay talking about it.”
I released a heavy breath, wiping my brow on my sleeve. “They just hit twenty years.”
“Twenty years?” she asked, on a breath, her mouth hanging open.
I nodded, throwing another limb onto the pile. “My mom had a problem with drugs before I was born. She got pregnant after high school and quit using, and the guy left her. My dad stepped in when I was three and adopted me. He’s been there ever since. Well, at least,
before all this.” I shook my head, my blood boiling beneath the surface. It had been close to a year since my aunt saw him out with some young girl at his office. “I don’t know what happened.”
I’d hashed through it a million times, trying to figure it out. Him and Mom started fighting a lot more a year ago, but I never knew why. She was tired a lot, but he couldn’t blame her for being tired.
Emery shook her head, eyes roving the ground before they settled on mine. “I’m really sorry, Tucker. I can’t imagine what you’re going through.”
“Thanks.” The honesty in her eyes made me want to tell her more, but I had to be careful. We hardly knew each other. I was her crew lead. I checked my watch instead. Twelve thirty-eight. “We’re probably good to call it quits and head somewhere for lunch.”
“Really?” She grinned, eyes shining.
“There’s a pretty cool spot about half a mile from here if you’re down for a little hike. We can grab our lunches and go if you want.”
She nodded. “Let’s do it.”
SEVEN
-Emery-
Pine needles covered the path Tucker led me down, the scent of the forest thickening as we approached a small grove of trees, water rushing somewhere in the distance ahead.
“Where’re you taking me, Niagara Falls?”
He barked a little laugh at my side. “Close, but not exactly.”
There was something about him that had me thinking thoughts I really shouldn’t be. I mean. Of course, I couldn’t just assume he would be attracted to me, but if he was, we would definitely have that much in common.
When we got our lunches, he shed his sweatshirt, his Bridgeport t-shirt clinging tight to his torso, his biceps testing the give in his sleeves. I wasn’t complaining, but . . . if girls had a dress code for length of shorts, they should make one for guys’ arms.
Just saying . . .
We emerged from the trees, following a dirt path along the edge of the ravine. Below, a white stream of water bubbled and turned around boulders, sloshing along the banks as it twisted through the canyon. “Something wrong?” he asked.
Falling in Fast Page 4