On the pantomimed count of three, Rick jerked the door open as Neil did his best imitation of a lion’s roar.
Howie’s startled shriek evaporated into a hoot of relieved laughter. “You found me! But I hid great, didn’t I? Am I the last one again?”
Neil tousled the kid’s hair. “You’re the last one. You win again.”
“Ooh-rah!” Howie jumped and punched the air.
The marine slang coming from the boy’s mouth dropped Rick’s jaw. Summer had mentioned it when they talked, but he hadn’t realized how much he had become a role model. The responsibility overwhelmed him momentarily. How many bad habits was he teaching these kids without even being aware? He’d have to be more careful.
The three of them started back around the building to join the others. “How’d you manage to become so good at this?” Rick asked.
The child’s face lost its glee and took on the somber look of someone five times his age. “I hide at home...sometimes.”
Aw, hell. Rick clenched, then unclenched, his fists. What he’d give for one round with Howard Gerard, Sr. It might change the son of a bitch’s tune if he had to stand up to a real man. “Well, we might have to let you start giving lessons.” The boy’s ready smile returned. “Go on, now.” He started to swat Howie’s butt locker-room style, but thought better of it. He tousled his hair instead. “Get your bragging over with so everyone can get to bed.”
Cheers greeted them as they rounded the corner, and Howie broke into his victory run, high-fiving all his fellow campers.
“Okay, you’re right,” Neil admitted as they watched the boy revel in his moment of fame. “And, for the record, his dad needs his ass kicked up around his shoulders.”
Rick nodded. “I just wish I could be the one to do the kicking.” He clapped his hands to get the kids’ attention. “Okay, everybody. Let’s call it a night.”
“Y’all get ready for bed,” Summer called after the girls. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. We’ve got some fairy princess business to take care of.”
The girls took off at a run toward the bunkhouse with Tara. Summer started down the path to her cabin but veered off to meet Rick and Neil as they followed the boys.
“Staff meeting tonight?” she asked.
Rick nodded. “Whenever you get finished. No hurry.”
She waved and her accompanying smile made Rick hope the next hour would fly by fast. They’d get the kids to bed and have the staff meeting. Then she and Tara would spend about thirty minutes together. After Tara went back to the girls, maybe they’d have some time alone tonight...and every night.
“Man, I hope Howie doesn’t run out of hiding places.” Neil rubbed the back of his neck as they watched Summer walk away.
“Why the change of heart?”
Neil grinned. “Because now that you and Summer aren’t at each other’s throats, Howie’s hiding places are about the only excitement we have left.”
* * *
“SO WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE thing this week?”
Summer had made a hasty change into her fairy princess costume while the girls readied for bed. Now they all sat in a circle, primed for the vote that would grant one of them their very own wand. But first, Summer wanted to know what activities to keep for week two and which to discard.
“The bats.”
“The bats.”
“The bats.”
Shannon, Braelyn and Kaelyn had become inseparable in almost everything.
“The storm.” Elise’s answer to Summer’s question came as a surprise until she added, “I mean, I didn’t like the part about Mr. Kenny’s camper getting messed up. But being in the shelter with all of us together was exciting.”
“Yeah, that was fun,” Amanda agreed. “And I liked the bats, too...and the dance.”
“I liked the dance.” Lucy giggled.
Word around the camp was that Carlos had written Lucy a love note after being her dance partner. She’d actually seemed upbeat today, so maybe a camp romance would give everybody a reprieve from the girl’s whining for a while. Until the romance ended, which summer camp romances were destined to do.
Not wanting to let her brain settle on that thought, Summer moved on to M&M.
The child pursed her lips in thought before she answered. “I liked sort of learning to swim best.”
While it was true Rick already had Daniel swimming, Summer was convinced that peer pressure from the boys played a greater role in his success than teaching style. M&M hadn’t conquered her fear of the water yet, but she got a little braver every day. “I’m proud of