so she went on. “The first week was all about respect. Now we’ll concentrate on accepting differences and developing unity. What do you think?”
Neil shrugged. “Sounds okay to me.”
“I think it’s brilliant,” Rick said.
The compliment made bubbles rise in Summer’s stomach, and her heart danced. Rick got her! It wasn’t an act to get her into bed. He understood what she was about. The realization left her momentarily speechless.
Tara’s head tilted in thought. “Almost everything in the schools is coed. I can’t think of any reason why it shouldn’t work here. But the girls get their wands as rewards. Will we give the boys wands, as well?”
“What about stars hanging on chains, like Rick’s?” Summer’s insides were still melty, thinking about how he’d handled that situation.
A yawn slipped from Neil as he tried to stifle it. “What are y’all talking about?”
Rick pulled his dog tag chain out of his shirt and the wand from his pocket. “I’m going to have a hole drilled in it so I can wear it on the chain. Without the stick.”
Neil squinted. “Cool.”
Summer’s breathing came easier. She hadn’t been sure Neil would go along, but since he had, she could throw out her other idea. “I can ask my dad to make some more. We’ll give the kids a choice of either a wand or a star on a chain.”
“Oh!” Tara applauded. “I like that.”
“Me, too,” Rick agreed, and Neil mumbled a sleepy assent.
“Okay, then...” Rick directed them to the week’s activities, pushing through each item so fast it became almost comical.
Summer knew the reason for his fired-up agenda, but she wondered if the others suspected he had plans with her for later.
And while she looked forward to their time alone to talk, she wasn’t so sure Rick would be thrilled with what she planned to say...what she’d thought about during her alone time in the fertility room.
“So, I guess that’s it,” Rick was saying, and she hadn’t even heard the last item he’d brought up.
Rick whisked the papers off the table. “Good night, everyone.” He was gone before they could get out their responses.
Neil looked at the two women over the rim of his glasses. “Either of you ladies want to carry me?” Summer and Tara shook their heads, and he blew out a dramatic sigh. “I guess I’ll just stumble my way home, then.” He got up and tripped over his first step, seeming bent on proving his words. He caught his balance, though, and managed to make progress up the hill.
“Do you want me to go on to bed, too?” Tara asked, and Summer heard in her tone that she was asking about Rick.
Tara and Summer had gotten to know each other pretty well over the first part of the week with their nightly tête-à-têtes, and Summer looked forward to their chats. But then the storm had happened and her parents had come, so she and Tara had a lot of catching up to do. In the absence of Kate, Summer had come to think of Tara as a trusted girlfriend—and she needed some girl talk tonight.
“No way,” she answered. “I need you to keep me sane.”
A few minutes later, when Summer had changed out of her costume, Tara was waiting with lemonade in hand and a plate with two oatmeal raisin cookies Summer’s mom had provided from the organic bakery in Paducah.
“So what happened after the dance?” was Tara’s first question.
“We went for a moonlight swim.” Summer closed her eyes, feeling again the heat generated by the kisses on the beach. “It was so romantic.” She caught herself and forced her eyes open.
“Tonight was great, watching you two.” Tara grinned. “When the girls gave him the wand, there was something in his expression, and then I looked at you, and the look on your face seemed to mirror his. It was—” she seemed to search for the word, but settled for “—cool.”
They sipped the lemonade, quiet for a moment, and then Tara waved her hand toward the bedroom. “It’s nice that you have your own cabin. Y’all can, um, have some privacy.”
“Actually, that makes everything more difficult.”
A crease appeared between Tara’s copper eyebrows. “Because...?”
“Because even though it’s possible, it’s not the right thing to do. I don’t want these weeks to be about anything but the kids and keeping the camp going. And I have no doubt sex with Rick would shift my focus.”
“That’s very noble of you.”
“Pfft.” Summer shrugged off the compliment. “I’m not trying to be noble. I just