ready, and Rick said his mom was mailing his. How about you?”
“I’ve got a fairy princess story I think the boys will enjoy as much as the girls.”
“How are the parties going without you? Is Kate handling things to your satisfaction?”
Summer smiled at Tara’s intuitiveness. Fairy Princess Parties was probably the only subject that could truly pry her thoughts away from Rick for a while. She shared some new activities Kate had added that she was planning on keeping in the rotation permanently.
“See?” Tara smiled. “You haven’t lost your focus. It’s still on the kids.”
“Unless Rick’s around.” Summer sighed and then felt the smile break across her lips unbidden. “Mmm, I love thinking about him.”
Tara cleared her throat. “Today’s field trip should be fun and educational.” She was obviously trying to direct the conversation away from Rick again.
“Yeah? I’ve never been to this place we’re going to today.” Summer didn’t add that a replica of an 1850s farm sounded hideously boring or that the kids were going to hate it. She’d tried to steer Rick away from this particular idea, but he’d remained adamant.
And he was the assistant director.
His title didn’t bother her nearly as much as it used to, though her parents’ preference of him over her still tightened her gut when she thought about it.
She tried not to think about it. Her time would come.
Tara gave a wistful sigh. “I practically grew up in the Land Between the Lakes. All our school field trips were there. I know you think the kids are going to be bored.” Tara had gotten to know her well. She hadn’t made her negative comments about this field trip to anyone except Rick. “But I think they’ll enjoy it. Learning what life was like back then. The chores and all. It’s...entertaining.”
“How do you think people had sex back in those days?” Summer wondered aloud about what Tara said previously about the pioneers. “Those log cabins were tiny, so the kids would’ve been just a few feet away. There wouldn’t have been any privacy, and you know the beds had to creak really bad.”
“I dunno. Maybe they went to the barn?”
“But what if you had hay fever?” Summer paused. “I’ve always thought sneezes and orgasms feel kind of the same. Not literally, but both of them have that buildup, like a bad itch that needs to be scratched, and then when it happens, it’s such a relief—”
“Aaiiee! Would you get a hold of yourself?” Tara drew in a loud breath. “Hey, wait! Maybe that’s not a bad idea. Maybe you should—”
“No!” Summer protested. “I’m saving myself for Rick.” That sent both of them into a fit of laughter. Summer rolled over and looked at the time. “The movie will be over soon, and I want to get my laundry folded, too.”
“I’m going to keep an eye on you when we get to the farm. Stay out of the barn,” Tara warned before Summer got out the door.
With a little time to spare, Summer showered and changed clothes. She’d never sweated through so many changes of clothes before. She folded and put away her laundry. Thank heavens Ginny was willing to wash the staff laundry; otherwise, they’d have to change it to clothing optional for the staff, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing if it involved Rick in the buff.... She mentally rebuked herself for letting her thoughts stray that direction again.
As she crossed the parking lot to move the bus to the loading area, Kenny drove in, pulling his new camper behind him. It was bigger and newer and shinier than the one destroyed in the storm.
Summer waved. “Wow! She’s a beauty, Kenny.”
“Thanks.” Kenny grinned from ear to ear. “The storm turned out to be a good thing, after all.”
Rick would be relieved, too. He would get his cabin to himself again. He hadn’t felt free to go back to his cabin during the day with Kenny trying to sleep, so he’d roamed around a lot—making notes in the file folder he kept with him all the time.
Yesterday, she’d walked in on him measuring the dining hall, and she’d questioned him about it. He answered that her parents were thinking about repainting the floor, which irked her that they’d talked to him about it and not her.
She reminded herself that the folder only contained a bunch of notes, but Rick still seemed almost sheepish every time she found him writing in it. Maybe a little embarrassment over his borderline OCD, and she now