Skyler was always ladylike and prepared for anything. If Jayden were to have a crying jag—even a fake one—she’d have to go to the bathroom and blow her nose on a fistful of toilet paper. The walls wouldn’t be able to contain the elephantine noise.
“What’s the name of this place again? Where is it? And when do I have to show up?” Jayden continued to not know anything at all, and then added, “If I decide to do this for you, then I’d like to know a little more than just ‘Mary cooks and Henry takes care of the yards.’ Did you already tell the people at your school that you would go?”
Skyler squirmed in her place on the sofa just a little. “Well, I had to tell them one way or the other so they could get the plane tickets bought and travel arrangements taken care of.”
“And you’re waiting until now to ask me to take your place?” Jayden asked. “Why would you do that?”
“What else are you going to do all summer? Lay around and drink that fattening beer?” Like always, Skyler’s mean streak came out when she didn’t get her way.
“Drinking beer and reading romance novels actually sounds pretty good to me after the semesters I’ve had. I’ve had to play catch-up all year for the time we lost last spring with the virus,” Jayden told her.
“So have I,” Skyler whined. “I need this vacation. Glory Bound School has already bought my plane ticket, and they need me to help with the music, as well as be a counselor to the girls on the trip.”
“And the boys?” Jayden asked.
“David, the official music teacher, will serve in that place,” Skyler answered. “Are you going to do this or not?”
“Tell me more about who I’ll be working with if I do.” Jayden covered a yawn with her hand.
“Counselors are Novalene Kemper and Diana Jackson. Novalene is a retired school counselor and Diana is still working as one. Then there’s Mary and her husband, Henry. The camp itself is located northwest of Alpine, Texas. You don’t even have to worry about travel arrangements—just show up at the Grand Prairie Municipal Airport by ten o’clock on Sunday morning. The girls arrive on Monday. Elijah has a little six-person plane, and he’ll pick all three counselors up at the same time and fly y’all down there.”
“And who is Elijah?” Jayden asked.
“He’s kind of like the drill sergeant at the camp. He’s a good guy. He was in the air force before he came to work for Henry and Mary,” Skyler said. “If you do this for me, sister, I will owe you, big-time.”
Skyler must really want to go to Europe with a bunch of kids to pull out the sister card and to actually tell Jayden that she would owe her. Jayden wondered if there was more to this trip than her sister was admitting. Was this David fellow her new boyfriend?
“Yes, you will, and I will collect,” Jayden said. “Tell me again when you are leaving, and when do you plan to be back home?”
“I’m leaving on Monday, and we’ll be gone four weeks.” Skyler smiled.
“What if I take over until you get back and then you step into my place for the final four weeks?” Jayden asked.
Skyler shook her head and her big blue eyes floated in tears again. “That won’t work. The girls in your cabin need to bond with you. You have to go for the whole eight weeks, or I’ll have to step down and let someone else go to Europe as a sponsor for the Glory Bound kids.” A few more sniffles emerged, and she pulled another tissue from the little container to dab at her eyes. Mustn’t ruin the makeup job that took her an hour to do every morning.
“There are only three girls to each cabin—nine in all. They come from wealthy families who can afford to send them to Piney Wood. It’s not cheap by any means, but it keeps them out of juvie. You’ve taught in Dallas schools for years, so I know you can handle them.”
A compliment from Skyler. Maybe Jayden should check the sky to see if there was going to be a snowstorm in Dallas, Texas, right there at the end of May.
“Well?” Skyler’s one-word question needed an answer.
Jayden popped the footrest down. “Oh, all right. I only need to pack jeans and T-shirts, right?”
Skyler jumped up, crossed the room, and hugged Jayden tightly. “Thank you so much.