as the memories flooded back.
S’mores by the fire. Cannonballing off the dock as the crisp bite of the cold water shocked her system. Purple stained fingertips from gorging on wild blackberries. And…a kiss. A kiss that was both a curse and a blessing.
Fish parked the van next to the old shed, and Jake craned his head to look out the window.
“I can’t believe I’m here. It’s…” he trailed off.
She patted his hand. “Everyone feels this way the first time they see it.”
The lights from the dock and boathouse lit the darkened sloping acres of the coastal property in an ethereal glow. Dotted by clusters of trees, cabins, and the main house where her grandparents lived, the shadowy body of water surrounding the camp ebbed and flowed in hypnotizing waves.
“You kids head down to your grandparents’ place. Hal and Bev saved you some supper. I’ll bring your things to your cabins,” Fish said, busying himself with the bags.
“Please tell me that Leo and I are in one of the renovated cabins,” Leslie barked.
Fish nodded. “Oh, yes! You three happy couples each have one of the honeymoon cottages.”
“Thank God!” Leslie huffed.
The Dixtown quartet headed down the path to the main house, but she and Jake stayed behind.
His head swung back and forth, taking it all in.
“It’ll be easier to figure out the lay of the land tomorrow,” she said, but he didn’t respond.
“This place,” he murmured.
“What about it?”
He shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
The door to the main house opened, and her grandparents waved to them from the porch.
“Come on! Come on! You kids must be starving,” her grandma Bev called, waving Lara and Leslie and their husbands inside with a hug and a kiss.
This was it. The moment of truth. She brushed her pinky finger against Jake’s hand, and as if they’d been doing this for five months and six days, he laced his fingers with hers.
Morality check. While this wasn’t the original Jake she’d told everyone she was bringing, it was a Jake. Hopefully, a non-serial killer Jake who could stand-in for a few family events. She wasn’t that full of herself to think that anyone besides her cousins cared all that much about her lackluster life, but she needed this. She needed a good, solid Jake. And by some miracle, the universe seemed to have served him up on a platter.
She gave Jake’s hand a gentle squeeze as they ascended the steps to the porch. His jaw set in a hard line, he seemed nervous—which would be totally normal for anyone in his situation—but he was so at ease putting Leo in his place. Maybe it was the whole meeting the grandparents song and dance that had him on edge. Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, there was no time to hem and haw. It was fake relationship go time.
She released a shaky breath. “Grandma and Grandpa, this is Jake.”
Her grandmother pulled a pair of glasses from her pocket, slid them on, and eyed her fake boyfriend. The Woolwich matriarch shared a look with her husband then pursed her lips.
“Jake, have we met before?”
5
Jake
His gaze bounced between Bev and Hal Woolwich. He was really here, and he needed to pull it together—and he needed to do it, lickity-damn-split.
It was as if a winning lottery ticket had landed in his lap, and he could not blow it. Not before he’d even gotten past the front door.
Luckily, he had a plan.
He’d play the part of Natalie’s devoted boyfriend. He’d run defense and make damn sure that the Dix cousins didn’t give her any shit and that the Dix husbands didn’t get anywhere near her feet. He’d be attentive and caring—the type of guy any grandparent would want for their beloved granddaughter. Then, once he was in their good graces, he’d subtly test the waters on the possibility of them parting ways with their land. Without them even knowing it, he’d sell them on the lucrative benefits of cashing out. He’d convinced dozens of sellers that it wasn’t the property that mattered, but how their quality of life improved once they had millions in the bank—and he’d never struck out. He’d never had a deal go south, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Nope, too much was riding on this, and these were the facts: she needed one last Jake, and he needed a way into Camp Woolwich.
It was a transaction.
A trade.
An arrangement.
Just business.
And, when this deal went through, the Woolwich family would come into some serious money.
He was doing them a favor. He was