“Marlie! How lovely to see you.” The teacher made a bow in her direction and then greeted the other two. Strangely, he absolutely ignored Felix.
“Law, when I spotted you, we came right over. Because we’re going to need your help if Kellan wants to pull off his summer camp.”
My brain scrambled to catch up. In true Nic fashion, she jumped right in as if we’d been having a conversation all along. I jerked my gaze to her and cocked my head.
“Back up there, sparky, and fill me in.”
Nic growled, never liking the nickname. “Kellan is running a weeklong nature camp this summer. And the Black Dog Inn is going to host. But it’s the kind of thing that I’m gonna need you on board for. You in?”
Kellan smiled jovially. “It’s my second year doing it. Last year, we met at the community center and headed out from there. But they’re replacing the roof this summer and don’t have space for us. Marlie has told us all about her home, and when I needed a new place, I reached out to Nic. It’s really ideal. The dining room is perfect for lunches and ‘classroom’ activities, and it’s surrounded by all the nature we could need.”
“Tell me what you need,” I said, loving the idea and wondering how many of my kids I could sign up. It would keep them occupied for at least a little time.
“Parental chaperones are always needed.” Kellan gave me a wink. Felix scoffed. For a split second, Kellan’s gaze shifted to Felix and he frowned, before plastering on a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and focusing on me. “But there’s also going to be projects out in the woods, and Nic says that’s your purview.”
I nodded. “I’m in. Of course. Like I said, just tell me what you need.”
“That’s awesome! Thank you. I’ll send you an email with the rough lesson plans, and we can work together to figure out the best way to accomplish it. How does that sound?”
“I’ll look for the email.” He already had my contact information as Marlie’s parent.
“Great. Nic.” Kellan turned to her and picked up her hand, kissing the back of it. “It’s been an absolute delight. I’ll forward you the info you need, and then you can send the contract over to me. The fees are subsidized by the community center, so payment will come from them.”
Nic smirked. “Sounds good.”
“For now, I bid you adieu. Have a lovely evening, Caldwells.”
And then Kellan Huntley turned on his heel and sailed from the room. More than a few heads turned to watch him go. Felix was not one of them, and his expression was stormy. I leaned closer, and he jumped as if he’d forgotten I was there.
“You okay?”
“Yep,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Felix—”
“I’m fine. Just didn’t expect to seehimhere.”
I was going to ask him what that meant, but Marlie’s excited chatter caught my attention and she was asking questions about the mentioned camp that I had no answers to. By the time I convinced her I’d find out what I could, Felix was pushing away from the table.
“Hey, Felix, wait a sec—”
“Have a goodnight, guys. Oak, I’ll see you later.”
Oak was just walking up to the table with dessert in hand. He blinked as Felix all but stomped by him, which was a feat when he was relying on his cane. We both watched Felix go.
“What was that about?” Oak asked.
“I have no idea.”
We had to wait until just the right time to spring our surprise on Oak. As the last of the snow finally melted away, the kids and I concocted a plan. Tristan was actually pretty horrible at keeping secrets, and if the boy knew of a surprise, he almost always ran to tell the person who was set to be surprised. But since he’d managed to keep the doors a secret this long, “It’s so hard, Dad! I want to show Oak!”, I couldn’t leave him out of the planning. Maybe turning six had been the magic key for him.
Either that or he’d told Oak when none of us were in hearing distance, and Oak was keeping the secret too.
Harper was ready to scheme and act as decoy as I got everything set up. Harper was the only one who knew the whole plan. Marlie and Tristan just knew that I was going to display the doors in a special way and that would be the extra special surprise. The weekend before Memorial Day finally was rain-free and somewhat warm. Harper took Marlie, Oak, and Ranger and headed to Oak’s cabin. He’d told me he was going to spend the morning cleaning—he claimed it was getting stuffy from lack of use, which made me grin—but if my kids and dog showed up, wanting to walk around the pond, Oak wouldn’t tell them no.
Once they were gone, I got to work.
The pond was close enough to the house that I could hear their occasional shrieks of laughter often followed by playful barking. But because of the trees, which were now filling in, and the undergrowth, it was impossible to see the backyard of the Yellow House no matter where they were. I worked quickly, getting everything installed.
