I cram my hands in my pockets. “I’m sure. Annie and I are best friends, so.”
Maggie’s eyes sparkle. “Yes,someof what I’ve heard was from Annie.” I follow her gaze to Gage, whose ears turn suspiciously red.
Kent, who is tall and handsome with close-cropped black hair and rich brown eyes, ushers us forward. “Let’s get in the air conditioning before we melt. We can talk more inside.”
He takes Callie’s hand, and we follow them into the restaurant. Inside, the dining room is pure Texas with its concrete floors and heavy wood tables and chairs with black metal trim. The walls are distressed gray bricks in a running bond pattern beneath high ceilings with dark wood paneling.
The place is busy, but not as packed as I’d expect it to be on a Saturday night. We’re seated right away, despite the large size of our party.
Gage and I sit next to each other, across from Maggie and Kent, with Duncan on the end next to Gage, and Callie on the other end between Kent and me. Under the table, Gage lays his hand on my knee right away, like he needs the connection.
After we order and we’re waiting for the food to come, Maggie asks Gage about the summer at camp so far, and Duncan soaks in Gage’s words. Maggie holds a hand up near her mouth and whispers across the table, “He’s a little nervous for his first year at camp.”
Duncan hears her, of course. “Moooom,” he complains. Maggie winks.
I lean over Gage to speak to Duncan. “Most kids are nervous when they first get to camp, but then they meet their cabinmates and start doing all the cool activities, and they’re having fun before they know it. Plus”—I nod toward Gage—“rumor has it that you’re going to have the very best counselor at the whole camp.”
Duncan’s face brightens. “I’m going to be in Gage’s cabin?”
Gage grins and pats Duncan on the shoulder. “You sure are, bud. And we’ll have a pretty small group. I think there are only six or seven boys in our cabin this week.”
Maggie groans, and before I can ask what’s wrong, Duncan and Callie chorus, “Six-sevvuhnn!” in a lyrical lilt while making alternating rising-and-falling motions with their upturned hands, like a balancing scale.
Gage rubs the palm of his hand against his forehead. “I walked right into that one.”
All summer the kids at camp—and elsewhere apparently—have been obsessed with saying the numbers six and seven this way with the hand motions. It means absolutely nothing, as far as any of the adults can tell, but it’s super annoying.
I shake my head and smile at Duncan. “You’ll fit right in at camp.”
Across from me, Kent’s phone starts vibrating from its spot on the table. He glances at the screen and frowns. “It’s my brother. He’s watching our dog for us this weekend. I’d better take this, in case there’s a problem.”
Kent stands, and Gage follows his movements. He turns to Maggie. “Holden’s back in Texas?”
“Recently. He’s staying in that little apartment above our garage.”
Callie watches with wide eyes as Kent steps toward the door to go outside, holding the phone up to his ear.
“It’s okay, Cal. Daddy will be right back,” Maggie soothes. To me, she says, “It takes Callie time to warm up to new people.”
“Hey, CJ.” Gage leans forward to see his sister better. “Do you want me to come sit by you until your dad gets back?”
Callie bobs her head up and down, the most pathetic little pout on her lips. Gage pops up and rounds the table to take Kent’s seat.
I immediately miss the warmth of his hand on my knee, but as soon as Gage is settled in the chair across from me, one of his feet nudges mine under the table. He catches my eye and grins.
With Callie fully occupying Gage’s attention, Maggie turns to me. “So, what do you do when you’re not working at a summer camp?”
It’s a normal question to ask, but also one that puts me on high alert, becauseI don’t know.
I rub my arm as I answer, feigning confidence I don’t feel. “Great question. Before the summer, I was a kids’ soccer coach in Austin. I’ll probably go back to that once camp is done.” Before I can overthink it, I rush to add, “But I’ve been looking into becoming a PE teacher. It’s a long process to get certified through the state, so I’ll start working on that in the fall, too.”
Maggie leans in. “Oh, that’s awesome! I forgot you’re a soccer player.” She pauses. “Are you pretty set on working in a public school?”
“Maggie is the school nurse for a private academy in Fort Worth,” Gage inserts before Callie pulls him away again.
I bite my lip. “Um, I guess I don’t really have a preference. Why?”
“Private and charter schools don’t necessarily require the same certification, at least right away. It might be worth checking into if you’re wanting to get started sooner.”
