“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
“Both?”
“Fair enough.”
Reyva fell silent.
Claire tried to enjoy the boat ride. Spray spat in her face, and it was refreshing, if she didn’t think about how much bacteria could be in each drop. She made herself take a deep breath. The lake smelled like a fresh-mowed lawn, undercut with the aroma of dead fish.
The trip lasted another forty-five minutes, which officiallymade this the largest lake that Claire had ever been on. Finally, the boat slowed, angling itself to drift up against a dock, knocking into it. Jack hopped off, secured the lines, and waved at them all to hurry up. He held out his hand to help Mariana, but she jumped from the boat as if she hadn’t noticed.
Claire waited until the other two had disembarked before she joined them, carrying her backpack, which was crammed so full that she felt unbalanced. She wouldn’t have minded if Jack had offered his hand to help her, but he didn’t. He was busy hauling Mariana’s bags onto the dock. Reyva had a similar-sized backpack, but Mariana had a backpack plus two suitcases large enough to smuggle a couple of kindergartners inside them.
With another sunny smile at Jack, Mariana said, “I packed light.”
“You and I have different definitions of that word,” Reyva said.
“I only brought outfits with green in them, in honor of the woodland setting.” Mariana waved her painted nails at the shore.
To Claire, Reyva said, “I can’t tell if she’s serious.”
Following Mariana’s wave, Claire confronted the forest for the first time. It was thick, populated mostly by white pine, spruce, hemlock, and sugar maples. The bark of the occasional white birch tree provided the only break in the lush, dark green. She couldn’t see any hint of a house.
Jack pointed to the end of the dock, where a trail of packed dirt led in between the trees and bushes. “Follow that for a half mile, and it’ll lead you right to the Lake House. The programdirector, Ms. Williams, will be there to greet you and introduce you to everyone.”
As Jack untied the line, Mariana asked, “You’re... not coming with us?”
“Lake House policy. Drop-off only.” He hopped back onto the boat and revved the engine. “Stick to the path, and you’ll be fine.” To Claire, he said, “You won’t need a life jacket.” He held out his hand.
Feeling herself blush, Claire put down her backpack and unclipped her life jacket. She handed it back to the driver. Reyva and Mariana had already tossed theirs onto the boat. She hadn’t wanted to take hers off until she was firmly on land, and technically the dock wasn’t land. It was a wooden bridge to nowhere, supported by narrow poles that were continually weakened by partial submersion in water.
“Sorry,” she muttered.
“Enjoy your summer,” he said.
“Aw, you won’t be stopping by? Even to say hi?” Mariana asked.
“Um... uh... I... that is, I don’t...” A few of his words were lost as he pushed off from the dock and waved. “I’ll let your parents know you made it safely. See you in August!”
He motored away from the shore.
“I think you scared him off,” Reyva said.
Mariana shrugged. “Boys are fun to scare.”
Reyva nodded. “It’s notnottrue.”
Claire stared after the girls. She wished she had that kind of confidence. Or any kind. She was fairly sure she hadn’t saidanything to Jack except her name and “Sorry.” Oh well. He wasn’t the one she’d be spending the summer with—these girls were.
All of them faced the woods.
“You know, if this were a movie, the soundtrack would shift here,” Mariana said. “Something orchestral, like John Williams. I’m thinking theJurassic Parkentrance theme, as we begin our grand adventure.”
“Can’t be that grand,” Reyva said. “It’s summer camp.”
“‘An enrichment retreat,’” Mariana corrected.
“Either way, no theme song.”
