Page 43 of Mr. B

“Are you ready to go?”

“I’m ready.” They walked to the door, and Wes opened it for her. “How many times have you been to camp?”

“This is my seventh year.”

“Goodness.”

“And did you attend as a senior?”

“Yes.”

“How fun.”

They headed for the lake. “This is Blueberry Lake. It’s part of a chain of lakes that eventually feed into the Smith River.”

“It’s beautiful.”

They walked to the end of the dock, and she pointed to the building near the water’s edge. “What’s in there?”

“That’s the boathouse. We have canoes, paddle boats, and a couple of kayaks.”

“Do we trust the kids to take them out by themselves?”

“Within reason. It depends on the kid, the weather, and how far they want to go. If they’re planning on going farther than we can see them, they get a chaperone.”

“Is that why Lester is here?”

“I take them out, too.” He looked at her. “Are you still brave enough to go out on the lake in a canoe?”

“Of course.”

“Have you been in a canoe since…”

“No.”

“It’s like riding a bike. It’ll come back to you.”

“Am I going to be taking a canoe ride this week?”

“Probably a few of them.”

She looked at the calm water of the lake. “Is that why I needed to sign a release of liability?”

“It’s one of the reasons.”

“Weston?”

“Come on. I’ll show you the mess hall.”

“I hope eating in the mess hall isn’t one of the reasons.”

“The food here is excellent.”

She took his arm, then let go of it. “Sorry.”

Wes put his hands in his pockets as they stopped at the eight-foot stone fire pit. “This is where we spend every night.”

“Who gets to cut the wood for this thing?”