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“Later,” I replied, at a loss for what to do.
Once he’d shoved Reardon out the door, Gabe shut and locked it, then turned to me with dark eyes.
Stunned by the turn of events, I was still on the bed, but I’d drawn up my knees in an attempt to hide my underwear. I watched as Gabe stalked toward me, reaching behind his head, pulling his T-shirt up and over his head.
When he reached the side of the bed he said, “I love seeing you in my jersey.”
Slowly, I lowered my legs and positioned myself back the way I’d intended, then I reached out, ran my finger through the whipped cream on top of the pie, and sucked it off, as I watched his reaction.
When I knew I had his rapt attention, I deliberately eased my finger out of my mouth, running it along my plump lower lip.
“Want to play two-hand touch?” I asked in my sexiest voice.
Chapter Twenty-Nine ~ Gabe
The end of week banquet was always bittersweet … saying goodbye to the campers we’d gotten to know during the week, only to do a quick turnaround after they left, to get ready for the campers due in the next day. This one was even more so, because I knew once the banquet was over, Reardon would be leaving for Cherry Springs, and Zoey and Chris would be headed back to North Carolina.
I loved my camp. Truly, with all my heart and soul, but I had to admit that I wished I was leaving with Zoey and Chris.
I wanted to meet her sister, Chris’s mom, Chloe. I wanted to see where Zoey lived and worked, to get a glimpse into her normal life. And I was eager to take her back to Cherry Springs, show her off to my parents, and let her see the charm of the small town I’d grown up in.
I knew all these things would happen eventually. I just needed to be patient. But that didn’t stop me from wishing I could have it all now.
The pizza was a huge hit, as usual, even though Reardon had given me the stank eye as he grabbed a slice. He was still bitter over the fact that I’d had one made for me and Zoey, and hadn’t thought to grab one for him.
Oh well, it didn’t hurt for him to wait. It looked like that’s what we had to do for the good things in life … wait.
Now the campers were milling around, exchanging phone numbers and sharing memories. I made the rounds and talked to the departing campers, then stopped to talk to some of the counselors about the meeting after departure and the fact that we all had a long night ahead of us. I knew they didn’t mind. They enjoyed the in-between nights, when they didn’t have any kids to take care of and could kick back and relax after we got everything prepped for the new arrivals.
Usually I joined them for a bonfire or late-night card game, but I had the feeling I wouldn’t be in the mood once Zoey drove away.
I found her standing with Reardon, a few feet away from Chris and Grace, who were having a tearful goodbye. At least on Grace’s end.
“Everything all right?” I asked softly as I walked up to the adults.
Zoey glanced at the young couple with a frown and said, “She’s taking this pretty hard.”
“Nothing that a little time and distance won’t cure,” Reardon said, earning him an elbow jab from Zoey.
I smiled at the pair of them, happy that my best friend slash cousin and the woman I didn’t want to let out of my sight had become so close. He treated her just like he would Jazzy or Rena, and she treated him the same.
I put my arm around Zoey’s waist and stepped close enough to feel her warmth against my side.
“We were just talking about Labor Day. I was telling Zoey how our dads like to drink beer and fight over who smokes the best ribs.”
“It’s true,” I said with a chuckle. “They have a longstanding competition going, and no matter what anyone says, they’ll go to their graves fighting over those damn ribs.”
“It sounds wonderful,” Zoey said, causing Reardon and I to look at each other and say fondly, “It is.”
“Oh my gosh!” Zoey squealed suddenly, causing me to brace myself and look up.
“What is it?” I asked, but she didn’t hear me. I looked up to see what had caused her excitement and saw a woman walking toward us.
She wore a skirt and blouse with heels. Business attire. And had her long brown hair pulled back straight and tight, in what looked like a painful bun. Her eyes were on Zoey, big brown eyes, and I had a tingling of recognition.
I heard Christopher say, “Mom, I thought you couldn’t make it.” And when I realized that he was
talking to the approaching woman, it all clicked in to place.
