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“You keep telling me how responsible you are. Surely you’re able to juggle more than one problem at a time.”
The mayor has got a point. And I want to prove I’m up to the challenge. So I slide my phone out to read the texts.
Nash:Hey, kid. Sorry to bug you, but you didn’t answer my calls. Emi’s got a realtor coming by to show the house soon, and we figured you might need a minute or two to clean up the place. Wipe down the kitchen. Maybe throw away some of the takeout boxes and soda cans. No pressure.
Nash:But pressure. We really want to get this house sold.
Great.
Not only am I losing my job, but Nash and Emi know I’m not what you’d call an excellent housekeeper. Lucky for them, I actually did a little cleanup before I left for the car wash today. So the kitchen isn’t exactly sterilized, but at least it’s not littered with empty pizza boxes. It’s probably safe for a showing to buyers. But the last thing I need right now is a reminder that I have to move out soon.
Not everyone has a backup plan.Somepeople need a place to live.
That’s when a lightbulb flickers on above my head. I’m not the only person in town who’s looking for a new home. I know just the person. He wants to move out of his parents’ house, and he needs more money to buy his own.
I shove my phone back in my pocket. “I know someone who will do it.”
Mrs. Lockhart inclines her head. “Do what?”
“Stay at the camp with me overnight. We’ve already got a co-ed staff in place during the day, so all we need is a man to sleep there, right? But I can do better than justsome man. How about a super-reliable, insanely-neat, pathologically-organized, Eagle Scout of a man?”
“We won’t be able to find someone like that on such short notice.”
“I’ve already found him.” My grin is triumphant. “Spencer Crane.”
Mrs. Lockhart casts her eyes toward the auto shop. The Crane brothers are in the garage, poking around under the hood of a cherry red Mustang. She shifts her gaze from them back to me. “I wish I could say yes, but two attractive singles staying overnight at the camp would be a recipe for disaster. Even in separate cabins.”
“Oh, no, I’m not talking about Frank. I meant Spencer.” My voice cracks on his name.
Mrs. Lockhart nods. “I realize that. I know the Crane family. As mayor, it’s my job.”
“And you think Spencer’sattractive?” I force out a chuckle.
“Well, he’s a bit young for me.” She smiles primly. “But he’s also adorable.”
“Really?” I clear my throat. “If anything, I find Spencer Crane annoying.”
“Well.” She frowns. “That isn’t fortuitous either. I can’t have you squabbling with one another. Not if you’re proposing to work with him.”
“No.” I pull a face. “No squabbling. No attraction. No proposing. No nothing. I only meant that Spencer and I are… very,verydifferent.”
“That might be even worse. Have you never heard the phrase opposites attract? You two will have sparks igniting quicker than a lightning storm in July.”
“No way. Absolutely not. I’ve worked around him at the library for a long time, and nothing ever happened.” I decide not to add that he was always way too focused on other women, because my throat’s already tight. What else can I say to convince her? “As a librarian, Spencer has been fingerprinted and passed a background check, so he’s the perfect choice for this job. Plus he’s dying to move out of his parents’ place. I just found out he’s saving money for a down payment on a house of his own. That’s why he started working here on the weekends. I just know he’ll say yes.”
Do you, Tess? Do you really know that?
Mrs. Lockhart chews her lip. Now there’s a bright pink smear across her teeth. “With my luck, you’ll end up just like Hunter and Bella. Then I’ll be abandoned in the middle of the summer with nobody in place. And what would I tell the council then? Canceling now will be disastrous enough. But if all the children were to be sent home from camp without warning, Bernard Dudley would be a shoe-in for mayor.”
“I swear that won’t happen, Mrs. Lockhart. In fact I’ve sworn off dating, myself.”
As the words fly out of my mouth, I’m surprised I’m sharing them with her. Not because they aren’t true, but because they’re so personal. I must be more desperate than I thought.
Mrs. Lockhart raises her brows. “Is this true?”
“Yes.” A bead of sweat dribbles down my forehead. “Plus Spencer’s already in love.”
“He is?”
