AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Looks like we’re not out of the woods yet. You better hurry back to your car. Let me get the door for you,” he said, opening the shop door.
She eyed the ominous-looking sky as she stepped outside. “Bye, Mr. Harrison,” she said, hoping it wasn’t the last time she’d see him.
…
Wes glanced at Marissa in the passenger seat of the truck as they drove along the coast toward Camp Crowley. Dressed in her Girl Guides uniform, her oversize duffel bag at her feet, she looked slightly nervous as she turned her cell phone over and over in her hands.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, fine…”
She didn’t seem herself that morning. Quieter, more withdrawn as she’d finished packing her things, eaten breakfast, and they’d headed out. Was she really hating these summer camps? Maybe forcing her to go wasn’t the right thing to do. She usually enjoyed them once she got there, and by the end of the week, there was always a teary farewell to friends she’d reconnected with.
He cleared his throat. “I was thinking next year, we can skip this one and try that STEM camp instead.” She’d be ten then, and it was time to start giving her more freedom and independence. She was growing up, and that terrified him, but he suspected he’d worry about her when she was forty. That didn’t change for parents as their kids got older.
She nodded, her gaze lost out the window. “Sounds great, Dad.”
Okay, something was definitely up. “Hey, are you okay with…the whole Sarah and me thing?” She’d been pushing them together before, and she’d seemed excited about it at dinner, but maybe now she wasn’t feeling so great about it. Maybe she felt her own friendship with Sarah would be challenged if he and Sarah were spending more time together. Or that she’d lose part of his time and attention.
But she turned to him and gave the first real smile that day. “Yes, Dad. I think you and Sarah together is great.”
He reached across and touched her cheek as he turned onto the gravel road and the gates of Camp Crowley came into view. She sighed in the seat next to him, and he stopped the truck and put it in park.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go,” he said. He was done encouraging her to do things she hated. She’d gone to this camp for three years. She’d given it a try. If she wanted to skip it, that was okay with him.
“It’s fine, Dad, really,” she said with what he knew was forced enthusiasm. “I’m looking forward to seeing my friends. I guess I’m just nervous.”
“You sure?”
“Yes,” she said with exasperation. “Come on, I’m going to be late for check-in.”
Wes drove through the camp gates and parked next to the other cars in the lot. Parents hugged their kids and collected their overnight bags. Most kids looked eager to hurry off and join their friends, and most of the parents looked just as eager to see them go after the long summer.
Climbing out, he waved to several parents he recognized, then turned to Marissa. “You got everything?”
“Yes, Dad.”
Now was the hard part. “Electronics?” he said, holding out a hand for her phone.
She kissed it, then handed it to him. “I’ll see you and Sarah on Friday?”
He nodded. His heart was still full at the thought. She liked Sarah enough to invite her to parents’ day, and Sarah had agreed to come. The way she’d fallen so perfectly into their lives still surprised him, but it made sense. Sarah offered both of them so much, and Wes only hoped he could give her everything she deserved.
He hugged Marissa tight. “Have a great time at camp. See you on Friday.” He stood there and waved as she dragged her duffel bag toward the check-in desk.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was up with his daughter.
…
Hanging the last of the blown-glass bulbs in the guest rooms, Sarah stood watching the sun reflect off the various colors. They were the perfect addition to the rooms, and now whoever bought the inn, she’d feel as though there was still a part of her in it. A part of Mr. Harrison, too. It felt right somehow to honor her grandmother’s first love in this small way.
“I hope I’m making you proud, Grandma,” she said.
Her cell chimed with a new email notification, and her heart raced seeing the subject line from her boss. The last few days, she’d completely forgotten about work. With the new revised proposal approved by Gail, she’d let herself relax until the pitch. Spending time with Wes and Marissa, she’d barely given it a second thought.
Opening it, she held her breath as she read,Pitch meeting for SmartTech has been moved up to this Friday at nine thirty a.m. They loved the proposal and don’t want to wait until after the long weekend. Need you here.
