AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He smiles, and as usual, I get that fuzzy feeling in my chest. I smile back and go into my room while he goes to take a shower.
Shortly after, the girls help me downstairs with all of our stuff and I announce that we’re going to stop for a few more snacks. Sure, they love me then.
We don’t need Van. He’s going to be so surprised when he shows up though. Hopefully he doesn’t get too embarrassed when he finds out this is an inside campout.
We’re in the parking lot of the high school and I’m talking to one of the dads, Drew, who I admit has flirted with me on occasion. He’s about ten years older than me and divorced for almost six years. He’s an attractive man who loves running marathons and is a doctor up in Anchorage, but he wanted his daughter to have a small-town upbringing, so he lives here in Lake Starlight. His daughter’s mom still lives in Anchorage, but she rarely sees their daughter even on her visitation days. I have a lot of questions surrounding her, but unlike a lot of my family, I keep them to myself since it’s none of my business.
Van’s big black truck pulls into the parking lot, and the twins get all giddy, whispering to Drew’s daughter, Penelope.
“Who’s this?” Drew asks.
“Oh, it’s a friend who really wanted to come with us. But—”
I have no time to finish my sentence because Van comes out of the truck wearing jeans, a camouflage jacket, a hat, boots, and gloves.
“Hi, Van.”
He walks over, scowling at Drew. “Hey.” Van kisses me on the cheek.
I’m sure my cheeks go pink because I feel them heat.
“Glad I made it. I had to make a run to the hardware store for an axe,” he says.
“An axe?” Drew says and looks at me. “What on earth are you going to do with an axe?”
Van looks at Drew as though he’s an idiot. “Cut down firewood, kindling. We won’t survive without fire.”
Drew looks at me and I look back at Van. “If you’ll excuse us for a minute.” I hook my arm in Van’s and lead him over to his truck.
A lot of eyes are on us and I’m not sure whether it’s because Van looks the part of the hot outdoor survival master or if it’s that the two of us are talking. Maybe a mixture of the two.
“So… remember when I was trying to tell you something this morning and you thought I was objecting to you coming, so you kept interrupting me?”
“No.” He looks dead serious.
I would’ve had to cover his mouth with my hand to get him to stop talking, he was so appalled after he checked out our gear.
“Okay, well anyway, we’re just camping in the high school gym. The girls get a badge for it and it’s just for fun. I wanted to tell you that so you wouldn’t feel like you had to come. Feel free to leave.” I put my hand on the forearm of his jacket.
He stares at my hand for a second then sets his gaze on mine. “Do you want me to leave?” He shakes his head. “Of course you do. I’ve embarrassed you, coming in here talking about an axe and making a fire.” He looks down at himself and laughs. “Shit, I can’t help but laugh at this.”
I’m glad he finds the humor in it, but I step closer to his line of vision. “You’d never embarrass me. And I think it’s sweet the way you wanted to go with me and the girls to make sure nothing happened to us.” And that’s the truth.
I don’t like comparing Sawyer to Van, but this would not have been Sawyer’s thing. He probably would’ve said I was a pushover and needed to tell my aunt no in the first place. He wasn’t a bad guy, he just wasn’t family oriented. He liked it being him and me, and how could I ever blame him for that?
“We still have tents to put up. Would you like to stay?” I ask softly, hoping he’ll say yes.
He shrugs. “Well, I don’t have anything else to do.”
I link my hand with Van’s. I don’t even know why, it just feels right. “Then stay. The girls would love it.” I pull him toward the group and stop in front of Drew. “Drew, this is Van. Van, this is Drew.”
Drew looks at our entwined hands. I’m not sure what it means, probably another baby step toward what I don’t know, but I really like the idea of Van being here with me.
Abby rushes over. “Everyone is putting their tents together. We’re gonna be stuck by the bathrooms.”
“Hell no, not on my watch.” Van releases my hand to go to his truck but stops a few feet away. “I’ll watch the language.”
I smile and nod. “Come on, girls, let’s get our stuff from my vehicle.”
