Dillon laughed. “Want to see your digs?”
“You bet.”
Dillon led her over to find the twins up on the front bunk. “We want to stay with Dillon,” Chloe announced. “Mama can stay with Uncle Jordan.”
“But you said—”
“We changed our mind,” Emma told her.
“We love Dillon’s trailer. And it’s bigger too.”
“Well, I guess this is what I get for letting the girls decide,” Janelle told Dillon.
“You could stay too if you want. Might be cozy, but it’s—”
“No, that might hurt Jordan’s feelings.” Janelle wrinkled her nose. “I’ll bunk with my brother.”
Dinner was a fun gathering. The twins stuck to Dillon like glue. Not that she minded. It was actually fun to have two such devoted fans. And already they were making plans with her to “swim” in the lake the next day. Dillon wasn’t sure how much actual swimming they would do, but at least they could have fun in the water. And Dillon assured Janelle that she was happy to play lifeguard. Of course, when some other parents overheard this, they asked if she’d want to keep an eye on their kids too.
“Sure,” Dillon told them. “I used to lifeguard at the pool as a teenager.”
“She’s our swimming teacher,” Chloe told them. “And she’s really good.”
“Well, we won’t have any lessons tomorrow.” Dillon grinned. “Just free play.”
After dinner was cleaned up, the campers drifted off in separate ways. Some went back to their sites to visit, some took walks, some started games of horseshoes or lawn bowling. And Jordan announced he was going to go count votes.
“And I’m going with him,” Jim Miller announced. “Just to make sure he doesn’t cheat.” He laughed as he elbowed Jordan.
“I think I’ll go back to my trailer,” Dillon told Janelle and the girls.
“Can we come with you?” Chloe asked.
“Sure. And I even packed a few things that might interest you girls.”
“Can I come too?” Janelle asked in a little girl voice.
“Of course.”
As they trekked over to Dillon’s site, the girls bubbled about how cool everything was and how fun it was to go camping. And although Dillon was already thoroughly enjoying herself, their enthusiasm just enhanced it all.
At her trailer, she opened one of the banquette’s bench seats to show the girls where she’d packed checkers and several other board games as well as drawing paper, felt-tip pens, and a few other fun things.
“You brought these for us?” Chloe asked incredulously.
“Sure. I hope you find something you like in there.” She went outside where Janelle had already made herself comfortable. “I guess we’ll see how long they can be entertained without the help of electronics.”
“I love being disconnected like this.” Janelle sighed. “No one can call me to work.”
“Will it be a problem if you get a buyer or something?”
“I’ve got my girl Tessa on it. If anything really big comes up, she’ll leave a message for me at the lodge or drive up here. But I’m hoping for just a quiet, uninterrupted weekend. I’m way overdue.”
For the next hour, they just visited congenially, listening to the girls as they played games and drew pictures at the table inside. Then, as it began to get dark, Jordan stopped by to announce it was campfire time. “Be sure and get something warm to wear or bring blankets,” he said as he handed them sticks for roasting marshmallows. “It gets cold up here quickly, and the fire only warms your front side.”
Before long, wearing sweatshirts and carrying their sticks, they joined the others around a big, crackling fire. Jim Miller had his guitar and was starting to lead them in a goofy camp song. His wife, Lynette, was managing the s’mores station. And everyone looked happy to be there.
After s’mores, Jordan stood up. “As always, we need to have our business meeting. There’s not much to go over, and I’ll try to wrap it up quickly.” He went over some budget things, explaining that since campsite fees had gone up slightly, dues would be a bit higher for next year. Then he mentioned the plans for a vintage calendar, encouraging everyone to send him their best pictures to be considered for inclusion. “We’ll set it up online for everyone to vote in a month or two. Vivian has already offered to carry the calendars in her shop. And, of course, I’ll have them available at my store too. Any other businesses can contact me if they’re interested.” He turned to Jim. “Now, Jim has some announcements to make . . . regarding this afternoon’s vote.”
Jim stood and cleared his throat as he unfolded a piece of paper. “As usual, we had some close races. And I have to say that having been a member of this club for the last five years, I’m really impressed with how great everyone’s trailers look. I think we should put together a super-looking calendar and—”
“Oh, Jim,” his wife said, “just get to the point!”
Others chimed in.
“Okay, okay,” he said. “I’ll start by announcing the winner of the Best Trailer Exterior. This goes to the camper or campers who’ve put the most effort into restoring their trailer. And this year’s prize goes to Ben and Shelby Grant.” Everyone clapped and the Grants came up to receive a small trophy with a little trailer on it. “Good work on Suzy Q—she’s turned into a real cutie pie.” He looked at the paper. “The next prize goes to the Best Campsite. This is awarded for cleverness and creativity outside of the trailer. And as we all know, some of us put in more work than others. This year’s prize for the most attractive campsite goes to the Jacksons.”
Again the applause was enthusiastic. And Dillon had to agree, the Jacksons’ site was really great. It wasn’t just attractive, it was comfortable looking and inviting, and there were various things to do. Plus they had piped sixties music out via an old drive-in-theater speaker. The next prize, Jim announced, was for Best Interior Design. Dillon wondered if this would go to Vivian, although there were a number of trailers that Dillon had liked better.
“This award goes to our newest member, Dillon Michaels, for her Desert Rose.” Everyone clapped loudly and the twins jumped up and down while cheering. “The Desert Rose definitely has a unique and very attractive color scheme and a lot of fun and unexpected perks throughout. Congratulations, Dillon!”
Dillon was too stunned to say anything more than thank you as she accepted her little trophy.
“And finally, our grand prize will go to the best overall trailer. This is judged on interior, exterior, campsite, and tow vehicle. And this year’s winner is our own president, Jordan Atwood. Good thing I didn’t let him count the votes this year.” Everyone clapped and cheered. “I gotta give it to you, Jordan, you really went all out this year. And we all thought it was about time you did something to your interior. That old sleeping bag on the sofa and using paper plates was wearing thin.” They all laughed.
Dillon glanced over to Vivian, wondering how she was taking all this. Despite all the effort she’d put into her incredibly elegant trailer, she hadn’t won a single prize. Hopefully she wasn’t feeling too bummed about it. But then again, maybe she’d forgotten that camping was by nature meant to be more casual and friendly. Maybe this would be a good reminder.