With everyone, or almost everyone, in good spirits, they continued to sing songs and make s’mores, and Jim actually told a fairly lame “ghost story.” When he finished, Janelle nudged Dillon. “I think my girls might need to call it a night.”
Dillon nodded. “Why don’t I take them? You stay here and enjoy the fire.”
“Oh, you don’t have to—”
“I want to.” Dillon took both their sticky hands and led them back to her trailer. With its outdoor lights glowing, it was very welcoming. She led them inside and set their bags down. “You girls wash up in the bathroom, get all that marshmallow goop off, and then get into your PJs and brush your teeth,” she told them.
To her relief, they didn’t protest. After a bit of help and instructions for using the little bathroom, they were ready for bed. She pulled down the mini ladder that doubled as a bed rail and helped them into the bunk. “You sure there’s enough room up there for both of you?” she asked.
“Yeah, it’s really big and roomy,” Chloe told her. “We like it!”
“Do you want us to say our prayers?” Emma asked.
“Sure.” Dillon sat at the banquette beneath them. “Go ahead.” She smiled as the girls took turns praying, adding their own personal touches then simultaneously saying amen.
“Can you read us a bedtime story?” Chloe asked.
“A story?”
“Yeah!” Emma said. “We saw your books in the bench, Dillon.”
“Hmm . . . how about if I just tell you a story?” Both girls agreed, so Dillon dredged her memory for one of the old fairy tales her grandma used to tell her. Grandma had been a great storyteller, but her fairy tales had always been different from the Disney versions. “How about Cindy, queen of the ash bin?” Dillon asked. The girls both cheerfully agreed, and Dillon started with “Once upon a time . . .” Sitting below them, she began to tell them a condensed version of her grandma’s take on Cinderella—as well as she could remember it.
When she finished, it was quiet above, so she went outside to turn off her string lights and close the main door. She was surprised to see Jordan sitting in one of her camp chairs. “What’re you doing here?” she asked.
“Just enjoying story time.” He chuckled.
“Oh.” She sat down in the other chair.
“And giving my sister her space to get ready for bed. It’s pretty tight in there.”
“It’s quiet out here. Does that mean the campers have all gone to bed?”
“That’s not unusual on the first night out. Folks are tired from all the preparations and getting set up. Tomorrow night is when it gets more lively.”
“Congratulations on winning the grand prize.”
Jordan laughed. “I think you deserve part of it.”
“Well, I got my own.” She remembered Vivian’s face. “But I feel bad for Vivian’s sake. She looked pretty disappointed. Think of all the work she must’ve put into her trailer and everything.”
“Yeah, I felt a little sorry for her too. She’s used to winning. But most everyone thought she took it too far this year. I mean, this is camping, right?”
“Yeah . . . but she’s so into design . . . and there’s her shop . . . I can sort of understand. Not that I’d ever be into that much glitz and glamour.”
“Well, don’t worry, Vivian will get over it.”
“Yes, I’m sure she will. I was thinking the twins should go see her trailer tomorrow. I think they’d be impressed.”
“Yeah, maybe they can have a tea party. My nieces love tea parties.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Speaking of tomorrow, want to go kayaking in the morning?”
“Sure.”
“I thought it’d be fun to see the sunrise over the lake, but that means getting up early. Like five thirty.”
“That’s okay. But what about the girls? I shouldn’t leave them—”
“Don’t worry, I’ll let Janelle know.”
“Great. Then I’d love to see the sunrise from a kayak.”
“Which is why I’ll tell you good night now.” Jordan sat for a moment, gazing at her and almost making her wonder if he planned to kiss her . . . but then he stood. “See you in the morning. Sleep well.”
She told him good night too. Then, giving him time to get back to his campsite, she turned off the lights and went inside. All was quiet, and she felt certain the girls were asleep as she quietly got ready for bed. Even though she’d been sleeping in her snug little trailer for a while now, it felt like a new experience to know she was sharing it with the little girls. Like three happy campers!
CHAPTER
32
The sunrise was well worth getting up for the next morning. The entire lake glowed like burnished gold. And the snow-capped mountains east of them were painted a peachy pink. “It’s magical,” Dillon said as they paused in the center of the serene lake to take it in.
Jordan nodded. “I thought you’d like it.” The kayaks barely rocked in the placid water, the silence broken only with the occasional sounds of nearby birds. “Looks like we’re going to have a great day. Nothing but blue sky and sunshine.”
Dillon sighed happily. Had there ever been a better start to a day . . . a better weekend? She didn’t think so. She wished it could last forever.
“Want to paddle over to the lodge for some coffee?” he asked.
“Sure.” She followed his lead at first. Then, feeling she was really getting the hang of it, she paddled faster and quickly shot ahead of him. And then the race was on, both of them paddling full-out until they reached the beach next to the lodge simultaneously.
“Wow.” Jordan got out of his kayak and helped her out as well. “You gave me a real run for the money there.”
“That was fun.” She laughed as he helped her up the shore, still holding her hand as they walked up to the lodge. She smiled up at him. “You better watch out, I might just beat you on the way back.”
“I accept the challenge.” Still hand in hand, he led her up to the coffee kiosk outside of the lodge and they both ordered coffee. He only released her hand to pay for their drinks. Dillon couldn’t help but think this really did feel like a date. At least something more than just friendship.
They found a lakeside bench and sat to drink their coffees, talking about everything from the weekend activities to city politics. Then, realizing what time it was, Jordan reminded her that they’d both signed up to help fix breakfast this morning. He took her empty cup and she sprinted down toward the kayaks. “Catch me if you can,” she yelled as she got into hers and started to paddle.
Despite her lead, Jordan soon caught up, and then, when she got tired of paddling hard, he slowed down to keep pace with her. By the time they reached camp, it was clear that the other campers were up and moving around. Dillon checked on her trailer and the girls to discover that Janelle had crawled into Dillon’s bed. “I hope you don’t mind,” Janelle said sheepishly. “But I came to check on the girls and, well, your bed was still warm and—”
“That’s okay,” Dillon told her. “I don’t blame you.”