“It’s so comfortable.” Janelle sat up, stretching. “Way better than my brother’s spare bunk. You know how to live.”
Dillon laughed. “Well, you girls just make yourselves at home. I promised to help with breakfast. You have about half an hour before it’ll be ready.”
Breakfast was fun and the morning continued in a lovely, laid-back sort of way. Dillon enjoyed getting to know the other campers as well as taking a short hike with Jordan. Once again, he was attentive and, unless it was her imagination, romantic. But after their hike he had to meet with Jim Miller and a couple of others regarding “tonight’s entertainment.” He wouldn’t go into any detail but assured her it should be amusing.
Shortly before noon, she went with Janelle and the twins to visit Vivian’s palace trailer—although Dillon had no intention of calling it that. She suspected Vivian was already feeling a bit hurt. And it was a relief when Chloe and Emma both made a big fuss over how fancy everything was—exclaiming over every detail.
“It really is beautiful,” Dillon told Vivian as the women went back outside. “I couldn’t believe you didn’t win a prize last night. No one’s trailer compares to this.”
“Well, I have to admit I went a little overboard.” Vivian looked sheepish. “But I wanted to get photos for a couple of projects I’m working on. Shots of my trailer will be in the real glamping section.”
“Glamping?” Janelle asked as they sat down in the wicker chairs.
“Glamorous camping,” Dillon explained. “I even have a glamping book that I got at the Silver Slipper.”
“I just love that book,” Vivian admitted.
Dillon smiled at her. “To be honest, I learned a lot about trailers and camping from that book.”
“So I decided to make The Silver Slipper a real glamping trailer,” Vivian told them. “And I’ve already gotten some great photos to use.”
“I noticed you’ve been taking a lot of photos during the trailer tour,” Dillon said.
“Yes. I’m collecting for our club calendar as well as a book I’m putting together.” She turned to Dillon. “In fact, I got some very good ones of your Desert Rose.”
“Isn’t her trailer sweet?” Janelle said. “So different.”
“Yes, and if Dillon agrees, I’ll feature it—not only in the calendar but for my book as well.”
“Of course, I’ll agree. I’d love to be part of both projects.” Dillon smiled. Was it possible that Vivian was actually warming up to her? She hoped so.
As the girls came out to explore the exterior of Vivian’s glamping trailer, Dillon shared Jordan’s suggestion that it would make a great location for a fancy tea party. Naturally, the girls jumped—literally—at this idea and Vivian eagerly agreed to host it. “How about this afternoon,” she suggested. “And since it was his idea, we’ll insist that Jordan comes too.”
“But we have to go swimming too,” Emma told her mom. “Remember, Dillon’s our lifeguard?”
“How about after swimming? Will that work?” Janelle suggested to Vivian. They agreed to come at three thirty. And, although Dillon hadn’t really wanted to come for tea before, now that it looked like Jordan might come, she felt differently. If nothing else, it might be interesting to see how Vivian handled everything.
It was nearly two by the time Dillon took Emma and Chloe down to the roped-off swimming area by the dock. Naturally, the water was much colder than the pools they were used to, so the girls were hesitant to go beyond knee-depth. Until they saw the older kids bravely taking the plunge. And then with the help of their floaty toys and the heat of the sun, they began to enjoy themselves.
When Janelle came to pick up the girls for the tea party, Dillon knew she couldn’t leave the other young swimmers unsupervised. Especially since it was clear a couple of them weren’t swimmers. “Tell Vivian I’ll have to take a rain check,” she called to Janelle. “Rather, a swim check.”
After they left, Dillon realized she didn’t really mind missing the elegant Silver Slipper tea party. She was more comfortable in the role of lifeguard. And she knew the parents of these kids appreciated it. Still she was curious about the interaction between Jordan and Vivian. She wasn’t too concerned about Jordan, but she had no doubts that Vivian had more than just a friendly interest. Anyone could see that.
As she sat on the dock, Dillon told herself that if Jordan’s feelings toward her were as strong as she believed, she had no reason to worry. Except for that one nagging concern . . . the rumor that Jordan was a confirmed bachelor. She understood his mother’s explanation . . . and it made sense that he would err on the side of caution. But she thought they’d made real progress in the past several days.
It was a little past five by the time the last of the kids left the swimming hole. On her way back to her trailer, feeling soggy and dirty but perfectly happy, Dillon took a peek at The Silver Slipper. To her surprise it looked like only Jordan and Vivian were sitting out in front . . . and they looked totally engrossed. Sitting head to head, in what appeared to be an intimate conversation, they didn’t even see her walking by.
Pulling her beach towel more tightly around her, Dillon hurried over to her trailer to discover Janelle and the girls sitting outside. The girls were coloring and Janelle was reading a novel. The picture of contentment.
“I thought you were at the tea party?” Dillon paused by the door.
“That’s all done,” Chloe informed her.
Janelle looked up from her book. “You look like a drowned rat.”
“I just had to jump in the lake to help Kerry Miller. He got in too deep.” Dillon forced a smile. “So . . . how was the tea party?”
“Nice. Although I’m not sure Vivian is used to exuberant young guests.” Janelle glanced at her girls, who were acting like perfect angels just now.
Dillon bit her tongue before mentioning that Jordan must’ve enjoyed himself—since he was still there! Instead, she went inside and began to clean up for dinner. Since she’d already done her KP duty, she was free to relax tonight. Still, she felt anything but relaxed as she remembered how Jordan and Vivian had looked so engrossed in each other’s company just now. What was going on?
As she toweled her hair, she wondered if she’d been deluded to assume that Jordan had feelings for only her. Was she that naïve? Maybe he was that eternal bachelor. Maybe he liked having a string of girls following him around. Perhaps he wanted one for each day of the week!
She didn’t believe that. Not really. But she did feel conflicted . . . and hurt. And although she’d never admit as much to anyone, she was also jealous of Vivian. Perhaps Vivian had reason to appear so confident and self-assured when it came to Jordan Atwood.
At dinnertime, Jordan sat with Janelle and the girls . . . and consequently Dillon as well. But she wasn’t sure he would’ve joined her if it wasn’t for his sister and nieces. As a result, Dillon found it hard to chat and she felt relieved when he announced that he’d be busy with a horseshoes tournament after dinner. “I’d ask you to join in, but everyone already signed up.”
“Oh, that’s okay. I’m not very good at horseshoes anyway.” She forced a smile. “I’ll be a spectator.” But when she went over to watch, she realized that Jordan and Vivian were partners.