“Great,” I tell her, feeling elated with all the changes as of late. “Thanks again for all of your advice last week. In fact, ask Brayden about how much fun he had at Camp Bexley yesterday.”
“Really?” She looks equally happy and surprised. “I will.” Her expression changes like she’s thought of something. “Speaking of Camp Bexley, Jim was thinking about reaching out to Jamison to see if he could come hang out with the soccer team at one of their next events. You know how close a high school team can be at a small school. Even in the off-season, they stay tight-knit.”
I laugh, remembering all too well. “Oh yes. How could I forget? I’ll mention it to Jami the next time I see him. He’s in Seattle until Thursday.”
Patrice thanks me, waves, and I exit the car line with a smile. Next stop, my apartment. Once inside, I load up two empty suitcases with clothes, photo frames, shoes, jewelry, and whatever else I can squeeze inside. Then I go to Brayden’s room to grab him more clothes.
I’m lugging both suitcases out my apartment door when Skyla comes charging over to me. “You bitch,” she says, eyes wide. “First you get fired from the club, then you disappear without a trace. Now you’re moving out of our apartment building?”
“I’m so sorry, Sky.” I stand up and give her a pleading look. “I was going to call you, but things just got crazy. I’m not moving out just yet. I’m just packing some things for the next week or so.”
Her angry expression falters. “Where are you going? Where have you been?”
“Camp Bexley.”
Her face contorts with confusion. “I don’t understand.”
I sigh, knowing the story is much too long to divulge now. “Do you remember that guy in the black truck?” She nods. “That’s my old friend Jami. We were best friends growing up, but we’d lost touch. Before Malik fired me, Jami offered me a job at the campground his family owns. I didn’t have another choice, Skyla, so I took it.”
Her expression changes again. “You’re working for the Suit?”
I nod. “Full-time. Benefits and all.”
She deflates a little before bursting into a smile. “You little slut. You’re fucking him.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “I’m not. He just wanted to help, and I didn’t exactly have any other options.”
Her gaze dips to my luggage. “So you’re living at the camp too?”
I cringe, suddenly feeling awful for not filling Skyla in sooner. We bonded so much over the past year, and she probably thinks I’m bailing on her. “Not officially, but my food and lodging are all paid for. I’m not giving up the apartment yet.” I take hold of both suitcases. “You should come visit Camp Bexley sometime. Check it out for yourself. Then if you ever want to leave Malik, I’m sure you could get a job there.”
She shuffles nervously and shakes her head. “I don’t know if I could ever leave Malik. But I’m happy for you, Vi. I’m just going to miss you a lot. I already do.”
“I already miss you too, Sky.” I release my bags again to throw my arms around her in a hug. When I’m pulling back, I realize something I forgot. “Oh, and thank you for covering for me with Trevor.”
She laughs at the mention of my ex. “Don’t worry about it. It was fun listening to him squirm.”
We say our goodbyes, and I finish wheeling the suitcases to my car. After heaving them into my trunk, I head straight to the dance studio to teach the only two classes I have time for before I’m off to grab Brayden from school. And then we’re heading back to the camp. All the while, Brayden is chatting my ear off about the fun party he went to last night.
“Can I go to the party again, Mommy?”
I smile back at him in the rearview mirror. “I don’t know if they’re having a party tonight, but we can check when we get there. Are you hungry for a snack? I bet we can find something yummy in the cafeteria.”
He pats his belly and nods. “Yum.”
After a short ferry ride, we arrive at Camp Bexley. I almost forgot how chaotic the grounds could get on a Monday. New campers have arrived, and there are usually a ton of outdoor activities. The chatter is heavy, and the pathways are crowded, but it only brings a smile to my face. Man, I’ve missed this place.
We lug our suitcases to the cabin, and after unpacking, we head back out, this time toward the cafeteria. The dinner rush usually starts around five, so we should beat it by a half hour. Once inside, I’m surprised to see Hope, Anderson, and Silver chatting at one of the tables. Silver spots us first and waves.
“Hey, Violet.” She gasps when she sees Brayden. “Oh my gosh. You brought your little man.” She stands and kneels in front of Brayden, who stares back at my pretty blond friend with big, curious eyes. “Hi, Brayden. I’m your mom’s friend Silver.”
He bursts into a grin. “That’s my favorite color.”
Silver laughs and takes his hand. “Mine too. It’s so good to meet you. I heard you got to see the horses yesterday.”
Brayden nods, his eyes widening. “And the ponies.”
“That’s so cool.” She stands and hugs me next.
“I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.” My chest warms at seeing my old friend again.
Silver shrugs and sighs melodramatically. “What can I say? I can’t stay away. Guess who’s working here again? Besides you, that is.”
My jaw drops, and I point to her. “You got your old nursing job back?”
She shakes her head. “Not exactly. I’m going to split my time between here and Seattle so I can help more with Cayson. Kingston is so busy this time of year with football anyway. It just felt wrong being so far away.”
I tilt my head. Silver was always the sweetest human. I shouldn’t be surprised that she would find a way to help the boys. “I’m so glad you’ll be around. We can finally catch up on everything.”
She nods. “Definitely. Were you two about to grab some dinner?”
“Maybe just a snack. Bray’s hungry after a big day at school.”
“I can help with that,” Anderson walks up to us, smiling at Brayden. “Hey, dude. How would you like to check out our big kitchen? I promise you’ve never seen anything like it. We can make you anything you want to eat too.”
Brayden shrugs. “Okay.”
I laugh, and Anderson takes Brayden’s hand. While they stroll off, Silver leads me over to the table where Hope is still sitting. “Hey, Violet,” Hope says, and I don’t miss the twinkle in her eyes. “Silver was filling me in on how close you and Jami used to be.”
“You two were talking about me?”
Silver laughs. “Hope was telling me about meeting Brayden yesterday, and so I caught her up on some of the history of this place. Hope started working here a little over four years ago, so she missed out on all the big drama between the boys.”
“Well, Anderson’s told me a lot, but clearly there’s so much more to learn.” Hope leans in and smiles at me. “Okay. So you and Jami. You two were best friends. Were you more than best friends?”
My chest heats, and I cringe just formulating my response. Looking between Silver and Hope’s waiting stares, I feel like I can’t be anything but totally honest. “We were definitely more than best friends. At times.” The heat in my chest spreads up my neck and into my cheeks. “But you know… life took us in different directions.”