The Bexleys have successfully owned and run Camp Dakota for two decades. I owe them everything for offering me a job and home when I came to them with zero experience. But I’m not about to get into all of that with Hope right now. “Anyway,” I say, tilting my head. “Why are we talking about this? Because I don’t care for football?”
Hope lets out a groan. “No, because you aren’t freaking ecstatic that some of the hottest men on the planet are about to step foot in our camp. Aren’t you at least a little bit curious about them?”
“No need to be curious.” I pick up one of the closed envelopes on my desk and hold it up. “I’m already up to speed on all of their medical records. Twelve Seattle players are coming this week, and trust me, there’s more information in this folder than you could ever find on their trading cards.”
Hope’s mouth falls open, and she lurches toward my desk, reaching for the envelope.
I yank it out of reach. “Oh no,” I say with a grin. “That’s confidential.”
She lets out a frustrated scream. “You’re such a tease. I’m so jealous. You know who’s coming this week. You know everything about them.” Her eyes widen. “Just imagine if one of them gets hurt.” She looks up at the ceiling and sighs. “You’ll get to tend to their wounds.” Her gaze lands back on mine before a blush spreads across her cheeks. “Maybe you should teach me CPR. Just in case.”
A laugh bursts past my lips, and I stand. “You’re ridiculous. These forms are just a formality, but they’re of no use to me. They’re bringing in a sports physician from Orcas Island Hospital to help me with the kids, but the professional players will just be here to coach. I never see them in my office.”
I can practically hear the excitement deflating from Hope’s chest. “Well, damn. I probably won’t see them much, either, since I’m not working any of the field activities.”
Hope is the activities director who’s usually put in charge of team-building activities during events like this. Her disappointment hits my chest with a pang. From the moment I met her, I knew she had a huge heart. “Well, you never know. Maybe you can strut by the field every so often and lock eyes with one of these hotties. Maybe you’ll score a date.” I raise my brows and wiggle them to get her to laugh.
“Or maybe we can double.” She waggles her brows back at me, this time causing me to break out in a smile of my own.
“Sorry. You’re on your own there. I don’t date the guests.”
She folds her arms across her chest and studies me. “Yeah, yeah, I know your rules, but you’re telling me you wouldn’t for a single minute consider one of these gorgeous men, even for a little fling?”
“And what would the point in that be? Most of them will be gone in a week.”
Her lids widen as she stares back at me like I’m insane. “Sex, Silver. The point is sex. It’s possible to have fun with a man you don’t intend to marry, especially when you’re not currently having sex at all.”
“Geez, you act like I’m some kind of prude. Tim and I broke up a month ago.”
She gives a dismissive wave of her hand. “He doesn’t count. His dick was probably as small as that tiny pea brain of his. I’m so glad Miriam fired his ass after what he did to you.”
I shrug. “It’s fine. I figured out soon enough he wasn’t the one.”
Hope tilts her head. “Because you, my friend, do not have a tiny pea brain. Your brain, in fact, is too big for your body, and it’s time to give it the day off.” She holds out a hand. “Come with me?”
“What?” I laugh. “To where?”
“To greet the bus, like we always do.”
I burst out with a laugh. “When do we ever greet the chaperones?” I shake my head, not giving her a chance to argue. “I don’t have time for this right now. There are kids who still need to turn in their immunization records. I need to make some phone calls to their parents, and…”
The look she gives me next cuts me. “Silver,” she says sternly.
“Hope,” I say right back.
She sighs. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
I give the girl credit. Out of all the years I’ve lived at the camp, no one has ever pushed me the way Hope has. While I try to resist her charms at every turn, I can admit that her adventurous nature has rubbed off on me a little bit.
I cringe while leaning my head back in frustration. “Geez. Okay, fine. I’ll go just so you won’t hold it over my head.”
“Smart girl.” She grins and hops to her feet. “I’ll meet you out front.”
After taking a minute to tidy up, I close and lock my office door. Then I cross the examination room toward the main entrance of the cabin. It’s a small workspace, but it’s perfectly fitting for my needs. The former head nurse, Miriam, whom I assisted, always kept me in the front room. I would greet kids and evaluate injuries, then she would come in to give the final assessment—both for me and the patients. She was always testing me, critiquing my performance, and adding to my training. The day she finally retired and left camp, it felt like someone pulling a crutch away from me. But it only took a few months to realize I could, in fact, walk on my own.
“Morning, ladies,” Anderson Bexley calls out as he strolls by my office, probably on his way to greet our guests.
“Morning, Anderson,” Hope and I chime back in unison.
Detecting the flirtatious tone in Hope’s voice, I snap my head to her and narrow my eyes. “Obvious much?”
She shrugs, looking slightly annoyed, while her eyes are pinned on the man increasing his distance from us. “Doesn’t matter. Anderson doesn’t even see me.”
Unfortunately, I know all too well that her feelings are justified. Anderson is just as career minded as me. We’ve always had that in common.
“Yeah, well, if it makes you feel better, I know he’s overwhelmed right now. He’s taken on a lot for his parents while his siblings are off living their lives around the world. Sometimes, I wonder if he feels stuck.”
She quirks a brow at me. “Like you? Geez, you two would be perfect together.”
I make a face. “Gross, no. Anderson is practically my brother. And I’m not stuck here. I choose to be here. There’s a big difference.”
The moment the words are out of my mouth, I regret saying them. I don’t have to look at my friend to see the gears of curiosity churning in her brain.
“Why do you choose to be here, Silver? I mean—don’t get me wrong. I don’t know what I would do without you. But it’s not like you have family tying you here. You could be a nurse anywhere. And you’d probably get paid a hell of a lot more than the Bexleys pay you. Why Camp Dakota?”
I pinch out a smile, trying to ignore the discomfort snaking through me. I could tell her that the Bexleys have done a lot for me, and that if not for them, I might not ever have gone into nursing, but that would only lead to more questions. I’ve learned the hard way that it’s much safer for all involved to just keep it simple. “I like it here.” A shrug accompanies my smile, and it works.
While Hope turns away with frustration evident on her face, she doesn’t ask another question about it. We follow the winding dirt path lined with tall pine trees until we come to the large clearing, where the staff is awaiting the players’ bus. I can’t help but notice the undeniable energy swirling in the air. The staff’s voices are more animated than normal. Their footsteps quicker. Their laughter louder.