William took a bite of his sandwich. “I don't know how Julie makes these taste so much better than regular sandwiches.”
Dawson nodded. “I know, right? She’s a sandwich magician.”
They sat there for a few minutes, devouring the sandwiches and potato chips that Julie had sent along. When they were finished, they each leaned back with their hands on the dock, staring up into the sky. “How are we supposed to work now? I feel like I'm about to pop!” Dawson said, putting his hand on his stomach and rubbing it.
“I guess we better sit for a little bit and let our food settle.”
“I suppose so.”
“I’m really glad you're doing this. I know your father would be so thrilled right now.”
“I sure wish he could be here,” William said. “There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss that man. He knew the answer for everything. I'm so afraid I'm going to screw this whole thing up.”
“Listen, I was scared of that when I started my contracting business. I was scared of that when I started the inn. A little healthy fear never hurt anybody.”
“I just don't wanna look like a fool. The last thing I want is for Janine to look at me at some point and know that I'm a failure.”
Dawson slapped him on the back. “Stop thinking like that, man! This thing’s going to be successful. All businesses start off a little bit shaky, but when you do what you love every day, that really comes through.”
“I guess so. It's just really different going from being in an office, wearing a suit all day to this,” he said, laughing as he looked down at his khaki shorts, bare feet and paint stained T-shirt.
“Well, I told you not to start painting that railing before we sanded. What were you thinking?”
William laughed. “This isn't exactly my forte, which is why I asked you to come over here.”
Dawson stood up and stretched his arms high above his head. “Look, you have friends and family that will be here for you. You don't have to do this alone. We take care of each other, and I'll be sure to tell everybody who visits my inn to come take one of your charter trips.”
William stood up and shook his hand. “I appreciate your support.”
“Now you sound like a politician,” Dawson said, laughing. “Come on, let's get started on that sanding.”
They climbed back into the boat, each of them picking up a piece of sandpaper. As they started working on the railings, they continued talking about life.
“So, do you think you'll marry Julie?”
Dawson stopped and looked at him. “Did Janine tell you to ask me that?”
“No. We have never talked about it, actually. It just seems like the next logical step.”
“Well if it's the next logical step, are you going to marry Janine?”
“I hope so. One day. But, first I need to make this successful. I just can't go into a marriage without being able to support my family.”
“I get that.”
“Don't dodge the question. Are you going to propose to Julie?”
Dawson shrugged his shoulders. “I would marry Julie in a heartbeat. The problem is, I don't think she feels the same.”
“Are you kidding me? That woman is head over heels for you!”
Dawson stopped sanding and leaned against the rail. “Maybe so, but there's a difference between wanting to date somebody and wanting to marry them. The few, very brief conversations that we've had about this topic, Julie has made it pretty clear that she doesn't want to get married again.”
“How long ago did she say that?”
“I don't know. A few months ago, I guess.”
“Maybe she's changed her mind. A lot of time has passed. She went through a really nasty divorce, so I'm sure it takes a lot of time to get over that.”
“I know. Which is why I haven't pushed. But I have to say, I kind of feel like I'm in this holding pattern. I'm a marriage kind of guy. I want her living under the same roof with me. I want to think of Meg’s daughter as my granddaughter. There's just so much more with marriage.”
William stopped sanding and leaned against the opposite railing. “Are you afraid you're wasting your time dating her? I mean, what if she never wants to get married?”
Dawson sighed. “I don't know what I'll do. I certainly don't want to be with anyone else, but I also don't want to spend the rest of my life with a girlfriend. I want a wife. I'm just not sure I'm able to get that with Julie.”
“Then maybe you should talk to her, man. Fear lives in the dark. Just bring it out in the light. Lay it all out and see what happens.”
Dawson chuckled. “Look at you being a philosopher,” he said, tossing the piece of sandpaper at William and hitting him right in the forehead.
William laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “I date a yoga teacher. What else do you expect from me?”
Colleen was a nervous wreck. As she watched the kids file off the small passenger van, she wondered what in the world she’d gotten herself into. She knew next to nothing about kids, especially ones that had been traumatized in some way. Maybe this was more than she was capable of handling.
She took in a deep breath, like her aunt Janine had advised her to do when she was under stress, and remembered that she wasn't alone. Tucker was standing right beside her, and Dawson was on the other side. Together, the three of them were determined to make this an amazing event for these kids.
She had always been the type to take on immense amounts of responsibility. Even when something didn't require that, she always felt like things were her fault and rested on her shoulders. Sometimes it served her well, especially in work environments. But, other times it put her in a situation of being way too hard on herself.
“Wow, there's more of them than I thought. Are we sure it's only fifteen kids?” Tucker said quietly.
Amy, the head of the foster care office, walked over to them, a big smile on her face. The kids were still lined up next to the bus with a couple of social workers.
“I promise that it's just fifteen kids,” she said. “You guys look a little rattled.”
Colleen managed to smile. “We're just exhausted. I had no idea how much work went into setting up a camp, so I really hope the kids enjoy it.”
“They're super excited. They've never been involved in anything like this, so I'm sure they're going to love it. Should we head over to the bunks?”
Colleen and Dawson had managed to get some local furniture stores to donate bunkbeds for the barn. It wasn't an old, rickety barn. It was pretty state of the art, Dawson having only built it a couple of years ago. It also had its own HVAC system which meant that the kids would be perfectly comfortable out there. Dawson had actually built it with the idea of being able to rent it out for weddings, even before he’d decided to open the inn.
“Absolutely. Why don't we walk over and meet the kids, and we will show them where they're staying.”
The three of them followed Amy over to the bus. The kids were squirmy and full of energy. At least, most of them were. There were a couple that looked shellshocked and honestly didn't look like they wanted to be there.