14. Nat #2
He paused, as if considering my words. “I hate to offer this, because it always annoys me when someone says it to me, but maybe you could use a break?”
I let him in on a little-known secret. “Let’s just say my running to-do list is a mile long.”
“Tell me about it. I’ve been go, go, go for years. My time out there is the only quiet I usually allow myself.”
“So, what I’m hearing is we’re two completely healthy individuals.”
A puff of a laugh escaped him. “You’re not wrong. But I’ve recently decided to live by a new mantra: that list will always be there tomorrow. And I’m going to adopt it the moment I’m done with your cabin.”
“When you figure out how to do it, you can teach me your ways.”
He nodded softly. “Time for bed, princess. We’ll work on ourselves tomorrow,” he said, turning back to his e-reader.
I smiled to the ceiling and tried to go back to sleep. Tomorrow meant new campers. Even though I worried that sleeping this close to Jack would be impossible, I was out within minutes.
The hauling of debris should not have been this sexy.
But unfortunately, not being able to sleep for the couple of days since the storm meant my sleep-deprived brain didn’t get that memo, as the man who’d kept me up the past couple of nights with his constant movement wasted no time getting to work on my mangled cabin.
It had been a few days since the storm. The bad weather had made cleanup difficult, but Jack had done what he could.
Things had been tense in the cabin because we were tiptoeing around each other.
Every day, I worried about doing or saying something I’d regret.
Because, of course, I was getting too familiar and far too close to someone who didn’t like me.
That was always going to be a stupid risk that I didn’t need to explore.
Jack worked behind my campers as I sat with my podmates at the Andromeda campfire, just as I did every morning before breakfast. This morning time was usually my chance to talk with campers, to build some camaraderie.
It would have been helpful, considering this new cohort of campers was a motley crew of a family that wasn’t getting along, but I kept getting distracted by the sultry view of Jack hauling the large branches out of my cabin.
He’d been friendly as he greeted my podmates and asked them to excuse the noise as he got to work. But when said noises were mostly grunts from swinging an ax to chop branches, combined with the way his T-shirt clung to him, I found myself questioning if this whole display was ethical.
When I heard him hauling what sounded like glass, emotions clogged my throat as I continued to process that night. The fear, pain, and adrenaline. All of it came back in an instant, and then I calmed myself down by remembering how I’d felt oddly safe in his hold.
I’ve got you.
And he hadn’t been lying. I’d felt it in my bones that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.
It was as if the imprint of his strong arms had been left on my body.
But this fascination with listening to that broad-shouldered, muscled man was so much better than listening to my current pod members bicker, which was what they were dead set on doing.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but by the time Jack pulled the starter cord on a chainsaw, I knew I’d be done for if I watched him lumberjack anymore. It was time for a change of scenery.
I broke out of my stupor to encourage everyone to follow me, using the tactic of feeding them good food to get them to relax. “Let’s go to the mess hall.”
And if going to the mess hall happened to get me away from a far too attractive and unsolicited roommate… well, that was icing on the cake.
Food always brought people together. But somehow, even while drinking mimosas and snacking on Bobby’s heavenly pastries, they still found a way to bicker.
They were a close-knit family whose motto seemed to be picking on each other and driving one another mad.
Most people took a vacation to try to reconnect and relax together, but not the Millers.
I’d already heard all about the reason for their squabble from the youngest sister.
She’d filled me in that there were issues around a trust and that their recently deceased long-lost aunt thought family bonding at a camp for adults would do the trick. So far, it hadn’t.
I rubbed my temples and tried to meditate for a moment, but I remembered these were grown-ass adults, and they should theoretically be able to sort their own issues out.
Usually, I had more patience, and I’d suggest fun things to get them out of their funk, but to be fair, this week had been challenging, and there wasn’t enough tea in the world for this.
Missing a couple of days of my medication and not having my phone back until last night meant that my carefully crafted morning rituals were gone.
Everything felt unorganized and chaotic, as if a rug had been pulled out from under me.
Most mornings, I was an early bird. I’d put on music and go about the inconvenient task of changing my bandages before doing my skincare routine, but today, I was dragging.
Part of that was getting back on my Adderall routine, but the other part was Jack.
I had some time off, so I went back to my cabin, planning to take a catnap before lunch, when a knock at the door startled me.
It was still early, and no one knocked much at camp.
Unless maybe a camper was lost? I walked to the door, still wrapped in my blanket.
What I didn’t expect to find on the doorstep was a middle-school-aged boy standing there with his eyes somehow both lit up and bugged out.
“You’re Naturegirlnat.”
This was a first. Being spotted was rare here at camp, especially not by a kid while I was wearing my fuzzy bunny slippers. I was so grateful that Jack had let me into my cabin to get some necessities early this morning.
“That’s right. And you are?” I took in his brown crew cut and dimples.
The boy’s wits seemed to return when Jack sidled up beside me. He was newly showered with his hair in a half-up, half-down man bun. Why was that so hot?
“Uncle Jack, you really know Naturegirlnat?” The boy’s big eyes flew from me to Jack and back to me.
Jack smiled and ushered the kid inside. Jack clearly didn’t understand why the boy would be so enamored with me. That made two of us.
“I live here. Isn’t that right, Jack? Now, who do I have the pleasure of meeting?” I nudged Jack when he didn’t introduce us right away.
Jack pushed a hand through his messy hair and grinned at the kid, who set his backpack down. “Sorry. Nat, this is Jordan, my nephew. We’re hanging out today.”
He poured himself coffee before he began making something on the kitchen stovetop. I still wasn’t used to the fact that Jack had his own full kitchen, a fireplace, much more space, and now, apparently, a sweet nephew who was making himself right at home.
“You can call me Jordy,” he said before turning to his uncle. “Is she your girlfriend?” He seemed so excited, we both turned to shatter his dreams at the same time.
“No,” and, “No way,” were spoken in unison with enough fervor to light the room on fire.
Jack clarified quickly. “Nat is a friend of mine. She’s a counselor here.”
“Oh my gosh. So this is what you do on your off time?” Jordy asked as Jack handed him a mug of cocoa, and he took a sip before he continued talking excitedly. “What are you working on now?”
I adored his sweet energy. I was recognized for my social media presence from time to time, but it never ceased to amaze me.
I started to answer when a steaming mug of cocoa was placed into my hands.
I looked up and smiled at the considerate gesture, resisting the urge to pat him on his cheek.
Jack smiled at me and turned back to the stovetop.
“Well, what are you doing today?” I asked.
Jack answered for him. “We’re just hanging around camp. Might go into Wildwood.”
“Well, if you and your uncle don’t have too many plans, why don’t you help me with my latest post?” I looked to Jack to make sure I wasn’t overstepping, but he smiled at me warmly. I turned back to Jordy. “If you’d like. I could use an assistant today. I’m free until this afternoon.”
“Really? You’d let me help you?” Jordy asked eagerly.
I couldn’t help but be warmed by that. Some kids would balk at the idea, but Jordy was filled with such enthusiasm over helping me with my work that I almost wanted him to lower his expectations. But I’d find a way to make it fun.
Jack shrugged with a smile, and Jordan looked like he was going to combust from excitement. I grabbed my phone, since I had no way of uploading from my camera. My phone had miraculously made it through the storm, but my laptop was not so lucky.
“I have a video channel, too.” As we laced up our boots, Jordan stopped me with a serious look on his adorable face. “I actually started it because of you.”
I smiled so wide my cheeks hurt. That was the best compliment I’d ever received. I loved that I was inspiring him. “You did?”
Jack popped back into our field of vision with his own stunned look, before his eyes crinkled at the corners. “That’s so cool, bud. Sounds like you two have lots in common.”
So he thought what I did was cool. Well, at least when his nephew did.
“Why don’t you tell us about your channel?” I encouraged Jordy, who, as it turned out, didn’t need much encouragement as he became the cutest professional. He explained his channel’s goal, which was to explore the world like me.
“I’m just getting started, but I have all these ideas, and where I live, there are these trails.
Don’t you think people would love to see them?
” He looked to Jack, hoping his uncle would back him up.
Jack nodded, and I pictured them hiking together, one pointing out birds while the other took video.
Jack ruffled his hair. “Yeah, Jordy, they’ll love it.”