29. Autumn #2
“With this potential expansion for Camp Starlight TBD, we’ll need extra help running things.
I have no idea what starting another venture simultaneously will be like, but we know we can rely on you to help us see this through.
There will be a pay bump of course. And with that will come different responsibilities—things you frequently take up on your own anyway, so if you’re interested… ”
“I’m interested! I’d love to do more.”
“I hope you realize we couldn’t do any of this without you.” She grabbed my hand and squeezed. “You are integral to the running of this place, and we enjoy having you here. We love you, Autumn.”
Warmth filled my chest. I swallowed and nodded without saying anything.
It made me think back to the early days when we were setting up camp.
When Jack, Hazel, Leo, and I lived in tents until we had Jack’s cabin up and running for us to sleep in.
Before we had functional spaces for each of us, we’d stayed in what was known as the bunk cabin and slept in the same room.
They were some of the best moments of my life, staying up telling ghost stories and giggling like we were at an actual slumber party until we inevitably crashed early.
They were messy and exhausting days, but they were also fun.
Nothing bonds a team quite like sharing the same bathroom.
“I’m gonna go tell Diego’s kid to get off that table. The apple clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree.” She laughed. “Now I wish I’d thrown Diego into the lake like I threatened.” In true Hazel fashion, she sounded completely serious. And how many people did she threaten to throw into the lake?
I was stunned. Not about the kid on the table but about my new role.
This was more than I’d hoped for. We’d been solvent for a few years, but now there was a second camp, which hadn’t even been on my horizon.
And to have this new role added to our staff.
I’d felt like a partner in this venture, sure, but now I was going to get more responsibility, more buy-in.
It made things feel more concrete. I didn’t know if I realized it before today, but I’d always been worried that this would be taken away, even now.
I didn’t even pay attention to what I loaded onto my plate, finding my stepmom and sitting next to her in a daze.
“That was quite a spread.” She took a bite of bananas foster French toast and placed it delicately on her fork. “You sure your camp can afford this, honey?”
“Yes, Mom, we can afford it.” I tried to hide my annoyance. “Where’s Dad?”
“He went to say hi to Jamie.”
Fuck. I scanned the room and found them by the kitchen shaking hands.
“So, are you seeing each other again? Is that why he’s here?” She didn’t look excited or disappointed. Just curious.
“No, he’s here as a guest. It’s a coincidence.
” They seemed to be having an easy conversation.
There were no angry faces. Then I thought about it and realized there was no reason for either of them to be angry.
I just felt like I was a kid again. I thought a decade would be enough of a gap for me to move on from that feeling, but it wasn’t working with my dormant feelings for Jamie either, so…
“That’s some coincidence.”
If she only knew.
“What are you doing here, Mom?” I asked again, trying to sound as interested as possible, rather than annoyed at the fact that they’d just dropped in without asking.
“Oh, we were visiting the wineries in Emerald Falls and decided to come around the mountain to see where you worked. Today might not have been the best day, though. I’m sorry we didn’t ask first.”
I should have been angry at the situation. All these years, I’d come up to visit them, but they’d never seen where I lived and worked. They’d barely shown interest in my life once I changed the plan we’d been working toward for so many years.
“Yeah, today is the last day of the summer session. How long are you here for?”
“We found a cabin a few miles away. Figured we could stay a couple of days. I know you’re busy today, so we can leave after breakfast, but if you want to meet up tomorrow—”
“Yes, that’s perfect,” I started. “I can take you on a tour and show you my cabin. There’s a bunch of things to do around here. You can visit town and…”
As Jamie and my dad made their way to us, I pushed my hair behind my ear and licked my lips in preparation.
We hadn’t had a moment all morning for us to see each other, so this was looking like it was it.
I’d planned on bringing him coffee, but I’d ended up skipping it to deal with this dumpster fire of a day.
My stepmom jumped up to give Jamie a big hug, nearly knocking the tray out of his hands as he smiled warmly at me. “Are you going to eat with us?” she asked.
“Oh, Mom, I’m sure Jamie wants to eat with his—”
“I’d love to.” He didn’t take his eyes off me. I was starting to wonder if I had something in my teeth. I closed my lips and licked my teeth to make sure.
“So, how are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m great,” he assured, though the words felt half-hearted and almost like they were laced with something different. Something like sadness. “Life has been really good to me.”
“And your parents?” My stepmom’s eyes lit up as she inquired about Jamie's mom. They had always gotten along but stopped seeing each other when he broke up with me.
“They’re living in Portland now, to be nearer to my sister and my niece and nephew.” He pulled out his phone and showed them his background screen with a photo of Erin giving Adam a piggyback ride.
My stepmom smiled wide. “Aww, how precious.”
My dad took a breath and turned to my ex-boyfriend like a man on a mission. “Can I just say, I know we weren’t really supportive of your relationship at the end and we want you to know that it wasn’t about you. We just wanted what was best for Autumn.”
Back then, my parents had been rather strict about our relationship, especially in Jamie’s senior year. They’d told me constantly that we might end up at different schools, so there was no point in being that serious.
“So did I,” Jamie agreed without a hint of frustration. He still would have made that decision, and it was for the best. It was so much better to know what I hadn’t back then. “And I understood, even then, though I appreciate the sentiment.”
My father smiled, patting him on the back. “Jamie was just telling me he’s getting a promotion in his law firm back home. He graduated summa cum laude from law school. Are you surprised?”
I smiled at my ex-boyfriend. “Definitely not.”
I beamed. I was astonished that there was barely a sting. It felt as if this conversation was entirely about him, not about me in the slightest, and I was grateful for the respite from the “what have you done with your life” conversation.
“Autumn’s been helping run this resort for five years now, though I’m sure you know that. She was always outdoorsy, so I don’t know why I was surprised. Can you believe this place?” The genuine delight in her voice caught me off guard.
I dropped the remaining corner of my sandwich, my eyes growing wide.
Finally. Finally, they were realizing what this place was.
You call it camp and people don’t take you seriously.
It was the primary issue when it came to recruitment in the early stages, but it had changed thanks to word of mouth and adjustments to marketing materials.
“I know, it’s amazing.” Jamie squeezed my hand and didn’t let go.
It was an innocuous gesture, but I leaned into the little bit of contact I had with him.
“My friend Ren convinced me to come, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made in years.
” He looked at me with a wistful look in his eye.
“Seeing Autumn in her element has been an added bonus.”
My parents didn’t pick up on the undertone of his words, but I knew what they meant.
He was happy we’d gotten time together, no matter how short.
The feeling was mutual. I didn’t know how I’d be able to get past this amazing week.
It was gratifying to move on from something that had hurt so badly so many years ago.
It was unbelievable to feel what it was like in his arms again, to be adored in the small window we had. I would never forget it.
“I’m truly surprised at how different this was than expected,” my stepmom observed. “She’s done a wonderful job.”
My eyes went glassy, and warmth filled my chest. Maybe this was on me too.
I didn’t exactly invite them to come down to visit.
Part of me never expected them to appreciate all the hard work I’d done.
Nothing ever felt like it’d be good enough once I dropped out of Stanford, but I’d worked my fingers to the bone for this place.
I might not have gotten the sought-after degree my parents had wanted for me, but I’d done something that mattered.
My dad patted my shoulder. “We’re really proud of her.”