Chapter Eleven
Eleven
IT WAS A LOT EASIER not to think of her LA life being tossed upside down or the affable, sexy, and sweet owner of Get Lost when she was standing in front of eighteen girls between the ages of eight and thirteen.
Every one of them stood out in their own unique way—whether it was a hairstyle, clothing, shoes, or body language.
Though they had obvious physical differences, the point of today was to honor their unique personalities and backgrounds and unite them through their similarities.
Hopefully, they’d create lasting bonds of friendship and the skills to lift themselves and others up in a variety of situations.
Charlie stood beside Jilly and a woman named Maureen, who apparently owned the General Store in Smile and worked part-time as a psychiatrist. This was such a quirky little town. LA was eclectic but there was something about Smile. Something about this lodge. Something about Gray.
Jillian looked a bit pale but smiled brightly as they stood under the warm Michigan sunshine in front of the eager girls.
They were all gathered on the expansive lawn in front of the huge two-floor structure, surrounded by the trees and the water beyond.
It was calm. She liked it more than she thought she would.
“We’re going to break you into three groups.
Each group will go to all three stations, which include the ropes course, tree planting, and bracelet making.
We’ll do a whole group icebreaker activity first, a journal activity in between each station, and then, at the end, we’re going to do some partner activities that help us express our feelings. ”
The girls gave a chorus of yays that made Charlie smile. Jillian glanced at her with lifted brows.
Charlie nodded, excitement bubbling in her chest. The girls were in a large circle, excited to begin.
Charlie lifted her hand, drawing their attention. “I’m Charlie. I’m really happy to get to hang out with all of you today. I’m going to start us off with some icebreaker activities. Have you done some of those in school or on sports teams?”
Several girls raised their hands, Ollie included.
In the periphery, Charlie saw guests enjoying the grounds, a couple of them getting on a boat so Beckett could take them fishing, and a couple of the lodge staff milling about.
She hadn’t seen Grayson yet this morning.
Which was for the best. She needed to focus on why she was here—rebuilding her life, connecting to her father’s side of the family.
“Okay, the first thing we’re going to do is introduce ourselves and name something that makes us happy. Bonus points if you can think of something that starts with the same letter as your name. I’ll go first. My name is Charlie and chocolate makes me happy.”
The girls and two other women laughed. Charlie glanced at the dark-haired, dark-skinned girl of about ten who stood next to her.
“Would you like to go?”
She nodded. “My name is Amala and my dog makes me happy. Her name is Abby. Does that count for double points?”
The women laughed again and Charlie smiled at her. “Absolutely. Nice job.”
The next girl was probably closer to fourteen. One side of her head was shaved almost to the scalp while the other half hung in loose, shoulder-length waves in a rainbow of colors.
“I’m Kitarah. I like kickboxing.”
“Perfect.” Charlie smiled, a sense of calm contentment washing over her in gentle waves.
They went around the circle, each of them sharing something that made them happy, including Jillian and Maureen, who’d told the girls to call her Mo.
Once they did a few more icebreakers, Charlie broke off with her first set of girls to work on bracelets.
She was excited for the opportunity to work with the smaller groups.
While Jilly took her kids to the edge of the forest for the ropes and Mo took her group over to the garden, Charlie led her group around the right side of the lodge toward the back of the building.
The deck at the back was cantilevered and gorgeous, allowing plenty of room for a hot tub and party seating in one area, an eating area in another, and lounge chairs in a third.
Grayson and Levi were setting out chairs at a long folding table in that area. They both looked up as Charlie brought the girls over, but it was Gray’s eyes that captured hers and held them.
Her breath hiccupped as if seeing him caused a disturbance in her airways. She barely knew him but something about him, something about being near him, called to her in a way she’d never experienced. Probably just the mountain air. Keep telling yourself that.
Levi grinned and waved. “Welcome to Get Lost Lodge.”
It seemed several of the kids knew Levi and Grayson, reminding her that Smile was a small town, and that these two, from what she’d heard, had grown up here. She could imagine, even as young men, that these two, plus Beckett, received quite a bit of attention.
Grayson pulled a chair out for Charlie as the kids took a spot around the table that already had beads and string, scissors, and place mats laid out.
“Guess what’s for lunch?” he whispered. His breath slid over her ear, sending too-pleasant tingles over her skin.
Her smile widened. “You’d better say hot dogs.”
When she turned her head to look at him, he was closer than she thought and their faces were only separated by a few inches. She could see the dark flecks in his brown eyes, the little creases around them.
She sucked in a breath. Levi cleared his throat and Grayson backed up, still smiling but this time a little softer and sweeter. It made her stomach swirl in a nerve-racking, delicious way.
The girls bounced in their chairs. Charlie sat down and looked at them. “I know you guys are excited, but we’re going to have a quick chat first about powerful words and self-talk.”
She felt Grayson looking at her but kept her focus on the six girls watching her intently.
Something settled inside of her the way it did after a good yoga—not hot yoga—session. This was what she was good at.
“Who knows what confidence means?”
One of the younger girls, probably eight or nine, with freckled skin and auburn hair, raised her hand as she spoke. “It means you’re happy with yourself. My mom says confidence is the best makeup.”
Contentment blossomed in Charlie’s chest. “That’s a great definition. Anyone else want to add to that?”
She smiled when they all pitched in, throwing out words like cool, joyful, brave, belief. They talked about what things made them feel that way and then each of them chose a word to spell out with beads in their bracelets and got to work.
Listening to their conversations was like a balm for her soul.
They zigzagged in and out of conversations about friendship, school, what made them feel sad, what made them feel happy.
Charlie felt like their words and laughter were filling her up like a balloon. She felt lighter than she had in weeks.
The sessions flew by and Charlie laughed more than she had in longer than she could remember. Even before things fell apart.