Chapter 3
Chapter Three
To say that dinner had been underwhelming would be an understatement.
The food was mediocre—even though his grandparents raved about it the entire time—and the restaurant looked dark, drab, and almost depressing.
Plus, it was an early-bird dinner, so Jayce and Kelsey were the youngest people in the room.
Still, he was happy she was there with him and his family. Knowing what he did now, it would have broken his heart knowing she was either eating by herself or sitting alone in her cabin.
On their walk back from the lake, they held hands and he’d led her directly to cabin fourteen and announced that she was joining them for dinner. When everyone asked about her mother, Jayce had felt her tense up and he quietly suggested that she go and freshen up while he talked to everyone.
“What’s going on?” his mother asked.
“Okay, so…Kelsey is here on a… memorial trip.” When no one said anything, he explained. “Her mother recently passed away and asked to have her ashes scattered here at the resort.”
There were gasps and whispers and words of condolences. “That poor girl,” his grandmother said solemnly. “And here we all were yammering on about her mother joining us!”
“You really should have given us a heads-up, Jayce,” his father admonished. “That had to be very uncomfortable for her. It was very insensitive of you.”
“I didn’t know how to handle it. She just told me when we walked down to the lake. There was never going to be an ideal way to say it, but now that everyone knows, hopefully we can all just…look out for her. This is going to be an emotional trip for her.”
“I’m so glad we happened to be here at the same time,” his mother said before giving him a slow smile. “It will be very comforting to her to have a familiar face—someone she knows almost intimately—to help her through this time.”
Oh, good grief…
“Yes, it’s good that she has friends here to help her through this.” He put the emphasis on the friends part so his mother didn’t start getting ideas.
Even though Jayce was already having them.
After dinner, they had eaten freshly baked cookies and roasted marshmallows around the fire, and his family had gone back to their cabin about an hour ago. Now, he and Kelsey were sitting alone next to the fire pit in a pair of Adirondack chairs and getting caught up on each other’s lives.
“I love what I do,” she was saying, “but sometimes it’s just so hard when the resources aren’t there or the rules aren’t favorable and someone is desperately in need. It can be emotionally draining, and most days I don’t feel like I’ve done anything except let people down.”
He heard the weariness in her voice. “That’s got to be tough. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t get me wrong…there are also times when I practically pull a rabbit out of my hat and do some amazing things to get families exactly what they need, but those times are feeling very few and far between.”
“Would you ever consider changing careers?”
She immediately shook her head. “No.” Then there was a long pause. “Life is just…hard right now. I don’t think I’d change careers, but I’d definitely change where I live in a heartbeat.”
“Any idea where you want to go?”
Glancing over at him, she grinned. “Promise not to laugh?”
And that just made him grin. “Um…maybe?”
“There are three places I’m considering,” she began. “I definitely want to move someplace warmer. I don’t need tropical, but it has to be above fifty degrees most of the year.”
He nodded.
“My top pick is Charleston, South Carolina. It just looks so charming and wonderful. Plus, the average daily temperature is sixty-five degrees!” She hummed happily. “I could seriously get on board with that.”
It was all very logical and nothing to laugh at, so he was a bit confused. “It’s a beautiful city, that’s for sure. What’s your next pick?”
“Okay, option number two is Savannah, Georgia. It’s very historical and has a fabulous art scene and I think I could enjoy living there. The weather is obviously going to be even warmer than Charleston, but you still get all the seasons.”
Another nod. “I’m guessing this third pick is the one I’m not supposed to laugh at, right?”
“Yup.” Her smile grew. “Orlando, Florida.”
“Because…?”
“Theme parks!” she said excitedly. “Duh! How fun would it be to have all those theme parks right in your own backyard? I would never be bored! And I think it would be a great way to make friends outside of work. After all, when you’re stuck in a line for a ride, you can strike up all kinds of conversations! ”
It certainly wasn’t the worst idea, and he found it to be more adorable than laughable.
“None of them are bad choices,” he reasoned. “What’s holding you back from making a decision?”
“Because that would make it all…real. Final,” she quietly replied before sighing softly.
“It means moving away from the place I grew up and all the memories I had there with my family. Scattering Mom’s ashes is one of the final steps for me and I’m hoping to have some clarity while I’m here.
” Shaking her head, she met his gaze. “Crazy, right?”
Reaching over, he took her hand in his. “No, not crazy. Making a move like that is a major life decision and it’s scary as hell! Trust me, I know because I did it.”
“Yeah, but…you could still go back to Long Island and your childhood home and family, Jayce. If I do this, it’s all gone. Every connection to my family is just…” Another sigh.
“Oh.” It was such a small thing to say, but it genuinely hit him how much she was struggling with. Releasing her hand, he stood and stretched. “Come on. Let’s walk.”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “Walk? Jayce, it’s dark out and while the paths have some lights, it’s not really enough to see beyond a few feet in front of us.”
“Just…trust me, okay?” And, holding out his hand again, she grasped it and got to her feet. “I feel like I keep putting my foot in my mouth with you today.”
They were leaving the fire pit area, and he started walking back toward the lodge.
“Multiple times today, I’ve brought up topics that seem rather innocuous on the surface, but they end up upsetting you. I swear I’m not usually this insensitive.”
“To be fair, life in general is upsetting me,” she clarified. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Trust me.”
“Well…it feels that way. So I’m going to try to do something that can’t possibly make you sad.”
“Famous last words…”
That made him chuckle. “I think you’re making fun of me.”
She laughed too. “I think you’re right.”
They walked along the path and then took a sharp right. Earlier tonight when they had walked up to the lodge, Jayce saw the path and was hit with a ton of memories. It was someplace he thought he’d take Kelsey to at some point, but it seemed important to bring her here now.
“Wait…are we…isn’t this…?” There was wonder and amusement in her voice, and when they made their way around another bend, he heard her gasp of pure delight. “Oh my goodness!”
And just like everything else here at Lakeview Harbor Resort, it looked almost exactly the same as the last time he’d seen it.
“I can’t believe you brought me to the playground! Jayce, this is awesome!” Gently pulling her hand from his, she ran over to the swing set and immediately sat on one of the swings, playfully kicking her legs. “Come on! Let’s see who can still go the highest!”
Part of him wanted to run over and do just that, but…he was an adult and quietly strolled over. When he sat on the swing beside her, he grinned. “My plan was to push you on the swing like I used to when we were kids, but the challenge was too great to ignore.”
It didn’t take long for the two of them to erupt in a fit of laughter because swinging on the swings wasn’t nearly as easy as it used to be.
“Isn’t this supposed to be like riding a bike?” she asked, laughing. “I thought this was a skill you never outgrew!”
Jayce was doing his best to get into the groove of it. He had height on his side, so he at least gave the illusion of swinging higher. “Clearly I’ve found something to add to my fitness routine!”
Eventually, they perfected things, but they laughed like crazy the entire time.
Then they had to declare a tie because they were both getting tired.
By the time Jayce came to a stop, he was more than happy to get up and stand behind Kelsey and gently push her.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at him over her shoulder.
“For what?”
“For making me laugh like that. I swear it feels like I haven’t laughed in months.” They both grew silent for several long moments. “Do you remember all the games we used to play with everyone here? The obstacle courses we created?”
“Oh, yeah. Back then, we could make a competition out of anything.” Just thinking about it made him laugh. “As adults, I can tell you we still do. Whenever I talk to those guys, someone throws out a challenge of some sort.”
“Really?” she asked, shaking her head. “Like what?”
“The last one was a triathlon. Walker and Axel were doing one and challenged the rest of us to do it too.”
“And did you?”
“Hell no. I know my limitations.” He continued to push her. “How funny would it be if all those guys were here now too? What kind of trouble do you think we’d get into?”
Kelsey threw her head back and laughed. “I can’t even imagine, but I have a feeling it would be far too physical and competitive for me.
Lexi and I used to try to keep up with you guys, but sometimes we were fine just hanging back and watching you all run around.
” She tapped her shoes on the ground to slow down and Jayce stepped back to let her come to a stop. “That was fun.”
When she stood and walked over to the jungle gym, his heart raced a bit. It was on that spot where they shared their first kiss. Would he be able to resist seeing if she remembered it too?
Following her over, he couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she looked in the moonlight. And, just as he’d hoped, she looked a lot happier and relaxed than she had a little while ago.