5. Darcy
DARCY
Elly Watson was only six years old, but she was already primed to be one mean middle-schooler.
“Time for your tennis lesson,” Darcy said in her most encouraging voice.
Elly glared up at her from where she slumped by the court fence. “Can’t make me.”
Darcy opened her mouth but nothing came out. It hadn’t occurred to her that this was something a six-year-old would think she had the option to turn down. “But, Elly, you’re signed up for tennis. And it’s your turn.”
Elly positioned herself away from her counselor and fixed her gaze on a dandelion which she grabbed and snapped the head off of. “Are you deaf?”
Lily, who was helping another camper tie her shoes, sputtered with laughter. All of their campers were already on the courts with Molly, the tennis instructor. Except Elly, who was refusing, and her little friend Savannah, who looked like she might cry if Elly didn’t go with her.
“Elly,” Darcy tried again, determined to ignore the insult, “your mother dropped you off with this beautiful new racket this morning.” Darcy lifted the racket from the grass and held it up. “Look. It’s even got your name engraved on it.” The amount of money and time spent on superfluous details by these parents was completely wasted on their kids, Darcy thought. How many crust-less sandwiches or tiny containers of hand-rolled sushi had she seen tossed in the trash in favor of another camper’s crumpled bag of Doritos? The personalized brand-name sportswear thrown on the ground, dropped on the trail, left sopping wet in the sand? These kids had so much and seemed to appreciate so little.
Elly turned to Darcy. “You can have it. I hate that racket and I hate tennis.”
Darcy was at least happy she hadn’t added, And I hate you , though from the ire in her stare it was likely.
Time for some reverse psychology. Darcy examined the racket adoringly. “Thanks! I think I will.” Then, before Elly could object, she hopped up onto her feet and headed for the courts. “You coming, Lily? Savannah?”
Savannah looked unsure, but followed Lily who followed Darcy. “Let’s play together .”
Darcy wasn’t any good at tennis; golf had been her thing. But it didn’t matter, as long as she got Savannah out there and showed Elly what a good time she was missing.
I suck at tennis , Lily mouthed to her.
Just do it , Darcy mouthed back.
They practiced their serves, as Molly instructed the group. Tennis balls went everywhere and campers scrambled after them, but everyone was laughing. At one point Darcy caught Elly watching.
After fifteen minutes, Darcy was sweating. “This is harder than it looks,” Lily said, as she dashed after a stray ball.
“So is she.” Darcy nodded toward Elly, still planted in the same spot in the grass.
When the lesson ended, Darcy marched over to where she sat. “Thanks for letting me borrow your racket. It’s really good.”
Elly shrugged. “Too bad you aren’t.”
Darcy forced herself to smile. One thing she knew from being Adam’s sister was that his mood often depended on worries or anxieties he had. She’d have to try to figure out what it was with Elly.
The day was hot, so she directed the campers to a shaded picnic table by the trees for lunchtime. “Cool, golf carts!” one of the little boys said, pointing.
“When can we drive those?” another asked.
Darcy followed their gaze to the row of parked carts. “We’re focusing on tennis this session,” she told them. “The carts are for the kids who take golf lessons.” She’d chosen this group of campers only because it let her avoid the course and the game and her old instructor. At that moment, Vince pulled up. He high-fived a camper just as he used to with her. Darcy felt a pang watching them.
“Is it weird, seeing him up here?”
“What?” Darcy spun around to find Lily standing be-side her.
“Your old golf coach. Since you quit, it must be weird being back and bumping into him.” Lily was looking at her sympathetically. “I know your parents are still upset about it.”
“Oh. No, I don’t even think about it,” Darcy lied. She took a seat on the bench and rifled through her lunch bag, even though she’d pretty much lost her appetite.
Lily had never really questioned Darcy about quitting. To her it was a bonus: now her best friend had the whole summer free to hang out together. Which was fine with Darcy; her parents bugged her about it enough. But still—it was different being able to open up to a friend.
She stared at the chicken sandwich her mother had made and forced herself to take a bite, but only a small one. The scale that morning had shown that she’d lost another pound, and Darcy wanted to keep it going. It felt good to finally have something moving in the direction it was supposed to. She figured if she looked good, she’d feel good, something she hadn’t in longer than Darcy could remember. And especially since she was working summer camp at the club beach with the likes of Spencer Delancey. Never mind the bronzed blonde who’d shown up at camp that morning as the newest senior counselor.
“Ashley Riley,” Lily had whispered as they both watched her roll in. “Even her name is a ‘pick me.’?”
Ashley had not been at orientation last week with the rest of them, but the girl was a country club poster child. Not that Darcy was allowed to call Mayhaven a country club. “It’s an association,” her father always corrected her. “Call it a club, even. But please not country club.”
Darcy had snorted. “Like there’s a difference?”
Her father looked hurt. “Country club has a negative connotation for a lot of people. They’re exclusive. They don’t have the best histories when it comes to inclusion or diversity. Mayhaven is so much more.”
Whatever that meant. She’d have to ask her dad how Ashley landed a camp job at their association without doing the required time like she had. Rumor was she’d been vacationing in Santorini with her family, who were Mayhaven legacy members. Just like Spencer’s family.
“She seems tight with everyone here,” Lily observed, sounding equal parts annoyed and intrigued by Ashley Riley. “But I don’t recognize her from school.”
“Because she goes to boarding school,” Molly, the tennis instructor had chimed in from behind them. Darcy had blushed deeply. She hadn’t realized how loud they were.
“Surely you’ve met Ashley up here before?”
Darcy shook her head. “Don’t remember if I did.” Then she added, “I don’t come up here as much as I used to.” She was relieved when Molly didn’t ask her why.
Now, Darcy and Lily stared as Ashley sauntered up to Spencer’s table. He actually looked up from his lunch and flashed his killer smile. “Hey, Ash.”
“He calls her Ash!” Lily hissed.
“I have ears,” Darcy hissed back. “Forget her, we need to focus on our kids.”
It seemed their campers needed help with everything: putting straws in juice boxes, opening thermoses, cleaning up spills. That was just lunchtime. By the time they headed to the locker rooms to change into swimsuits, there was an endless chorus of campers calling her name. Help me with sunscreen! Where’s my towel? Who took my goggles? Darcy didn’t mind. She was getting to know them and finding favorites, even though she knew she shouldn’t.
For little kids they had big personalities. One camper, a wiry ginger-haired boy named Evan, was apparently a budding ornithologist. He’d spent the morning identifying birds and telling Darcy all about them. Then there was Savannah, who was tall and shy and hovered near Darcy with saucer-shaped eyes. Darcy would have to help her make friends, she could tell. And then there was Elly. Who seemed to hate everything camp had to offer, and maybe Darcy, too?
“Are you excited to swim?” Darcy asked her, as they headed down the shady trail to the lake after lunch.
Elly shrugged. Stupid question—Elly wasn’t excited about anything.
“I am! I can do the crawl,” Evan piped up. Then, “Hear that? That’s a woodpecker. Wonder if it’s the pileated kind.” He squinted up into the branches.
Darcy laughed. “How about you?” she asked Savannah, who was glued to her side.
Savannah lifted one shoulder uncertainly. “I’m not very good.”
“How about we swim together?” Darcy suggested. She knew the others would join; they were like little lemmings. She’d help Savannah make small talk with them when they did.
Down on the beach she was dismayed not to see Spencer up in the guard chair. Kate, the other lifeguard, sat in his place. Damn . She’d even worn her cute daisy bikini top.
At least the day was hot and the water felt nice. Elly refused to go in, but Savannah did eventually. Darcy became so busy playing Marco Polo while the kids took turns with Kate for swim tests that the session flew by. Suddenly it was time to bring the campers back up to the clubhouse for pickup.
Darcy was exhausted but happy; she’d made it through the first day of camp! She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall as she waited outside the locker room for her campers to change. Suddenly the front door at the end of the hall banged closed. Darcy stood at attention, expecting to see a parent. Instead, it was a boy about her age. He wasn’t dressed like a member. He looked kind of cute, if lost.
He glanced up at the sparkling chandelier and flipped his dark hair out of his big brown eyes. Yep, very cute. It wasn’t dress code, but she liked his Tyler the Creator shirt and red Converse. When he saw her standing there he hesitated, then headed her way.
Darcy straightened. “Hey.”
The boy cleared his throat, looking nervous. “Hi, I’m looking for the main office.”
Her dad’s office. “You have a delivery?”
He held up his empty hands. “Seriously?”
“You looked lost. And I didn’t recognize you, so I just thought…”
The kid shook his head. “Yeah, I got you.”
“What?” Darcy grimaced. “I’m sorry, it’s just that people who come looking for the office are usually here for a delivery.” God, she sounded pathetic. “I didn’t mean…”
“Mean what ?” Darcy felt like his big brown eyes could see right through her, thoughts and all.
He had her there. What had she meant? That he was wearing street clothes instead of a collared shirt and boat shoes? That he was not a member? That his skin was darker than hers? God, she had not meant that. “No, I just… I don’t know. Look, I’m sorry!” Oh God, oh God, oh God.
And then he smiled at her. A big fat playful smile that rescued them both. “Nah, I’m just messing with you. It’s cool.”
Darcy exhaled. She still felt like an asshole, and she knew she deserved to. But she was grateful. “The office is right over there,” she said, finding her voice again. She pointed to her father’s door. “Who’re you looking for?”
“Mr. Birch. I have an interview.”
Darcy nodded at her father’s name but gave away nothing. “Well, good luck.” Then, “I’m Darcy, by the way.” She extended her hand.
“Flick.” Flick took her hand and she glanced down at their clasped fingers. “Thanks, Darcy.”
Darcy watched him walk down the hall and through her father’s office door. Flick. Who named their kid that?
She wondered if she’d see him again. She suddenly hoped she would.