Chapter 14
Aracely
I wasn’t sure where Bash was going to take us and truth be told, I really didn’t care. I wanted to get away with him. I wanted to get out of town. Wherever he wanted to go was fine with me. If it had him and it wasn’t in New York City, I would be happy.
There hadn’t been a whole lot of time to pack. I wasn’t even at my apartment when I agreed to go with him. I had never gotten ready for a trip so quickly but I don’t think I had ever been more excited about a trip. There was just something about getting away with Bash that sounded thrilling, special even. Even how he asked me, how unsure yet hopeful he was made me want to go. As I put the last of my stuff in my bag, I couldn’t keep a smile off my face and thought it was going to be a few days I would never forget.
Based on the weather and the time of year, I packed for colder weather and layers, figuring I could always take off some if needed. I was pleasantly surprised when I had time to spare and was waiting for Bash when he arrived at my apartment. It gave me a chance to tell Arlo, the doorman, that I would be out of town for a few days.
I had the satisfaction of seeing Bash’s shocked look when he arrived outside my building. I was sure he thought that I was going to make him wait. I certainly had done that in the past, but I hadn’t wanted to then. I wanted the vacation to start as soon as possible.
Bash had let me talk as I practically word vomited my days to him. It had been incredible and I wanted to share it with someone. It made it even better that it was with Bash. He was as supportive as I hoped and wanted him to be. He asked all the right questions and encouraged me to tell him everything I could. It reminded me how close we had gotten in the last few weeks and how much I had come to rely on him, not only as a sounding board but also for support.
I hadn’t meant to fall asleep. I had been looking forward to the time to talk, just us. Any other time, we had been at McCarthy’s and Jack or Jill had been there. There were so many questions I had for him. I wanted to ask him about how the play was going, what he was doing. Apparently, my body had other ideas and I didn’t even know I had fallen asleep until I was waking up.
It was dark and I wasn’t sure where I was at first or who I was with when I woke up. It took me a few seconds to come back into myself and my surroundings. Even before I opened my eyes, I knew that Bash was there. I remembered what we were doing and smiled as I looked at him. There wasn’t much light, but it didn’t matter, I could still see the outline of his face. I was taken aback by how sexy he was. I had forgotten how chiseled his chin and cheek bones were, how blonde his hair was. He turned and looked at me and I could have sworn I saw a twinkle in his eyes.
The look, the vibe, the energy I was getting from him told me what I had already suspected. This trip was more than just two friends going away for a few days. He wanted it to be more, and as I looked at him and slowly woke up from one of the best naps I had in years, I wanted the same thing too.
His teasing banter and how excited he got when I realized where we were going was contagious. I wanted to reach over and take his hand. I wanted to tell him how much it meant to me that he would take us back to Winslow Creek Camp. It was where some of my happiest childhood memories came from, and almost all them were with Bash.
“Is it even open?” I asked as we drew closer to the entrance.
“I would hope so. We’re going to be there for three nights. I don’t want to have a repeat of our campout,” Bash said and I laughed.
“You were miserable. I didn’t know you could almost get hypothermia in the middle of the summer.”
“I didn’t think it would be that cold and I didn’t pack the right clothes. Plus, I was hoping to have someone in my sleeping bag with me to keep me warm.” Bash smiled at me.
“How you thought you were going to sneak me into your sleeping bag or the other way around is beyond me,” I countered.
“As I remember, you were just as excited about the prospect.”
“You made it sound like you had it all figured out. I thought you had bribed a counselor or something to look the other way.”
“I figured they had to go to sleep at some point and I would sneak over. I hadn’t counted on them having someone on watch all night.”
“Most of them had been campers; they knew all the tricks because they tried the same thing.”
“You would think that would make them more sympathetic to the cause. Instead, I not only had a very cold night, I had to be across the way as I heard you, Ella, and Layla giggle all night. It sucked.”
“Aw, poor baby. Do you need to talk about it, hug it out?” I teased.
“Maybe,” Bash said and gave me a sideways look.
His comment told me he wanted more than a hug. I was fine with that because I wanted that too. I smiled and sat back down in my seat as we pulled into the campsite. The long road that led to the entrance and parking lot was still lined with tall trees that hung over the road. We parked the car and Bash gave me a slow smile.
“You ready?” he asked.
“I think so,” I replied and got out of the car.
He was quick to get our bags out. His bag wasn’t much bigger than mine and he wouldn’t let me carry them. We walked past the large field where picnics and games were played. Behind them was the main dining hall and movie theater. Off to one side was the boys’ sleeping area and on the other was the girls’. I wondered where we would be sleeping and how the arrangements would go. I didn’t have long to worry as Bash turned to me when we got to the dining hall.
“So, um, things have changed a bit since we were here last. They don’t do sleep away camps anymore. Guess it wasn’t as popular, kids and parents didn’t like being separated. I didn’t get too deep into the details with Grace,” Bash said.
“Grace. Grace Hannah? Runs this place now?” I asked.
“She does. Can you believe it?” Bash replied, clearly as amused as I was about the thought of a former camper running the place.
“Was she surprised to hear from you?” I asked.
“Not as surprised as I thought. We touched base. She’s married to Ray Young—”
“No way? They hated each other when we were kids,” I said.
“There’s a fine line between love and hate apparently. They have three kids. He’s a pharmaceutical rep and she runs the camp.”
“Good for them.” I stopped and thought about what he said and then added. “Wow. That is crazy.”
“It is. As are some of the changes they’ve made. It’s still pretty much just a summer camp though they will occasionally do weekend retreats. But they tore down the cabins about five years ago to make room for stables and a second pool.”
“Are there horses here?” I asked, excitedly.
“Not right now but in the summer months, yes. Which means that there are only a few cabins still standing. And currently only one that can be used.”
“So, you’re going to be camping this weekend, huh?” I teased.
“There are two bedrooms, and two baths; it also has a kitchen and living room. From what I understand it’s quite nice. Shall we go look?” he asked.
“Of course,” I followed him past the dining hall down a small walkway to what had originally been the girls’ cabins. There had been three cabins each with the capacity to hold about twelve girls. There was only one left standing. It still had the floor-to-ceiling windows with sliding doors. The lights were on, giving a warm and inviting feel.
“Did Grace know when we were coming?” I asked as we walked inside.
“Everything is automated. She connected me to an app that allows me to open the doors to whatever we want,” Bash said as he put our bags down and looked around. “Not what I was expecting,” he said.
I wandered around the cabin. It had the same frame of the original cabin but it had been expanded. Originally, there had been two sides of the cabin with bunk beds throughout and bathrooms between. One side had been converted into a cozy living room and kitchen, while the other side held the two bedrooms, and one bath. They had kept the wood motif that was common in cabins back in the day. The fireplace between the living room and kitchen was a nice touch and I wondered if Grace and her family came and used the cabin.
“They definitely changed the place,” I said after I had walked around. “There’s a very nice storage closet where one of the bathrooms used to be. And there is only one bathroom.” I eyed Bash.
He put his hands up in mock surrender and said “Grace told me there was plenty of space for two people. The cabins always had two bathrooms, I just assumed they had kept them. My bad. Do I need to use the outhouses outside?” he teased.
“There aren’t any outhouses and I don’t see you doing your business in the woods. It’ll be fine. I just wanted to give you a bad time.”
“I like that you can give me a bad time. Did you have a preference on a bedroom?” He picked up our luggage.
My first thought was to tell him whichever one he was in, but I didn’t. “The one on the right will be fine,” I said instead.
“Sounds good. I’ll put your stuff in there and let you get settled. Do you, um, want to shower, rest, call it a night?” He looked nervous, as if he wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.
“I’m good. I mean, I had a nice nap earlier and I’m not really tired. I can keep myself busy if you want to head in. It was a long drive for you.”
“Not that long. I’m not tired either,” he said and walked over to his bag and opened it. I couldn’t see what he was doing but when he turned to look back at me, he had a huge smile on his face and a bottle of wine in his hand. “Wine?” he asked.