14. Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
“The roof is DOA.”
Wes shaded his eyes against the sun that had come out after the rain had stopped. Two men were on the cabin’s roof, surveying the damage. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but after conferring for a few minutes, they climbed down the ladder and walked over to him.
The man who had introduced himself as Biggs removed his gloves and tucked them into his back pocket. “The whole damn roof needs to be replaced. Same with the room. A lot of rain fell last night.”
“I’m aware.”
He sniffed, then ran a finger under his nose. “Won’t happen until spring, though.”
“Spring?”
“Yes, sir. We’ll have a few feet of snow soon. Can’t work in that.”
“Where does that leave us?”
“Was someone staying on that side?”
“Yes. She was in bed when the roof caved in.”
“Ah.” He took out a dirty handkerchief and blew his nose. “Not good.”
“No. Not good at all.”
“She okay?”
“Physically, yes.”
“She’ll need new digs.”
Wes squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Is the other side safe?”
“Yeah. We checked it out.”
Wes took a breath and swallowed the sarcastic remark lurking on the tip of his tongue. “Can you guarantee that?”
“Yes, sir. I’d stay in it myself. Even bring the wife along. Perfectly safe.”
“Do you love your wife?”
“Most of the time, yeah.”
“Okay, just checking.”
Biggs laughed. “I like you.”
“Um…thanks. So, you’re going to cover it, then?”
“We’ll be back tomorrow to cover the hole. Keep everyone out of that room.”
“Will do.”
“Do we need to go in and get anything out of there?”
“No. We got it last night.”
Biggs looked at the sky. “The rain’s done, so that’s good news.” He took a few steps back. “We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.”
“I’ll see you then.”
The other man grabbed the ladder, and they headed to their truck. Wes watched them go, then went inside the cabin. Cassandra was sitting in the easy chair in the corner of the room.
“What’s the diagnosis?”
“The roof is DOA.”
“I could’ve told you that.”
“They are going to cover it with a tarp or something and call it good until spring.”
“Wow.”
“I figured that’s what they’d say.” He looked around the cabin. “So…”
She smiled. “If I have to choose between sleeping with you or Lester, I choose you.”
Wes laughed. “I appreciate that. I’m not sure…”
“How it will look to the campers?”
“Yeah.”
She tapped a finger to her lips for a moment. “No one but Bailey and us knows the extent of the damage. As far as everyone else knows, I could still be sleeping in there.”
“I suppose.”
“You should make an announcement at dinner and get ahead of the situation.”
“And lie to them?”
“Assure them that all is well.” When he seemed hesitant, she added. “But if you think it might ruin your nice guy Mr. B rep, then I could go home, I suppose.”
“No.” She raised her eyebrow at his quick response. He took a moment. “I don’t want you to go home. Unless you want to go home.”
She moved closer to him and took his hand. “Wes, I’m not sure what’s going on with us. But I like the direction it seems to be going in. Do you feel it too, or is it just me being…hopeful?”
“There’s definitely been a shift.”
“I don’t want my staying here with you to force you into a situation you’re not ready for.”
He touched her face for a moment, then pulled his hand away and took a step back. “I’m a big boy, Cass.”
She smiled. “Cass? That’s the second time you’ve called me that.”
“Old habits resurfacing.”
“You’ll let me know if it’s too much? You say the word and I’m gone.”
“I’ll let you know.”
“Okay.” She looked at him for a moment. “You look tired.”
“Restless night last night.”
“You should take a nap.”
“I stopped taking naps about thirty years ago.”
“Don’t you want to be all rested for the flag football game this evening?”
“Oh, damn. That’s tonight.”
“How about you lie down and rest. You don’t need to sleep. Read a book or something. The campers are all out on a hike with Lester. I’ll make sure everyone is happy when they get back.”
“Fine. What are you going to do until then?”
“I’m going to sit by the lake and take in some nature.”
“I’ll rest, but I’m not going to sleep.”
“Okay. That’s a good boy.”
“Go be one with nature.”
Cassandra left, and Wes lay down on the bed, determined not to fall asleep. He woke up two hours later. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then swung his legs over and sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide whether he felt better or worse.
“Definitely…I have no idea.” He went to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face, then left the cabin to look for Cassandra. She was sitting on a camp chair near the end of the dock.
Wes walked out to her, and she looked back when the dock swayed with the movement of his footsteps. “Feel better?”
“Still trying to figure that out.”
Cassandra stood up and stretched. “Well, I do.”
“You’ve been sitting here for two hours?”
“No. I took a short walk along the shore, then I went to check in with May and June. They basically threw me out of their kitchen, so I came out here.”
“Everyone should be back soon.”
“How do the teams work for the football game?”
“We like to break up the friend and bunk mate groups a little. Everyone who wants to play draws a number. Odds are red team. Evens are the blue team.”
“Do you play?”
“Nah. Well, sometimes. I haven’t in a few years. Lester is the referee. You can play if you want.”
She laughed. “Me? It would be my first and probably my last flag football game.”
“You survived a roof collapse. I’m sure you’d live through a friendly little game of flag football.”
She cocked her head at him. “I’ll play if you will.”
“Whoa.” He laughed. “Challenge accepted.”
The campers had split into two groups. One group, led by Lester, took a challenging trail into the hills surrounding the lake. The other, led by two of the more experienced counselors, followed the lake's shoreline.
The lake group returned first, and the kids all seemed to be in good spirits. The cooler weather had made for a pleasant hike. One of the counselors, Mike, approached Wes and Cassandra as they came off the pier to greet everyone.
“Afternoon, Mr. B.”
“How did it go?”
“Great. Had a few stragglers on the way back, but I think everyone had a good time. I tried not to wear them out too much so they’d be ready for the game.”
Wes addressed the group. “Go relax for a bit before dinner. Big game tonight.”
One of the girls raised her hand. “Are you playing this year, Mr. B?”
He glanced at Cassandra. “I thought I might. Dr. Jordan wants to play as well.”
“On opposite teams?”
“Of course.”
The kids gave a favorable response, then headed for their cabins.
Cassandra watched them go, then looked at Wes. “What if everyone wants to play?”
“They won’t. Most of the girls won’t play.”
“Hold on. So, I’m going to be on a team with a bunch of boys?”
“There will be a few girls. The counselors play, and we divide them between teams.”
“Okay.”
“You can’t back out now. Not after I told everyone you were going to play.”
She looked beyond him. “Here come the rest of them.”
Wes turned. Two of the boys were carrying a girl between their linked arms. “Uh oh.”
“Oh my gosh, that’s Bailey.” She headed for the group with Wes right behind her. “What happened?”
“I’m okay, Mom.”
The boys set her on the ground but kept supporting her as she put all her weight on one leg.
Lester nodded. “Looks like a sprain. But no complaints from this girl.”
“Honey.”
“Really, Mom. I just need some ice.”
Wes looked at the two boys. “Can you take her to my cabin? We’ll take care of her there.”
“Yes, sir.” They locked their arms again, and Bailey sat down. “On to the castle, Lady Jordan.”
Wes and Cassandra walked beside them, and when they arrived at the cabin, Wes told them to set her down outside the door. “I’ve got it from here.”
The boys left, and Cassandra and Wes helped Bailey inside, took her to the bed, and put a pillow under her ankle. “What happened?”
“I stepped wrong on a rock or in a hole. I’m not sure. At least it happened on the way back.”
Wes smiled. “Good thing you had a couple of strong guys to ferry you back.”
Bailey blushed. “That was Coach’s idea. I would’ve been fine limping back.”
Cassandra looked at Wes. “Can we get some ice?”
“I’ll go get some from the kitchen.”
He left the cabin and jogged to the mess hall, then went into the kitchen where May and June were busy with the dinner preparation.
May turned to Wes. “No early birds. Not even you, Mr. Buchanan.”
“I need a bag of ice. One of the girls sprained her ankle on the hike.”
“Oh goodness. Do you need anything else?”
“Ice should do it.”
“There are crutches in the office.”
“I should probably take those too, thanks.”
May filled a bag with ice while June went to the office next to the kitchen to get the crutches. She also brought the first aid kit. “There’s an Ace bandage in here.”
“Thanks, I guess I didn’t think this trip through.”
“We’ve got your back, Mr. Buchanan.”
“I appreciate it.”
When Wes got back to the room, Cassandra was sitting next to Bailey. She got up and took the ice from him as he set the crutches next to the bed. “I got an Ace bandage.”
“Oh, good.” She set the ice on Bailey’s ankle. “Let’s put this on it for a bit, then we’ll wrap it.”
“Do I really need the crutches?”
“It would be best, honey.”
Bailey sighed. “I’m going to miss the football game.”
“Were you going to play?”
“I was thinking about it.”
Wes went to the end of the bed. “You’ll need to cheer your mother on from the sidelines.”
“My mother?” She looked at Cassandra. “You’re going to play?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Bailey looked at Wes. “Do you have another pair of crutches? We might need them.”