20. Chapter 20
Chapter twenty
“Just like two puzzle pieces.”
Wes tried not to zone out as Pete West droned on about his lack of responsibility and his intent to sue the district, the owners of Camp Blueberry, and Wes personally for negligence and unsafe conditions. The man had been at it for fifteen minutes.
Wes held up a hand. “Um…excuse me.” Pete stopped and scowled. “I think it would be best to continue this conversation on Monday, when I’m back at the office, and Superintendent Morrow has had a chance to thoroughly investigate the incident.”
Pete started to object, but stopped when his wife put a hand on his arm. “We should get Aaron home, Pete.”
Pete glanced at his son in the car. “Fine.” He jabbed a finger at Wes. “This isn’t over.”
“We’ll talk on Monday.”
Pete returned to his car, then sped off as Dean Sommers approached Wes. “He’s always been a blowhard.”
“I understand why he’s upset.”
“Well, I, for one, am more upset with Trevor.”
“I hope he feels better soon.”
“We appreciate you, Mr. Buchanan.”
“Thank you.”
The two men shook hands, then Dean departed much more calmly than Pete, taking the last sick child away from camp.
Wes rubbed his face, then squeezed the back of his neck.
The hint of a headache that had begun after he’d talked to Stu was now full blown, and he walked slowly back to his cabin.
Once there, he took a couple of pain relievers, then lay down on the bed, leaving one foot on the ground to convince himself it was temporary.
When the door opened, he opened his eyes, then smiled at Cassandra when her face appeared above him. He held up his hand, and she took it and sat next to him.
“How did that go?”
“Three understanding parents, one on the fence, and one asshole.”
“Not bad odds.”
He laughed. “I’m pretty sure in this case he can’t sue me. But that won’t stop him from trying.”
“You need some sleep.”
Wes looked at his watch. “Now it’s so late in the day, it will affect my sleep tonight.”
“Just a short nap so you can stay awake during the campfire tonight.”
The headache had died down a little, but was still lurking behind his left eye. “What’s going on out there?”
“Everyone has gathered in the mess hall to make signs to cheer on their teams tomorrow.”
“So, they’re all in one place? No one has wandered off in search of something poisonous to eat?”
“They’re fine. Lester and the counselors have things under control. They’ll be there until dinner.”
Wes sighed deeply. “Okay, I’ll take a nap on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
He patted the bed. “That you lie right here next to me.”
Cassandra stood and removed Wes’ boots, then took off her shoes and lay down next to him when he moved over for her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close, then murmured, “Just like two puzzle pieces.”
“We always did fit well together.”
When Wes woke up, Cassandra was still in his arms, and he breathed in the lavender she always seemed to smell like. He took a moment to realize it was coming from her shampoo, then buried his nose in the messy blonde hair he’d come to adore.
Cassandra stirred. “Whatcha doin’, Mr. B?”
“Thanks for helping me through the last…however many hours it’s been since the return of the hot dogs and popcorn event.”
She turned to face him. “You’re welcome, but you didn’t answer my question.”
“Lavender.”
“Do you like it?”
He brushed the hair from her face. “Yeah.”
She put her face next to his neck and breathed in. “You have a very…memorable scent, too, sir.”
“Memorable as in he hasn’t showered in a while?”
“No. Memorable as in…” She kissed him.
“I’ve been thinking about the whole going on a date thing.” He put his hand on her hip.
“When we get back?”
“Yeah.”
“What about it? You don’t want to go out with me?”
“Oh, I definitely want to go out with you.” He smiled. “I just don’t want to wait until the second or third date to…explore this lavender situation further.”
“When would you like to do that?”
“Now. Right now.”
“We might miss dinner.”
“Don’t care.” He pulled her close and kissed her.
Wes and Cassandra missed dinner. When they joined the group at the fire pit, they drew a few looks from the campers, and the boy playing guitar stopped mid-song. Lester walked up to them. “Did you get some rest?”
Wes smiled. “Yeah. Didn’t mean to miss dinner, though.”
“I explained to everyone that you were up all night taking care of the sick kids. Nobody read much into it.”
“Thanks.” He waved at the guitarist. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”
The music started again, and Wes sat next to Cassandra. Bailey made her way over to them. “Are you guys okay?”
Cassandra took her hand. “Yes, honey. The day just caught up to us.”
Bailey sat next to Cassandra. “I’m really glad I didn’t go on the overnight.”
“It was an experience.”
“A gross experience.”
Wes laughed. “It definitely was that.”
The night was low-key, and the kids didn’t complain about ending it when Wes told them it was time to go to their cabins. “Get some rest for the games tomorrow.”
The campers wandered toward the cabins, and Wes looked at Lester. “I’ve got the fire tonight. Thanks for holding everything together here the last two days.”
“No problem. I’ll see you in the morning.”
When everyone was gone, Wes reached for Cassandra’s hand. “How are we feeling about our…nap?”
“Best nap ever.”
He turned to her. “You’re not going to break my heart again, are you? I honestly don’t think I could—"
“No.”
He sighed. “Okay then. Let’s enjoy this fire for a bit, then go raid the kitchen.”
“Can we get in?”
“Of course. Head honcho, remember?”
“Oh, right.”
They stayed by the fire for a while, not saying much, enjoying the quiet and being close to each other. When the fire had burned down to coals, Wes stood. “Let me cover that up, then we’ll see what we can find in the kitchen.”
They left the fire pit and headed for the mess hall. Wes unlocked the kitchen door and turned on the lights as he went through. Cassandra followed him to the walk-in, and they went inside and looked around. Wes handed her a pie tin with one slice of apple pie left.
“This doesn’t look like dinner.”
“Hold on, we’re not done yet.” He pulled out a bin of lunch meat and cheese slices, then grabbed a tomato and a head of lettuce. “Okay, that should do it.” He carried it to the counter, and Cassandra took a loaf of bread from a tote. “Turkey or ham?”
“Hmm. Ham.”
Wes made two ham sandwiches with Swiss cheese, a slice of tomato, and a few leaves of lettuce. He cut one in half and put it on a plate for Cassandra, then handed it to her.
“This is a beautiful sandwich, Wes.”
“I’m pretty much an expert at making sandwiches. I helped make sandwiches for my brothers all through school, and it stuck with me.”
“Well, they were very lucky young men.”
“Lucky, maybe. Appreciative, not so much.”
A small table in the kitchen corner held one chair. While Cassandra sat, Wes went to the office and dragged out the desk chair. He set it across the table from her, then sat and picked up his sandwich. “Cheers.”
She smiled at him. “You may be older and wiser, but you haven’t changed all that much from the guy I knew.”
He laughed. “I hope that’s not true.”
“Everything that made me fall in love with you back then is still present. You’re a good guy, Wes.”
“And yet, that wasn’t enough.”
She set down her sandwich. “Wes.”
“Sorry.” He ate a bite of his sandwich. “I don’t want to go back there.”
“No looking back?”
“Just forward.”
“And what do you see looking forward?”
He thought for a moment. “It’s still a little foggy. But we’re both in the picture.”
“Does the district have a policy against co-workers dating?”
“Officially, it’s not encouraged. But we wouldn’t be the first.”
“Oh, do tell. Who else is dating or has dated in the past?”
He shook his head. “I’m not one to spread gossip.”
She took a bite of her sandwich. “You’re no fun.”
“That’s not what you said a couple of hours ago.”
They finished eating their sandwiches, then split the warmed slice of pie with some vanilla ice cream. On the way back to the cabin, Cassandra took Wes’ arm. “Was that our first date?”
“It could’ve been. We can call it that if you want.” They reached the cabin, and he opened the door for her. “Of course, it’s not quite over yet.”
He closed the door, and she put her arms around his neck. “What did you have in mind?”
He kissed her. “Some of this.”
“I like that.”
He nuzzled her neck. “And a little of that.” He stepped back and pulled off his T-shirt. “And a whole lot of this.”
She put her hands on his chest. “You’ve really got this first date thing down.”