Chapter 45
The first things I noticed when I walked into the diner were beautiful new curtains and a security camera. I should’ve felt a twinge of guilt but instead it just made me smile. Teddy will think it’s hilarious.
We pushed two tables together without asking because we were five take charge women—some might call us assertive, okay pushy. But we had just finished eight weeks taking care of two hundred and fifty girls and we knew how to go about getting things done.
The same waitress, the one with the blonde bouffant who served Gilda and me breakfast weeks ago, poured hot coffee into the large clean white mugs as we settled in. “Do you gals know what you want, or do you need more time?”
“Give us a minute,” Gilda said, then in her blunt way turned her attention on me. “Congratulations on buying the camp with Ted but I don’t believe for a second that you two haven’t been schtupp-ing all summer—right under our noses.”
Gilda was holding court sitting at the head of the table.
I was on her right, Abby as always on my left, and Mindy and Bethany sat across from us.
Maggie and Roger had driven out of camp at 5:00 a.m. to get an early start on their drive to join Tony at his grandmother’s and eventually make their way home to Florida.
Looking everyone in the eye I said, “I haven’t been honest with any of you.
At the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t going to unload on a group of people I’d just met, but now after a solid two months of building what I’d like to think of as lasting friendships, I’m ready to let you in on my personal dramas.
” I took a deep breath. “No messy details . . . all you need to know about my husband is that he’s been screwing his assistant. ”
All eyes were wide and mouths were open.
“I was feeling anxious those first few days during orientation and reignited an old smoking habit.” I looked at Bethany. “Yes, you did catch me that day Becca broke her arm.”
She smirked. “I knew it.”
“That night I found Ted behind the laundry shack with a cigarette in his hand, and we became secret smoking buddies, and everything blossomed from there.”
“Look, she’s blushing like a schoolgirl talking about her first crush,” Bethany said.
I brought my coffee up to my face, trying to hide behind it.
“You fell in love while nobody was watching?” Mindy said.
“Well put,” I said.
“What about your husband?” Gilda asked, “Does he know?”
“I told him I was buying the camp,” and added, “but I thought confrontational conversations should be done in person.”
Abby seemed proud of herself when she said, “Maggie, Roger, and I figured it out a couple of weeks ago.”
Gilda added, “Nicole and the other office ladies noticed that Ted changed his days off to match yours, so there were speculation and rumors flying about.”
“The last thing I thought would ever happen when I made the decision to work at Woodlands was to fall in love.” I shrugged. “Or buy a camp for that matter.”
“Two life-changing events,” Bethany said.
“Two life-changing events,” I repeated.
“What about Zelda and Hazel?” Abby asked.
“They’re my biggest concern. I have a reprieve in having to tell them. They’ll be away with their dad for a week while I stay here with Ted, learning how to run a camp.”
The waitress returned to take our orders. As soon as she was out of earshot Gilda turned to me and said, “This is probably none of my business—”
Mindy cut her off. “Since when has that stopped you from asking?”
“Never. Do you have the funds to pay for Woodlands?”
“Really Gilda, money is not a conversation for polite company,” Mindy said.
Gilda picked up her coffee mug with her pinkie sticking out. “I hadn’t realized I was in polite company.”
I let out a nervous giggle. “It’s fine—finances are my second biggest concern. But I’m pretty sure I have that figured out. All assets are in my name. I just need to figure out how to access them without Ronnie having any interests in my owning of Woodlands.”
“Rumor has it that Ted has a boatload of money from the sale of his company. Can’t he give you a loan?” Gilda asked.
Mindy said, “Good grief.” Before dropping her head into her hands.
“Believe me I’ve thought about that, but we’ll be business partners, we are romantic partners, and then I’d be indebted to him.
One of the reasons I wanted a separation in the first place was that my husband thought since he worked and I didn’t that he had control over our finances.
I’ve wanted a job where I’d make my own money and therefore my own decisions.
I promised myself that I would never be under the thumb of anyone again. ”
Since money was a topic that made people uncomfortable (well, except for Gilda), my friends focused on their omelets.
After a few bites Bethany thankfully changed the subject. “Wait a minute, everything we’ve talked about is coming together in my brain. You’re gonna be my boss next summer.” She waved her hand. “All of our bosses, that is if you deem us worthy of re-hiring.”
“Of course I want all of us working together next summer. I couldn’t do this without all of you.”
Gilda said, “Hey, boss, in that case can I have a raise?”
I laughed. “It’ll be the first agenda item discussed with my business partner.”
The conversation turned to rehashing the escapades of the summer.
I smiled and laughed when it was appropriate, but my mind was on my daughters and my future.
Well, not my immediate future. I was very excited about my week getting to know Teddy better.
It was sort of like being on a honeymoon but also the opposite of being on a honeymoon—we had a lot to discover about each other.
The five of us ate slowly, not ready to say goodbye. When we finally meandered outside, I got a little teary and said, “I was always jealous of people who went to sleepaway camp, but now I finally have my own camp stories and even better—camp friends.”
“Ha, thirty years late,” Gilda said as she hugged me.