Chapter 46
By midday, the camp had emptied except for the maintenance crew and key staff.
I smiled to myself—I was now key staff. Teddy and I sat opposite each other at the office conference table.
He flipped the pages of the contract, making notations, engrossed in what he was doing.
I couldn’t focus. I was thinking, Did Ronnie bring sunscreen or pack enough underwear for the girls?
One reason I had wanted Zelda and Hazel to go to camp in the first place was to learn responsibility.
This was their first test. But the real question was: What was Ronnie telling them about my absence? I had to let it go.
I was not looking forward to confronting him about his affair—or telling him about mine. At least owning Woodlands would give me an income and the security to make the best decisions for Zelda, Hazel, and me.
I started re-reading the same paragraph for the third time, but the words blurred. I knew that once I read it through, I’d sign it and begin my new career. I looked up. Teddy was watching me.
“You seem like you’re a million miles away.”
I held up the documents. “I can’t seem to concentrate.”
“Let’s go for a drive and get some fresh air.”
I appreciated that he was always thinking about how I felt and made me his priority. I slid into the golf cart next to him, and I held the hand draped over my shoulder, my leg rested against his, my other hand on his knee—he took it and kissed it. That would never get old.
We drove leisurely around camp, stopping at the tip of the property. We were looking out over the lake when an unnerving thought popped into my head. Would our love be sustainable while we lived an ocean apart?
“The first thing you ever said to me was that Woodlands was your slice of heaven. It never would’ve occurred to me that you and this camp would become my paradise.” I looked into his eyes. “Do you think what we have only exists in the bubble we created at camp?”
We got off the cart and he took my hand, leading us to the bench facing the water.
“My feelings for you aren’t limited to these two hundred acres.
Where we live doesn’t matter.” He squeezed me into him, smiling.
“I’ll be calling you every day—we do have a business to run.
” He slid off the bench onto his knees in front of me, so I looked directly into his sparkling green eyes.
He held my hands. “Lori, I love you, and now that I’ve found you, that we’ve found each other, I’m not going to lose you. ”
“I love you too . . . but . . .”
He stopped me with a kiss. “We’ll figure it out together. Whatever you need, whatever it takes. We’ll make us happen.”
I sighed. “I love you Theodore Charles Mooney the third.”
His roguish grin appeared. “Oh, no, that will not do. Please call me Teddy.”