Page 61 of The Perfect Deal
With only a few minutes to spare, we had finished. “Now, we just need to go clean up our mess,” Joshua noted as the first house filtered in through the doors.
Wiping my brow on the back of my hand, I nodded, but I didn’t want to go back in there. I just wanted to grab a muffin and go sit with my girls.
“Where’s Melba?” Coach Sam asked as his long legs carried him across the cafeteria. “Did you two make breakfast?”
Joshua and I exchanged a look and then laughed.
“Yep, we did. The kitchen staff got sick,” Joshua said.
Several other staff members gathered around, their eyes wide with surprise. “Why didn’t you wake more of us up?” Coach Marcy asked. “We would’ve helped.”
“We had it under control,” Joshua assured them.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” Coach Christina asked.
I looked at Joshua and he looked at me. I prayed he could read my pleading look. God, I didn’t want to go back in there and clean up the mess. Hooking a thumb over his shoulder, Joshua said, “You guys can go clean up.”
I fully expected them to scatter and not want to touch that with a ten-foot pole, but several of them headed right through the swinging doors to the kitchen and started cleaning up the disaster. With that many people, it wouldn’t take very long.
“Thank you!” I shouted behind them.
Relieved, I grabbed a muffin and a glass of juice before giving Joshua a high-five and heading over to join my girls.
“These eggs are amazing,” Rhiannon was saying as I sat down at the end of the table. “So much better than usual.”
A glowing smile claimed my face. She had no idea I’d made them, so the compliment was genuine. Knowing that the kids were enjoying the fruits of our labors made me happy, but the fact that I’d been able to whip up breakfast for over two hundred hungry campers and the staff along with the man of my dreams was the true reason for my smile.
Across the cafeteria, I saw Joshua settling in at one of the tables, his tray full of bacon and eggs with one of our muffins on the side. He turned and caught my eye, and we shared another knowing smile. Was there anything the two of us couldn’t do together? I was beginning to think we were unstoppable.
37
JOSHUA
Iwould’ve loved to have taken a nap before the day’s activities got started, but I just didn’t have time for it. Breakfast was a huge success with many of the kids noting that it tasted even better than usual. Hearing some of the coaches volunteer to go clean up the mess Liberty and I had made had been a plus. It allowed me a few minutes to chill out before we had to get on with it.
Pulling myself up from the table, I got everyone’s attention and told them what the plan was for the day. “Some of you will start off down at the dock with fishing skills. Others will be learning the craft of whittling wood. Another group will be inside the pavilion playing games while the final group will start with tent-pitching class out on the green. Every two hours, we’ll rotate with lunch between the second and third rotations at the usual time. Your coaches have your schedules. You’ll have a few minutes to go back to your cabins to apply sunscreen and bug spray for those outside activities. If you have any questions, be sure to let your coach know. Now, let’s get out there and have a fun day!”
With that, I clapped, and everyone began to move, the kids chatting with excitement as the coaches led them out of the cafeteria and back to their cabins to get ready. Rather than following them out immediately, I headed to the back of the cafeteria to make sure everything was in order. Of course, my staff had managed to clean up the horrible mess with no problems. I really had the best people working for me—for the most part.
Back at my cabin, the bed called my name, but I ignored it. The exhaustion I was feeling from being awakened in the middle of the night by the nurse would simply have to wait. I couldn’t let the kids down, and they’d expect me to be there today.
I took a quick shower, sprayed myself down with repellent and sunscreen, and put on a fresh shirt and shorts before heading out. Even though it was only a little after eight in the morning, the sun was already beating down. I went back inside and grabbed a hat before taking off again.
I caught up to Fox House on their way to the lake. The boys were chatting, talking about who was going to catch the biggest fish. Robby told Axel, “If I catch a bigger fish than you, you have to buy me an ice cream from the snack shop.”
“Fine, fine,” Axel said, not worried at all. “If I catch a bigger fish, I’ll take a chocolate bar.”
“Deal.” The two of them shook on it as I snickered and passed them. I loved hearing the kids push each other to do better, as long as it was good-natured like this was.
Up ahead of Fox House, another group was arriving at the dock. I could tell that it was Bear House because I could hear Karrie’s screech from halfway down the path. I should’ve popped a couple of aspirin before embarking on this journey, it seemed. With a sigh, I put a little more effort into my steps, hoping to catch up with the girls in time to help them get their fishing poles and get set so they could begin the day’s activities. It was unfortunate that the first group to arrive was one without a proper coach.
It turned out it didn’t matter. By the time I got there, Liberty had already started getting the poles out and handing them to the girls, telling them what they needed to do in order to start fishing. “Miss Karrie has the live bait,” she was saying. “Go ahead and get your hooks, and if you don’t know how to tie them on, I’ll help you.”
I paused, holding back a little as I watched her work. Most of the girls had been here in previous years, so they knew how to tie the hooks on, though some of them still needed help. But what really surprised me was when Liberty took the container of worms from Karrie and showed the girls how to slide them onto their hooks. A few of the girls squealed a little, but Liberty assured them it wasn’t that big of a deal. “Just stick it on like this, and you’re ready to go.”
“Be careful when casting now!” Karrie shouted, destroying the otherwise relaxing ambiance and probably terrifying every fish within a twenty-mile radius.
By now, the boys had arrived, along with a couple of other cabins’ worth of kids, and everyone was getting their poles ready as Bear House spread their way down the dock.