Page 27 of Capture the Moment
Frankie blinked several times and mumbled, “Dude. Where’s the fire?”
Tim couldn’t help but ratchet up the intensity. “You have five minutes to take a shower, get dressed, and meet me back here. Move it.”
Frankie’s grogginess quickly turned into confusion, then belligerence. “I’m taking the day off!”
Tim raised an eyebrow. “Who gave you permission to have the day off?”
“I did,” he said, as if he’d been crowned king of the interns. And there were no interns but Frankie. “I need a break.”
“Are you sick?”
“I sure am. Sick of getting bossed around. Sick of being treated like a servant.”
Tim checked his watch with exaggerated interest. “Four minutes left.”
“Dude! It’s not like I’m getting paid or anything.”
“Volunteerism is a duty that should be taken seriously.” Tim stared him down until the boy buckled.
“Fine, fine, drill sergeant. Keep your cool on.” Frankie grabbed his jeans before shuffling down the hall to the bathroom, a scowl etched on his face.
Tim shook his head as he surveyed the chaotic room.Oh boy.It was a complete mess. Frankie’s clothes were strewn everywhere. So was his garbage. Poor Coop. Tim had no idea that sharing a room with the boy meant ...this.
He picked up empty chip bags and fast-food wrappers andcandy and tossed them in the wastebasket. Even Coop’s desk was covered with Frankie’s sweatshirt and underpants.
Too bad Maisie wasn’t with him right now. Maybe seeing this disgusting living condition would keep her from thinking this kid was such a ... what did she call him? A hottie.
While cleaning off Coop’s desktop of Frankie’s dirty laundry, Tim noticed a thick envelope addressed to Grant Cooper in elegant calligraphy. He had a gut feeling what it was, confirmed when he saw the return address. The seal had been opened, so he pulled out the contents. He wasn’t proud of snooping, but he cared about his friend.Oh boy.Just what he had thought. A very formal invitation to what looked like Emma’s fancy wedding. He slipped it back into the envelope and noticed the postmark. No wonder Coop had been testy to the hikers. He must’ve received this right after he’d arrived at the park to start the summer.
Hearing Frankie approach, Tim swiftly put the envelope back where he found it, hiding it under the boy’s dirty laundry.
One thing was clear, at least to Tim. It was high time for Coop to move on from the Emma Dilemma. She wasn’t coming back to him.
Maisie pedaled furiously along the winding trail, the wind whipping through her hair as she made her way toward the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. She was eager to see if Pops was there, maybe grab a snack from the café, and possibly persuade him to take her out horseback riding later. Sheadoredhorses. She’d never actually ridden one, but she knew she’d be good at it.
As she rounded a bend, her eyes caught sight of that super tall ranger standing near a bench, facing a different direction. She slowed her bike to a stop, pulling off to the side of the trail. She’d like to show him that picture of her and Pops, so she took off her backpack and unzipped it.
She realized that he was talking on the phone. Not really talking but listening. Maisie could hear someone on the other end. She couldn’t make out the words, but she could tell the caller was angry.
Now and then, in a strained voice, the ranger would say, “Yes ... Understood ... Entirely my fault ... I’ll go right now.”
Maisie wondered if he was getting chewed out by Sally Janus, the tiny lady ranger, but the voice sounded deeper, more like a man’s. She zipped up her backpack. Now probably wasn’t a good time to show off that photograph of her and Pops. She put both feet on the pedals to head off, but she couldn’t reach one pedal and the bike toppled over. “Oooff,” Maisie said, landing on the ground. These falls hurt, and she’d been falling a lot.
The ranger spun around. “I'll call you back,” he said and hung up. “Were you eavesdropping?”
“No!” She had tried, but she couldn’t hear anything. Nothing specific.
The ranger’s expression softened slightly as he looked at Maisie sprawled on the ground. “Kid, you need to learn how to ride a bike.” And off he went.
Maisie got herself up and brushed off her knees. As she picked up her bike, she looked at the tall ranger’s receding back. “I’m not a kid!”
But he was too far away to hear her.
Wade couldn’t believe it. Feldmann had given him the wrong PO box for the address. The package that was due in today had been returned to sender.
“I’m sorry, sir. I must have been distracted when I gave you the number for the PO box.”
Incredibly frustrated, Wade’s hands tightened into fists.
