I learned that Jeff had been working at the club’s fitness center year-round, but in the summer, he taught basic martial arts at the camp. Jeff wasn’t enormous, but extremely muscular and an average height. That day, and basically every other day, he wore a red polo shirt and khaki cargo shorts. Those were the camp colors, and management recommended we wear them as often as possible—but not every day, since it was also important to show our unique selves.
“Hey, Amy.” Jeff moved his head to face me but kept his body turned toward the others.
I must have subconsciously recognized that as a noncommittal conversation move and simply looked up from my phone, which I was currently using as a prop to appear distracted.
“Hey.” I glanced up and replied.
Apparently, Jeff was used to more of a reaction when he spoke to girls. He’d suddenly lost interest in the rest of the group and turned fully to me.
“So, how are you liking it here?”
“It’s only been a week.”
“Getting homesick yet?”
“No.” Not until just now, that is. I could tell this was leading to an interrogation, and I desperately hoped that either Sarah or Rachel would walk in at that moment.
“Really? Guess you didn’t have much going on there. Is that why you chose this super exciting town to escape to?”
I swallowed, ignoring the sarcasm, and kept scrolling through my phone.
“I’m just curious—to what does the city of Madison owe to become your destination?” he pressed.
Rick snickered and threw a playful punch at Jeff’s arm. But I didn’t miss the force behind it. “Leave her alone,” he said quietly.
“I was just being polite. But Miss Texas here is too good for casual conversation.”
That did it. I was getting tired of being pushed around by the boys of summer. And I wasn’t about to let this jock pick on me like some geeky kid who always sat alone at lunch. “It’s Ms. Denver. And if you must know, what brings me to Madison is that I heard it was a lovely place to visit in the summer. Not all of us are comfortable still living with our parents, Jeff.” I heard the girls giggle, and I glared at Jeff until he turned away.
Not such a tough guy now, are you?
I didn’t know whether Jeff lived with his parents or not, but it was an easy guess around here. And I seemed to have hit it right on the nose. He turned to face anywhere in the room but me and kept a locked grin on the side of his mouth.
Rachel and Peter finally walked in and stood in the back. Rachel waved and smiled at me, then frowned at Jeff and Rick as if she were wondering what the awkward silence in the room was about. I rolled my eyes and gave a light shake of my head.
CHAPTER 7
Friday morning in the art room, I grabbed all the necessary items we would need while on our trek across the lake. I made sure to bring extra paper towels and white plastic bags to protect their art pads from getting wet. At that thought, I took another glance at my outfit. I’d chosen to wear my fitted navy T-shirt, khaki drawstring pants, and my running shoes.
A parade of eight children raced in—all geared up for their morning activity. Rick strolled in behind them. I noticed his outfit was fairly similar to mine and silently sighed with relief that I wouldn’t be critiqued for my choice of clothes for this.
“Okay, are we going to have fun today?” Something about his cheerful tone sounded forced.
“Yaaay!” the group cheered.
Rick walked over to me, handing me a light-gray life jacket and glancing at my outfit and shoes. “Okay, let’s get going!” he said in a rushed tone as I self-consciously scanned my outfit once more.
We stepped outside, and the sun had almost completely disappeared, which was expected; the air was warm, but there was a chance of rain later in the afternoon. The kids would be finished with lunch and on their way to rehearsal in the gym by then.
We strolled down the few blocks to the river and loaded up the kayaks. Rick had prepared the kayaks and paddles earlier, and we divided the kids into groups of two in each boat. That way each had a turn to row, in either direction.
“Okay, guys, remember what I told you last time.Slide,don’t push, your kayak into the water. Pick up the handle on the tip of the boat and glide it. Make sure the kayak is steady in the water before you get in.”
I watched Rick gently guide the campers into firm sitting positions, tighten their life vests, and reassure a few kids that they would be able to lead on the way back. I slipped on my backpack with the extra supplies and scanned the area before heading for my boat.
“Think you can handle one on your own?” He sounded annoyed, as if he was babysitting on of the CITs who was tagging along.
“You mean that floaty thing over there…how hard can it be?” I smirked. Although I was equally annoyed at his skepticism, I didn’t want to start a head-on duel in front of the kids or take time away from their activity. I was clearly being the adult here.
