A frenzied finish ensued with both teams rushing around to finalize a shelter that, according to the rules Jilly laid out, would withstand the elements. They hadn’t clued the kids into what that meant yet.
Her phone chime rang. “Time. Everyone stop!”
Levi leaned against a tree. “That was stressful. I don’t think I could ever watch any of you be onSurvivor.”
Grayson laughed. “You and I should do this challenge, Bright.”
“I’d pay to watch that. City Boy versus Lifetime Smiley,” Zane said, stepping back from his group’s shelter.
“I’ll do that challenge if you agree to a cook-off as well,” Levi said.
The other parents laughed. Leanne looked at Gray. “He’d have you there. I’ve eaten your scrambled eggs. You don’t stand a chance.”
Jillian’s brain halted, twisted with the idea of her brother making Leanne Shuke, divorced mom, scrambled eggs. Sometimes she forgot her brothers were men who might have lives outside of being her brother. Just like they did with her.
Weird.
“Okay. No grown-up challenges, but Captain Gray did bring something that will quickly tell us which team has the strongest shelter. Everyone line up in front of your spots.”
The kids lined up, all of them looking tired but proud and excited.
Jilly looked at Gray with a smile. “Ready?”
“Absolutely,” he said, backing up. “Hmm. How should I test the durability and strength of these forts?”
“Let me see first,” Jilly said while her brother made his way backward. She walked around the “tents,” pretending to give marks based on height, size, whether she could actually step inside, and the organization of their supplies.
She started stepping away, pretending she was unsure about which was stronger, when really, it didn’t matter and she and Gray had already decided this would be a fun and funny surprise.
Just as she stepped back, saying, “It’s hard to choose a winner. They alllooksturdy,” Grayson stepped closer with a hose in his hands.
“Let’s check how they’d face the elements,” he said, turning the hose on and aiming it toward the kids and their shelters.
Laughter and screaming quickly ensued. The parents had paid enough attention to Jilly and Grayson’s movements to back themselves up and out of the spray but every one of the kids got soaked.
Jillian was laughing along with all of them until Grayson turned to her.
“Don’t,” she warned. “I have a clipboard.” She held it up as a useless shield even as ice-cold water sprayed her from head to toe.
The kids started laughing and chanting, “Get her!”
“What?” Jilly yelled shrilly. “Mutiny! Getthem,Grayson Keller! We’re on the same team.”
“I’ll save you, Jilly,” Levi yelled in a hilariously loud and dramatic voice, grabbing the hose from Grayson and turning it on him. The kids on one team rushed Levi, but the surprise to Jilly was Ollie grabbing Grayson to stop him from responding to Levi’s attack. It was clearly only play, but Jillian nearly choked on emotion when she realized that Ollie wasprotectingLevi.
“I surrender!” Grayson fell to the ground and Ollie landed on his chest.
Ollie jumped back and did a victory dance. “We got you, Uncle Gray!”
He laughed, soaked just like the kids and her and Levi. “Yeah, you did. You win.”
Levi high-fived each of the kids, including Ollie, but when they clapped hands, her boyfriend leaned down and said, “Thanks for the backup, kiddo.”
She threw her arms around his neck, giving him a hard, quick hug. “No problem.”
Then she ran off with her friends and Jillian stood there staring at what she hadn’t spent any time thinking about: her future.
Twenty-nine
