“Mm-hmm,” Calla said again, half smiling. “Thought so.”
“Calla,” Ian said under his breath.
Valerie felt a little embarrassed but didn’t know exactly why. Brad said, “It’s okay, Ian. We came to Calla’s opening as a couple on a date. I’m not hiding anything.”
A soaking wet Sami wearing a pair of blue shorts and a red tank top rushed toward them laughing, carrying her sandals. “Y’all have got to do that,” she said, pulling out a chair next to Calla and landing in it with a wet sound. “The water’s great.”
“Yeah, no,” Valerie said, shuddering. “All I can think about when I look at that rope is how many water moccasin nests must be among the roots of that tree.”
Sami’s laughter immediately stopped. “Really? Did you seriously just say that?”
Valerie laughed and covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m sorry! I didn’t even think before I said it. I just am afraid of freshwater. I had a friend get bitten in high school.”
“Well that will keep me off the rope the rest of the day.” She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, letting her lower lip come out in a pout. “Water moccasins,” she huffed.
“You fish freshwater,” Brad said.
She thought about their upcoming fishing date. “Sure. I don’t have to go into the water to fish. Besides, you’ll be with me.” She winked at him. “I know something about you, Brad. You’ll protect me from the snakes.”
Giving a barely perceptible nod, he looked at Sami. “You know all the splashing and laughing and giant human beings in and around that tree all morning would have scared away any snake in the vicinity, right?”
“And the ‘gators,” Ian added, dimples appearing in his cheeks as he grinned.
“‘Gators. right.” Sami slapped her hands on the table and stood. “Sounds like it’s time to get lunch.” She left a puddle of water on the plastic seat of the chair and headed off to the food tent.
“We took all her fun away,” Valerie said on a laugh.
“Hardly. She’s probably devising a way to turn all that information into a dare for the teenage boys. Scare them and make them jump anyway.” Calla took a sip of her water. “But I get your point. Once you think about it, it’s hard to relax and have fun.”
“I’m good in public swimming areas. They get used all the time so they tend to not be inhabited with dangerous fauna. It’s mostly untouched places like this I don’t trust.” Valerie bit into a short rib and enjoyed the mingle of spices and tang from the sauce on her tongue. The meat melted in her mouth. She set the rib on her plate and licked her fingers. “Those ribs are amazing,” she said to Brad.
“Jon’s sauce. Can’t be beat. He needs to bottle that stuff. He starts with raisins and goes from there.” He picked up his hot dog. “I had one earlier or I would have gotten another. Want to make sure there’s enough for everyone.”
Calla dug her phone out of her pocket and checked an incoming text. Ian watched her as she typed. “Day off, love, remember?”
“He’s just asking for the security code for the safe. And he apologized three times in the text asking for it.”
“Why doesn’t he know the security code?”
“Well, I told it to him, but he’s never actually opened it.”
Ian leaned toward Calla and gently covered her fingers, preventing her from typing any more into her phone or sending the text. “First of all, don’t text him the code. Call him and recite it, and make sure you aren’t on speaker. Second, you and I are going to have a conversation about delegation. I want you to enjoy this, not get burned out in the first year.”
Calla dialed the phone and strolled a short distance away. Ian looked at Brad. “Ken said you’re going to Florida for the mission trip this year?”
“Yeah. Jon and I are giving him a break from flying this year. After the last hurricane, there’s more than enough work to keep us busy for the week.”
“Is it just a brother thing, or could someone else join?”
Brad’s eyebrows drew together. “It’s kind of a brother thing. And we want some downtime with Jon this year.”
Ian nodded. “Understood, friend. Let me know if you need anything.”
“We’re good. Ken drew up a list and coordinated with our office in Panama City. Probably be the smoothest mission trip ever.”
“You head out September first?”
“Yeah. Be gone until the ninth.”
