The next morning, Gabi jumped when Luke pushed open the door of the dining hall, despite the fact that she’d been waiting for him. She’d tried to get up earlier than he did so she could at least make him coffee before she begged for help, but even though she’d slid out of her sleeping bag at the crack of dawn, she’d still barely beat him to the coffeemaker.
“You’re up early. No more skunks?”
She looked at him in his clean T-shirt, hair damp from the shower, a dab of shaving cream near his ear, and tried not to find him adorable. She barely knew him, for God’s sake. She shouldn’t be using the term “adorable,” even casually.
She’d been the queen of fall-fast-fall-hard-fall-stupid for a long time now, even after she’d identified her own ridiculous pattern. It was mortally embarrassing just how stupid she’d been a few times, and “adorable” had no place on her vocab list right now.
This looking at him in the morning sunlight and wondering what the planes of his chest might look like without his T-shirt? It was just … a bad habit, not attraction. Not real attraction, anyway. He was here, he was hot, and he pressed the fall-fast button perfectly. If she let herself get drawn in by his deep green eyes and that damn dimple, she’d head right into fall-hard territory.
And inevitably, the stupid part would follow.
He’d reveal an irresistible sense of humor, he’d be a great kisser … he’d have a kitten back at his cabin that revealed his softer side. And she’d be a goner.
“Gabi?”
She shook her head, clearing the vision. What had he asked her? “I’m sorry, what?”
He raised his eyebrows like he’d seen every thought that had just flown through her head. “Skunks. Just asking if you’d seen any more critters last night.”
“Um, no. None. Pretty sure the girls swept out every piece of dust that could be mistaken as a crumb.”
“Good. Hard lesson to learn, but a good one. Could have been a bear.”
Gabi shivered. “Thank you. I need to have that on my mind right now.”
He filled a coffee mug, then motioned toward the door. “Want to come sit by the lake for a few minutes before the princess posse awakens?”
She paused. Would it be easier to have the conversation she’d practiced down by the water? Or here in the dining hall?
She shook her head internally. It didn’t matter. No matter where they were, it wasn’t going to be easy. She followed him out the door and down the wooden steps, inhaling the woodsy scent of pines and moss. Even through her anxiety, she already loved this time of the day at Echo Lake.
In the morning light, with wisps of fog lifting off the lake, it looked like they’d stepped into a magical summer wonderland, rather than a run-down, has-been summer camp. As they walked over the dewy grass to the water’s edge, she looked around, trying to appreciate the beauty of the setting, even though the distinct scent of skunk still lingered in the air.
Or maybe she was still carrying it with her, despite three lake shampoos yesterday.
Echo Lake stretched for what looked like a mile or so across, and the camp property was nestled in a sandy cove surrounded by the tallest pines Gabi had ever seen. It reminded her of dream-vacation pictures she’d seen online, where water met land met sky … and not one building interrupted the sightline.
The moment she sat down, she felt her blood pressure drop, as it did every time she sat here. She didn’t know if it was the mist, or the mountain, or just the fresh, clean air, but there was just something about this spot that called up her inner Zen.
The arm of the chair made a perfect landing spot for her coffee mug, and she closed her eyes for a long moment, just drinking in the peace as she called up her courage. She could hear the water lapping softly against the sand and the dock, and somewhere behind her, birds and squirrels were busy in the trees.
“So what are you going to do with the girls today?” Luke’s deep voice made her open her eyes.
Gabi sighed. Here was her opening, but for some reason, she couldn’t find the words she’d practiced. “I’m not sure yet. Leave them out for the bears? Send them on a hike with bad directions?”
“If I said I had an idea, would you trust me?” He kept his eyes focused on the other side of the lake, not looking at her.
Wait. Was he about to actually make this easier on her?
“It’s … possible. Tell me why I should.”
He tipped his head. “I think the girls could use a little wake-up call.”
“Because the skunk wasn’t enough of one? What does that mean?”
“It means—and you may not want to hear this—it means despite what they did back at Briarwood, in all honesty, their first few days at camp have been a piece of cake.”
“I beg your pardon? Did you miss the part about raccoons? Outhouses? Baths in a glacial lake?”
“And scavenger hunts and art projects and swimming every day. Yes, it’s been harsh.” He raised an eyebrow like she was being obtuse. “I know Camp Echo is hardly their normal lifestyle, but I also know these four girls aren’t feeling a whole lot of pain around the decisions they made that got you sent here.”
“No offense, Luke, but I actually think they’re feeling quite a bit of pain.”
“Not the lasting kind.” He shook his head. “Not the kind that’ll really change their behavior in the end.”
She sighed, knowing he was right, but not wanting to admit it quite yet. “So what do you propose?”
“I propose we give them the kind of consequences that’ll leave them too tired to even think about causing trouble again—the kind that’ll make them test their limits and work together.”
“You sound like an advertisement for military school or something.” She shook her head. “And also, you might be a glutton for punishment, if you think that approach has a chance of flying with this crew.”
Luke shrugged. “Give me one day. Trust me for today, and if it doesn’t work, we’ll reconvene tonight and you can officially un-trust me.”
“One question—less than a week ago, you made no bones about the fact that you had a project list a mile long, and no interest in having us bother you. And now you’re sitting here offering to … well, I’m not sure yet what you’re offering, but it’s something. Why?”
He nodded. “Good question. And I don’t even know how to answer it.”
“Is it because you think I’m so inept that someone’s going to actually get hurt? Because the fish hook wasn’t my fault. Oliver said those poles are ancient. And the poison ivy … well, I guess that one could probably be blamed on me, but really, it was just discomfort, not real pain or anything.”
She knew she was babbling, and she also knew her goal waking up this morning was to get help, so really, she should be feeling grateful that he was offering first, but instead, her initial reaction was to feel defensive.
Was she really this bad at accepting help?
“I’m not offering to bail you out because I fear for the lives of your students, no.” Luke smiled. “I’m just offering because—well, maybe because it’s what I do. And honestly, I’m only offering you one day. After that, they’re all yours.”
Gabi stared at the water. One day. “Do you truly have any experience with kids like this?”
“I’ve got experience with a lot of kids, Gabi.”
She heard the tone in his voice before she saw his jaw tighten, and she felt guilty. He was offering help, and she needed help. She just hated that she did.
She closed her eyes tightly. “One day?”
Some of the tightness left his jaw, and she saw the traces of a smile return. “One day.”
Just then, Gabi heard the girls grumbling their way toward the beach, complaining about the heat and the cold and their hair and the food … until she lost track of all the things that were already wrong with the morning. It was barely dawn, for God’s sake.
She glanced over at Luke, who had his eyebrows raised, an amused expression on his face as he looked at her. It pretty much hit her from head to toe and everywhere in between. She shook her head and picked up her mug, lifting it toward his in a mock cheers.
“Luke? They’re all yours.”