“You’re not joining us?” Courtney’s voice catches me off guard.
When I turn to answer her, my breath catches in my throat. Backlit by moonlight, she’s practically aglow. The effect is stunning.
I force myself to speak. “Not tonight. See you in the morning, Cricket.”
I swear under my breath as I turn away. I called her Cricket instead of Courtney. The woman is getting under my skin. I can’t have that.
I change course and stride toward her office. It’s now or never. If there’s leverage to unearth, now’s the time to find it.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it, Charlie?”
I ground to a halt outside the office. Adam’s black costume is barely discernible in the darkness. I notice a flash of red and see Chewy at the end of a leash. “It is. I didn’t see you at the movie.”
“Not my kind of story. I prefer space opera or fantasy.”
Chewy trots closer to sniff my shoe, and I instinctively jerk my foot away.
“No need to worry. He won’t pee on them or anything. He likes to sniff.”
I relax and let the small dog continue his investigation. “How old is he?”
“Thirteen.”
“Is that old for a dog?”
“Not for his breed. You didn’t have a dog growing up?”
“No, my parents didn’t want any pets. We were too busy with all the sports and activities.”
“I guess that’s fair. It’s worse to get a dog and then neglect them.” He scoops the Yorkie into his arms. “Chewy wouldn’t let me ignore him even if I tried. He’s very demanding.” As if to demonstrate the point, the dog licks the side of his black mask.
“He seems sweet.”
“Don’t know what I’d do without him. So, how are you enjoying camp so far?”
“It’s great. Nothing like I expected.”
“I saw you at Lego club today. Nice Jaws creation.”
“Thanks. I assume yours was a scene from Star Wars.”
“Actually, it was from Guardians of the Galaxy. Have you seen it?”
“No.”
“The main character is Peter Quill or Star-Lord. He’s a professional thief because of his messed-up childhood. He’s also sort of an asshat, but that’s another story.”
“And Star-Lord is the villain?”
“No, he’s the hero.”
“Doesn’t sound like one.”
“That’s the great thing about this kind of story. The unlikely hero.”
“I’ll bite. How does the thief become a hero?”
“I’m so glad you asked, Charlie. Peter becomes a hero when he develops a genuine connection with others. In this case, a ragtag group of aliens. They bring out the positive traits within him. Thanks to their bonds of love and devotion, Peter begins to make better choices, ones that aren’t steeped in greed and misguided loyalty.”
