“If I want to live?” I ask in my best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice, which admittedly isn’t very impressive. I sound more like the Count from Sesame Street.
“No, I want to show you something.”
“I saw Stefan’s balloon animals at the firepit earlier. Very impressive.”
“Not the balloon animals. This is better.”
My curiosity is piqued. “It obviously isn’t a runaway Buffy.”
“Nope. This is a special treat. It only happens on certain nights in the summer, and lucky for you, you’re here for one of them.”
I clasp her outstretched hand and let her guide me to the dock.
“Your chariot awaits,” she says, and points to the double kayak bobbing in the water.
“You want to kayak now? It’s dark out there.”
“Not for long. You’ll see.” She offers a cryptic smile. If I’m Superman, her smile is my Kryptonite.
I climb into the kayak and hold it steady while she slides between my legs, which feels more natural to me than it has any right to. Our paddles slice through the darkness as we head toward the middle of the lake. I have no clue what to expect. I hope the Poconos doesn’t have its own version of the Loch Ness monster. On the plus side, though, a ferocious beast might persuade LandStar to abandon their plans.
“Stop paddling,” she says in a voice that’s low and reverent.
Then I spot them. To be fair, they’re impossible to miss.
Chapter Fifteen
“It’s magical, isn’t it?” Hundreds of tiny lights hover above the lake’s surface. “This is as close as I’ll ever get to the Lantern Festival in Rapunzel.”
Charlie’s breath seems well and truly taken as he gapes at nature’s own fairy lights. “I’ve never seen this many fireflies in my whole life combined. My cabin is close to the lake. How have I missed this?”
“It doesn’t happen every night. You need the right conditions.”
He cranes his neck toward shore. “Where’s everybody else?”
I wave a hand in the direction of the campground. “Either asleep or part of an RPG campaign. They’ll be holed up for hours.” Which means we have the entire lake to ourselves. I tilt my head back to look at him. “What do you think?”
“This is spectacular, truly. Thank you for sharing it with me.” He’s quiet for a beat. “Why did you decide to share it with me?”
“Because it’s part of the camp’s charm. I want it to win you over.”
“I already told you I won’t give any intel to LandStar.”
My pulse accelerates, knowing what I’m about to confess. “Okay fine. Maybe I want to win over you.” I hold my breath and await his reaction.
“Maybe you already have,” he says, and wraps his arms around me.
Relief ripples through me as I nestle against his chest. The steady beat of his heart joins the other soothing sounds of the night.
“What’s the most romantic night you’ve ever had?” I ask.
He’s quiet for a moment as we let the kayak drift. “It was a Phillies game.”
I choke back laughter. “Your most romantic date was at a baseball game?”
“What? We had seats right behind home plate. It was awesome.”
“Awesome, maybe. Romantic? I’m not so sure.”
