“You’re going to have such a good time.”
“I’m going to miss you,” she sniffles, looking so tiny and young among the other kids.
My heart aches in an unexpected way. She’s not my kid, but that doesn’t mean I feel great about leaving her.
“I’m itching already,” Maddox whines as she drags a suitcase over the dirt-and-gravel path like it’s filled with bricks. “This sucks.”
Wylder hoists a duffel bag over his shoulder, the second piece of luggage Maddox has packed even though she claims she’ll be out of here when her two-week stay is done. “Did you pack the itch cream and bug spray?” he asks her.
“Of course, Dad. Duh.” Maddox rolls her eyes, but thankfully, Wylder doesn’t see it because he has only the smallest shred of patience left.
Wylder mutters under his breath and shakes his head but doesn’t say anything more to her.
The girls complained the entire car ride. It didn’t bother me. They were just being kids and were probably nervous but had no other way to voice their worries besides whining about everything.
A woman’s voice comes through the speaker, and everyone in the area looks up as if we’re going to see her lurking somewhere. “Welcome, campers. Set your watches for seven o’clock. We’re holding a s’mores-eating contest, and the winner will earn the premium cabin for themselves and the roommates of their choice. The cabin has air conditioning, a big-screen television, and a private bathroom. Be ready and be hungry.”
“Oh. My. Goodness,” Hazel exclaims with wide eyes. “All-I-can-eat s’mores?”
I nod, unable to hold back my smile at her sudden change of mood. “You’re going to eat until you puke, huh, kiddo?”
Hazel giggles and twists her body back and forth like she’s ready to jump out of her skin. “Maybe.”
“If you win, I’m your new and only roomie,” Maddox tells her, already pinning her hopes and dreams on her little sister.
Hazel glowers at her big sister with so much sass, I have to hold back my laughter. “Well, duh. It’s not like I know anyone else, Maddy.”
She sounds more and more like Maddox every day. She’s growing up too fast, even in the short amount of time I’ve known her.
“I’ll get Maddy settled in and come back for Hazel,” Wylder says to me as he adjusts the duffel bag on his shoulder.
“I can handle her,” I tell him, wanting to be a little useful because standing here doing nothing isn’t an option.
I’ve already been given more than a few dirty looks from the mothers who are wandering around with their noses in the air. I don’t fit in here, but that’s no shocker. We’re in the middle ofIndiana, and I look like I stepped out of an issue of the newest tattoo magazine on the newsstand.
Wylder nods his approval. “I’ll meet you at her cabin in a few.”
“Sounds good,” I tell him as Hazel twists around, no doubt daydreaming about chocolate and marshmallows.
Wylder and Maddox head off, leaving me with Hazel.
“Ready?” I ask her, pulling her back to the here and now with my voice.
She slides her tiny hand into mine before tipping her head back, giving me the biggest smile. “This is going to be the best summer ever.”
My heart melts a little at her excitement and her hand in mine. This kid is quickly stealing my heart with her sweetness.
She deserves a good summer. Lord knows they’ve had enough bad shit because of their bitch mother ditching them like an old pair of shoes.
“I hope so, sweetie,” I say to her as I glance around, trying to figure out where the hell I’m going.
Hazel’s in cabin forty-seven, and we’re standing in front of cabin six.
“This way,” she says, dragging me to the right like she knows where she’s going. I follow without giving it a second thought. She’s a smart kid. Observant. Maybe even a little too much for her age.
In less time than I thought, we’re standing in front of her cabin. Hazel stops, turns, and stares at the wooden building like it’s the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen.
“This is it,” she whispers, and she clutches my hand a little tighter, as if she’s trying to ground herself to this very spot.
