Chapter Two
By the timethey turned off the main highway and onto the winding road that led to Camp Firefly Falls, Leah was still questioning just what in the hell she’d been thinking to invite Caleb along for the weekend. She could count the things she knew about him on her fingers.
She knew that he worked in law enforcement. She had no idea in what capacity, but he’d mentioned the DCJ on a couple of occasions, which she discovered through Google stood for the Department of Criminal Justice. It also stood for Drum Corps Japan, but she’d taken a wild guess that it was the former and not the latter. Although she had no idea what he did at the DCJ, Leah could admit she’d felt safer ever since she learned that about him.
She knew he was single and didn’t seem to date all that much. She could recall seeing a total of two women at his place the entire time he’d lived next door. Of course, he could have a harem in another part of the city, but something told her that wasn’t the case.
She also knew he enjoyed working in his yard, listening to 90’s hardcore rap—which he occasionally blasted while doing said yard work—and that he liked to cook. He often opened his kitchen window when he cooked and the aromas that drifted out made her mouth water.
Another thing that made her mouth water? When her neighbor went shirtless.
And, because God was real and he loved her, she’d had the opportunity to see Caleb shirtless on a number of occasions. Back before she had to change her early morning jog to the afternoon, she would run into him on her normal route. It was yet another reason she was still salty about the finance company where she worked moving to a new office building in Midtown Manhattan. The extra forty minutes it added to her commute was bad enough, but missing the chance to see a sweaty, shirtless Caleb was just downright devastating.
At any rate, knowing that he was in law enforcement, had questionable taste in music and ripped abs didn’t constitute actuallyknowinghim. Yet she’d invited him to join her for a weekend in the mountains?
Nice going, Leah.Was it any wonder why she’d spent all of last night and most of this morning second guessing every choice she’d made in regard to men?
They drove through the entrance and Leah parked at a rustic cabin marked Registration Building. As they were removing their bags from the trunk, they were greeted by a tall blonde with a welcoming smile.
“Hello there.” She extended her hand. “I’m Heather Tully.”
“Oh, hello,” Leah said, recognizing the co-owner’s name from information she’d read online. “I’m Leah Cross.”
“Nice to meet you, Leah. I hope the drive up was okay.”
“It was great.” She looked around at the mountain peaks reaching for the heavens. “It is absolutely beautiful here.”
“Thank you. I’m pretty proud of this place.” She turned to Caleb. “And you must be—” She looked at the electronic tablet she held in her hand. “Derrick. Welcome to Camp Firefly Falls.”
“Actually, it’s Caleb,” Caleb answered.
A frown marred the woman’s smooth skin. “Oh, I’m sorry. Someone must have inputted the wrong information. I’ll make sure to correct it.”
“No. Actually—” Leah started, but at the same moment a man came out of the building and down the steps. Heather introduced him as her husband, and fellow owner/director at Camp Firefly Falls, Michael.
“As you know, this weekend’s retreat will be conducted by two psychologists from the Johnson Institute. Michael and I will be on property, but the staff has been instructed to only contact us for emergencies. We’re taking a much needed vacation.”
“It says a lot about this place that you’re choosing to spend your vacation here,” Leah said.
“What can I say? It’s the best vacation spot around,” Heather said with a wink. “Leave your bags right here. They will be delivered to your cabin, which is…” She looked at the screen again. “Number fourteen in Moon Bug Estates. The orientation for the retreat is already underway, so you should make your way to the Pinecone Lodge as soon as possible. Here’s a map of the grounds.”
“Thanks,” Caleb said, taking the map.
“I hope you both have a fabulous weekend with Katherine and Geoff. I’ve heard that their retreat does wonders for your relationship, but to be honest, just being here at Camp Firefly Falls should be enough. This place has a knack for bringing couples together.” Heather gave her husband a slight bump with her hip as Michael picked up both Leah and Caleb’s bags.
“Pinecone Lodge is just up that walking path,” Michael said. “Enjoy yourselves this weekend.”
As they set out on the path, Leah looked over at Caleb. “So, you didn’t think to correct her?” she asked him.
“Correct her about what?”
“It’s obvious she thought we were a couple. It’s acouple’sretreat, remember? You could have said something when you corrected her about your name.”
“You could have said something too,” Caleb replied with a hint of amusement tingeing his voice. “Why does it matter anyway? She won’t be around this weekend.”
He had a point. Still, it seemed misleading to have Heather think she’d simply made a mistake inputting his name into their system.
Then again, did Leah really want to go into why she was here on a couple’s retreat with her neighbor instead of her fiancé?
