“It’s not that I don’t like children . . . .” Jan sighed. “But when I learned motherhood wasn’t possible, well, I accepted it. I told myself I had plenty of kids at school. That was enough for me.”
“And your husband?”
“Burt said he was okay. Later on, though, I think he may have felt differently.” She shrugged. “But what can you do?” She turned into a big RV dealership. “Well, here we are. Want to come in with me and look around?”
Brynna glanced down her front at the coffee stain. “Not looking like this.”
Jan nodded, tugging her Dodgers ball cap onto her head. “Suit yourself.”
After Jan was gone, Brynna wished she hadn’t agreed to come here with her. What was she doing at an RV place, stuck in Jan’s car, in the middle of a parking lot filled with motor homes, trailers, boats, and campers? Sitting like a sniveling child in her soiledT-shirt, Brynna wanted to leave, but her car was too far away to walk and home was even farther. She pulled out her phone and was about to call for a taxi when Jan returned with a bag and a grin.
“I got you something.” She opened the door and tossed the bag on Brynna’s lap. “Change your shirt and come inside. Something you gotta see in there.”
Jan went back into the building and Brynna opened the bag to see a pale-yellow T-shirt with a picture of Smokey the Bear on the front. The words above his picture read ONLYYOUCANPREVENTFORESTFIRESand below it, TAKEMECAMPING! Grateful for the tinted windows, she ducked down and struggled to pull off her soiled shirt and put the new one on. Then she tucked her new shirt into her frayed and faded jeans, readjusted her long brown ponytail, and got out of the car, feeling slightly better. Just because her life was a mess didn’t mean she had to be. She checked herself in the side mirror, using a wet fingertip to rub off some smudged mascara, and even paused to apply a bit of lip gloss. If Jan was kind enough to rescue her and get her this T-shirt, the least she could do was try to act like a normal human being.
Still feeling a bit alien and far out of her comfort zone, Brynna entered the big RV building. It appeared to be a giant showroom with several shiny RVs parked around a faux campsite, complete with fake grass, trees, and shrubs. Several camp chairs were even gathered around a surprisingly realistic-looking campfire that, on closer inspection, was actually fake flames flickering from a fan beneath.
“Come here, Brynna. You gotta see this,” Jan called from a miniature wooden bridge. Brynna followed a rock-lined path to join Jan on the bridge and, looking down, saw that there was an artificial stream with rushing water, rocks, and plants. “See those?” Jan pointed down. “They even have small trout in here.”
“You’re kidding.” Brynna stared in wonder as several brown fish zipped under the bridge.
“Farm trout. The salesperson said when they get bigger, they’ll relocate them to a big lake on the owner’s property.”
“Interesting.” Brynna nodded.
Jan turned to her. “Looks like the T-shirt fit okay. They’re really for kids. But I figured you’re not much bigger than a full-grown kid.”
“Thanks.” Brynna didn’t admit that she still felt pretty childish. “I’m glad I came in to see the fish.”
“Me too. Now you hang out here while I check on my trailer.” Jan chuckled. “You canpretendyou’re camping.”
Brynna sat down in one of the camp chairs and thought about that. Pretend you are camping? Pretend you are happy? Pretend you are making a garden on a teeny-tiny terrace? Pretend your students are your children? Pretend you don’t mind being single? Pretend you are living? Was that all Brynna could do—pretend? With fresh tears stinging her eyes, she decided to slip outside to wait. Sitting on a bench in the bright sunshine, she put on her sunglasses and let her tears fall freely.
“What’s wrong now?” Jan asked when she found her ten minutes later.
“Nothing.” Brynna stood up, wiping her cheeks.
“Doesn’t look like nothing to me.” Jan studied her closely.
“I just got tired of pretending I was camping,” Brynna snapped at her. “Like all I do is pretend.”
“I have the answer.” Jan held up a finger.
“What’s that?”
“You will not pretend to camp, you will go for real. I am taking you with me on my camping trip, Brynna. What do you think of that?”
Brynna was speechless.
“So, it’s agreed upon. You’re coming with me. No more pretending for you. Camping is about as real as life gets.”
Jan continued to talk about all they would do and see and what Brynna was to pack to take with her. By the time Jan dropped Brynna back at her car, it seemed to be set in stone. Brynna was going camping with Sergeant Bart!
Chapter 5
Despite his daughter’s claims and promises, Leroy never expected Gina to be so driven. After just a few days, she had the barn nearly cleared and cleaned. “I’m impressed,” he told her as she walked him through, explaining her plans to reuse old pieces of wood and corrugated metal to transform the space into a rustic tasting room.
“I also want to recycle a lot of those old furniture pieces.” She pointed to a bunch of family “heirlooms” that were stacked against the back wall—a motley selection of tables and chairs and other family castoffs. “But first I want to put a clear finish on the pine floors. And make chandeliers from wine bottles. I saw a great tutorial on YouTube.” She waved her hands excitedly toward the roof as she spoke. “I’ll hang them from the center beam, as well as lots of strings of white Edison lights along the rafters. And there will be seating areas with tables and chairs.” She faced a side wall. “I’m going to put the tasting counter over there. I’ll make it from more wine barrels with some old planks of wood for the top. I already salvaged a bunch of stuff from behind the barn. Reduce, reuse, recycle.” She beamed at him.
