His cousin was a freshman at a university in Vermont and he definitely understood. “Of course. And she’s welcome anytime she needs to get away, you know. We can always find a space for her.”
“She was talking about making a day trip with Gage once they’re both out of school,” Kevin said.
Rob nodded at his young cousin. “If you want to take the weekend, or even just one night, let me know and I’ll hold a cabin for you.”
“Cool. I don’t know if we can swing it with our jobs and stuff, but I’ll let her know.”
Then it was time to hug his uncle Joe, who slapped him on the back. “Hell of a job you guys are doing. Terry and Evan are on a cruise, but I’ll send her pictures she’ll pay an obscene amount to download on the ship.”
Rob laughed. His aunt Terry was Uncle Joe’s twin sister, and nobody messed with anybody in the family the way they messed with each other. “Well, Uncle Evan’s with her, so if they didn’t buy the fancy Wi-Fi package, he’ll make her wait until they can find free internet during an excursion.”
Steph, who was Danny’s age, was Terry and Evan’s daughter, and she’d ridden with Joe and Keri. She kissed his cheek before moving on to his brothers.
Then it was time to embrace Joe’s wife, Keri, and their daughter, Brianna, who was graduating from high school this year. As he hugged her and thanked her for coming, he made a mental note to find out the exact date and add it to the calendar. It was going to be tough navigating the big family events he and his brothers would all want to attend. It was one thing to be closed when you were still on the property or nearby, but all four of them being two hours away didn’t seem like a great idea.
Something to worry about later, he thought as he stepped forward to greet Sean and Emma. Sean felt like an uncle to him, but he was actually his dad’s cousin. There were a bunch of Kowalski cousins in Maine, and ironically, they owned a lodge and campground, but Sean had settled in New Hampshire when he married Emma. Their kids—sixteen-year-old Johnny and twelve-year-old Cat—gave him a cursory greeting before heading off to hang with Gage and Brianna. Nora tagged along, skipping in her pink sneakers and smiling happily at her new cousins, before veering off toward the snacks.
“You sure did a good job on that pool,” his dad said, dropping an arm around his shoulder. “I remember those first pictures you sent of it, and it looked like a science experiment.”
“It basicallywasa science experiment. It took a lot of YouTube videos, reading, and trial and error, but I got it ready for the big weekend.”
“Joey told us how hard you worked on it, and it paid off.”
Rob glanced at the food table where his brother was helping Nora get a watermelon slice, surprised he’d been talking him up. “Thanks, Dad.”
“You’vealldone a great job. I had some concerns. It’s a lot of work and responsibility, and owning the campground is a lot different than playing here. Plus, you boys don’t always get along. But the place looks great, you’re booking up, and you’re all still speaking to each other. We’re proud of the whole bunch of you.”
Rob cleared his throat and nodded. “That means a lot.”
“And don’t listen to Dave.”
Rob laughed. “So you’ve met him?”
“We’ve crossed paths with Dave and Sheila a few times over the years, even though they eventually tried not to be here when we came for our camping trips.”
“Of doom,” his mom said, appearing at her husband’s side.
As she launched into one of her favorite memories from those years, Rob listened, but he couldn’t help looking around. Hannah wasn’t here. And maybe that meant she wasn’t hereyet—it was still early—or maybe it meant she wasn’t coming at all.
Not a surprise because she hadn’t seemed really excited about it, but still disappointing.
“Are you looking for somebody in particular?” his mom asked, and Rob realized he’d zoned out.
“No. Just looking around, making sure nobody needs anything,” he lied.
“It’s not like you to not laugh at the part where Danny’s trunks fell off and he couldn’t get out of the water.”
Rob chuckled because thathadbeen a good day for everybody but Danny, but his mom was right—he hadn’t been paying attention. There was zero chance he was going to tell his mother, but he was looking for Hannah and he still didn’t see her.
Hannah was tormenting herself and she knew it. She’d made up her mind she wasn’t going to attend the cookout because the only other campers she’d met that she’d really like to spend time with were the Scotts and they were right next door. If she went to the cookout, she had no doubt she’d end up cornered by Dave and Sheila and probably not even get to talk to Melissa.
And the last thing her runaway imagination needed was to see Rob with extended family. She was having enough trouble keeping her attraction to that man in check. Seeing him relaxed and happy, laughing and enjoying time with people he loved, wouldn’t help.
But none of that explained why she’d made a special trip to the grocery store and then spent hours cutting up fruit and mixing the creamy whip to make the fruit salad her family had devoured at every summer barbecue they’d ever had.
Hannah was going because it was an excuse to spend an afternoon with Rob, and she knew it. And that was before her phone chimed with a text message from him.
There’s too much food here. You should come eat some of it.
