His smile was full of happy nostalgia. “Yeah, with one of those little grills and everything. I thought you might like it up there.”
“I have to pee,” Erika reminded her in a voice that told Hannah it was no longer a theoretical problem.
She wanted to tell her to just use the bathroom in the store, but they were filthy. And she knew other people used it anyway, but she didn’t want them making a mess the guys would have to clean up, especially after Rob had taken them for a ride.
“Go,” Rob said. “Get cleaned up and relax. I’ll see you around.”
When they reached her site, Hannah realized they were way too dirty to go in the camper. If it belonged to her, she might have done it, but it belonged to her parents. And she knew neither of them were going to strip down to their underwear outside. So they went to the bathhouse on the hill because she knew there was a broom in the corner and she’d be able to sweep up the dirt they tracked in.
After they’d both used the bathroom, Hannah took the broom outside and they brushed as much of the loose dirt and mud off of each other as they could.
“These are going to make a mess of my carry-on,” Erika said, looking down at herself. “My little laundry bag wasn’t designed for this.”
“After we shower and change, we can do a load of laundry.”
Several hours later, with the laundry done and dinner eaten, Hannah held Erika to her promise of sitting by the campfire, making s’mores.
Hannah had already eaten two by the time Erika managed to toast a marshmallow. Her first attempt turned into a flaming ball of blackened sugar that she barely refrained from flinging into the side of the camper. Her second was almost perfect when it slid off the stick and into the fire.
“This shouldn’t be so hard,” she muttered.
“Worth it, though,” Hannah said, licking melted marshmallow from her fingers. “Once in a while. They’re a lot of work and usually I just eat the chocolate bar and leave the rest.”
She heard rustling in the area of the rental and some familiar whispers. “Boys, do you want to make s’mores? If you do, ask your mom if it’s okay.”
In her mind, the boys would go to their mother and ask permission. In reality, they bellowed the question at the same time and Melissa yelled back that they could if they were invited, but only one each or she’d have to duct-tape them to their beds.
When the Scott boys arrived at the fire, Hannah introduced them by name and by nickname, and then gave them each a marshmallow stick. This was the third time they’d been over for s’mores and they had a lot of experience making them, so other than ensuring they didn’t get too close to the fire, Hannah could just sit back and watch.
And once they were done eating them, she was very grateful they’d be going in their own camper and not hers. How two boys could get so much marshmallow and chocolate on themselves from one s’more each was a mystery.
“Do you guys ever swap colors, just to mess with people?” Erika asked. When both boys shook their heads, she gave them a skeptical look. “Really? Isn’t that a thing twins do?”
“Mom said we better not,” Blue replied. “Because the only way to tell us apart is the birthmark on my private parts, and she said if she ever eventhinkswe switched, she’ll drop our drawers right then and there.”
“Oh.” Erika nodded. “You definitely don’t want to try that prank, then.”
They heard Melissa call for the boys, who took off at a run yelling thank-yous over their shoulders. Hannah watched them go, wishing she had a fraction of their energy right now.
“So they put a family with kids next to a woman camping alone?” Erika asked, fortunately in a low voice that wouldn’t carry. “There should be, like, a family section and an adults-only section.”
Hannah laughed. “Trust me, I’ve got it good here. I remember some campgrounds we went to as a family that were overrun with kids and they had no boundaries. My mom got in a huge argument with another mom one day because some kids unhooked our water hose and stole our marshmallow sticks.”
“I think I’m a hotel kind of person.”
“You definitely are,” Hannah agreed, and they both laughed. “But they’re good kids. High energy, for sure, but I like them. The whole family, actually. Trust me, I could have ended up with worse neighbors in this place.”
“But twins. Can you imagine? I mean, I can’t even imagine having kids at all yet, but when it’s time, I hope they come one at a time. You know how I am at multitasking.”
Hannah chuckled because it was rare for Erika to admit that while she rarely focused on one thing—or even five—at a time, multitasking wasn’t one of her stronger skills.
“Can you imagine us with kids, Hannah?”
An image of a little boy with dark hair and Kowalski blue eyes filled Hannah’s mind, and she shook her head while managing a weak smile.
“Anyway, I can’t wait for you to get back to California so we can get back to work and work toward whatever goals we decide on before it’s time to settle down.”
Chapter Twenty-One
