“Burgers and dogs are ready,” Leo announced.
Steph leaned close. “Has anybody told you about the potato salads?”
* * *
Brian finished banging the last peg into thetots’ tent, as his family called it. It was a small, modified tent his family had been using for years as a combination of play fort and napping spot. It hadn’t left his grandparents’ garage in a few years, but after they’d eaten, he and Joey had given it a once-over and it was still in good shape.
Because it was new to Nora, she was excited to get inside and Brian wasn’t surprised when Oliver went right in after her. The boy had definitely latched ontoNora—his cousin, Brian thought—and he was grateful she didn’t seem annoyed to have a toddler shadowing her every move.
“Is it okay if he goes in there?” Siobhan asked, startling him because he hadn’t noticed she was standing next to him. “If she needs a break from him, I can distract him.”
“I think she’s happy to have somebody to play with, even if he’s younger. And my money says, they’ll both be asleep before an hour’s up.”
“That explains the mats you put in there,” she said, and he nodded. “It reminds me of the domes made out of screens that you put over paper plates to keep the flies off.”
“Similar idea. My uncle made it when my younger cousins were little. Basically it’s just a little pop-up tent, but he replaced two of the panels with screen that has magnetic strips.”
“It’s held up well.”
He chuckled. “It’s seen a few repairs over the years, but it’s also seen a lot of use. It keeps the little ones with us, but away from the fire and bugs. Since they always fall asleep, those screen panels just lift up so it’s easier to pick the kids up and carry them to bed.”
“Your family seems very good at camping.”
“We’ve always enjoyed it, especially the annual trips here when everybody came.”
“Steph told me about the camping trips, and she said the whole family was happy when the four of you bought this campground.”
He nodded, aware of how strange it felt to be having a conversation with Siobhan Rowe. In the days leading up to her arrival, he’d been so focused on how they were going to ignore each other. Since she’d never liked himany more than he liked her, he’d assumed they’d both do the necessary social dance steps to ensure they were never in the same space at the same time without other people to interact with.
Then Oliver had happened. And, honestly, she seemed like such a different woman. She wasn’t exactly warm with him—understandably—but he’d seen her talking and laughing with his family all afternoon and she fit in so well.
She also smelled good, which was something he’d rather not be aware of. It was probably just the bug spray, he told himself. His family tended to use the stuff that worked really well, but didn’t smell that great. Being new to camping, Siobhan might be using one of the ones that smelled good and claimed to be skin friendly, if you didn’t mind the bug bites.
“Hey, Brian,” Terry called, breaking the spell Siobhan’s scent had cast over him. “Did I get a package delivery here today?”
After smiling at Siobhan, he turned back to the campfire, which was roaring now. “Today? You’ve gotten packages delivered here every day for the last week.”
“It made more sense than having them delivered to my house, only to load them into our camper and drive them up here.”
He was aware of Siobhan peeking through the screen to see that Oliver and Nora were playing with the stuffed animals she’d brought with her, and then she moved back to her seat next to Steph.
To put distance between them, he took an empty chair on the other side of the fire, between his grandfather and Kyle’s grandfather. It was a mistake, not only because he ended up sandwiched between two men with big voices,but because sitting across from Siobhan meant she was in his line of sight.
It was hard not to notice the way the flames reflected in her eyes and the way it shimmered over the lighter blond strands in her hair. And every time he managed to focus his attention elsewhere, she’d laugh or move her head in a way that made her ponytail swing or she’d bounce the sandal dangling from her foot.
Her toenails were painted a soft shade of pink.
Finally, for his own piece of mind, he took a walk up to the store for a quick bathroom break and then, when he returned, he joined a different conversation and sat in a chair that didn’t face Siobhan’s direction.
Sometime later, when the fire was burning low and the exhaustion of arrival and setup day was setting in, he noticed Siobhan by the tots’ tent. She peeked in and then turned to say something to Ellie, who laughed.
Then she peeked inside again before putting her hands on her hips. He could tell from her body language that she was considering how exactly she was going to manage to get the boy out of the tent and up to her camper.
Indecision kept him in his chair. If he offered to carry Oliver to bed, would she take that as him trying to push his way in? It was a very dad thing to do. But even if she was able to carry him to the camper, how would she get the door open? Waking him up and having him walk was always an option, but not usually a parent’s first choice.
Siobhan turned and caught him watching her. Her gaze held his for a few seconds, and then she dipped her head toward the tent. Taking that as an invitation to join her, Brian pushed himself to his feet and made his way around the chairs.
“He’s a heavy sleeper,” she said in a low voice. “Hesleeps through almost anything, and he’s a monster if I wake him up, but carrying him from the couch to his bed isn’t bad. He’s getting heavy, though, and I wouldn’t bet on me carrying him across the grass and up the hill and getting the door of the camper open without dropping him. Would you mind carrying him for me?”
