Shedidturn her head at that, but her eyes had been playing tricks on her again. Not feathers, but hair, as gold as a lion’s pelt. A stocky boy shrank back from her gaze, dropping his head so that unruly, tousled mane hid his face.
“Hello, Rufus,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Honey. Do you feel ready to go back into camp now?”
One eye peered cautiously at her from behind that shock of hair. After a moment, Rufus nodded.
“Rufus doesn’t talk much,” Finley volunteered. A hint of defensiveness crept into his tone. “Sometimes people think that means he doesn’t understand, but he does. The words just don’t come out, that’s all.”
“There are lots of ways to talk besides using words.” She got to her feet. “Could you boys show me where to find Leonie? I’m supposed to report in to her.”
Rufus eyed her for a moment longer, then nodded again. To her surprise, he held out a hand. Honey took it, and his fingers closed around hers, warm and reassuring.
The two boys led her to several large timber buildings set in a wide square around a stone fire pit. Big, split logs ringed the fire pit, forming simple benches. This had to be the heart of the camp. She could easily picture kids seated there, shoulder to shoulder, tired faces bathed in warm light as they swapped stories and boasts about everything they’d done that day.
“The dining hall is over there,” Finley said, pointing out a big building with picnic tables outside. “And that’s the main office across the way, next to the flagpole. Leonie should be in there.”
Rufus shook his head, tugging on Honey’s hand. He pointed at a different building on the opposite side of the square. From the shelves and boxes Honey could glimpse through the open front door, she guessed it must be some kind of storeroom.
A blonde woman who looked to be in her early thirties stood outside the building, wearing the ubiquitous camp t-shirt and a worried frown. She looked up from her clipboard as they approached, and her concerned expression cleared.
“Thank goodness,” the blonde woman said. With an air of relief, she ticked something off her list. “You must be Honey. I was starting to worry that you’d taken one look at the camp and fled for the hills.”
“I can’t imagine anyone not falling in love with this place at first sight,” Honey replied, meaning it. She released Rufus so that she could offer the other woman her hand. “Are you Leonie?”
“That’s me. I’m lead counselor here.” Leonie juggled her clipboard and pen, tucking them under one arm to shake Honey’s hand. She nodded down at Rufus and Finley. “Looks like you’ve gotten straight to work. I hope you didn’t have to fish these two out of trouble before you even got your staff t-shirt.”
Rufus went stiff. He shot Honey a swift, pleading glance from behind his shaggy hair. She could almost hear a hoarse whisper in her ear:Please don’t tell.
“Actually, they’re the ones who helped me,” Honey said, smiling. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting. I took a bit of a detour, but Finley and Rufus set me back on the right path.”
“That’s the camp spirit,” Leonie said warmly. She ruffled Rufus’s hair, and the stocky boy leaned into her touch, shoulders relaxing. “We’ll make junior counselors out of you two yet. Now, I have to get Honey sorted out, so you boys go make yourselves useful somewhere, okay?”
“Okay, Leonie.” Finley turned back to Honey. Somewhat to her bemusement, he offered her a brief, courtly bow. “It was nice to meet you, alpha Honey.”
“You too, Finley,” Honey said, while thinking:alpha?“And you, Rufus. Thank you for helping me.”
Rufus ducked his head, hair falling over his face again. Sidling over to Leonie, he tugged at her sleeve.
“She already is,” Leonie said, as though the boy had asked a question. She shooed him off with a gentle pat. “Off you go now. And if you see Estelle and Beth, tell them they’re to help with camp chores too, okay?”
Rufus trotted after his friend. He paused halfway across the square, looking back. He lifted one arm in a quick, shy wave.
“Well now,” Leonie murmured, her gaze lingering on Rufus. She cast Honey a sidelong glance, one eyebrow quirking. “Youhavemade an impression. My nephew doesn’t normally take to new people so quickly.”
“Rufus is your nephew?” Now that Leonie had said it, the resemblance between the two was obvious. They both had the same tawny coloring and thick golden hair, although Leonie’s was bound back in a ponytail rather than falling across her face. “He’s a sweet kid. But between you and me, I think he’s pretty nervous about camp. I hope you’ve got a good counselor lined up for him.”
“Oh, I’ve got no worries there.” Leonie flashed her a teasing smile. “You seem on top of things already.”
“They’re in my group?” Honey said in genuine pleasure. “I’m happy to hear it. They seem like great kids.”
Leonie laughed. “Don’t thank me yet. Wait until you meet Estelle. I hope you’re up for a challenge.”
“I wouldn’t have come to camp if I wasn’t.”
“That’s the spirit.” Leonie eyed her curiously. “If you don’t mind me asking, Honey, whyareyou here? Not that I’m complaining, but you don’t strike me as quite our usual sort of counselor.”
Honey hesitated, not sure how to answer that one. She didn’t want to get into all the messy, complicated heartbreak of her divorce with a total stranger, no matter how nice Leonie seemed. She hadn’t told anyone the whole truth, not even her kids. Especially not her kids.
“Just needed a change of scene,” she said, putting on a bright smile. “You know, never too old for adventure, and all that. This seemed like an interesting place to spend the summer.”
