Lexi glanced down to the other end of the table and saw Annabeth pleading with Connor and knew she was saying the same thing her son was. She was about to comment when Connor stood up.
“Anyone interested in testing out our s’mores kits?” he asked.
“There’s a kit?” Axel asked. “Where have you been hiding it?”
“In a suitable spot so you wouldn’t steal all the candy bars,” Connor teased. “How about we clean up and head outside and sit around the firepit, huh? It will be like old times!”
She inwardly groaned. Was he doing this stuff on purpose?
Unfortunately, everyone agreed and seemed to be excited at the thought of sitting around the fire, so who was she to be the lone party pooper?
Turning to Jonah, she forced herself to smile. “We just need to clean up first, and then we’ll all go outside, okay?”
“Yay! Thanks, Mom!” And then he ran off toward Annabeth, and they took off down one of the hallways.
“Um…are they supposed to…?”
“It’s fine,” Maisie replied as they all got to their feet and began picking up dishes. “That’s the office hallway, and there’s a lounge at the end with couches and a TV. Annabeth hangs out down there all the time, so I’m sure she’s just showing it to him.”
“Oh. Okay. Whew! I was afraid they were going into the guest rooms.”
It was a bit of controlled chaos as they worked together to clean up. In the kitchen, she had no idea where anything went or what she was supposed to do, but it seemed like Connor had most of it under control.
“Harlow? Can you grab the supplies from the back of the pantry?” he asked.
“No problem!”
“I should probably get Jonah,” she said to no one in particular, but before she could leave the kitchen, he was running through with Annabeth. “Maybe chocolate isn’t the best idea…”
“He’ll run it off,” Kelsey said with a laugh. “At least, I hope for your sake that he will.”
Slater joined them and nodded toward the door. “Come on. Let’s head down to the firepit and get the fire going. It’s something you might need to know how to do as the activities director. Grab your jackets, everyone. It’s a little chilly out, and even with the fire, you’re going to need them.”
So, she followed him out, along with Jayce, Kelsey, Axel, Maisie, and Harlow, all with their jackets. Jonah and Annabeth were already down the stairs and running around the firepit area. When she reached him, she gently pulled her son aside.
“I love that you’re having fun with Annabeth, but you may not run outside like that without me. Understand?”
He nodded solemnly, his big brown eyes brimming with tears because she was using her stern mom voice on him.
“This is a new place for us, and you need to be very careful, okay?”
Another nod.
“Let’s go sit and calm down for a few minutes,” she said. Together they joined everyone, and she let him sit on one of the benches with Annabeth.
“You ready to start the fire?” Slater asked her.
“Me? Um…I don’t have any idea how to do that. Yet.”
He grinned. “Good answer. That’s why I’m here to teach you.”
Nodding, Lexi looked around to get her bearings and then waited for his instructions. The firepit was empty except for a dusting of gray ash. A neat stack of split logs sat on a rack nearby, with a smaller bundle of kindling tied up with twine.
“Alright,” Slater said, grabbing a bucket of supplies out of the shed that was hidden behind a row of bushes. “First thing we always do is clear out yesterday’s leftovers. Fire won’t breathe right if the base is clogged with ash.” He brushed the pit clean with a metal scoop and waved Lexi closer. “Next is the tinder. Think of it as the spark plug. We use crumpled newspapers and wood shavings. You can grab pine needles too, if they’re dry. We’ll have staff members restocking the shed daily, so you shouldn’t have to go out searching for everything every night. We’ll make sure they’re set up as kits, so you should just be able to grab one bundle to get the fire started.”
Lexi crouched beside him with another nod, following as he laid a small nest of tinder in the center.
“Next comes kindling.” He picked up a handful of thin sticks. “Stack ’em like a teepee over the tinder. Not too tight, though. Leave space for air. Fire chokes without air.”
