Jayce glanced at him over his shoulder. “Well, should you ever find a woman who wants to put up with you, maybe you’ll understand.” Then he reached out a hand and gently pulled Kelsey to her feet. “We’ll see everyone in the morning.”
After that, Walker and Harlow said their goodnights, quickly followed by Axel and Maisie.
“Want to see how to shut down the fire?” Slater asked, but before she could answer, his phone rang. “Shoot. Sorry, Lex. I’ve got to take this.” He looked at Connor. “Can you take care of this?”
“Yeah. Sure. No problem.”
“I’ll meet you up in the lodge tomorrow at eight, Lexi. Have a good night!” And then he was gone, and it was just her, Connor, and the kids.
Awkward.
Standing, she walked around and picked up any lingering dessert debris and put it in the trash. When she came back to the firepit, Connor was also on his feet. They stared at each other, and it felt both weird and yet…not.
By now, the sun had dipped behind the trees, the firepit had burned down to a bed of glowing embers, and the night air grew quiet.
“Alright,” Connor said, clapping his hands once. “So, you never ever leave a fire to die out on its own.”
Lexi nodded, stepping closer as he grabbed a metal pail of water. “Where did you get that?”
He motioned toward the shed. “There’s a waterspout back there, and the buckets are in the shed too.”
Another nod.
“First rule: drown it. Pour slowly, not all at once. If you dump the whole bucket, you just push ash around and the bottom can stay hot.” He tipped the pail in a steady stream over the embers. Steam hissed upward, the glow fading but not disappearing. “Second rule: stir.” He used a long metal poker to turn the wet ash, exposing pockets of red. “See that? Still burning under there. You’ve got to mix it until everything’s soaked.”
Crouching beside him and taking the poker when he offered it, she stirred through the pile. More steam rose, with a faint sizzle coming from the pit.
“Now, last check,” he said, handing her the pail. This time, their fingers brushed, and she had to stop herself from flinching. “Pour again, then put your hand above it—close enough to feel heat, but don’t touch. If it’s warm, it’s not out.”
She poured another thin layer of water, then held her palm a few inches above the pit. Nothing but cool damp air met her skin.
“Cold,” she said.
“Good. That means it’s safe. The motto here is: cold to the touch, safe to walk away.” He gave her a firm nod. “Do it like this every night, and you’ll never have a problem.”
Lexi straightened, brushing ash from her hands. “Light it, feed it, drown it, stir it. Got it.”
Connor chuckled. “Exactly. You’ll be a pro in no time.”
“I hope so. But I also hope to accomplish more than just being a pro at campfires,” she said with a nervous laugh. “I appreciate everyone taking a chance on me, and I hope I don’t let you all down.”
His expression softened. “You could never let anyone down, Lexi. Ever.”
There was so much conviction behind those words, but she didn’t believe him. She couldn’t. It was on the tip of her tongue to say something snarky about how her bank account was clearly a letdown to him and his family, but…what was the point? It was ancient history, and maybe if she stopped looking back and forced herself to keep looking forward, she’d be happier.
Ducking her head a bit, she replied, “Thanks. And thank you for showing me how to put out the fire. And for the s’mores. They were a big hit.” Turning around, she saw that Jonah was practically falling asleep, so she went and picked him up. “Hey, buddy. Can you say thank you to Mr. Winslowe for our dinner and dessert?”
“Thank you…” He yawned. “Mr. Winslowe.” Then he rested his head on her shoulder.
“We should go. It’s been a long day, and now we need to get settled in the cabin.” She paused. “And I guess I should thank you again for that. I really appreciate it. It just felt wrong to make Jayce and Kelsey stay somewhere else.”
“I know they appreciated it too,” he said quietly.
But neither moved or made an attempt to leave.
“Um…”
“Why don’t you let me carry him?” Connor asked. “I know it’s not a particularly long walk, but the paths over by our cabins are tricky since they’re not paved. You’ll get used to them, but maybe doing it for the first time in the dark isn’t the best idea.”
