I think about telling him about my secret career asCherry, but that will only turn the conversation solely on me, and that’s not what I want. I want to know why he’s here at camp. So, I go with something less interesting.
“I started taking Spanish lessons again.” That’s a semi-truth. I only downloaded the app yesterday, but there’s no doubt I’ll follow through this time and learn it fluently.
Hearing Juliette speak to Harrison in French at the gala and Leo speak Spanish to a potential client reminded me of how being proficient in another language was such an important goal of mine earlier in life.
“A long time ago you were halfway there. You’ll be fluent in no time.”
“Thanks,” I mumble. “Now you.”
“I miss sailing.” His voice is despondent. “I’m so busy with M-Squared, I had no idea how much until now, being on Lake Horizon.”
My hand reaches across his lap and squeezes his in comfort. I don’t tell him that it’s not something new. I could tell how much he missed it the day he told me about his childhood.
Sailing is his safe space, his therapy, and a huge part of his life. Of course, he misses it.
Nate’s question broke the ice, but the lingering silence is tangible, and it’s making me uneasy.
In a soft tone that matches the swaying trees, I ask, “What are you doing here, Nate?”
A chuckle rumbles in his chest, a small smirk lifts his lips. “I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you.”
“Maybe years ago, but nothing you tell me surprises me anymore.”
“I bought it.”
My head snaps toward him. “Bought what?”
Okay, maybe this was a surprise.
He lifts his arm in a sweeping motion. “Camp Horizon.”
Although I already knew his answer was going to be something outrageous, I’m still shocked as hell. “What? Why?”
He pulls me back into his side, wrapping his arm a little bit tighter. “Because they went bankrupt a few years back. They filed Chapter Eleven, which means they were given the chance to pay off their debt while keeping the property. They failed andhad to sell the land to pay their creditors. I’ve kept an eye on it and made an offer they couldn’t refuse. No one but me would keep the land as is, and there was no way I would let someone rip away our memories.”
I’m not going to cry again. I’ve done enough of that, so for a moment I close my eyes and revel in his words and the romantic gesture behind everything Nate lives by.
“I’m sorry, Nate,” I whisper into his shoulder, the guilt eating me alive. “I’m so sorry.”
He doesn’t tell me it’s okay, he doesn’t pacify me with empty words. “Where have you been all week, Mads? Where has your head been?”
“I’m struggling.” I sit up, needing space to breathe, and blow out a breath. “I started seeing our relationship in a different light, and it didn’t shine pretty on me. I was taking time to wrap my head around it before we went any further.” He sweeps my hair off my face and tucks a piece behind my ear. I nuzzle my face into his hand, using the power of touch to tell him how much I love it.
“I can’t play games, Maddie, we’re too old for that shit. After the masquerade party, I thought we were moving forward. That we’d talk and figure out everything together, but you ran from me. That’s not us.”
I turn, kiss the palm of his hand, then maneuver myself so I can look him in the eyes. “I know, and I was a coward. When I woke up the next morning, I started to see everything clearly, and I didn’t like what I saw?—”
He puts his finger up to my lips to silence me. “You said you wanted to wrap your head around it. So answer me this first. After we talk it out and sift through the bullshit, are you in? Are you mine?”
My demons might weigh me down, but I’m not living another day without the love of my life any longer. “I’m yours, Nate.”
“Good. That’s all that matters right now.” He stands tall, taking me with him. “Let’s get out of here, you’re shivering. We can talk when we’re somewhere warm.”
He interlocks our fingers and walks me back toward our meadow. I stop short, looking up the hill, beyond the trees where our cabins would be.
I can partially see what’s left of the abandoned food hall and the path that leads to my favorite memories.
Nate runs a hand up and down my arm. “We’ll come back when we decide what to do with this place. We can walk and explore when it’s light out.”
